QDR Outlines Plan for Additional Stryker Brigades
Whether or not the Stryker wheeled vehicle is the right vehicle for battlefield conditions in Afghanistan is a question that remains unanswered. What we do know: DOD wants a lot more of them. A drafter version of the quadrennial defense review (QDR), the once every four year congressionally mandated strategy review, has been leaked and is making the rounds in Washington defense policy circles.
The draft QDR calls for nearly doubling the number of Stryker brigades while trimming the number of heavy brigade combat teams. The Army currently has seven Stryker BCTs, six active and one reserve. The draft QDR calls for up to 13 Stryker BCTs.
FOB Tacoma - A different Iraq
ARMY LIFE SUPPORT AREA, Kuwait – Joe took this photo of rusty bullets while riding in a Humvee with soldiers from Fort Lewis’ 17th Fires Brigade. As we prepare to leave the Middle East after more than six weeks, I think this photo represents the Iraq war, circa 2010: The potential for great violence abounds, but the country has quieted.
Joe and I visited two Stryker brigades, an intelligence brigade, an artillery brigade and I Corps during our time in Iraq, and without question we witnessed a different war than others from The News Tribune who have previously embedded. Soldiers place premiums on meeting with local leaders. Troops need to discuss infrastructure projects with the same expertise as battle tactics. The 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division has dedicated an entire battalion to supporting the State Department-led Provincial Reconstruction Team. American soldiers sit in the operations center of Iraqi units, and Iraqi soldiers sit in American TOCs. And on the few offensive operations local soldiers still plan, Iraqi soldiers are involved throughout.
All that leads to that box of bullets rusting away. Most soldiers I talked to hadn’t shot once since they arrived, save for days at the range.
Read full article at The News Tribune
The team from The News Tribune reflects on its recent trip to Iraq.
SGT Carlos E. Gill
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Carlos E. Gill, 25, of Fayetteville, N.C., died Jan. 26 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center of an illness. He was evacuated from Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, Dec. 19, 2009, where he was supporting combat operations. Gill was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Related:
Video: Arrowhead MP's Field Stryker Prototype
Package of Arrowhead Military Police fielding a prototype Stryrker vehicle called a Full Spectrum Effects Platform (FSEP), which includes remote fired weapons, infrared cameras, foreign language commands and a non-lethal crowd control device. Produced by Sgt. 1st Class JD Phippen.
Photos: Afghanistan, January 2010 - The Big Picture
The Big Picture photo blog takes its monthly look at Afghanistan. Click through for 42 photos.
Nothing like a fight to prepare for war
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Spc. Patrick Bowman leaned against a rolled-up wrestling mat, gasped for air and tasted the blood trickling from the cut on his bottom lip.
And yet, the Fort Lewis soldier insisted, taking blows to the face and returning the favor is the ideal way to spend an afternoon.
“There’s no feeling like punching and kicking someone – and getting kicked and punched,” said Bowman, a human intelligence collector with 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. “It gets that blood pumping. It gets that adrenaline flowing.”
Border Security and Shaking Hands
Story by Pfc. Casey Collier
SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan - As the Soldiers from Charlie Troop, 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment enter the town of Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, a group of excited children greet them with whoops and waves.
The sun is burning brightly in the noon-day sky as Soldiers turn the corner to the street where the District Center is located.
In front of the District Center are rows and rows of brightly-colored tractors and threshers. The fresh reds, oranges, greens, along with the azure blues of the implements stand out distinctly against the light beige and sand colors of the walls of the District Center where the implements are stored in a vacant lot.
As they enter the District Center compound, the Soldiers shake hands with the locals outside the gates.
Charlie Troop is succeeding.
Photos: Joint Combat Patrol
U.S. Soldiers from Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 23th Infantry Regiment provide security at checkpoint along Highway 1, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 16, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez)
Photos: Patrol Action in Helmand Province
U.S. Army Maj. Jose Santiago Ocasio Battalion, executive officer, 4th Battalion, 23th Infantry conducts a mission brief at Forward Operating Base Price, Helmand province, Afghanistan, Jan. 15, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez)
Photos: Aerial Reconnaissance by 5/2 SBCT
Chief Warrant Officer Scott Nance (left), assigned to 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, and 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Commander, Col. Harry D. Tunnell IV (middle), prepare to do aerial reconnaissance of the Kandahar region, Jan. 16. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Shannon Wright, 82nd ACAB)
In Iraq, two soldiers call their wood shop home
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Sgt. Douglas Lambe spent two deployments in Iraq as a combat engineer. Months on the road searching for bombs gave him plenty of time to think.
“I knew if I kept on doing that,” the Fort Lewis soldier said, “I’d die sooner or later.”
But the 27-year-old Richland native likely didn’t envision spending his third deployment working alongside a Stadium High School graduate in the wood shop at a military base in Iraq’s Diyala province.
Lambe and Spc. Charlie Wells work and live in a building crammed with scraps of wood, hacksaws, table saws, other tools, cans of paint and jugs of varnish.
They create tables, plaques, podiums and signs – pretty much anything required by their Stryker comrades in the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
New article from The News Tribune.
Photos: Village Assessment and Test Fire
U.S. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division test fire the M1128 Stryker Mobile Gun System in Hutal, Afghanistan, Jan. 21, 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Dayton Mitchell)
Photos: Lashkar Gah Activity
Capt. Adam Weece, the public affairs officer for 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, discusses future plans for 5/2 ID (SBCT)'s operations in the Helmand province.
Biden visits Lewis troops in Iraq
BAGHDAD – Lt. Jill Ogues first learned the news from an intelligence report: Vice President Joe Biden was coming to Baghdad, and he was going to make an unannounced stop to meet Fort Lewis soldiers at a dining facility.
This called for action.
Ogues and two other lieutenants from Fort Lewis’ 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division arrived at the chow hall 15 minutes before Biden appeared and chose a table near the side entrance where the vice president entered. And when he arrived with entourage in tow, the officers had prime seats.
Their table was one of the first he visited at the dining facility Saturday. Biden asked the lieutenants about their jobs, their hometown and how long they had been in Iraq. He thanked them for their service and posed for photographs.
"It’s a thoughtful gesture – him coming here, spending time with us," said Lt. Caitlin Conley, the leader of 4th Brigade’s military police platoon. "He’s got a busy schedule while he’s here. He’s got to meet with leaders and generals and guys like that, but it’s nice he made time for soldiers."
Related:
U.S. Vice President Visits 4-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team - DVIDS
Photos: 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Soldiers Continue Operations
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dusten Asplin with 1st Platoon, Black Watch Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, directs two Stryker armored vehicles into position at a Kuchi Camp in Pir Zadeh, Hutal, Afghanistan, Jan. 12. U.S. and Afghan Soldiers provided humanitarian assistance to the nomadic people living here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Dayton Mitchell/Released)
Photos: Army Unit Partnership Soars on Taji Flight Line
(Left to right) Sgt. Brett Pierce, an avionic mechanic with 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, and native of Longview, Texas, Staff Sgt. Andrew Carrier, a standardization instructor operator and native of Missoula, Mont., and Sgt. David Gomez, the quality assurance, quality control non-commissioned officer-in-charge and native of Brooklyn, N.Y., both with Troop D, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, provide maintenance for a Shadow unmanned aerial system after an evaluation flight Jan. 15.
Milestone: Arab-Kurdish-American checkpoints
QARA TAPA, Iraq – The historic significance of the joint Arab-Kurdish-American checkpoint was lost on the driver of the black Kia sedan. The hassle was not.
“I work for the Interior Ministry!” he yelled, digging into his pocket and flashing his government badge to Fort Lewis troops, Kurdish peshmerga and Iraqi army soldiers. “Look at my ID! Why was I pulled over for inspection?”
The outburst – fairly typical for any government bureaucrat in Iraq – was about the most conflict troops witnessed on Jan. 13, the first full day of trilateral checkpoints that officials hope will defuse tensions among the military forces in disputed Diyala province.
New article from The News Tribune team in Iraq.
Related: Three Forces Come Together for Checkpoints - DVIDS
Palm Groves Provide Cooperative Clearing
By Pvt. Zachary Zuber
DIYALA, Iraq – While working to increase security in the town of As'Sadiyah, members of 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division assisted the Iraqi army in clearing a series of palm groves and orchards. For added support they brought out a military trained K-9 unit to help search the area.
"Today we are checking the palm groves, for any kind of caches of weapons or explosives that could be hidden in here," said Lt. Haidar Abid Ali Jassan, 2nd Brigade Iraqi Army.
The patrols cover the palm groves, where the land is also used as orchards for local orange crops, and the streets immediately around them.
"We have done searches like this about six times since August, trying to show that we are here and show the community we are looking for anything," said Jassan.
Cooperative efforts like this patrol is the norm, as 1/14 Cav. often works with their Iraqi army counterparts to ensure that they become more capable and confident in their abilities.
"We go out about three times a week on average," said Sgt. Dan Boley, a squad leader for the mortar platoon, Charlie Troop, 1/14 Cav. "There is a difference you can see since we got here. They have learned tactics and formations to use during missions."
Providing support for operations in the area allow the Iraqi soldiers a chance to increase their support from the community.
"By coming out on missions we can show everyone that we are working together and can go anywhere at any time to provide security and protection," said Jassan.
DVIDS Images: Playground Opens in Tahrir After a Rough History
First Sergeant Thomas Pickerel, first sergeant of Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, pulls security in the Tahrir neighborhood of Baquba, Iraq, Jan. 17. Soldiers from Company B, 5/20 Inf. were a part of a joint force with Iraqi Police to secure the area for the opening ceremony of a new playground in a neighborhood with a history of violence. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Adrian Muehe)
Photos from the Field, Kandahar
This edition features a story on service members from the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division providing medical assistance and humanitarian aid to Afghans during a cooperative medical engagement in the Maiwan District, Houtou, Afghanistan.
There are heroes among us
According to his father, from the time he could walk, Glen wanted to be in the military. After he graduated from North Putnam High School in 2000, he headed to college. But after six months, he realized it wasn't for him. He got a job at Ballcamp in Plainfield, married Shawna and grew his family. He continued racing his car in the NHRA with his brother Phillip.
Eventually, he realized something was missing. He came to his father and told him to sit down.
"I've got something I've got to do," he said.
via news.google.com
New article from The Banner-Graphic.
Manchu Soldiers Hit the Links
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
JOINT SECURITY STATION AQUR QUF, Iraq – Some would call having a shipping container full of golf balls and only two clubs ironic, but that's exactly the situation Soldiers from the Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment "Manchus," found themselves in.
It was only through the help of two embedded reporters, and the generosity of organizations and families from the Fort Lewis, Wash., area that they were able to address the matter and properly adjust their swing.
"We read the article in the Tacoma News Tribune, by Scott Fontaine, about our brave Soldiers of Able Company, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Regt.," John Thompson, a military supporter from Fox Island, Wash., wrote in a letter sent to the unit. "We understand that they could use some golf clubs for the 50,000 golf balls they found."
Afghan, Coalition Forces Foil Taliban IED Efforts in Arghandab
Story by Sgt. Stephen Decatur
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan- Afghan and coalition forces conducted a major clearing operation Jan. 10 in the Arghandab river valley near Kandahar, Afghanistan. The objective of Operation Fazilat was to attack the Taliban's improvised explosive device capabilities and establish a permanent coalition presence in a section of the valley. The mission followed up on the success of Operation Oaqab, which recently cleared other parts of the Arghandab near the village of Charbagh.
About a battalion sized force including companies of 3rd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 205th Corps of the Afghan National Army, elements of the Afghan National Police, U.S. Paratroopers from 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division and Canadian mentor teams from the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry cleared an area that included the villages of Jelaran and Rajan Qala.
Afghan National Security Forces and coalition troops discovered hundreds of pounds of ordnance, including improvised explosive devices, anti-personnel mines and homemade explosives. Soldiers also found a "night letter" the Taliban had delivered to terrorize the locals.
1st Sgt. Amonullah of 2nd Company, 3rd Kandak led a group of Soldiers from his unit during the operation. Amonullah said that his Soldiers' performance is building confidence in the ANA.
U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers Bond Through Training
By Pfc. Adrian Meuhe
DIYALA, IRAQ – There are values shared by all militaries which enable Soldiers to find a common ground with each other. In Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers are finding this true as friendships have formed through training and working together daily.
Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, taught M-16 weapon maintenance to 10 Iraqi army soldiers Jan. 11 in Diyala, Iraq.
The training was conducted to teach IA soldiers how to maintain the weapons that they will soon receive.
"We will be issued M-16's within the next month," said Capt. Yasir Dir, 2nd company commander, 1st Battalion, 19th Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division.
They learned how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble the rifle. They were also taught how to perform a functions check to ensure the weapon is operational.
"It's an important class because M-16's need to be cleaned and maintained more often than the AK-47's they currently use," said Staff Sgt. Gabriel Trollinger, 1st squad leader, 2nd platoon.
This is only one of the many times Apache Soldiers have worked with this IA Company. They have trained with them on various other soldier skills such as basic rifle marksmanship, infantry tactics, and have planned and executed joint operations.
"We have received a lot of training from the U.S. forces," said Dir. "We have learned a lot and built a good working relationship."
The IA soldiers of 2nd Company have been so appreciative of their training, that they have invited Apache Soldiers to different events.
"We've been invited over for dinner multiple times," said Rochester, N.Y., native, 1st Lt. Terrence Nolan, platoon leader. "This is a good company that we have a great relationship with."
The IA have made significant progress with the help and training offered by Apache company.
"The training is vitally important. When we leave, they will have the means to perform their soldier tasks," said Nolan.
Video: Stryker Convoy
Soldiers with the 8th Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division on a Stryker convoy from Kandahar Air Field to Forward Operating Base Spin Baldak in Afghanistan.
Building Up Iraq From a Local Level
135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
DIYALA, IRAQ – Entrepreneurship is on the rise, especially for new business owners receiving the first installment of their micro-grant payment.
2nd Lt. Tyrell W. Denton, a fire support officer with 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, spoke with and handed out 23 micro grants to business oriented citizens at the Dali Abbos town hall.
The micro grants provide financial support for local businesses to purchase resources so that they can upgrade their business. These can be used to buy shelves, refrigerators, display cases, or other materials they may need. If these store owners can upgrade their shops, they can also strengthen their business.
Denton issued out the equivalent of $49,000 in Dinar, with individual grants ranging from $750 to $5,000 in Dinar, depending on their needs. The types of businesses also varied, from grocery stores to cattle farms.
The money Denton issued out today was not the full awarded grants. Only 50 percent was given to them to start their improvements. In approximately two weeks, Soldiers from 1/23 Inf. will conduct assessments on these businesses to ensure that they are purchasing the items they claimed they needed to enhance their place of business.
This money is not just handed out; there is a lengthy application process. It took two months to review the 35 applications from Dali Abbos and only 23 of these were accepted. The applications asked how much money was needed and what these funds would be used to purchase. If these entrepreneurs do not follow through with what they promised to do, they will be held accountable by not receiving the second half of the grant. After the applications were turned in, they underwent background checks.
They were screened through the Biometric Automated Toolset System, before being approved by the brigade, said Denton.
"We've already inspected and photographed their shops," said Denton. "I'll know if they've made improvements just by walking into their stores again."
Helping with the process is the local government and councilmen, who were present when the grants were issued out. They will also be visiting the shops to see how business is growing.
"The goal is to provide economic stimulus to the community," said Cpt. Klint Kuhlman, the Comanche company commander, 1/23 Inf.
(via Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System)
Building a Bridge With the Iraqi People
Story by Pvt. Zach Zuber
MUQDADIYAH, Iraq – Imagine being a farmer and having to walk 24 miles just to get to the nearest market to sell your crops or livestock. Then, whether they are sold or not, making the same trip back again. Or needing to get food and supplies for your family and although you have a city across the river where all those things can be found, you still have to make such a long trek.
Iraqis in the Muqdadiyah area face this dilemma daily. The Diyala River currently splits villages in the area from the markets of the city.
Members of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and the 20th Iraqi Army Brigade have collaborated together to develop a plan to fix this problem. The project calls for a bridge to be built over the river and the roads leading up to it to be expanded for use by local citizens.
"The bridge and road will allow people in the area villages to come in to the markets which will help increase our economy," said Zaid Abrahim Hassan, mayor of Muqdadiyah.
Brig. Gen. Pat Donahue, deputy commander of United States Division North, visited the location for the bridge to evaluate the assistance needed for completion of the construction.
"By coming out here I can see how important this project is to the community and report the value of it based on what I'm hearing," said Donahue.
This is also a sign of the great progress being made in the area.
"We are building confidence between our forces and the people in the area to build one team," said Lt. Col. Haban Khalil Hassan, commander of the emergency response force, 10th Battalion Iraqi Army. "This shows that everything is going well while we are working hard every day to keep the city secure."
Building this bridge can help the community move into other projects as well.
"This gives us a big chance to start other new projects also," said Mayor Hassan. "We want to begin work on a purification plant for water, a sewage plant, and improvements to our health facilities and electricity."
All these things show the great progress that is being made as a result of the partnership between U.S. and Iraqi forces.
"Iraq passed through a difficult time," said Mayor Hassan. "With the help of community organizations and coalition forces we are able to create things like this bridge that increase our security and our economic stability."
(via DVIDS)
Extreme makeovers in Iraq
KHALIS, Iraq – Lt. Col. Chuck Hodges has a plan. His Fort Lewis soldiers have spent weeks renovating a crumbling school, and the students will see it for the first time a few weeks from now.
Hodges envisions Iraqi kids giddy with anticipation, smiling and fidgety. They’re standing behind a Stryker and an Iraqi army vehicle.
Finally, the moment they’ve all waited for: Hodges, the commander of 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, gets on a bullhorn and yells, “Move that Stryker!”
The vehicles roll away. The students sprint toward the building, where their teachers are waiting to show them around. At Al Rowid school, the kids will enjoy a U.S. investment of new paint, wiring, plumbing, windows, air conditioning and bathrooms.
New article from The News Tribune regarding the 3/2 SBCT.
Photos: Soldiers Conduct Joint Live Fires Exercise
SPC Kyle J. Wright
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Kyle J. Wright, 22, of Romeoville, Ill., died Jan. 13 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered earlier that day when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Related:
22-year-old first Fort Lewis soldier killed this year - TheNewsTribune.com
Romeoville soldier killed in Afghanistan - Plainfield Sun
Fallen Stryker soldier remembered - KOMO News
Memorial: Stryker soldier upbeat, had a way with words - The News Tribune
Memorial set for Romeoville soldier - Joliet Herald News
Michael Yon Dispatch From Afghanistan
Yon recently spent some time with an artillery battery from the 5/2 SBCT in Southern Afghainstan.
Sometimes the crews fire “H & I” or “terrain denial” missions. Harassment and Interdiction missions are fired at terrain known to be used only by the enemy at certain times, and so anytime the enemy feels like rolling the dice, they can move into that terrain. Such missions also provide influence for “shaping” the battlefield. If the commander is trying to flush the enemy into a blunder—maybe an ambush—or maybe to cut them off from an escape route, he can have the guns pound into a gorge, say, that is used as an enemy route. Or maybe he just tries to persuade the enemy to take a route where we have sniper teams waiting. The battery can be used in many ways that do not include direct attacks on enemy formations.
Photos: 5/2 SBCT Humanitarian Mission in Afghanistan
DVIDS has new photos of the 5/2 SBCT.
U.S. Soldiers from 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and members of the Afghan national police provided medical assistance and humanitarian aid to the Kuchi people living here.
2/25 SBCT Captain Returns to Duty
The Honolulu Advertiser describes the ordeal of an officer with the 2/25 SBCT.
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — The commander of the Army's Stryker Brigade in Hawai'i ticked off the injuries that Capt. Ray O'Donnell suffered in a 2007 Humvee rollover in Afghanistan. QuantcastThe list included facial fractures, traumatic brain injury, a crushed pelvis, spinal damage, a fractured hip, dislocated femur and severe nerve damage. [...]
O'Donnell, 29, stood at attention yesterday as the litany of broken bones was read off — then bounded up onto a makeshift stage as if none of that had ever happened, as he took command of about 290 soldiers that make up Headquarters and Headquarters Company.
On Patrol With the 1-23 INF
The News Tribune covers a recent patrol in Iraq by the 1-23 INF, 3/2 SBCT.
The battalion – part of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division – is on its third deployment to Iraq and is operating in a country seeing its lowest levels of violence since the American invasion in 2003. Monday’s operation was only the fourth for the battalion’s Comanche Company since it arrived in August.In past years, Fort Lewis Stryker soldiers were often the ones interacting directly – sometimes intensely – with the locals, aided by Arabic language interpreters. Now, in the midst of the U.S.’s phased pullout from the country, Iraqi soldiers take the lead.
Much of the 1-23 battalion’s deployment has been spent meeting community and tribal leaders and training the Iraqi army in Diyala province, the northern region historically rife with Sunni-Shia and Arab-Kurd tensions.
“This is definitely a change of pace for guys who have deployed before,” company commander Capt. Clint Kuhlman said. “It’s just a different assignment nowadays.”
Ft. Lewis Memorial for SSG David Gutierrez
KOMO News provides coverage of yesterday's memorial.
FORT LEWIS, Wash. -- His platoon remembers him as a man with a big heart that never quit.Staff Sgt. David Gutierrez was killed Christmas Day when a rooftop bomb exploded while he was on patrol at Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan.
"I've come to realize that his story is not the story of one man, but the story of our battalion," Cpt. Drew Schaub said during a memorial service for Gutierrez on Monday.
Related: Fort Lewis mourns its latest loss in Afghanistan - The News Tribune
Stryker Articles from The News Tribune
The News Tribune has a number of new articles and blog entries regarding the Ft. Lewis Stryker brigades.
- Soldiers face enduring threat of IEDs
- Fort Lewis mourns its latest loss in Afghanistan
- It's like an anti-MRAP
- Among the people
Kiowas Provide Re-enlistment Support for Stryker Soldier
Story by Pfc. Nathan Booth
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Sgt. John Bulford, an Akron, Ohio, native assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, re-enlisted on Forward Operating Base Frontenac, Afghanistan, Dec. 26 ,with the help of a trusted battle buddy he'd never met before.
In the first two weeks of December Bulford, a sniper team leader for C Company, 1-17 Infantry, defeated several insurgent attempts to emplace improvised explosive devices by guiding air Scout Weapons Teams onto the targets. The SWTs, comprised of two OH-58D Kiowa helicopters, allowed Bulford to accomplish his mission to secure the roads with lethal precision, at a distance beyond the range of his team.
Naturally, two weeks later, when he asked those Kiowa pilots to administer his oath of re-enlistment, they agreed.
"We were conducting route reconnaissance until we were cleared in to the FOB for the ceremony. His company had assembled at the FOB, so we came in and landed," said Chief Warrant Officer Dave Ginn, assigned to Crusader Troop, 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade. "While my sister ship was refueling I noticed his company had assembled so I took the helicopter right up to them and landed. I knew the guys would really like that."
The News Tribune in Iraq
The News Tribune has a few new articles and blog entries from its team in Iraq.
- Social media sites a new tool for deployed troops
- FOB Tacoma - Coming home is never easy
- FOB Tacoma - Happiness for the neediest
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.
Update on Spc. Ryan Peplinski
A local newspaper has a nice update on a Stryker soldier who was seriously injured twice in Afghanistan.
Army Spc. Ryan Peplinski is back in America after he was seriously injured a second time in his second tour of duty in Operation Enduring Freedom.The Marion Township native and 2003 Hartland High School graduate was sent to Fort Lewis, Wash., on Nov. 18 following an attack on his 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team on Oct. 23 in Afghanistan.
In the attack, his 40-ton Stryker vehicle was blown up by a pressure-plated improvised explosive device, killing driver Kyle Coumas of California, and knocking Peplinski and Platoon Sgt. Robert Montez of Texas unconscious for "at least" five minutes.
It was the second time in three months Peplinski had suffered serious injuries — including two concussions — in battle. The first, back in September, earned him a Purple Heart.
Brigade Holds Memorial for 32 Lost in 2009
Story by Pfc. Nathan Booth
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Three memorial fires provided the only light during the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division's "Tribute To Our Fallen Soldiers," Jan. 1, on Kandahar Air Field.
The fires represented the lives of 32 Stryker soldiers who have passed away since the brigade arrived in Afghanistan in July, 2009. The brigade's first casualties occurred, Aug. 18, 2009, as two soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment were killed by a land mine during a dismounted patrol in the Arghandab River Valley. The last of the 32, Staff Sgt. David Gutierrez, was killed Christmas day by another enemy explosive device.
Col. Harry Tunnell IV, commander of 5/2 SBCT, spoke first at the ceremony, urging the brigade's soldiers to never forget their fallen comrades.
"While it is important to know the circumstances in which these men fought and died, it is even more important to remember how they lived," Tunnell said. "We have all stood at memorial ceremonies during which leaders and friends highlight that the fallen will not be forgotten. This remembrance is one way to fulfill that pledge."
FPs, Soldiers Celebrate Graduation After Culmination Exercise
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Like a family reunion, Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Company F, 52nd Infantry Regiment and Iraqi Federal Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal directorates greeted each other with hugs, laughter and eccentric handshakes.
While a normal welcoming for the two groups, there was a sense of excitement Dec. 31 as the five trainers from 2nd Platoon, Company F, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division prepped their eight EOD FP trainees for a culmination exercise leading to the first graduating class of Company F's Violator EOD Security Training Course on Forward Operating Base Prosperity.
After three weeks of training, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Gomez, a platoon sergeant with Company F, said he and his Soldiers are confident in the skills of the EOD FPs.
"[My Soldiers] trained them to the point where they can actually feel comfortable fighting side-by-side with these guys," said Gomez, a Denver native. "I wouldn't have a problem doing a joint mission with those guys."
The EOD FPs showed their eagerness and willingness to learn every day of the course by training long hours and even staying later to make sure they learned all they could. They regularly asked the 2nd Plt., Company F Soldiers to teach them more.
Training began with roping off sections of the platoon's area with 550 cord and engineer tape but progressively evolved into an intricate training exercise around FOB Prosperity.
The final exercise included such tasks as reacting to enemy contact – mounted and on foot – and clearing buildings.
Brothers Reunite for Christmas
Story by 1st Lt. Joshua Risher, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
BAGHDAD—Wartime service often separates soldiers from their families during the holidays, but when family members serve near each other in the war zone, holidays can still be family time. Two brothers, assigned to Multi-National Division - Baghdad and Multi-National Division - North spent Christmas together in Iraq after their units coordinated the family reunion.
It was not the first time that Capt. Jordan Enger, commander of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division got to see his younger brother during this tour. The armor officer from Houston, Texas, flew from Joint Security Station Istiqlaal to Combat Outpost Cobra Oct. 18 to administer the oath to his younger brother, Spc. Jared Enger, a cavalry scout in Troop C, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division who reenlisted for six more years of service.
"I'm really proud of him and what he's accomplished," Capt. Enger said of his younger brother. Spc. Enger feels the same towards his older brother. "I think he's a good commander, he really looks out for his soldiers."
With both brothers serving their second tour in the Global War on Terror, their family is evenly split for the holidays. They have no other siblings, and their parents back in Houston are glad that the brothers saw each other during Christmas.
"The Squadron commander and command sergeant major really worked hard to get him out here to JSS Istiqlaal," Capt. Enger said as the two brothers worked together on Christmas Day.
His participation in the squadron's activities did not end there, though. On his first night at JSS Istiqlaal, Spc. Enger accompanied his brother to the station's firebase, where he hung rounds with the mortar section during the unit's final planned fire mission of the deployment. The next day he boxed alongside other Troop A soldiers in the squadron's boxing tournament.
Opportunities to see each other have not been frequent. Both have now served in the Army, at different duty stations for several years. During their first tour, they only saw each other in Kuwait as they passed through the theater gateway, one heading into combat, the other on the way back to the United States. They are both optimistic, though, that the relatively small size of the armor branch will give them opportunities to serve near each other in the future.
(via DVIDS)
Successful Security Operations Lead to Development in Arghandab River Valley
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Six months ago, the Arghandab River Valley, home to approximately 70,000 Afghans, lacked the security needed for aid agencies to begin governance or development projects. But now, the determined, combined efforts of ISAF and Afghan national security forces are paying off for the people of the valley.
Soldiers from the U.S. 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, along with members of the Canadian Operational Mentor and Liaison Team, ANSF, Special Operations Forces, and ISAF air units, have collaborated in successful operations designed to protect Afghans from the insurgents.
"It has been a total team effort," said Col. Harry Tunnell IV, commander of the 5th Stryker Brigade.
Despite frequent attacks by insurgents in the Arghandab Valley, troops from ANSF and ISAF pushed ahead with the "shape, clear, hold, build" approach to counter-insurgency operations. Ground and air units carried out operations to protect the population in the area and prevent further insurgent attempts to disrupt development within the region.
Tooryalai Wesa, the Governor of Kandahar province, held a shura on November 5 to announce the introduction of the Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Production in Agriculture program in Arghandab District. The AVIPA program is designed to improve farming techniques, modernize agriculture equipment and deliver work projects that employ local citizens.
"The most apparent indicator of success is that Arghandab District was the first area that was announced in Kandahar province for the USAID [United States Agency for International Development] AVIPA program," said Col. Tunnell.
Since the announcement, initial agriculture assessments have been made, training of local farmers has started, and local work projects have begun in the fertile area of the Arghandab River Valley.
With ISAF and ANSF counter-insurgency operations preparing the way for development, progress can safely come to the people of Arghandab District.
(via DVIDS)
Task Force 296 Providing Security at Iraq's Border
Story by Spc. Anthony Jones, 145th MPAD
DIYALA, Iraq – Task Force 296 conducts a vast array of missions across Iraq's Diyala Province to keep its parent unit, the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, in operational readiness.
The Battalion completes missions covering every aspect of operations, from providing combat repair teams to each battalion under the Brigade to conduct the daily combat logistics patrols; moving troops and vital supplies throughout the province.
One of the least known tasks, Soldiers of the 296th Brigade Support Battalion perform, is providing protection to the Soldiers of Border Transition Team 4130 and the civilian contractors living and working at Forward Operating Base Edge. The FOB is located on the grounds of the Muntheria Port of Entry, a landlocked border crossing between Iraq and neighboring Iran in north east Diyala province.
"Most of the Soldiers provided by the 3rd Stryker Brigade are here for force protection, we also have one dining facility manager as well," said Lt. Col. David Sigmund, commander of Border Transition Team 4130 and FOB Edge.
The Soldiers of the guard force are critical to supporting the mission of the Border Transition Team said Lt. Col. Sigmund.
"It is absolutely essential to have the guard force Soldiers here. We as a team, the 11 of us, could not possibly provide all the force protection, secure the FOB or complete our advise and assist mission," said Lt. Col. Sigmund.
Iraqi Army Leads Combined Humanitarian Aid Mission
Story by Spc. Anthony Jones, 145th MPAD
DIYALA, Iraq – Soldiers of the Iraqi Army's 20th Brigade, 5th Division took the lead in planning and conducting a combined humanitarian aid delivery to displaced persons living in the village of Sudoor, Diyala province, Iraq, Dec. 18.
The supplies were delivered to Sunni Arabs who were removed from their homes in the predominately Kurdish city of Khanaqin in 2003 and are now living in an abandoned hotel.
Colonel Wadau, the executive officer of the 20th Brigade said, "These people have been displaced for six years and they are in need of help." He added the Iraqi government is making plans to move the people to new homes.
The drop was, conducted by 20th Brigade Soldiers and members of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. They provided each of the approximately 20 families with one 50 kilogram bag of rice, a 50 kilogram bag of flour, four bags of sugar, four bottles of cooking oil and four cans of tomato paste.
During the drop Soldiers of the 2/3rd Inf. provided assistance to their Iraqi counterparts by providing security and vehicles to move the supplies. They also took time to interact with the local residents who came to receive aid.
"Arrowhead" brigade medical officers were also on hand to discuss medical and preventative medicine with local elders.
The Soldiers also handed out schools supplies donated by various organizations from the United States.
There is no doubt these people need whatever support we and our Iraqi partners can provide, said Maj. John Walton, operations officer, 2/3rd Inf. "Operations like this really show that the Iraqi Security Forces cares about the populace."
(via DVIDS)
4/2 SBCT Takes Different Approach in Iraq
The News Tribune has a new embedded article featuring the 4/2 SBCT in Iraq.
AL SALTUIN, Iraq - The American soldier and the Iraqi villager stood in a tidy dirt courtyard and talked about electricity. They discussed clean drinking water and tribal politics in this rural corner of Baghdad province.And then Sgt. Sam Harper – a member of a Fort Lewis Stryker brigade’s psychological operations detachment, known as “psyops” – cut to the chase.
“I’m here for another reason: to educate the people of this area,” said Harper, 38. “Do you know of any insurgent groups operating in this area?”
The man said he didn’t.
With the 2-1 INF in Southern Afghanistan
The Washington Times has a long article about the 2-1 INF, 5/2 SBCT.
HUTAL, Afghanistan | Villagers stared at the Americans as they made their way into a small bazaar where goat meat hung from hooks amid stands of used clothing, pots, pans and various trinkets.For the Afghans, the big Americans in full battle gear looked like beings from another planet. At each turn of the road, soldiers on the point knelt on the ground, automatic weapons ready. The men and women on the security walk were staggered in zigzag formation to keep casualties low in case Taliban sharpshooters were in the area and taking aim. Capt. Casey Thoreen, 30, the commander of the unit, monitored his radio for intelligence.
Fifteen minutes later, the unit arrived at a local clinic. It was empty and ominous looking with an open gate. Villagers in the bazaar began to leave. Shopkeepers closed their shops, throwing tarps over their goods. Children who had been cadging the troops for candy and pencils scattered.
"A suicide bomber is in the area," Capt. Thoreen said after receiving a radioed intelligence report. "We've got to move, now!"
Update: Injured Sryker Soldier
The Miami Herald profiles Sgt. Robert Samuel of the 5/2 SBCT as he recovers from injuries at Walter Reed.
Army Sgt. Robert Samuel knew he had lost much of his leg almost as soon as the bomb went off beneath his armored combat vehicle. Bloodied and dazed, he asked his buddies to grab what was left as they yanked him out of the wrecked Stryker.One just shook his head.
``The medic said he didn't think I'd make it,'' Samuel, 29, a soft-spoken Miami native, said of the injuries he sustained during the attack in November in the desert outside Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. ``He figured I'd lost too much blood.''
