56th Homecoming Coverage
WTAJ-TV has create a special section on their website devoted to their coverage of the homecoming for the 56th SBCT.
GMAV Video
Someone emailed asking about the GMAV video we featured a few weeks ago. I tried to respond via email but it bounced back to me several times, so I'm posting my response here. The videos are all hosted at the DVIDS website, and can be downloaded from there.
Pennsylvania Guard Marks End of Iraq Mission
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Soldiers of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, marked the official end of their mission in Iraq, Aug. 31, with a transfer of authority ceremony.
Commander Col. Marc Ferraro and Brigade Command Sgt. Maj. John Jones lowered the colors of the "Independence Brigade" in front of a crowd of Soldiers and Iraqi government and military officials.
"At the start of our mission I said, 'The citizen Soldiers of Pennsylvania have always answered the call to duty," Ferraro told the audience. "They did just that."
"During the deployment we remained focused on the mission. The Soldiers of the Independence Brigade served side by side with Iraqi soldiers to ensure security."
Brigade Soldiers performed over 800 combined operations with Iraqi security forces, capturing seven brigade level high value targets and 80 additional targets; capturing more than 80 enemy weapon caches.
Saying Goodbye
The Daily News Miner carries an article by UAF journalism student Tom Hewitt from his recent embed with the 1/25 SBCT.
BAQUBAH, Iraq — Shortly after entering the police station, Staff Sgt. Daniel Blalock of the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment found himself in the embrace of an Iraqi officer.“I knew it was going to be a sad day when we told them we couldn’t come back,” Blalock said, after he returned the hug.
Sgt. Blalock and other members of 1-5’s Charlie Company had come to the station, just north of Baqubah in Diyala Province on a mission to help train the Iraqi Emergency Response Force. The ERF, a special branch of the Iraqi Police trained for security operations, had worked with the American soldiers for months, and it was their final session.
Testing New Technologies
The News Tribune reports on new communication systems being used by the 3/2 SBCT and 4/2 SBCT in Iraq.
Gunmen fire on American troops in Iraq. The soldiers pursue, but they can run into problems if the terrain is unfamiliar. Landmarks are confusing. They focus on the wrong building. Or they get turned around in the urban setting.Now, a communications system that two Fort Lewis Stryker brigades are fielding in Iraq aims to provide leaders with more real-time information – and a better chance of tracking insurgents.
The Tacticomp system can link soldiers on the ground with commanders back at the operations center, using troops’ geographical coordinates and live video from cameras soldiers carry or from drone aircraft circling overhead.
FOB Tacoma Updates
Scott Fontaine's FOB Tacoma blog has a couple recent Stryker updates worth noting.
PFC Dennis M. Williams
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. Dennis M. Williams, 24, of Federal Way, Wash., died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Related:
Slain FWay soldier worried about future - The News Tribune
Former teacher: Slain soldier ‘sweet young man’ - The News Tribune
Stryker soldier 'knew he was in harm's way' - The News Tribune
Amid goodwill, a fatal blast - FOB Tacoma
SFC Ronald W. Sawyer
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class Ronald W. Sawyer, 38, of Trenton, Mo., died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Related:
Area soldier killed in combat - St. Joseph Press-News
Amid goodwill, a fatal blast - FOB Tacoma
CPT Cory J. Jenkins
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Capt. Cory J. Jenkins, 30, of Arizona, died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Related:
BYU graduate killed in Afghanistan - Salt Lake Tribune
Mesa soldier killed while serving others - eastvalleytribune.com
Amid goodwill, a fatal blast - FOB Tacoma
CPT John L. Hallett III
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Capt. John L. Hallett III, 30, of California, died Aug. 25 in southern Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Related:
Wife: Hallett ‘always put the needs of others before his own’ - The News Tribune
Concord soldier dies in Afghanistan blast - SF Chronicle
Amid goodwill, a fatal blast - FOB Tacoma
Northern Homecoming
Soldiers from the 1/25 SBCT are arriving home as well. The Daily News-Miner has a nice story and lots of photos.
FAIRBANKS — As dozens of family members of 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry soldiers gathered, the Fort Wainwright hangar remained quiet.It wasn’t that they lacked excitement about the return of their loved ones. But it was 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, as evidenced by yawning children and people in pajama pants.
When the hangar doors opened about 45 minutes later and 160 troopers from the 1-25th came back to post following a yearlong deployment to Iraq’s Diyala province, the hangar erupted.
More PA Troops Return
Chambersburg Public Opinion reports that another 300 56th SBCT soldiers returned home Wednesday morning.
About 300 more soldiers with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team arrived in Fort Dix, N.J. at 4 a.m. Wednesday, following a tour of duty in Iraq. Their arrival marks the second wave of troops to return this week.The soldiers are members of the 2nd 112th Infantry Regiment. They are from the Bellefonte and Lewistown areas. Others, including the soldiers from the Chambersburg, Waynesboro and Gettysburg areas, are expected in the next week or two.
Family members of Gettysburg's Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 108th Field Artillery, will head to the Gettysburg armory on Sunday, where they will decorate the facility with "Welcome Home" signs and banners.
Deployment Ceremony
The News Tribune reports from yesterday's deployment ceremony for the 4/2 SBCT.
During a day at Fort Lewis dedicated to the future, much of the focus was on the past.Veterans from World War II and the Korean War helped case the colors for 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division on Tuesday ahead of leaving for its second tour of Iraq. Speeches centered on the unit’s success on its first deployment in 2007, when it weathered a brutal 15 months of combat.
This time, a different atmosphere awaits the 4,000 Stryker brigade soldiers. A new security agreement means American soldiers are going on fewer combat missions. And training up the Iraqi military is of the utmost importance. The 4th brigade’s year-long deployment will be crucial to long-term stability in Iraq, the acting post commander told thousands assembled at Watkins Field for Tuesday’s ceremony.
56th SBCT Soldiers Arriving Home
The first group of soldiers from the 56th SBCT has arrived home to PA.
- Video: Pa. Guardsmen return after serving in Iraq - 6abc.com
- Video: 300 Pa. Soldiers Return From Iraq - Fox News 29
- PA guard unit arrives at Ft. Dix after Iraq duty - AP
- Pa. Guard contingent welcomed home from Iraq - Philadelphia Inquirer
- First Wave Of 56th Stryker Brigade Returnng Tuesday - WJAC Johnstown
SPC Troy O. Tom
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Troy O. Tom, 21, of Shiprock, N.M., died Aug. 18 in Arghandab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash..
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers.
Related:
Two Stryker soldiers killed in Afghanistan - FOB Tacoma
Beclabito soldier killed in Afghanistan - Farmington Daily Times
Fellow soldiers remember Tom, Yanney - FOB Tacoma
PFC Jonathan C. Yanney
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Pfc. Jonathan C. Yanney, 20, of Litchfield, Minn., died Aug. 18 in Arghandab, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash..
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones he leaves behind.
Related:
Two Stryker soldiers killed in Afghanistan - FOB Tacoma
Fellow soldiers remember Tom, Yanney - FOB Tacoma
4/2 SBCT Deployment Ceremony
The deployment ceremony is taking place tomorrow (8/25) at 10 am according to the the Fort Lewis Ranger.
Video: Col. Ferraro End of Mission
Col. Ferraro, commander of the 56th ABCT, talks about some of the highlights of his brigade's accomplishments and their re-integration, as they prepare to re-deploy back to the United States. Produced by Master Sgt. Sean Whelan.
Video: U.S. Army Stryker Vehicles Visit Village in Easter Romania
Package made from "U.S. Army Stryker Vehicles Visit Villages in Romania" b-roll about Soldiers training in Romania meeting the local communities near the training area. Produced by Marine Staff Sgt. Amy Forsythe.
2-1 CAV Spur Ride
The News Tribune followed soldiers from 2-1 CAV, 4/2 SBCT as they go on the traditional cavalry spur ride.
The spur ride is a tradition that dates back generations, when cavalry scouts rode horses deep into unknown territory. The ride was a grueling test of skill – still captured today as modern cavalry soldiers ride in Strykers, helicopters or armored vehicles – that culminated with a more experienced rider presenting the spurs.The 2nd Squadron’s spur ride included water survival training, road marches, rifle shooting, blindfolded weapons assembly, night land navigation, small-boat operations and tests on the cavalry’s history and traditions.
This week’s spur ride was the squadron’s first since 2006. The next year, the cavalrymen deployed to Iraq as part of 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, and when they got back, they were busy training for their second tour. The brigade leaves over the next few weeks again for Iraq.
Related: More pictures from the 'spur ride' at Fort Lewis
More Embedded Reports
The UAF journalism crew have a few new articles re: the 1/25 SBCT.
- Balancing rockets and recreation - Alaska Dispatch
- Maintenance - Short Timers Blog
- Sheik blames outsiders - Daily News-Miner
Ships, Planes Deliver Stryker Brigade to Afghanistan
Story by Gerry Gilmore, Pentagon Public Affairs
WASHINGTON - Military transportation experts used ships and planes to deploy an Army combat unit that arrived in Afghanistan last month, marking a notable milestone for U.S. Transportation Command.
The 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Lewis, Wash., began departing from nearby Tacoma by ship in early May; the unit's equipment arrived in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province July 25, about five days earlier than requested by U.S. Central Command, Army Lt. Col. John Kaylor, a transportation expert assigned to Transcom's headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., said Aug. 20.
More than 3,800 troops and 900 pieces of the unit's equipment, including more than 300 Stryker armored combat vehicles, were deployed to Afghanistan during the movement, Kaylor said. This latest large-scale movement, he added, avoided millions of dollars in costs and improved Transcom's Joint Task Force Port Opening operations.
The movement to Afghanistan was the Stryker brigade's first combat deployment.
Battling the Heat
The embedded journalists from UAF continue their in-depth coverage with this article recounting a joint mission between soldiers from the 1/25 SBCT and the Iraqi Army.
FOB GRIZZLY, Iraq -- The Chinook jostled from side to side, suggesting turbulence rather than touchdown at the LZ. Hugging their guns, Iraqis and Americans streamed toward the big helicopter's gaping rear hatch. [...]The mission called for First Platoon making its way along wadis, notched into the hillsides by rain, to a position where soldiers might observe village ruins identified by aerial mapping. Signs of life would invite further scrutiny, according to the intelligence report, because Al Qaeda Iraq and other dissident groups active in Diyala Province sometimes hole up in such places.
Either way, the platoon and Iraqi Army men would use metal detectors and sweep the village site and surrounding tip of the Udaim River peninsula for cached weapons or explosives. Get in early. Get out before the sun sapped the men's strength. That was the plan discussed at Bravo Company's headquarters back at Grizzly.
Desert Oasis
This is great - SSG Kevin Smith with 1-24 INF, 1/25 SBCT has cultivated a patch of green in the desert.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GRIZZLY, Iraq - Grass sprouting in the courtyard of this small military base north of Baghdad is rooted in homefront struggles larger than the war."You've got to water it every day," said Staff Sgt. Kevin Smith, dutifully shifting the sprinkler to soak another portion of the startling green carpet sprouting near headquarters in this base in Iraq's Diyala Province. It's a bit of the Midwest in the Middle East.
Black, a 30-year-old former landscaper, has nurtured the desert lawn since "Duce Four," the 1-24th Infantry Regiment, withdrew from urban areas and consolidated at Grizzly about three weeks ago.
More Soldiers Arriving Home
According to this article from the Daily News-Miner the next group of 1/25 SBCT soldiers is scheduled to arrive home next week.
About 150 troops from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat, 25th Infantry returned on Aug. 3. That “torch party” is preparing for about 4,000 additional Stryker soldiers who will flood back into town during the next month.Douglass said the next group of Stryker troops will return next week, with a steady stream continuing through September. Douglass said seven Stryker soldiers have died during the deployment, which began in September 2008.
Pennsylvania Guard Unit Recognized for Electronic Warfare Fight
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – An electronic warfare association has named a 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team battalion as the Army unit to best make use of EW assets and training in the past year. The selection comes at a time when Soldiers in Iraq are relying on EW capabilities to defeat improvised explosive devices.
The 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment, headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., is the recipient of the "Association of Old Crows Outstanding U.S. Army Electronic Warfare Unit for 2009" honor. The Pennsylvania Army National Guard unit, currently deployed in Iraq with the 56th SBCT, garnered the Army-wide honor for its extensive use of lifesaving EW capabilities in day-to-day operations in country.
"This award demonstrates that the Pennsylvania National Guard is in the forefront of emerging technologies," Capt. Melvin Benson of Abington, Pa, 56th SBCT electronic warfare officer, said. "All of our battalions have made good use of electronic warfare. The 1-111th made the greatest use of joint assets."
New Technology Deployed to Afghanistan
An embedded AP reporter describes some of the technology being used by the 5/2 SBCT in Afghanistan.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan — Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Henson goes out on patrol with a computer on his back and a joystick in his holster. He also carries a rifle, but the military is hoping he'll soon have less need for it.A wired generation of U.S. soldiers is about to battle-test a high-tech weapon calculated to reduce civilian casualties in Afghanistan.
A key component is the "Dragon Egg," a softball-sized robotic camera that can be thrown over a hill or into a building without endangering troops. It rights itself like a Weeble Wobble toy and delivers a 360-degree view through its four tiny cameras. If any innocents are in the area, the soldier can mark the spot using his backpack computer to ward off an air strike.
Photos: New Non-commissioned Officers
DVIDS has a few photos of a recent ceremony featuring soldiers from the 56th SBCT. Description:
The 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, welcomed 39 new sergeants to the non-commissioned officer ranks during an NCO induction ceremony Aug. 16 at the Sgt. Jon M. Schoolcraft Pavillion.
Stars & Stripes in Afghanistan
Stars & Stripes has a new piece about the continued handover of real estate to the 5/2 SBCT in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Canada has handed over about half of its battle space in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province to newly arrived U.S. soldiers, allowing Canadian forces to concentrate on counterinsurgency and reconstruction efforts in the provincial capital, according to a senior officer.The move also effectively doubles the size of NATO-led combat forces within Kandahar province, birthplace of the Taliban movement, from two to four battalions, although they will operate under separate U.S. and Canadian commands.
The transfer of responsibility to soldiers of the U.S. 5th Stryker Brigade includes Spin Boldak district — site of an important border crossing with Pakistan — and the districts of Arghandab, Shah Wali Kot, and Kakrez, north of the city of Kandahar, said Lt. Col. Mike Patrick, chief of operations for Canada-led Task Force Kandahar.
New DoD Website
The Department of Defense launched a brand new website today at www.defense.gov - take a peek and let them know what you think.
Operation Schoolhouse
WKRG News has a nice story about Allie Maney.
When 12-year-old Allie Maney started Operation Schoolhouse, a project to collect school supplies for Iraqi children, she had no idea how large the response would be.Since its start in October, Allie's project has more than doubled her goal of 1,000 pounds of supplies.
"I'm really excited about it. We got 2,200 pounds," the Shalimar resident said. "It's just great that we got this much and I loved doing it."
Ally started the program after hearing stories and seeing photos from her brother, Army 1st Lt. Drew Maney. In one of his weekly conversations with his family, Drew mentioned the Iraqi children he met on his tour with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Photos: Strykers in Romania
DVIDS has a couple new photos featuring soldiers from the 2nd SCR training in Romania.
Stryker Troopers Earn Combat Spurs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Troopers with the 2nd Squadron, 104th Cavalry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, are leaving Iraq with new spurs jangling from their combat boots.
In keeping with cavalry tradition, troop commanders conducted award ceremonies, at the "Fiddler's Green" rest area of the squadron's footprint. The area is the namesake of a poem about the final resting place of all cavalry Soldiers.
"When a Cav Soldier dies, he goes to a place called Fiddler's Green," 1st Lt. Duncan MacQueen, unit public affairs representative for the 2-104th said. "It's a place for the spirits of Cav Soldiers."
Maj. Guy Smith, information officer for the 2-104th, explained that in peace time, troopers can earn their silver spurs through a challenging process known as a spur ride. It tests physical endurance and Soldier skills, including land navigation, rifle marksmanship and a road march.
Embedded Reports
The UAF journalism students have provided another group of links on their Short Timers blog to the second batch of stories they've published.
The Final Countdown
The Daily Times profiles the family of 56th SBCT officer, Lt. Col. Mark O’Hanlon, as they await his return from Iraq.
Lt. Col. Mark O’Hanlon is commander of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He and his 700-man unit, including several soldiers from Delaware County, have been in Iraq since January. They are expected to be home by the end of September, said O’Hanlon’s wife, Michelle.“We expect him back in Wallingford by Sept. 30, which is my birthday, which would be a nice birthday present if he is,” said Mrs. O’Hanlon.
Since he has been deployed, O’Hanlon has missed Kate’s and Maggie’s birthdays, as well as the birthdays of his children from a former marriage, Joshua, 16, and Beth, 13, who live in Lehigh County.
Homecoming Parade?
Edith Walters would like help organizing a welcome home parade for soldiers from the 56th SBCT. Interested? You can find more details in this story from WJAC News.
Video: Eyes on the Prize
Jessica Hoffman, one of the journalism students embedded with the 1/25 SBCT, has a short video of soldiers talking about what they are looking forward to.
Related: Hoffman also has another video clip from a recent Air Assault mission with the 1/25 SBCT.
New Comment System
I've always had a love/hate relationship with comments on this site. I love getting the feedback from readers, but hate the hassle of moderating comments. Spam attacks have made it virtually impossible to have an unregulated system. The result has been a constantly changing system of moderation, permissions and at one time a required registration with a third-party service, which essentially made it so cumbersome to comment that nobody bothered.
As an experiment to see if we can improve the conversation here I decided to implement a commenting system called Disqus. From an admin point of view it will make handling spam and moderating comments much easier. From a commenter's perspective there are many benefits, including:
- Log in using your Facebook, Twitter, OpenID or Disqus credentials, and decide whether to share your comment on those sites as well
- Track and manage comments and replies
- Reply to comments through email or mobile
- Edit your own comments
- Verified commenter reputations across sites
- More control over your own comments on websites
- Never lose your comments, even if the website goes away
- Build a global profile, or comment blog, to collect and show off what you're saying
Many of the advanced features (editing etc.) require you to log in, but you can still leave a comment without registering or logging in. Try it out and let us know if you like it.
Thanks,
Todd, Site Admin
Dangerous Job
The Associated Press is reporting that two of its journalists embedded in Afghanistan, Emilio Morenatti and Andi Jatmiko, were seriously injured in a bomb blast on Tuesday. There was no mention of injured troops, or even which unit the pair was embedded with at the time. We wanted to post this story because as of Monday Morenatti was with soldiers from the 5/2 SBCT (see his photos). Our thoughts and prayers will be with them as they recover.
KABUL, Afghanistan — As violence builds across Afghanistan ahead of elections next week, The Associated Press reported Wednesday that two of its journalists who were embedded with the United States military in the south of the country had been wounded in a roadside bombing. [...]The A.P. said a photographer, Emilio Morenatti, and an A.P. Television News videographer, Andi Jatmiko, were traveling with the American military when their vehicle was struck by the bomb on Tuesday. Both were immediately taken to a military hospital in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. Mr. Jatmiko, from Indonesia, suffered leg injuries and two broken ribs, while Mr. Morenatti, a Spaniard who was badly wounded in the leg, underwent an operation that resulted in the loss of his foot, The A.P. said.
Update: The News Tribune just published an AP article confirming the journalists were with the 5/2 SBCT at the time.
Update 2: Another AP article indicates that two soldiers, in addition to the journalists, were injured and evacuated. (via The News Tribune)
Mission Change
The Associated Press examines the relatively last minute decision to send the 5/2 SBCT to Afghanistan instead of Iraq. FYI to AP, there aren't 5,000 soldiers in a Stryker Brigade.
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (AP) -- More than 100 soldiers in the brigade studied Arabic for 10 months. Their officers boned up on Iraq by reading dozens of books.Then, five months ago, the 5,000 troops of the U.S. Army's 5th Stryker Brigade were told they were headed to Afghanistan instead. [...]
The Fort Lewis, Wash.-based Stryker brigade, which arrived in southern Afghanistan last month as part of the U.S. troop surge, is among those scrambling to adapt.
Embedded Reports
The journalism students who are currently embedded with the 1/25 SBCT in Iraq are publishing articles in a variety of publications. They've put together a complete list of the pieces written to date, many of which we haven't linked to before.
Photos: 56th on Patrol
DVIDS has a new photo gallery featuring soldiers from the 56th SBCT. Description:
U.S. Soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, utilize simple gestures to communicate with the local children during a cordon and knock at Taji Market, near Camp Taji, Iraq, Aug. 9. Small moments like this help the next generation of Iraqis learn that they do not need to fear the U.S. Army.
5/2 SBCT Assumes Responsibility
The Vancouver Sun describes how the 5/2 SBCT is taking control of territory previously patrolled by Canadian forces.
As Kandahar's governor, the province's top Afghan general and several dozen wizened Pashtun elders listened intently, Brig-Gen. Jon Vance of Task Force Kandahar introduced Col. Harry Tunnell IV, commander of the U.S. army's 5th Stryker Brigade. [...]The Stryker brigade, which Vance described Sunday as perhaps "the most advanced in the world" is part of a huge influx of U.S. forces that was ordered to the south of the country by U.S. President Barack Obama earlier this year to try to turn around a war that many observers say is at a stalemate.
On the outside, the eight-wheeled Stryker armoured vehicles resemble the LAV 3s that Canada operates in Afghanistan, but the U.S. vehicles are more heavily armoured and have added capabilities.
The arrival of Tunnell and his Fort Lewis, Wash., brigade's fast and manoeuverable Stryker armoured vehicles will suddenly triple the number of combat forces in Kandahar to about 6,000.
Afghan Elections
The Associated Press has an article mentioning recent operations by the 5/2 SBCT in Afghanistan.
Last week, American soldiers of Bear Troop, 5th Stryker Brigade rolled into Loy Karez, 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the Pakistani border, to check out the town's two planned polling stations and make sure police had a plan to protect voters.It was the soldiers' first patrol in Afghanistan — their first up-close-and-personal encounter with local Afghan authorities since arriving in the country last month as part of President Barack Obama's troop surge. [...]
Troop commander Capt. Dennis Lorte of Raymond, Oregon, sipped five cups of tea with the local border police commander, who uses the single name Lala, while trying to keep his dusty boots from soiling his host's carpets. Outside, Lorte's soldiers took up defensive positions, down on one knee, weapons ready.
Strykers In Romania
DVIDS has two videos about elements of the 2nd SCR arriving in Romania for a training exercise. The first video is embedded below, while the second is embedded after the jump.
2nd SCR Firing Big Guns
Stars & Stripes reports that Fires Squadron, 2nd SCR is anticipating fulfilling its true mission as artillerymen on future deployments.
As a result of the military’s shift in focus to Afghanistan, gunners from the Vilseck-based 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment — including some who haven’t fired a howitzer in years — are relearning old skills that they one day might use in Afghanistan but didn’t use in Iraq.Staff Sgt. Bruce Wiles, a section chief with Battery A, Fires Squadron, 2nd Cav, stood in a grassy field near Vilseck on Monday helping other artillerymen set up one of his unit’s new lightweight M-777 howitzers.
“Artillery would be our main mission if and when we deploy to Afghanistan,” he said. “We’d actually be doing our job.”
Justice System
The Daily News-Miner examines the Iraqi justice system in the following article.
The Iraqi legal system is a subject Col. Burt Thompson, commander of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry, wishes he had devoted more effort to understanding early on. He hears it from all sides. “The Iraqi police are corrupt,” he’s told. “The judges, they’re all bought off.”The colonel stressed that these are the views of others, not his. But it’s a perception dividing many Iraqis.
“They really do want to move forward,” Thompson continued. “I pray for my civilian leadership, I pray for the president, I pray for my military leaders, and I’m praying for the Iraqi ones too, because they’ve got huge challenges. I’ll never be flippant and say, ‘This is easy, why can’t you figure this out?’ In many ways, we haven’t.”
5/2 SBCT on the Ground
The News Tribune has compiled a nice photo gallery featuring the 5/2 SBCT in Afghanistan. This is pretty much the first coverage I've seen of the unit - I hope there will be more to follow.
3/2 Deployment Ceremony
The Northwest Guardian has a nice article covering the deployment ceremony of the 3/2 SBCT that took place on July 24th.
At the cutting edge of war-fighting methods and technology since its inception, a Fort Lewis-based unit again broke new ground last week.The 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division was the Army’s initial Styker brigade to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in November 2003, and the first to return for a second tour in June 2006.
On July 24, the brigade again cased its colors on Watkins Field, the only Stryker brigade to deploy a third time in support of OIF.
Video: GMAV
Here's a bit of video to go along with the article we posted earlier this week.
From the Homefront
Georgie Hanlin's husband recently deployed to Afghanistan, a subject she writes about in an editorial in the Christian Science Monitor.
One might think I'd be used to deployments. My husband is recently into his sixth. I consider myself to be pretty tough: I am, after all, an Army wife during a time of war. My husband's deployment is a reality I've had to accept. It doesn't come without heartache and worry, and it is ridden with patience and hope.I think of the courage it takes for the members of our military to leave their families, deployment after deployment, year after year, well aware of the possibility that they might not return; that is extraordinary. The majority of people I come across who learn that
56th SBCT Articles
The Warhead blog hosted by PennLive.com has a number of new entries featuring the 56th SBCT.
Torch Party Arrives
The Daily News-Miner was there when the first troops from the 1/25 SBCT arrived home last night. Welcome back!
GMAV Pilots Bring 'hover and Stare' Capability to Battlefield
TAJI, Iraq – A new unmanned aerial vehicle with "hover and stare" capability gives the high ground to 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team units on Camp Taji, Iraq. Soldiers piloting the Gas Micro Air Vehicle can use it as an extra set of eyes near a patrol or can send the UAV miles ahead to scout beyond the horizon and send back real-time video.
"Independence Brigade" pilots who have used the prototype in Iraq over the past seven months have provided feedback to manufacturer Honeywell. Company engineers have used that input to make modifications to a forthcoming GMAV model.
"It's exciting to hear their ideas that come back," Kevin Bogert, a Honeywell field service engineer working at Camp Taji, said. "For a prototype configuration it's done very well."
"The beauty of the system is you can hover and stare," Bogert said, adding that the GMAV can take snapshots, record video and help Soldiers mark targets.
Dwell Time
Stars & Stripes reports that an extended training period for the 2nd SCR in Germany might translate into a longer dwell time relative to other combat units.
VILSECK, Germany — Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment are packing up their gear this week for a three-month rotation to Bulgaria and Romania.While it’s not exactly sitting on the sofa at home, all indications are that the Strykers will get almost two years between combat deployments at a time when Army leaders are looking for ways to increase that “dwell time.”
Typically, Army units have been getting 12 months between downrange assignments. [...]
For now, the 2nd Cav has no deployment orders to a combat zone, although there is speculation among soldiers that the Strykers’ next combat tour could be to Afghanistan.
Stryker Presence in Afghanistan
Canwest News Service has an article about Canadian troops in Afghanistan that mentions the 5/2 SBCT as well.
Which country will be responsible militarily for what parts of Kandahar is not something Canadian or American officers have wished to discuss in precise detail, but the rough overlay is expected to have the Canadians concentrating their effort against the Taliban insurgency primarily in heavily populated areas such as Kandahar City and its southern and western approaches.The 3,000 or 4,000 fresh U.S. troops from a cutting edge, light-armoured Stryker Brigade will cover the rest of the province, including a few distant places that Canada has until now usually maintained a presence.
Advance Party
The Daily News-Miner is reporting that the advance party for the 1/25 SBCT will arrive home on Monday night. The countdown begins.
