Video: Stryker Unit Patrolling Arghandab Valley
B-roll of Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team working to provide security and improve the way of life for villagers in the Arghandab Valley, Afghanistan. Scenes include Soldiers walking along a road, Soldiers taking cover after hearing gun fire, Soldiers running along a bridge and Soldiers speaking with local Afghans. Produced by Sgt. Randall Pike.
SSG David H. Gutierrez
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Staff Sgt. David H. Gutierrez, 35, of San Fransico, Ca., died Dec. 25 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol with an improvised explosive device in Howz-e Madad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
Related:
Soldier who grew up in San Jose killed in Afghanistan on Christmas - San Jose Mercury News
Holiday Hiatus
I plan on taking the next week off due to travel plans for the holiday. In my absence be sure to check the following sources for news regarding the Stryker troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- FOB Tacoma - Two journalists from The News Tribune are in Iraq to cover soldiers from Ft. Lewis.
- Northwest Military - JM Simpson is with the 5/2 SBCT in Afghanistan.
- Michael Yon - Independent journalist currently embedded with the 5/2 in Afghanistan. Also check his Facebook page for micro-updates.
- DVIDS - Here are the search results for Stryker-related stories, photos and videos from public affairs units across both fronts.
- SBN Facebook Page - the fans of our page do a great job of posting any stories that we might miss.
Happy Holidays to all of you. Check back in a week or so for updates.
Todd
TNT Arrives in Iraq
The crew from The News Tribune has traveled north from Kuwait and arrived in Baghdad.
Video: Train the Trainer Program
Video about Soldiers from the 3rd Stryker Brigade conducting a "Train the Trainer" course for soldiers of the 19th Iraqi Brigade.
Profile of 1-17 INF
Eric Schmitt of The New York Times was with Adm. Mullen when he visited FOB Frontenac and has a rather lengthy piece about the 1-17 INF, 5/2 SBCT.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FRONTENAC, Afghanistan — The 21 names inscribed on the white concrete memorial in front of the First Battalion, 17th Infantry headquarters here tell a grim story: the soldiers killed in five months of battling the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.No battalion in the United States Army in Afghanistan has suffered more fatalities since 9/11, and the soldiers here at this base about 20 miles north of Kandahar are not even halfway through their yearlong tour. [...]
“Measuring success is awfully hard,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Neumann, 43, a West Point graduate who is the battalion commander. “It’s one small incident at a time.”
Mullen Visits Strykers in Afghanistan
Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, recently paid a visit to some Stryker soldiers in Afghanistan.
"We can tactically win," the admiral said. "But if we're killing local civilians we're going to strategically lose."He didn't have to argue the point. There were nods in the crowd. A Stryker Company he was speaking to had taken more casualties than any unit since 9/11 when kicking this new strategy into high gear – 21 KIA so far, one of the largest losses borne by a single unit in this entire war.
But the Stryker guys had been through this before. One told us how they'd been at the frontline of counterinsurgency in Iraq, and they'd seen it turn things around after initially being skeptical the plan would work.
"We've closed the gap on human intel," Lt. Col. Jonathan Neumann told us, ticking off what he saw as gains tallied against soldiers lost. He told a ragged group of reporters traveling with chairman Mullen that the intel from Afghans, which started flowing once locals were convinced the Americans would stay, meant his guys had been able to sweep up caches of weapons and stockpiles of explosives at a record rate.
Photos: Secretary of the Army Visits Afghanistan
DVIDS has a new album of photos featuring the 5/2 SBCT.
Group photograph of U.S. Soldiers from 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and the Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, Dec. 16.
MASCAL Training Provides Learning Experience
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Pfc. Tessa Marsh, a combat medic, arrived on the scene where she found five people "injured" from a simulated mortar attack during a mass casualty exercise here, Dec.14.
After checking with a combat life saver qualified Soldier who had already assessed the wounded, Marsh treated the most critically injured person by quickly placing a tourniquet on a man's severed arm, while simultaneously explaining to a fellow Soldier how to tourniquet the man's leg.
As she aided the injured man, Marsh had two things on her mind: her medical skills and communication with those around her.
Because of the limited number of medical staff on site, she worked to do what was best for the patients while communicating with others on scene, in order to provide aid to the most seriously injured, explained Marsh, a Lacrosse, Wisc. native, with the 702nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
Marsh's team evacuated casualties to Riva Ridge Troop Medical Center where Staff Sgt. Charles Ensminger, the medical evacuation platoon sergeant acted as the triage officer, sorting incoming patients into medical categories before sending them to treatment.
Photos: 5th Brigade Photo Album
Northwest Military has a new album of photos featuring the 5/2 SBCT in Afghanistan. The photos were taken by JM Simpson, who is currently embedded with the brigade.
TNT Heading Back to Iraq
The News Tribune confirmed today that reporter Scott Fontaine and photographer Joe Barretine are headed to Iraq to cover the 12,000 Ft. Lewis troops currently serving there, including the 3/2 & 4/2 SBCTs.
Northwest Military in Afghanistan
J.M. Simpson of Northwest Military is currently embedded with the 5/2 SBCT. There are five dispatches up right now on the site.
Michael Yon Dispatch
Yon has a new dispatch embedded with the 5/2 SBCT, "Arghandab & The Battle for Kandahar".
Afghan elections were scheduled for 20 August 2009. With the Canadians effectively neutralized by enemy resistance, the 5/2 Stryker Brigade combat team was tasked to operate in Arghandab to help facilitate voting. The Brigade Commander, Colonel Harry Tunnell, had little intel on the region. (Though I have found 5/2 soldiers reading and discussing everything they can find on the Soviet experience.) The enemy started by making small bombs but those were not effective against Strykers, and so they kept upping the charges to a thousand pounds or more. Enough to destroy any vehicle on the planet.Early in the tour, two soldiers were killed about twenty minutes apart by IEDs. Their buddies “knew” that the soldiers had been killed, but the bodies could not be found. The U.S. military will practically stop the war to look for a missing soldier. Every available asset was sent to Arghandab and they gained huge intelligence and flooded the place for the first time. Remains were found and the men joined America’s honor roll. The Taliban suffered humiliation.
The enemy is not defeated, but our people were now operating among them. U.S. casualties continued during the next three months but there are indications that the enemy is today in disarray. The enemy became afraid to sleep indoors where they might be killed by an airstrike—or by U.S. soldiers, who have a tendency to burst in during periods of maximum REM sleep. The Taliban were terrorized and began sleeping in the orchards at night, rigging homes with explosives, which they arm at night. (I’ve heard similar reports from Pakistan. Pakistanis have said that drone strikes are demoralizing and terrorizing the Taliban, and though drone strikes are controversial, some Pakistanis want to see the strikes increased.)
Soldier Gets Rocked by Stone Throwing Afghan Crowd
Story by Sgt. Chris Florence
KANDAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - "Sticks and stones may break my bones" is an old adage that has new meaning for Sgt. Kathryn Burke, 402nd Brigade Support Battalion, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Burke was manning the gunner's hatch of a Mine Resistant Armor Protected vehicle in a resupply convoy bound for Forward Operating Base Frontenac when she gained her new insight.
After a few convoy briefs and a few cigarettes, Burke climbed into the MRAP and took up her place in the hatch as gunner for the first time. The rest of the soldiers loaded into the vehicles and the convoy moved outside the wire.
Afghanistan's limited highways cause convoys to frequently travel the same routes. Highway 1 goes straight through the heart of Kandahar City, capital of the Kandahar province and home to nearly 500,000 Afghans. This particular day was the beginning of Eid al Ahda, the festival marking the culmination of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorating the sacrifice of Abraham. The streets were crammed with locals who were on holiday from work and school.
Photos: "Sole for Souls"
DVIDS has a new album featuring photos of the 4-23 INF, 5/2 SBCT on a humanitarian mission. Description:
U.S. Soldiers with 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, prepare to distribute shoes, Boragay Village, Zabul province, Afghanistan, Dec. 4. U.S. Soldiers are conducting a humanitarian relief project "Sole for Souls," providing Afghan children with shoes. (Photo by: Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez)
Air Assault Training at Joint Security Station Aqur Quf
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Like something right out of an Army recruitment commercial, a helicopter landed in the center of an open sandy space, kicking up dust in every direction as Soldiers in full body armor jumped out and dropped flat on their stomachs with heads low and weapons aimed.
These Soldiers, however, were not in a commercial. They are members of 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division practicing loading onto and off of a UH-60 Black Hawk during air assault training, Dec.4.
The platoon leader, 1st Lt. Mark Hamilton signed up his Soldiers for the training to meet the battalion's objective of having every Soldier be familiar with air assault tactics.
"As a Stryker Brigade, there are places the vehicles that we use can't go because of their size and weight," said Hamilton. "It's always good to have platoons capable of doing a quick air mission, so when the time comes to do an air assault mission, [the commander] can pick any platoon and know that they're qualified," said Hamilton, a Baltimore, Md., native.
For Pvt. Aaron Flanagan, a squad automatic weapon gunner, it was his first time taking part in this type of training. The Mount Vernon, Ill., native said he enjoyed jumping out of the Black Hawk onto the ground.
But while he had fun during the training, Flanagan knew that the training was important to the mission of the brigade.
"It shows that they want us to be on top of the game and know what we're doing in different situations," said Flanagan. "If we need to do something a Stryker can't do, it shows the brigade is ready to do it, even if we are not in our normal vehicles."
The training included a night assault that had the Soldiers apply the same skills after the sun went down that they learned during the daytime.
By the end of the training day, the Soldiers, covered in dirt from their numerous exits from the Black Hawks, learned the basic skills needed to execute an air assault mission and looked forward to future training sessions.
(via DVIDS)
U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers Take Part in Combined Mortar Training
Story by Spc. Anthony Jones, 145th MPAD
DIYALA, Iraq – In the open desert north of Forward Operating Base Grizzly, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers gathered together to hone their mortar skills, Dec. 3.
U.S. Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division conducted the training where they instructed their counterparts from the 19th Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division on the operation of the 81mm mortar system.
"Today has been the 'live fire' culmination of three months of hard training with our counterparts," said Lt. Col. Chuck Hodges, commander, 1/23 Inf. "Every single day we need to find a way to make our Iraqi partners better and enable their skill sets and today is an attempt by us to help them train and be more competent and able to protect and defend Iraq."
According to 1st Lt. Michael Oh, mortar platoon leader, 1/23 Inf. the program was created at the request of the Iraqi army.
Trying to Build Trust in Afghan Government
Army Times reporter Sean Naylor has an embedded report with the 2-1 INF, 5/2 SBCT.
The situation captured in a microcosm what U.S. officers here say is their greatest challenge: In a war in which they are trying to build popular support for the Afghan government, that government is almost totally absent from the lives of the population here in Maywand district, at the western edge of Kandahar province.“The Afghan government does nothing for me or for the village,” said Sher Mohammed, a 22-year-old mechanic, through an interpreter. Asked what services he would like to see the government provide, he ticked off a list: fixing the irrigation systems for the fields, installing electricity, providing more schools and establishing security.
Iraqi Army Lead Combined Search for Weapons Caches
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Searching through brush and bricks, with the help of a military working dog, Soldiers from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and the 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, were on the hunt for weapons caches and insurgents, Dec. 3.
A tip to the Iraqi army led the combined force to a small town north of Fira Shia, a rural farming area northwest of Baghdad.
IA forces spearheaded the patrol while American Soldiers assisted and were ready to support in case anything was found.
"When we go with them, it empowers them," said 1st Lt. James Harvie, a platoon leader. "We always let them take the lead and we always plan the missions together. It shows them that they can be successful and builds their confidence so they can take control when we finally leave."
After more than an hour of searching different locations, the two groups cleared the area, and no caches were uncovered.
Not finding anything, however, isn't a bad thing according to Harvie, a St. George, Utah, native.
"It means there are not, as far as we know, stores of weapons," said Harvie.
The Iraqi army commander had a different take on the combined patrol, and on what not finding any weapons means.
"It's not about good or bad, it's about sending a message to bad guys," said Iraqi Capt. Nomas Mohammed Hussain. "We're still here doing our job and we're going to catch anyone doing bad stuff."
(via DVIDS)
Michael Yon Dispatch from Afghanistan
Yon has filed his first dispatch after embedding with the 5/2 SBCT.
Photos: Joint Patrol in Shabila Kalan
DVIDS has a new photo album featuring the 4-23 INF, 5/2 SBCT.
U.S. Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division conduct a joint patrol with Afghan national army soldiers and Afghan national policemen in Shabila Kalan, Zabul province, Afghanistan, Nov. 30, 2009.
2nd SCR Tests MGS
New article from Stars & Stripes.
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment will have a powerful new weapon when it deploys to Afghanistan next summer.On Thursday, 2nd Cav soldiers put the M1128 Mobile Gun System vehicle to the test at Grafenwöhr Training Area, firing rounds into range targets representing Taliban compounds.
The MGS — as it’s known — can fire four types of ammunition, depending on the situation, to take out walls, bunkers, vehicles or enemy ground forces.
Slideshow: 2-1 INF on Patrol
22nd MPAD put together the following slideshow featuring the 2-1 INF, 5/2 SBCT.
Sabers Take Time Out for Food, Friends and Fun
2d Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Public Affairs Office
Vilseck, Germany – Troopers of 4th Squadron 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, known as the Sabers spent Wednesday Nov. 18th celebrating their annual Saber day. Saber day is an organizational Day where all the Soldiers get together with their families and challenge each other to a variety of sporting events. Among the events on this year’s agenda were: shooting, volleyball, flag football, combative and a 3 on 3 basketballs all tournament.
This year the Sabers were joined by their German partnership unit Aufklaerungsbataillon 8. Battalion 8 began their partnership with the Sabers in June so this was one of the first opportunities for Soldiers to get together.
“These events are very important for camaraderie,” said German 1st Lt. Frank Micklisch. Ít gives us a chance to get to know each other and have some fun together.”
Battalion 8 fielded teams in the volleyball challenge, football and shooting.
A barbeque was held at the motor pool after the morning festivities. Saber Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Christopher Boyle was quite happy with the overall success of the event and the participation of the German Soldiers.
“We are once again pleased with how Saber Day turned out,” Boyle said. “We had great participation from our Troopers, Saber Families and the Aufklaerungsbataillon 8; our German military partner unit and fortunately the weather cooperated for as long as we needed it to."
As the final results of the winners from the day’s events were tallied, it appeared that Mad Dog and Headquarters Headquarters Troop were the champions of the day, both taking home first place in two events.
Mad Dog scored top honors in the flag football tournament as well as the American Gladiator competition. Headquarters Headquarters Troop took home the gold in the tug of war and the shooting competition. The 3 on 3 basketball tournament was won by Lightning Troop. Killer Troop were the stars of the Rockband finals and volleyball was dominated by the German team.
Sponsorship is Key Watchword
2d Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Public Affairs Office
Vilseck, Germany – Before they headed off for Thanksgiving with their families and friends, thousands of Troopers from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment gathered Wednesday morning Nov. 25 to hear from the 75th Commander of the Regiment, Col. James Blackburn and participate in a traditional run known as the Troop/Company/Battery Challenge.
The challenge was a tradition started last year. Instead of the customary Regimental Run, each Troop, Company or Battery competes for the best time and the chance to when the coveted Challenge Trophy.
Sponsorship and taking care of your fellow Dragoons was the central focus of Blackburn’s address to the masses.
“In the next few months, 800 new Soldiers, new Dragoons will join us,” Blackburn said. “800 of your newest and closest friends. I want to talk about sponsorship for a moment.”
He went on stress the importance of being a good sponsor and described it like a fine meal.
“At the Regimental level it’s the meat and potatoes,” he said pointing out that most of the basic information any newcomer needs can be found on the 2SCR website under the newcomers tab.
Modernization of Stryker Fleet Approved by Army
The Army is moving forward with a plan to have General Dynamics begin work on the next generation of Stryker vehicles.
Cannon said the modernization program will significantly increase the capabilities of the Stryker fleet and assure compatibility with the light and heavy forces. The award continues the Stryker modernization program, initially awarded to General Dynamics in 2008. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich.Under the contract, the Army and General Dynamics will develop designs and build a demonstrator to assess options for continuing to enhance survivability, power, suspension, mobility and lethality, and the integration of new technologies - core enabling capabilities - for the Stryker. Mobility enablers include analysis of adding a 450 horse power diesel engine, upgrading the suspension system and driveline to carry a 60,000-lb. payload, larger tires and a new braking system. Work also includes design of a digital architecture system that connects new command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance technologies, to ensure soldiers continue to have access to the best available situational-awareness and mission systems.
Making Better Spouses in Combat
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are doing everything they can to become better spouses and combat the high divorce rate among service members.
Each month at the Engineer Chapel the unit conducts a four week class on "The Five Love Languages," using short videos, literature and experienced advice from marriage counselors on how Soldiers can become better partners to their spouses back home.
"Our mission is to build strong and ready Soldiers and families, better prepared to meet the mental, emotional and spiritual challenges of deployment and military life," said Chaplain (Capt.) Chester Olson, one of the program leaders. "Soldiers redeploy as better men, better husbands and better fathers."
The focal point in this class is how a person can learn their spouse's love language and by focusing in on that language, how it can improve communication in their relationship.
"I just celebrated my one year anniversary last month, said Pfc. Sean Tika, a Queens, N.Y. native. "My wife and I have taken this class before and when we applied the lessons on how to speak to each other's love language it has really made a huge difference in our marriage."
Photos: Soldiers Patrol Kandahar Provice, Meet With Locals
DVIDS has an album with 16 photos of the 5/2 SBCT. Description:
U.S. Soldiers with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment conduct a dismounted patrol, Rajankala, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 27. The U.S. Army operates from combat outposts to add flexibility to operations in their sectors.
HooahMail means speedy delivery of letters to Afghanistan
[Thought this might be of interest to the families of the 5/2 SBCT. Thanks to Andrew for the link. - Ed.]
By C. Todd Lopez, Army News Service
The Army's HooahMail program makes it possible for friends and family members to put a paper letter and photograph into the hands of their loved ones in Afghanistan, in some cases, on the same day it's sent.
The one-year pilot program is scheduled to begin Dec. 1 and makes use of the Internet combined with physical mail delivery to create a hybrid mail system that can get letters into the hands of Soldiers in remote locations much faster than regular mail delivery alone.
"This gives Soldiers actual printed correspondence that is sent from their family members that they can take out on a mission with them and read and reread again," said Bill Hilsher, Army postal program manager.
Family members that want to send a letter and a photograph to a Soldier in Afghanistan would log into the program's Web site at www.hooahmail.us. There, they type in their message and attach a digital photo. They also add delivery information for their Soldier, as though they were addressing a paper envelope.
Their electronic letter is sent via the Internet to one of 10 locations in Afghanistan where special equipment will automatically print it, fold it, stuff it into an envelope, address it, and seal it. The sealed envelopes are then placed into the regular intra-theater APO mail delivery system.
On Point: 3/2 SBCT Newsletter
"On Point" is a monthly newsletter produced by the 3/2 SBCT, which is currently deployed to Iraq. The brigade forwarded a copy to us so we can share it here: On Point.
Michael Yon with Strykers in Afghanistan
Independent journalist Michael Yon is now embedded with the 5/2 SBCT in Afghanistan. You can track his longer dispatches on his website, or get more micro-updates via his Twitter feed. Should be interesting.
Photos: Raiders Meet Locals
DVIDS has a few photos of 1-38 INF, 4/2 SBCT patrolling in Iraq.
Micro-grants Boost Purchasing Power for Iraqis
By Pfc. Debrah Sanders
BAGHDAD – In a small village northwest of Baghdad, the American troops of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division conducted a foot patrol focused on finding the owner of a generator.
The Soldiers were here to give the man paperwork for a micro-grant that could assist him in the general upkeep of the generator and for purchasing fuel, thus powering the generator and a good portion of the community, said Sgt. Charlie De Nune, of Tacoma, Wash.
U.S. forces regularly give micro-grants to assist Iraqis in purchasing products and also for local refurbishing projects, allowing the Iraqi people to become more independent. The micro-grants are intentionally designed to be small amounts of money, but they yield large benefits for the communities that receive them, said Sgt. 1st Class Joe Huffman, native of Batesburg, S.C.
After talking to the owner of the generator, the Soldiers moved throughout the village. They were also trying to find the owner of a local pharmacy to see if he would also like an application for a micro-grant to help purchase supplies and to fund needed repairs to the building.
The fact that the village has a pharmacy benefits the residents of the village, said Spc. Brenton Dulak, a medic from Waesau, Wis.
"[The pharmacy owner] has a lot of antibiotics, which is good for fighting infection, which I've seen in a lot of kids in villages," said Dulak.
Dulak also said that it is good that they have a local pharmacy so that the locals don't have to travel so far in order to get what they need. The Americans made one last stop on their patrol in order to conduct assessments of a medical facility and a cement factory.
Jenan Abdullah Ghafil, an Iraqi woman who lives near the medical facility, said she is hopeful that the facility will be refurbished and re-opened, as she looks forward to employment opportunities if it opens. Jenan also said she is thankful for the presence of Soldiers, as they are generous with needed supplies.
The Soldiers are also trying to show the Iraqis how to work with the local government and build self-reliance. Huffman added that if the micro-grants are approved the projects will be monitored by U.S. forces to ensure that the money is being used in the manner for which it was sought.
The visit to the village was one of many which Soldiers plan to conduct in the future in an attempt to strengthen bonds between U.S. forces and local communities.
(via DVIDS)
Impact of Deployment on Families
NPR interviewed Georgie Hanlin, the wife of an officer with the 5/2 SBCT, about the effects of multiple deployments on military families.
Video: 2-1 Patrols the Arghandab, Package
A Company, 2-1 Infantry, 5/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team conducting presence patrols and gathering information from the local people about Taliban activity in the Arghandab River Valley north of Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Stryker Related Surge Articles
- Troops in Afghanistan take in Obama's speech - Stars and Stripes
- Afghan Journal | A wounded West Point graduate returns on a big night - Seattle Times
- Local troops would like some help in Afghanistan - The News Tribune
Video: Learning the Terrain
Video about 8-1 CAV, 5/2 SBCT learning both the geographical and human terrain in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan by traveling great distances in order to connect with local people. Produced by Ruth Owen.
(via DVIDS)
