Stryker Brigade News

“When I first got here, I was like, ‘What are we waiting for?’” he said. “Let’s go.”

The battalion also has cleared several contentious neighborhoods, including the western suburbs of Shula and Ghazaliya, and the contentious neighborhoods of Adhamiya and Rusafa, since the operation began in August.

Despite claims by American military officials that the operation has significantly reduced sectarian violence in Baghdad, officials with the Iraqi Health Ministry reported 1,500 violent deaths in August, roughly the same as in July, according to The Associated Press.

While Kelly said he views Sadr City, in northeast Baghdad, as just another neighborhood, he realizes the strategic importance of the area and the risks involved.

No one has to tell the 4-23 that every war is cruel. Its members freely admit they've been luckier than a lot of units in Iraq. The 172nd has lost fewer than 20 of its roughly 4,000 troops in the past year, and the 4-23 has had no one killed in action. Their record in the field, along with their almost indestructible armored vehicles, made the 172nd an obvious choice to clean out Baghdad's sectarian death squads. "We were victims of our own success," says Capt. Phillip Mann, the 4-23's intelligence officer. Even so, the war's emotional and spiritual costs keep rising for them and their loved ones back home. Velotta's little girl tells of bad dreams that he's going to die. "No, baby," her mother says. "He is coming home"—wishing she could be sure of that. The wedding of Spc. Shawn Mott and Nina Herrera was set for Sept. 16. Eight hours after she mailed the invitations, he called to say he had to go to Baghdad instead of flying home. "I was so scared to call you," he told her afterward. "I thought you'd leave me."

BAGHDAD — Only days after Iraqi Army and MND-B Soldiers cleared the neighborhood of Adhamiyah, U.S. and Iraqi forces returned to hand out generators and food.

“We’re showing the Iraqi people that we’re here to help them,” said Capt. Andrew Corbin, native of Austin, Texas, and civil affairs team leader with 414th Civil Affairs Battalion, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.

“All the people I’ve talked to in Adhamiyah say they like the security that’s been established,” said Shields. “We’d like to build on that.”

Residents of the area came out in large numbers, filling the streets for an opportunity to share thoughts with the U.S. Soldiers. The troops made it a point to talk to local residents who have been employed as street cleaners to ensure the workers are getting paid.

“There’s a lot of good things planned for Adhamiyah,” remarked Shields. “We’re working to fix electricity, sewer and water issues and working to get the hospital back up and running.”

The citizens of the area appeared eager to discuss their concerns about safety and ongoing operations in their neighborhood, observed the Soldiers. A key question posed was whether residents felt safer walking around their neighborhood.

“Since Coalition Forces came into Adhamiyah, we’ve seen less violence,” said one resident. “I feel safe. The longer Coalition Forces stay, the better it will get.”

Members of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team who suffered financial hardships when the Army extended their Iraq tours at the last minute could be reimbursed for financial losses under a Senate-passed amendment.

Under the proposal, which is not final unless also approved by the House of Representatives and signed into law, reimbursement would be allowed only when there has been no other reimbursement of expenses and when there is no other provision of law that provides help.

BAGHDAD – In the early morning hours of Aug. 29, Soldiers of Multi-National Division –Baghdad’s 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team piled into heavily-armored vehicles and rolled into a cordoned section of Baghdad to continue clearing operations as part of Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s Operation Together Forward.

The platoon, working with a dog team from 67th Specialized Search Dogs Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, 16th Engineer Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, was able to clear approximately 130 residences and businesses in three days of operating in the area.

“Our mission today was to root out any weapons caches, find any foreign fighters and (eventually) bring some peace and normalcy to the area,” said Waits, a native of Littlerock, Ark.

The platoon’s two-fold mission also involved collecting information from residents about trouble in the neighborhood as well as general information about the local populace.

“We have been going more or less, house to house, getting a census of the community to see who lives where, what’s going on and what problems they have been having in the neighborhoods,” said Spc. Phillip Page, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 4th Sqdn., 14th Cav. Regt.

“For example, we are trying to gain information about terrorists groups in the area and how they are affecting the populace, and as a result, how the populace feels about Coalition Forces coming into this neighborhood,” explained Page, who is aided in these efforts by an interpreter.

“We want the local residents to feel comfortable enough to tell us what’s going on and to lead us in the right direction to track down these terrorists,” said Waits.

Many agricultural businesses operate within Adhamiyah, growing everything from date palm trees to garden vegetables. “Most of the residents we have spoken with are farmers,” said Page, a native of Alliance, Ohio. “They are good people who have been living in the area for quite a while and just trying to make a living for themselves,” he said.

The Soldiers also came across a kindergarten school that had recently come under fire from mortars launched by terrorists.

The terrorists were aiming at the Iraqi National Police station nearby, explained the head security guard for an Adhamiyah kindergarten school through an interpreter. “If (these patrols) happen more times, maybe the terrorists would leave,” he said.

He said he has lived in the neighborhood for seven years, has observed the area change for the worse, he said, and feels the current security operations being conducted in Adhamiyah will be good for the neighborhood.

“Even my babies, they see Americans and Iraqi (security) forces and they feel safe because they think this will give security to them,” said the father of three.

“A lot of the residents I have spoken with said as soon as we rolled in (three days ago), the terrorists, or whoever was taking over this area, rolled out. Violence has gone down and it seems pretty peaceful,” said Page.

“Our kids have only experienced war time,” said Hussein. “We hope we never see another war. We hope our kids live in peace.”

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – After spending 12 long months patrolling the streets of Mosul in northern Iraq, the Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, based out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska, are now taking on terrorists in neighborhoods near Baghdad.

The brigade was all set to redeploy back home before it was rerouted to Baghdad for an additional four months of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Soldiers accepted their added responsibilities with pride, said Wuestner, in knowing they will bring a unique skill set and fresh approach to the new mission in a new area.

The field artillery Soldiers are taking over for an armored unit that performed a majority of its operations from tanks. The FA Soldiers primarily operate using humvees, although dismounted patrols are often their preferred course of action, which enables them to interact face-to-face with residents in the area, said Wuestner.

Following on the heels of their successes in Mosul with civil-military operations, the Soldiers will continue to rely heavily on human intelligence gathered through personal interaction with local Iraqi citizens.

Staff Sgt. Jeff Reisdorfer, section chief, Battery C, 4th Bn., 11th FA Regt., said that dismounted patrols and gathering intelligence from local residents are the keys to success.

“The people see us on a regular basis, and we are constantly stopping and talking to people and building rapport every day we come out here,” added Reisdorfer.

FORT RICHARDSON, Alaska (Army News Service, Sept. 5, 2006) – The Army has provided increased funding, more than $5 million, to immediately mitigate hardships on the families of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team during the unit’s extended deployment.

The extra funding from the Installation Management Agency will be used to:

• Repair and upgrade the Family Assistance Centers at forts Wainwright and Richardson;

• Extend the privately-owned vehicle and household goods storage contracts for deployed Soldiers;

• Provide funding for critical civilian and contractor hires to assist the installations in supporting affected family members;

• Fund Child and Youth Services activities;

• Fund the conversion of the Last Frontier Community Center at Fort Wainwright to a Community Activity Center;

• Fund repairs to the School Age Services building at Fort Wainwright; and

• Provide for civilian overtime pay for positions necessary to provide support for the Soldiers and their families.

In other efforts to help families of the 172nd, the mental health clinic at Bassett Army Community Hospital has transitioned to an open-access clinic, where the Army Surgeon General’s office has sent two child psychologists to train teachers and school counselors delivering mental-health services to school children.

Michele Barber, the Fort Richardson Family Assistance Center coordinator, said her staff has received 146 visitors and nearly 200 hundred phone calls by family members looking for support and information.

More than 650 phone calls have been received by the Fort Wainwright FAC staff, and they have assisted a little more than 100 visitors.

“Initially families needed counseling and emotional support to address coping with the news of the extension and talking to the kids,” Barber said. “As time progresses families are dealing with more pragmatic issues.

“Besides the many vacation plans that were interrupted, many Soldiers had plans to move on to their next mission. Some spouses were already in the process of PCSing to their next duty location, others are in housing that is scheduled to be remodeled so they need to move,” she explained.

“Some Soldiers had been on a tight timetable to go to a special training or position, which is being missed. Each of those issues is being worked individually. Other issues include expiring powers of attorney, huge telephone bills and needing additional child care.”

Karen Conrad, the USAG-AK FAC coordinator, said support will be tailored for differing circumstances.

“Every family has their own unique circumstances resulting from this extension,” Conrad said. “Each case will be handled professionally, carefully and as quickly as possible. We will work to appropriately address everyone’s problem, no matter how big or how small.”

Barber said there are still many things the civilian and military community can do for the affected families.

“Refer families affected by the deployment extension to the FAC,” she suggested. “The FAC was set up specifically to be a convenient place for families affected by the deployment extension to get support.

“When an issue involves multiple agencies, those who go through the FAC are escorted to each agency and provided immediate assistance,” she explained. “We also follow up on each FAC case to make sure the issues are addressed. When issues are not resolvable at the local level, we take those issues through our chain of command and the DA Tiger Team to get assistance to resolve the issue.”

The Tiger Team, a Department of the Army-led group of experts from various support channels, is taking issues that cannot be resolved locally to the level necessary to fix the problem, Barber said. One of the Tiger Team initiatives was to have AKO automatically extend all sponsored accounts of deployed 172nd Soldiers for 180 days.

She pointed to a recent Tiger Team success when a family member was initially turned down for a full refund of unused airline tickets.

The family’s tickets cost $2,400 and the airline agreed to refund only $700.

The issue went up the Tiger Team chain and a full refund followed soon after.

“That was reversed due to the influence of the DA Tiger Team,” Barber said. “They are working with the individual airlines and cruise lines to obtain full refunds for everyone whose travel plans were impacted by the deployment extension.”

Locally, Barber said people can “volunteer to do the things that we struggle to find volunteers for,” such as mowing lawns, shoveling snow, helping with household and car maintenance issues, and providing transportation for those who can’t drive.

BAGHDAD — Almost one month into an operation meant to reclaim control of Baghdad after escalating ethnic killings and reprisals, U.S. officials presented data Thursday showing a dramatic drop in violence in several of the city’s besieged neighborhoods.

Using March as a baseline, attacks on civilians peaked in August at 73 percent over March, then dropped to 8 percent above March levels, according to data Caldwell released.

Though the data didn’t include hard numbers, graphics plotting murders, executions and casualties from indirect fire and bombs indicated marked drops in the worst districts, including Kadhamiya on the northwest, Sadr City on the east, Karada in the center and Dora on the south. Rusafa, in central Baghdad just outside the Green Zone, was the only area that appeared to have an increase in all casualties.

Operations are either completed or started in about half of the city, with almost 49,000 buildings cleared, 75 detainees seized, and about 1,100 weapons seized, according to information distributed during a weekly news conference.

Earlier this month, the U.S. military deployed several thousand extra combat troops to flashpoint districts in the troubled Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The security operations are part of a joint U.S.-Iraqi effort to halt escalating sectarian violence and shore up support for Iraq's struggling government.

"Hello. How are you today? Pardon the intrusion into your homes and neighborhoods this morning," said Lieutenant Colonel John Norris.

On this day, the commander of the Stryker Brigade's 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry, Lieutenant Colonel John Norris, tries to assure nervous Sunni residents in Adamiyah that help is on the way.

"We are working in cooperation with the Iraqi army, the Iraqi national police, the Iraqi police, trying to clear it of the sectarian violence and make your neighborhood safe for you and your family," he said.

"[Saeedi] is the direct supervisor of the criminal Haitham al-Badri, who planned and executed the bombing of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra," Mr. Rubaie said.

Saeedi – also known as Abu Humam and Abu Rana – was reportedly captured as he hid in a residential building southwest of Baqouba.

The Iraqi national security advisor said that Saeedi carried out the policy of the al-Qaida in Iraq organization to ignite sectarian riots. According to Rubaie, Saeedi is also accused of supervising the creation of death squads and ordering assassinations, bombings, kidnappings and attacks on Iraqi Police and Army checkpoints.

Rubaie said Saeedi’s arrest has left al-Qaida in Iraq suffering a "serious leadership crisis."

On the same day Saeedi’s capture was announced, Iraqi and Coalition leaders in Adhamiyah, an area of northeastern Baghdad, told reporters they are now focusing on phase two of operations in that neighborhood.

Taming Adhamiyah was part of Operation Together Forward, also known as Amaliya Ma’an ila Al-Amam. With the area secure, leaders are now focusing on restoring civil services – electricity, water, sewer and fuel – to the neighborhood.

“The first part of the operation is not successful unless the second part is successful,” said Maj. Gen. Mahmood Ayoub Bashar, 9th Iraqi Army Division commander.

His unit’s soldiers, along with the Iraqi Police, 6th Iraqi Army Division Soldiers and U.S. Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, moved together to secure the area.

The combined troops were successful, according to Col. Michael Shields, 172nd SBCT commander.

Iraqi troops cleared 23 mosques, combined troops found four caches, and most significantly, they found a factory where improvised explosive devices were made, said Shields.

He was not self-congratulatory, however.

“I do gauge success in the security of Adhamiyah, and the relationship between the people of Adhamiyah and Iraqi and Coalition forces,” Shields said.

According to Brig. Gen. Emad Ismail Ali, Adhamiyah Police chief, the troops are gaining local citizens’ respect.

“We met a lot of people on the ground, and the people are pleased,” he said.

His Police officers worked with Military Police of Iraqi and Coalition forces.

“We are starting to see people stand up to the militias,” said Shields.

The colonel said Iraqi citizens there are turning more and more to Iraqi forces rather than the militias.

The 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division commander saw this as an important aspect of Operation Together Forward.

“Our goal was to regain the trust of the people and to overcome terrorists,” said Brig. Gen. Jabar Mujhed Msad.

With that goal seemingly achieved, the commanders agreed the second phase – restoring civil services – must now find success.

“Our number one concern has been security, but right behind that it is electricity, also water, sewer and fuel availability,” said Shields.

The colonel said 1,700 humanitarian assistance meals were distributed, as well as about 50 power generators.

“None of us in this room would want to live without electricity,” added Bashar. However, he said Adhamiyah citizens went 45 days without it.

Shields praised the citizens for what they endured.

“I commend the Iraqis for their patience,” he said. “Patience in supporting security searches, patience with traffic, [and] patience with lack of services.”

With Coalition and Iraqi support, Adhamiyah is on the road to recovery.

“People are shopping, small businesses are opening back up, but there is a lot of work to do,” said Shields.

For these commanders, complete recovery means a secure Iraq with the necessities of modern life.

The results were mutually beneficial as students and News-Miner journalists were introduced to military issues and learned the obstacles they might face in trying to cover a combat theater. Likewise, soldiers learned some do’s and don’ts.

Then comes the second person.

Reporter Margaret Friedenauer saw the story potential in embedding with local troops overseas to tell their stories for the people back home. She made her pitch as the 172nd was deployed and talked her bosses into the idea of spending the holidays in Mosul with the soldiers.

Her six weeks there in December 2005 and January 2006 were successful. Our community and readers, by and large, praised her stories and photos. The Web site drew so much traffic that computer techs here had to quickly put the site on a server of its own because the traffic was slowing down the company’s entire network.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - As they patrol the streets of the troubled Ash-Shulah neighborhood, the troops of Charlie Company seek out tormentors and guardians: Sunni Arab insurgents who come to kill in this largely Shiite enclave, and Shiite militiamen who protect residents while doing their killing in adjoining Sunni districts.

``It's too peaceful,'' said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kelly, who heads the 1st Battalion of the 17th Infantry Regiment, which includes Charlie Company. ``It's great. It's really nice talking to folks. It's really refreshing. I wish it would stay like that.''

U.S. troops are again on the move in this city of 6 million people. Officials have taken to calling the new operation ``The Battle for Baghdad,'' and they emphasize that the stakes are high.

``The Battle for Baghdad will go a long ways toward determining the future of Iraq and the future of the Middle East,'' said Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, answering questions via e-mail. ``The United States simply cannot achieve its goals of a democratic, stable and secure Iraq if the unacceptable levels of violence that we had in Baghdad in recent months continue.''

About 8,000 additional U.S. soldiers have been in Baghdad since early August, accompanied by 3,000 Iraqi soldiers. [...]

Commanders concede that insurgents and killers may be waiting out the U.S. presence, knowing the troops will soon move on.

The Opel gang. Even though Iraq's third-largest city, Mosul, is still plagued by some 14 attacks a week, it is seen as a successful model of the training effort. The lone 12-man U.S. Special Forces team forged a good relationship with the 172nd Stryker Brigade, which has now been sent to Baghdad to help quell the violence there. Lt. Col. Charles Webster, one of the Stryker battalion commanders who invited the special forces to join his planning meetings, recalled how they helped shut down a group he called the "Opel gang," which was plaguing the city with car bombs. "One of them said, 'Sir, they meet here, pick up the cars at this point, drop them off there,' and pointed out the locations on the map," Webster said.

AWAH and BAGHDAD, Iraq — The call to reinforce Baghdad with U.S. forces originally destined for Anbar province may be essential to restore order in the Iraqi capital, but it risks sacrificing gains paid for with American blood in the western province.

Anbar has always been an “economy of force” theater for U.S. commanders, meaning they have never had as many troops as needed to control the province and defeat the insurgents. According to some officers, the only reasons senior leaders paid Anbar any attention was the presence there of al-Qaida in Iraq’s foreign jihadists. “If there were no foreign fighters, I don’t think anyone in Baghdad would give a flying frog about Anbar,” said Marine Lt. Col. Ron Gridley, executive officer for Regimental Combat Team 7, which is in charge of a swath of central and western Anbar.

Despite limited forces, U.S. commanders felt they were making progress in the province. But the recent repositioning has left even fewer American troops there to hold down the fort while all eyes turn to Baghdad.

ANAH, Iraq — insurgents had freely waged a two-year reign of terror on this sleepy, affluent Sunni city of 30,000. They blew up the police station and chased out the nascent police force. They murdered the chairman of the city council and cowed the local populace.

Lt. Col. Mark Freitag, commander of the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, installed a Stryker infantry company in a combat outpost just outside Anah in late March. The grunts of Apache Company, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, attached to Task Force 4-14, took aggressive action against the insurgents, whose leaders made a move to regain the initiative: They dispatched a shadowy commander named Abu Hamza to take charge of the insurgency in Anah.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska - In a lively but polite give-and-take, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld fielded questions Saturday from wives and other family members of Alaska-based soldiers whose combat tours in Iraq were abruptly extended just as they prepared to return home this month.

Asked whether the Army was preparing another brigade to take over for the 172nd in case the improvements in Baghdad are not achieved by December, Rumsfeld said he could make no promises.

"I wish I had a magic wand and the power to say yes. I don't," he said. "I will do everything in the world I can do to see that they are not extended beyond the 120 days."

BAGHDAD – As part of Operation Together Forward, Iraqi army soldiers and Soldiers from Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s Company C, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, mounted a combined operation and conducted a cordon and search mission Sunday in the Baghdad neighborhood of Ghazaliyah in an effort to decrease terrorist activity and protect law-abiding residents.

Many of the residents were at home and were present as each room of their residence was searched. However, some homes appeared to be recently abandoned because all furniture and household items were absent.

In previous searches Company C has conducted, Soldiers found notes threatening homeowners to leave, and sometimes the notes had a bullet attached, said Mousseau.

It is threats and violence such as these that the IA and MND-B Soldiers hope to end with Operation Together Forward.
“People are very interested (and respond) well to what we are doing, giving us information and displaying a positive attitude towards us,” said Sgt. Shane Weaver, infantryman, 1st Plt., Co. C. “They seem happy to see us on the ground.”

“It’s great to have the IA along,” added 2nd Lt. Michael Williams, platoon leader, 2nd Plt., Co. C. “They do a good job and the residents like to see them out here as well.”

“We’re making the area safe from terrorists,” said Habib, an Iraqi army soldier, through the aid of an interpreter.

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq — For some of the American troops whose Iraq tour has been extended in a new attempt to secure Baghdad, saying goodbye a second time was the hardest part.

The 4th Infantry Division’s Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Riling also attended, to thank returning soldiers and to pass out free phone cards. The 4th ID has operational control of all troops in the Baghdad area.

“I just want to say thanks for coming back,” he told the crowd. “When the nation called for the best, they called for you.”

For the most part, soldiers in the fairly subdued crowd said they would rather be home, but were committed to their duty as soldiers.

He also described a marked decrease in murders and violence in both the Shulla and Ghazaliyah neighborhoods.

Shields said that in the 30 days prior to the execution of the operation, there had been 36 attacks and 83 murders reported in those neighborhoods. During the operation, there were zero attacks against Iraqi and Coalition forces involved in the operation, and only nine reported murders in the area. Jaleel said terrorist activity has decreased anywhere from 50 to 75 percent in recent weeks.

The Iraqi commander, meanwhile, praised the skill and professionalism of his Coalition partners.

“These troops that just arrived here in Baghdad are very experienced, and we enjoyed working with them during the operation,” said Jaleel.

When asked how effective his troops would be in operating independently of Coalition forces, he pointed to his unit’s past experience.

“My forces were providing security before these most recent operations, and that will continue afterward,” said Jaleel.

But improving security was only one area of success.

“Where we really made gains was conducting neighborhood or district security council meetings with both the Shulla leadership and Ghazaliyah leadership,” said Shields. “This was a great first step toward community improvement in those areas.”

The colonel said the focus of the meetings was on identifying short-term projects for bolstering the community’s quality of life – items such as rubbish removal - and more long term projects, such as sewer, water and electricity improvements.

In another success, Shields said that during the operation they saw several businesses opening across the neighborhoods. He branded the news a positive indicator of improved perceptions of security in the area.

Shields said his team is hiring locals for community enhancement projects, and that weekly neighborhood advisory committee meetings will continue to occur in the hopes of identifying additional projects.

The reaction of community residents has been extremely positive, he said.

“A majority of the people in Shulla, Nur and Ghazaliyah have been very happy that the security forces have come in to reestablish security in their neighborhoods,” Shields said. “You can see it in the children playing in the streets, and you can see it with families sitting out on their front lawns relaxing.

“It’s not uncommon for the citizens of these neighborhoods to walk up to Iraqi security forces or Coalition forces and thank them for what they’re doing.”

Evidencing this apparent trust, the colonel said several of the weapons cache discoveries were the result of tips from local citizens.

“I think what's really important is that we, as a team, treated the people with dignity and respect, and that the locals appreciated the way Iraqi security forces treated them when they were out patrolling and clearing for the security of their areas,” Shields explained.

“I think the confidence of the people has gone up with the Iraqi security forces … The Iraqi Army, the National Police and Iraqi Police have been instrumental in improving the perception of security within these areas,” he said.

Even with those successes, Shields admitted there is a lot of work still to do.

“We're working very closely with our Iraqi security force counterparts to provide that security and we're pushing hard to … improve the quality of life,” he said.

FAIRBANKS, Ala. (Army News Service, Aug. 24, 2006) – Though the hardships of being deployed to a combat zone are difficult for Soldiers, the families left behind may experience even greater challenges. Add uncertainty and unpredictability to the equation and things can get that much tougher – just ask families of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

The unit’s tour in Iraq was unexpectedly extended last month, just two weeks before their scheduled redeployment date.

Harvey told the spouses that having Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker BCT in Baghdad is critical to breaking the cycle of terror in Iraq.

“I know this has been a great disappointment to all of you,” Harvey said to family readiness group members. “I understand the hardships we’re putting you through, but this is important to the establishment of democracy in Iraq.

“With their advanced combat platforms and systems, 172nd Soldiers are bringing unique, never-before-seen capabilities to the operation in Baghdad,” Harvey said, adding that the Army’s senior leaders are keenly aware of the strain the deployment has put on Soldiers and their families.

Family assistance centers continue to assist family members with such issues as enrolling children in school systems, reimbursing airfare, honoring future assignments and return delivery of household goods.

“The support we have received has been phenomenal and overwhelming. It has filtered all the way down to the families,” said Barbara Keyes, wife of the 172nd Support Battalion commander. “I think most people have confidence that their problems are being resolved.”

“My number one priority is to re-establish predictability for families and resolve personnel and entitlements issues related to the extension,” said Harvey.

The secretary reminded family readiness group members that the support teams have a direct link with Washington in order to help with specific issues and cut through red tape.

“In some ways, deployments and extensions are harder on families than Soldiers,” said Harvey. “It takes a solid team – unit leaders, family readiness groups, the garrison and the community – to provide the support needed to help ease the burden of separation.”

BAGHDAD, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Militias blamed for much of the sectarian violence that has pitched Iraq towards civil war may have melted back into the population to escape a major security crackdown, a U.S. military commander acknowledged on Wednesday.

The possibility that the operation, which has focused on the most volatile districts of Baghdad, had simply displaced death squads to other areas was also "a concern", he said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have been going street by street, neighbourhood by neighbourhood searching houses for weapons and suspects in a make-or-break operation to restore stability.

But there have been no major confrontations with any militants so far. Military analysts had warned at the start of the operation that insurgents and militias could simply disperse, hide their weapons and try to wait out U.S. forces.

"We did a good job of isolating the neighbourhoods. Could some individuals have fled the area? Of course," said Shields, who commands the 172nd Stryker Brigade, at a briefing at Camp Liberty military base in western Baghdad.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – A team of pilots from 1st and 2nd Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, conducted multiple air integration training sessions with the Soldiers of two Stryker Battalions now stationed at Camp Taji.

The training is important for both the Aviation and Stryker Soldiers because it allows the ground troops to familiarize with the pilots who provide battlefield protection and an added asset to their units, said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Corey Swetz, Co. A, 1st Bn., 4th Avn. Regt.

“It allows them to know our capabilities as well as giving them a face-to-face with the people they’ll be actually talking to in the air,” he said. “It lets us tell them what they can expect from us. They’ve got a ground perspective. We’re just trying to let them understand what it is to deal with the air crews and the importance or painting the picture properly so that we can give them the best support possible.”

According to Sgt. 1st Class Chad Walker, platoon sergeant, 2nd platoon, Co. C, 1st Bn., 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd SBCT, the unit never utilized the services of the HH-60, while serving in Mosul.

“We primarily used the Strykers as a form of casualty evacuation,” he explained. “The Combat Support Hospital was close enough that anytime we got hit with anything, we could truck them on down to the CSH. It was a lot quicker than using air support.”

It was important for his unit to receive the training because a lot of its younger Soldiers had never seen any of the aircraft before, said Walker. Since the unit will be operating in a theater different from the Mosul area, having attack and support aviation is critical to its success.

“It’s important that we get the aviation integration training so that our guys are at least a little more fluent with operations that are going on here,” said Walker, who leads a platoon of 38 Soldiers.

Staff Sgt. Kristopher Barnette, 172nd SBCT, said he, too, was pleased with the way the CAB presented the training and he was enlightened by the amount of information provided by the flight crews.

“I think the aviation crew had everything put together really well. They told us everything we needed to know as far as extracting the pilots and anything we may need to get out or take care, as far as not letting anything get into enemy hands.

Barnette pointed out that his unit had worked with aviation before but not with a unit with as many aviation assets as the CAB.

“Every day that we were out, we would work with the aviation elements,” he said. Barnette, who is a native of Blacksburg, S.C. “I think this training will be very, very beneficial. I just look forward to working with these guys.”

According to 1st Lt. Nicholas Sykes, the training is a valuable tool for his Soldiers as they learn about new aircraft and what the CAB can provide for troops on the ground.

“So far the training has been good,” said Sykes, platoon leader, 2nd platoon, Co. C. “I had never seen an HH-60 model. I got to see a new bird today, and I learned a little bit more about the Apaches from the guys in the skies. That always benefits us on the ground.”

He said he thinks the air integration training will be beneficial for his unit because it provides them a valuable lesson about several key assets in the fight.

“Any training we can get, when we’ve got a little down time, like we have right now, is awesome for the guys,” he explained. “It keeps them from getting too bored, and it gives us infantry guys something to learn.”

Sykes added the intent of his unit’s mission in Mosul was very similar to what they’re asked to do in Baghdad.

“We were there to help pacify the city and create a safe and secure environment for the local nationals there,” Sykes said.

MOSUL, Iraq – Iraqi Army Soldiers, 2nd Iraqi Army Division, lead the way during a medical screening that took place in the Asad neighborhood in Mosul, Iraq Aug. 15.

From the beginning of the year there was little support from IA. IA medics were not interested in helping out during medical screenings, because of safety concerns. They did not want to leave the IA compounds. Early on, medical screenings were primarily provided by U.S. Forces.

After several months IA medics started becoming more involved during medical screenings.

According to 1st Lt. Brett Phillips, platoon leader, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, Brigade Medical Support Company, the IA medics get involved more and more with each screening. It is important that the local populace see that involvement, because it instills confidence in there security forces.

All IA medics go through a base combat life saver course which is taught by U.S. Forces. Most medics have gone through the basic nursing school and have advanced to a more intensive medical schooling. The IA medics have the knowledge base of a state-side physician’s assistant.

The medical supplies that are administered during the screening are purchased from the local Iraqi economy, and are bought by U.S. Forces.

“Right now we are working with the IA logistical support to try to get them to purchase the medical supplies,” said Sgt 1st Class Namond Travis, medical platoon sergeant, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd SBCT, 2nd Infantry Division. “It is a slow road to travel, but the more we get the Iraqis involved the more independent they become. It allows the citizens to see the faces of the IA.”

By July 26, Jennifer Flower had resigned from her civilian job at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. With her husband, Army SSgt. Brian Flower, expected home within days after a tough year in Mosul, Iraq, Jennifer planned to welcome him home and then to pack for reassignment to Fort Knox, Ky.

“I called friends to see if they had heard the same rumors. Then we all just waited to get the official word,’’ said Jennifer. It came that evening.

In a video teleconference with the brigade’s Family Readiness Group – spouse volunteers ready to pass along information and provide support to other families -- Col. Michael Shields, brigade commander, confirmed the disappointing news.

“I was very upset. Angry. I was sad,” said Jennifer, describing her initial reaction. “It was literally heartbreaking. To spend 12 months [apart] and to be within days of having your spouse back home, to find out that was going to be ripped away…was crushing.”

That was three weeks ago. Families say they are bouncing back. They have returned to work, altered travel and vacation plans, arranged for ticket refunds and unpacked boxes. Some have taken their children on to new assignments, including to Europe, so they can settle in before school starts. Other children are surprised to be returning to Fairbanks schools.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2006 – The most important thing military leaders can offer their people is an up-front assessment of what they're facing, as exemplified by the way the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's leaders informed the troops about their extension in Iraq, DoD's top enlisted adviser told American Forces Press Service.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shared his thoughts after returning from Alaska, home of the "Arctic Wolves."

The affected soldiers knew what was ahead for them before the official announcement thanks to the open communication from their leaders, Gainey said. "They already knew the announcement was coming that they would go back," he said of troops he met with during his visit to Fort Wainwright.

Gainey said that's a sea change from the military he joined 31 years ago, when leaders kept information to themselves. "I remember when you didn't get news," he said. "News wasn't for you to have."

But, Gainey said, sharing information -- the bad as well as the good -- is critical and enables troops to build trust in their leaders.

Gainey said he was amazed at how well the Stryker Brigade troops digested the news their leaders delivered.

He said he told the soldiers that their unit would be hard to replace because their training level was so high after a year in Iraq "I told them, 'I'm sorry you got extended, but it's bad being the best," he said. "It's really bad being the top dog.'"

"And I was shocked when they said, 'Sergeant Major, we will go back tomorrow. We are ready to go back because our buddies are over there,'" Gainey said. "And that really set well in my heart that they were ready to go. If we had a bus and a plane that day, they would have flown that day."

Gainey emphasized that despite their commitment, it was evident that the soldiers felt torn between their families at home and their comrades in Iraq. "That's human nature," he said, recalling similar personal conflicts during his own career. "I experienced the same thing when I left my family, but I also experienced (knowing that) my buddy is over there," he said. "And where our buddies are, we need to be."

Members of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Iraq will return to Fort Wainwright by mid-December, according to a letter from Army Secretary Francis Harvey.

“The extension is for up to 120 days with the main body elements of the BCT now scheduled to return by mid-December 2006,” Harvey said in an Aug. 11 letter to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.

BAGHDAD — Sweating through their uniforms, Capt. Ed Matthaidess and his men hunted through the heart of this Shiite neighborhood. In 120-degree heat, they spent six hours searching drawers and sewers alike. By the end of the day, their afternoon search had yielded slim pickings: four AK-47s and a tiny green water pistol.

"The hard-core Al Mahdi guys left on the first day," said Matthaidess, of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He was referring to Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr's Al Mahdi militia, which U.S. military officials believe is behind many of the kidnappings and extrajudicial executions of Sunni Arabs here. [...]

"It's frustrating," said Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kelly, commander of the 1st Battalion, whose men arrived in Baghdad 10 days ago. About 3,800 soldiers with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team were about to return home to Alaska when they were told to go to the capital from Mosul, adding 120 days to their yearlong deployment.

In northern Iraq, Kelly and his men fought a Sunni nationalist insurgency. In Baghdad's Shula neighborhood, Shiite militias "are the biggest problem," he said.

Many homes in the neighborhood are decorated with posters of Sadr; Al Mahdi members provide aid to widows and struggling families, and they distribute free gasoline. With only a few hours of electricity per day, Iraqis must rely on generators to keep cool. But at $1 per gallon at the pump and $4 on the black market, the fuel for the machines has become prohibitively expensive.

More than 300 soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade who returned to Alaska earlier this summer after a year of war duty are being shipped back to Iraq, this time to the dangerous capital of Baghdad.

The 301 Stryker troops being recalled will join more than 3,500 still in Iraq, officials announced Monday. The soldiers, known for their wheeled, armored vehicles, are tasked with an enormous mission: to bring order to Baghdad, where escalating violence is being described by some as civil war.

"From a tactical and military standpoint, this makes all the sense in the world. It is much preferable to reassemble a proven team," Maj. Gen. Charles Jacoby, commander of the U.S. Army Alaska, said from Fort Wainwright on Monday in a video news conference that included the Pentagon.

A beefed-up American and Iraqi force continued to press into western Baghdad neighborhoods on Monday, pushing ahead in the effort dubbed “Operation Together Forward.”

Coordinated operations targeting the Shula and Ameriyah neighborhoods of the capital included searches of thousands of homes and sweeps through business districts. “Security in Baghdad is the top priority for everyone working in Operation Together Forward. We continue to work very closely with Iraqi security forces in a major effort to clear this area of terrorists and death squads,” Col. Robert Scurlock, commander of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, was quoted in an Army news release.

Iraqi and U.S. forces “are working side by side every day to increase security in Baghdad and help the Iraqi people return to a more normal domestic life.”

WASHINGTON -- About 300 Alaska-based soldiers sent home from Iraq just before their unit's deployment was extended last month must now go back, the Army said Monday, setting up a wrenching departure for troops and families who thought their service there was finished.

Lt. Col. Wayne Shanks, a service spokesman, said the Army fully realizes the hardships triggered by the move and is "bending over backward to accommodate" the families.

The bulk of the 172nd Brigade was still in Iraq when Rumsfeld extended their deployment as part of a plan to quell the escalating violence in Baghdad. Overall, the brigade has about 3,900 troops.

Another 300 soldiers from the unit had left Iraq and gotten to Kuwait, and were about to board flights home when they were called back.

I wrote a commentary recently about my husband’s upcoming third deployment. In that article, I referred to him as a hero.

When he read it, he zeroed in on that word and said I was wrong, that he wasn’t a hero – just another Soldier doing what he was told to do.

A hero is different for everybody. It could be the friend who baby sits so you can have an hour of quiet time, or the teacher who goes out of her way to encourage her students to excel.

Regardless of the definition, if you see a hero, please tell them so.

BAGHDAD – The Coalition commander responsible for operations in the Iraqi capital is optimistic about what he has seen since operations to quell sectarian violence here started.

Al-Doura – a mixed Shiia and Sunni area – is one of the hotspots. The area had 20 sectarian murders one night before the operation started. The plan zeroes in on reducing the number of murders, kidnappings, assassinations and car bombs, Thurman said.

Al-Doura has about 135,000 people living in more than 16,000 homes. Iraqi forces carry most of the water in the operation. They search the mahalas – neighborhoods – that are causing the problems. “We’ve dropped the violence down to near nothing,” Thurman said.

Multi-National Division - Baghdad officials said the Iraqis, backed by Coalition forces, have cleared 5,500 homes in Doura. “We have to clear those mahalas and get the cells out of there and then hold those areas, protect them and build civil capacity,” Thurman said.

The 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team gives Multi-National Division - Baghdad added mobility, flexibility and agility to maneuver anywhere in the city, Thurman said. The unit was due to rotate back to Alaska following a year in the Mosul area. The Army extended its time in Iraq for up to 120 days and assigned it to Baghdad.

The civil work is key to getting the Iraqis to stop the cycle of tit-for-tat sectarian murders. Iraqi officials in al-Doura are clearing the garbage from the streets, dismantling illegal roadblocks and engaging with district and neighborhood advisory councils. The people in the mahalas have confidence that life will improve for them, and that the government is the way forward, Thurman said.

Once the Iraqi security forces clear the neighborhood, Iraqi police hold the area and Iraqi officials work to ensure the essential services – electricity, water and sewage – are working in those areas. Other local officials work to ensure economic opportunity in the area.

“The Battle of Baghdad is about perception and building trust and confidence in the average citizen of Iraq,” Thurman said.

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - Welcome home signs still line the main road on Fort Wainwright, though certainly not as many as crowded the fences the last few weeks, before it was announced the Stryker Brigade would not be coming home as early as planned.

Now that the initial shock is passing, the families of Stryker soldiers are having to deal with a wide range of emotional and logistical problems as they adjust to the new deployment timetable. The Army has set up a Family Assistance Center on Fort Wainwright to help ease a few of those problems.

"It's kind of like a one-stop to get all of your questions answered," Kroll said. [...]

The phone number to the center is 353-4458 or (800) 352-9013.

While their families are busy here, the Stryker Brigade soldiers are beginning their new assignment in Baghdad. Those members of the brigade who were in Kuwait ready to return home are now in Baghdad, Jacoby said.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The new push by U.S. and Iraqi forces to reverse a rising tide of violence in Baghdad will target four violent "hotspots" in the city, the American general in charge of the plan said Saturday.

The other three targeted districts are Mansour and the Ghazaliyah-Shula areas of western Baghdad and the Azamiyah area in the northeast, he said, adding that the goal is to quell the violence and restore ordinary Iraqis' confidence in their government's ability to provide security and basic services. [...]

Pace, who arrived Saturday from Washington, met with Thurman and other senior American commanders and addressed the troops at Camp Liberty to thank them for their service.

A few of the soldiers in his audience were with the Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade, whose one-year tour of duty in Iraq was extended by four months recently in order to add another 3,500 soldiers to Thurman's force in the capital. Thurman said he has received another 2,000 extra troops from other units.

Thurman said he now has 32,444 U.S. troops in Baghdad and areas south of the capital, as well as 32,554 Iraqi forces. Of the U.S. total, about 13,500 are in Baghdad proper, he said.

As recently as a month ago, U.S. officials thought they were going to be able to reduce U.S. troop levels this fall, but Thurman said the rise in strife between different religious groups "had us worried" and prompted him to ask his superiors for more combat power "so we could quell this and once and for all get rid of the people that are causing the problems here." Thus, the 172nd Stryker Brigade was moved into Baghdad from northern Iraq.

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 8, 2006 — Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the commanding general of the multinational forces in Iraq, had the difficult duty today of telling 3,700 soldiers who had expected to be heading home that they were going to have to stay in Iraq a while longer.

Today Chiarelli met with some of the soldiers to explain. The following is a transcript of a portion of the meeting:

"I just want to tell you guys how proud we are of you and the way that you handled this. And I know it was a kick in the stomach. There's no doubt about it. Twelve months in this place is long enough for anybody. I know. I've done it before. "I know what that means to you personally, 'cause you get over a hump and you're looking forward to going home and I know what that does to your families back home.

"And I hope you know that this decision was not made lightly. It was not made lightly. As Gen. Casey says, 'This will be the defining battle,' so to speak, of this particular campaign. We've got to take back Baghdad.

BAGHDAD — U.S. soldiers sent to reinforce security in Baghdad were seen for the first time on the streets of the capital as Iraqi police used loudspeakers to reassure people that the Americans were there to protect them. [...]

U.S. commanders hope the presence of heavily armed Americans will intimidate sectarian death squads believed behind many of the killings and reassure Iraqis — especially Sunni Arabs — that they will be protected by Iraq’s heavily Shiite security forces.

Moving the Stryker brigade to Baghdad, however, meant drawing down — at least temporarily — the U.S. military presence in northern Iraq. Another U.S. command, the 3rd Stryker Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, has been sent to Mosul to replace the unit redeployed to Baghdad.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — U.S. reinforcements sent to Baghdad to help quell sectarian violence and clamp down on other attacks took up positions in a restive neighborhood Saturday, while two bombs at a market northeast of the city wounded eight people.

The 3,700 soldiers of the Army's 172nd Stryker Brigade moved in from the northern city of Mosul to bolster U.S. and Iraqi security forces already in the city.

Duraid Mohammed Kashmoula, governor of Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, said 20 militants were believed to have been killed during prolonged street gunfights with security forces in the city's eastern neighborhoods Friday.

The Army is taking significant steps to ensure Soldiers and families of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team are taken care of now that the unit's deployment to Iraq has been extended four months.

The Army staff is forming a "tiger team," an official team put together to deal with a specific issue, to deploy to Alaska and work directly with U.S. Army, Alaska on the problem and determine what specific areas need support, officials said. In the meantime, the Army has already taken many actions to ensure Soldiers are taken care of.

The Army personnel command has ensured compensation measures, including assignment incentive pay, hostile fire pay, hardship duty pay, and family separation pay, are in place, officials said. The Army also will be contacting commercial airlines, cruise ships and destination locations to seek reimbursement or accommodation for those Soldiers and families who had planned vacations upon redeployment.

The Army personnel command also has guaranteed that all military assignments, re-enlistment contracts and military school dates will be honored, officials said.

In addition, the Army is working to help families of Soldiers who were extended. The Army's assistant chief of staff for installation management has begun working with installations to ensure families who relocated in anticipation of a service member redeploying and them going immediately to the next duty station will be able to stay where they are until the deployment is over, officials said.

The Community and Family Support Center is supplementing Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Army Community Services with additional Soldier and family life consultants, and the Office of the Surgeon General is prepared to deploy more behavioral health personnel to Alaska if needed, officials said.

The Installation Management Agency and the Defense Department's comptroller office also are engaged with the Army to identify needs and monitor the situation, officials said.

BAGHDAD — The extension to the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s Iraq deployment has sown chaos in the personal lives of many soldiers in the brigade’s cavalry squadron and imposed tremendous logistical burdens on the unit, problems that could have been avoided, soldiers say, if only the Defense Department had given them a little more warning.

After a year of harrowing combat missions in which eight colleagues were killed in action, and every trip outside the wire carried the risk of death or dismemberment, 4-14’s soldiers were finally letting down their mental guard.

More than 80 of the squadron’s soldiers had already returned to Alaska. Lt. Col. Mark Freitag, 4-14’s commander, has asked that all those soldiers be returned to Iraq, which requires approval from U.S. Pacific Command.

Many of those still in Iraq were within a day or two of leaving. Stryker crews had celebrated their last missions “outside the wire.” There was an end-of-semester atmosphere at COP Rawah, with soldiers playing practical jokes on each other as they prepared to head home.

Then came the news that rather than flying home into the arms of their loved ones, they would be heading into the heart of the violence in Baghdad, where more than 1,600 people died in July as sectarian violence between Sunni and Shi’ites spun out of control.

SYKES, Iraq – Company B, 403rd Civil Affairs out of Mattydale, NY, in conjunction with Takhil Qaffem Hassum, Mayor of Sinjar, have remodeled a maternity ward in the Tal-Banat community.

The construction of the building took just over 4 months to complete. Most recently, under the supervision of the 403rd CA Team, an Iraqi contractor has completed the installation of sinks and lighting and is in the process of installing new doors and new air conditioners.

The new maternity ward has four large rooms. Two of the rooms which have the new sinks are used for delivering babies and the other two are used for a post delivery recovery and care for both mother and child.

Alaska Airlines will refund tickets to travelers whose plans are postponed because of the 172nd Stryker Brigade's extended deployment, officials with the airline said Monday.

Officials said the company would refund tickets for family members and friends who had planned to travel to Alaska to greet returning troops. Troops and families who planned vacations that now must be delayed also can get refunds, said Linda Douglass, spokeswoman for Fort Wainwright. [...]

Larry Glemser has an auto repair business in Horsham. A former member of the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard based at the Willow Grove Air Force Reserve Base in Horsham, he's a veteran who has spent a lifetime of service to the nation, including a deployment to Afghanistan.

Larry Glemser shared with me some of the e-mails he and his son have exchanged during Jason's deployment. They provide a glimpse of the dangerous job he and other members of our armed forces are doing in Iraq as well as their commitment to that job.

They also reflect the affectionate bond between a warrior father and his warrior son.

Here are two of their many letters.

*

May 31

This Memorial Day was not like any other. This day we lost another soldier, Pfc. Jeremy Lovelace. He was one of the company medics. I want to say that he was in my company, but I no longer am the company commander since I switched out (to headquarters) in March. But you can't just disconnect from these kids.

Pfc. Lovelace showed up to the company about 2-3 months before we deployed. I remember the day he showed up with a couple of other new medics. He looked like a little kid, but he was 25. Of course, he was quiet when he met me. I mean he just showed up to a foreign country (Some people think Alaska is.), and he was told don't unpack, we are deploying to Iraq in a couple months. And now he is standing in front of his company commander, being welcomed to the company and being told not to mess up. But you could tell by looking at him that he was a good kid and was going to be a good medic.

He was married — Melissa — and had a 4-year-old daughter. He chose not to move his family up to Alaska since he was leaving so soon. It made sense. You can just ask Laurie what it is like to get married and then move to some new state with no friends and then have your husband leave. So they decided that his family would stay in Oregon with her family. So I never had the chance to meet his wife and daughter.

But on this Memorial Day, Lovelace was hit by a lucky shot. We all wear body armor. We have many soldiers that can tell you personally that it works. But you can't cover your whole body.

Lovelace is the seventh soldier that we've lost. We have over 60 Purple Hearts that have been awarded. This Memorial Day just makes you think and brings what it truly means to reality. I send this e-mail not for responses back but because everyone always asks what is it like, and for the most part we can't tell what we do every day. I know I just tell Laurie that everything is good. But every day we have great Americans like Lovelace doing their job and not asking anything in return, just counting down the days until they can be home with their families.

I ask that you pray for Jeremy, Melissa and their daughter. There is another wife that will never hold her husband and another child that will never have her father hold her again.

I ask that, while you pray for the Lovelace family that you continue to remember all of those who gave for our country. Freedom isn't free. The best thing you can do is pray for us. And fight for our country at home. Don't let the scum at home disrespect our country and all that it stands for.

I know Memorial Day (my anniversary) will have a new meaning from now on.

Jason

*

June 2

Well I know you have been busy ... and a lot of things to think about. Your Memorial Day letter was very profound, to say the least.

We both are aware of the high cost of freedom and so are many of our brothers in arms. Only about less than 2 percent of Americans have ever served in the military. Only a few have ever seen combat. The few have been blessed to give the rest of the country peace and to prosper, which for the most part has been taken for granted by the rest of the nation.

For that is not our lot. Our mission is at hand, and the price is to be paid, as you know, many different ways. I believe God does look down and bless the nation for our beliefs and sacrifice. For many are called but few are chosen. And you, my son, have been chosen and you took up the challenge to defend our nation.

With the family sacrifice and lonely season that you and your family and loved ones must go through. We know not the future but must strive to live each day with the responsibility that has been put on our shoulders (a cross). It's easy to know that this is just and right. We must never forget our culture and way of life, our Christian heritage.

That is our lot, and that is what you are doing. A calling from our Creator, our Savior, is not easy. That's another reason why we pray. To believe, to sacrifice, to know acts of selflessness is a blessing from the Holy Spirit.

When I was up in Alaska before you left for Iraq, I remember you talking to a kid, when we were leaving the building, about a soldier who just showed up, and the word was for him not to even unpack because your unit was leaving for the sandbox, Buds! I remember that. So now I know who it was you were talking about. Pfc. Lovelace.

So for him he has given his all. With tears running down my face, I can only feel sorrow and be silent in my head and heart. What can one say?

My son, we still have prayer. We still have a loving God. We still have his son who gave us his all for our transgressions. And only can we hope to see tomorrow brighter.

Thanks for your sacrifice, and thank the rest of your troops also.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. command confirmed Saturday that it will move about 3,700 troops to Baghdad to try to quell violence in the capital.

The 172nd Stryker Brigade, which had been due to leave Iraq after a year’s assignment, will be sent from northern Iraq to the capital, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Military commanders in Iraq are developing a plan to move as many as 5,000 U.S. troops with armored vehicles and tanks into Baghdad in an effort to quell escalating violence, defense officials said Thursday.

The Army said officials will determine on a case-by-case basis whether any of those in Alaska or Kuwait need to return to Iraq. It is likely the majority of those in Alaska will be able to stay there, but those who are determined to be essential personnel may have to return to the battlefront.

Rumsfeld has extended tours of duty before in the war, including several times last fall when U.S. forces were increased to deal with violence at the time of the Iraqi elections.

There is traumatic news for some Alaskan military families as their loved ones get an extension on their already dangerous mission. The Defense Department decided this could be a possibility and Alaskan Army officials began notifying families. They made it official Thursday. Members Alaska's 172nd Stryker Brigade, that have already been in Iraq for a year, will extend their stay indefinitely.

The assignment is an extension on an already very dangerous mission. During the year that the 4,400 Strykers have been deployed, 19 Alaskan soldiers have died and 305 have been wounded in action.

"We know this comes as a disappointment and there are hardships to be endured, but this is the right organization for a tough mission- that our country needed done. And this brigade, and these families, and this team, and this community are prepared to get it done," said Jacoby.

But Stryker families back here at home were expecting their loved ones to return within the next week. Now, they don't know when they will be back.

"Everyone in command knows that this presents some significant challenges for all of the family members. Every single family, we anticipate, will have some sort of hardship," said Maj. Kirk Gohlke, P.I.O., Alaska Army.

In a reaction to worsening violence in Baghdad, the Defense Department is extending the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s tour in Iraq for up to 120 days.

The decision throws into turmoil plans that the brigade’s approximately 4,000 soldiers had made for their return.

“How is the spouse going to tell the kids that Dad isn’t going to be there for the first day of school?” said one senior enlisted member.

Weddings and vacations must now be postponed. Some soldiers who were due to move to new assignments elsewhere upon their return to Alaska will find that the Army isn’t willing to wait for them to get back from their extended deployment, and the job they had their heart set on will go to someone else.

Officers said it was unclear whether soldiers whose families had booked vacations in anticipation of their return would be entitled to a refund for money spent on plane tickets. “That’s going to be a challenge,” a battalion-level commander said.

The blow to morale was compounded by the fact that many 172nd soldiers and their families learned of the extension via news reports from the U.S., rather than through command channels.

WASHINGTON - Military commanders in Iraq are considering extending the deployment of an Alaska-based Army brigade as part of the plan to increase forces in Baghdad to quell the violence.

The official also said that planned troop deployments to Iraq next month will go on as scheduled.

It was not clear Wednesday how many could have their deployment extended.

Historically the extensions approved by Rumsfeld have lasted about a month or two. This extension, if approved, would increase the overall number of U.S. troops in Iraq because the Stryker brigade set to replace the Alaska unit is beginning to deploy to Iraq. The two would overlap for longer than initially planned.

There are currently about 127,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

Stryker brigades are highly mobile units that used a new wheeled, armored vehicle. They normally have about 3,900 Soldiers. The 172nd has had several other specialty units attached to it, including some Navy and Air Force troops and some military police.

Nearly 300 soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team will return from their deployment to Iraq next week. Officials expect the first flight of the main body to arrive at Eielson Air Force Base early next Tuesday morning. They will then be bused to Fort Wainwright to be reunited with their families.

FAIRBANKS -- Soldiers from Alaska have spent 10 months in Iraq fighting insurgents, maneuvering through a fledgling government, training and empowering regional forces, drinking chai with locals and riding the political waves of the vexing and complicated conflict.

The soldiers have succeeded in their efforts, said their commander, Col. Michael Shields. But that doesn't mean the work in Iraq is complete.

"So everyone has a stake in security and economic development," Shields said.

The region still has several challenges, he said, including economic development and unemployment.

"There's some personnel that are out there putting in IEDs just to get money to feed their families," he said. "It's less tied to terrorism and more tied to basic needs."

The transition to the 3rd Stryker Brigade from Fort Lewis, Wash., has begun and Shields said he expects those soldiers to adjust to the fluid political situation just as the 172nd did.

"I fully expect they will see changes and, in the end, they will have to adapt to them," Shields said.

According the Colbert, this exercise was important because it is key to getting the IA established. The IA currently does not have mortars or aviation elements. This training helped the IA learn how to use them and how they affect their missions.

“One of the key pieces of the next transition for Iraq is that IA learn how to use key assists, which we call enablers,” said Capt. Thomas Kurtz, operations officer, HHC, 1-17th, 172nd SBCT. “This gave them an opportunity to learn how to use enablers when they have a target on the ground that they want to engage.”

According to Kurtz, this was a very hard part of training. There is of course the language barrier that exists and the concept itself.

A total of six males were detained, all of them members of an improvised explosive device and vehicle-borne IED making cell, possibly even members of an assassination cell.
Coalition Forces from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, provided overwatch and an outer cordon while the Iraqi Soldiers completed the mission with no injuries to ISF, CF or civilians.

Gen. Richard Cody visited Fort Wainwright Army Post on Monday to be briefed on the surge of military construction taking place in Alaska and commend local communities for supporting the efforts of soldiers and their families.

Cody said several new buildings on post have been constructed since his visit here last year before the 172nd deployed.

MADUSH, Iraq (June 27, 2006) --Having a handicap child that is not able to walk is hard on any family even with the right equipment. Many families in Iraq do not even have wheelchairs for their children.

“I am just the delivery person here. Blauser deserves the credit here,” said Fargo. “This is just amazing. I have brought medicine and bandages to various clinics, but this is a first for me. This will change there lives completely,”

Fargo had two pediatric wheelchairs that he gave to a family that has 32 children. Hamid has four children in need of wheelchairs. He was promised two more wheelchairs in the near future.

“We do with what we have. I can not thank the Americans enough for this,” said Hamid. “My children will be able to get around and do so many more things. It is a great day for us.”

Capt. David Best, convoy commander, 1st Bn., 17th Inf. Rgt., 172nd SBCT and his team provided security for the clinic during a medical screening and wheelchair delivery.

Mosul, Iraq (June 29, 2006) -- The women of the United States appreciate and understand what freedom is and the struggles involved to gain equality. The women of Iraq have embarked on that same journey for freedom and equal rights.

“The center not only provides day care for impoverished or working women, it also provides limited educational and exercise classes along with a socialization and a freedom area for women,” said Anan.

MOSUL, Iraq (June 30, 2006) --On June 26, Iraqi officials held a grand opening ceremony for the public sports complex in Mosul, Iraq.

There is only one other pool in Mosul, which charges each resident one dollar a day to enter. This pool will only charge five cents to enter and is very convenient for the Iraqi nationals that live in the area, due to its close proximity to the village right outside Diamondback.

This is not the first pool mission that the 172nd BSB, CA has performed. Recently they delivered and set up a 15’ above ground pool to an orphanage in Alcosh, a Christian borough just north of Mosul.

“We brought the pool out and set it up, and provided the orphanage with the instructions on how to maintain the pool, along with the supplies to keep it running all summer,” said Becker.

According to Becker, the nice thing about the pools at the sports complex is that it is one of the safer pools to use because it sits between two Iraqi check points, thereby making it very safe.

“The complex has not had any problems with attacks or insurgent activity in over two years, and is one of the reasons we decided to get involved, because we knew it would be a secure location for the locals to come and relax” said Becker.

MOSUL, Iraq (June 25, 2006) – A medic from the 172nd Brigade Support Medical Company, received an Army Commendation Medal with valor June 25, for actions taken on April 6.

“We had left at approximately 6 a.m., and after a couple hours of driving the lead gun truck had been hit by an IED,” said Kimble. “I was in the forth truck back and as soon as I saw the IED go off I grabbed my aid bag.”

All of her training then kicked in. She jumped out of the truck as it was coming up to the scene. Kimble only noticed one head injury. She calmed herself and began working on Harris.

“It was scary watching the IED blast,” said Kimble. “All of my training came back to me very quickly and I took control of the situation. Its seemed like everything around me stopped and I was focused on Spc. Harris.”

According to Maj. Michael Smith, BSMC commander, Kimble personifies what the Soldier medic is all about. She is an excellent Soldier and an excellent medic, and maintains a perfect combination of the two skills. Kimble can hold her own out on the battle field, and she can also step up and provide medical care to Soldiers in timely need.

Flying over the skies of Mosul, Iraq, just a few hundred feet above the ground, are the pilots of 1st Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment. They fly day and night, looking for suspicious activity, and working in direct support of their infantry counterparts patrolling the city on the ground, the 172nd Stryker Brigade.

"Originally, it looked like we'd replace 2nd Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade in Key West, Iraq," Bingham said. "They were in direct support of the 172nd Stryker Brigade there. We skipped the usual stop at Kuwait and flew straight to Q-West. At the time, the big focus was on the elections in the December, 2005, timeframe. Then the assets became needed elsewhere. For awhile, we were split in three locations and had Forward Arming and Refueling Points operating here in Mosul, as well as in Q-West."

The Battalion started arriving in Mosul in October and was split between Mosul and a company at Tall’Afar, Iraq by February. Since October, the pilots have logged roughly 17,000 hours in and around Mosul. The battalion also has a company at Forward Operating Base Sykes near Tall'Afar, Iraq, which patrols the area there as part of Task Force No Mercy with 1st Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.

During the first three months of their deployment to Iraq, 1-10 Attack patrolled the Mosul area with the Apache attack helicopters of 2nd Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. Together, the two aircraft worked in what are known as "pink teams", an old term from the Vietnam era in which an attack aircraft flies in the skies high above the area, and a scout helicopter maneuvers lower, using it's capabilities to watch the city streets below.

"I loved it (flying in pink teams)," Chief Warrant Officer Two Steve Workman, a pilot with Company A, 1-10 Attack said. "You have a pure gunship above us, what better thing is there to cover us?"

The battalion executes a variety of missions in the Mosul area, Bingham said. The primary mission, of course, is working in direct support of the 172nd Stryker Brigade.

"We kind of live for that 10 or 15 minutes of excitement when the ground guys call us up with something to do," Company A pilot 1st. LT. Jared Sutton said. "You get pumped up to help them out."

"Being there for the ground guys is really what it's about for us," Workman added.

"If there's a patrol in the city, we want to be overhead and support those guys no matter what they're doing," Workman said. "If they're waiting on the Explosive Ordinance Team to show up to remove an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), we'll stay overhead and support those guys. We still get a few deliberate missions like cordon and searches or cordon and knocks throughout the week. Or if not much is going on, we might be doing route recons."

"We (1-10 and the 172nd) have a pretty good relationship," said Chief Warrant Officer Three Dean Leasure, an Alpha Company maintenance test pilot. "They like us being overhead when they’re on the ground and especially when they're dismounted, and we like them on the ground when we're flying around.” He said it is a mutually supporting relationship that increases the effectiveness and security of both of the combat systems.

The pilots added that much like a policeman on patrol, they have no real "average" day. Bingham said the Kiowa’s will provide security for convoys. If a vehicle breaks down, the Kiowa is on hand to provide security from above. The Kiowa will also look for suspicious activity on the ground, such as people digging or weighted down vehicles, as well as suspicious things that could be IEDs and call them in to the Stryker brigade below. They have found several IEDs this way, Bingham said.

"Mosul's the second largest city in Iraq, with a population around 1.8 million people," Bingham said. "There's a lot of clutter in the city, so it's a challenging task looking for things that aren't supposed to be there."

During IED attacks, the Kiowa teams will look for the triggerman responsible, Bingham added. Just the presence of a Kiowa in the air will stifle many possible attacks, the pilots said.

The pilots will also support Military Police units and coalition training advisors who work with the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police.

"Us being overhead is a HUGE factor," Company A pilot Chief Warrant Officer Two Brian Parks said. "The enemy really doesn't do a whole lot when we're overhead. The ground guys will tell us they're taking fire and as soon as we roll over top of them, it's done."

Another day, the pilots may be providing security for a Medical Evacuation helicopter transporting wounded Soldiers to a treatment facility, Sutton said.

Besides the variety of the missions, although the pilots acknowledged flying so much can become repetitious, it can also be enjoyable, Leasure said.

"For me, it's almost like we're not really in the desert sometimes," he said. "Of course we are, but you've got the river that runs through here, the trees and the green grass. It's really nice in the spring and the winter, you've got green hills all around. I was in Baghdad for OIF One, and it's about 10 degrees cooler here, so I'll take every degree I can get!"

Because the Iraqi Forces are taking more and more of a role in the patrols of Iraq and its cities, the pilots said they are flying a little less than they did at the beginning of the deployment, but still an average of four to six days a week.

After all this time in the air, the pilots who were new at the beginning of the deployment said they all have picked up invaluable experience and lessons learned.

TAL AFAR, Iraq (June 20, 2006) -- Specialist Jeremiah Zumsteg was not sure what he was getting into when he joined the Army. Most of his family had gone into the Air Force. He had no way of knowing that he would carve out a spot in history for himself and make a lifetime’s worth of memories in one year in the middle east.

Zumsteg’s choice has given him many experiences as the 172nd SBCT is in its tenth month of supporting of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“Dental techs don’t deploy as combat medics,” he said. “If they do, they don’t travel to the Combat Out Base’s and Forward Operating Base’s. They stay in an office.”

Staying in an office does not give Soldiers that many stories to tell. Some Soldiers get to fly in blackhawks or a Marine Sea Stallion. Many can never say they have ridden in a Stryker combat vehicle. Those are some of the stories that Zumsteg plans on telling his friends when he returns home to the states.

Zumsteg has carved out his own niche in the history books. He was the first and will be the last dental technician for the brigade, which is being reorganized into the 25th Infantry Division after the Soldiers return to Alaska.

“I am the first dental technician in the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and upon redeployment in 6 weeks, (who’s counting?), I believe we are doing a change of unit ceremony where our Brigade patch will be retired and we convert to the 25th Infantry Division,” he said.

Zumsteg said he is going to wear the 172nd Stryker patch because it has a lot of history behind it. It’s actually a big honor. This is my first duty station. I came into the unit as the only brigade dental tech.

Mosul, Iraq -- The women of the United States appreciate and understand the struggles of their mothers and sisters before them to gain equality. The women of Iraq have embarked on that same journey for freedom and equal rights.

Their first step on that journey is to rebuild a women’s center in Mosul, Iraq, which will be a combined effort of the Provincial Reconstruction Team and the 172nd Brigade Support Battalion.

Some of the operating expenses come directly from Anan’s pocket, to include electric and maintenance bills, although, she and Kawthar are working closely with the PRT to secure funding from Coalition Forces to repair and expand the center. This in turn will increase programs available to women in Mosul, also boosting usage.

“By increasing the programs and membership to the center, we are hoping that the provincial government will lend financial aid to the center to allow us to provide salaries to those who volunteer to run and maintain the center,” Kawthar said.

The 172nd Brigade Support Commanders Emergency Response Program funding will provide enough financial support to complete the repairs and expansion of the center. The battalion is also securing donations of clothing and shoes and there are plans to make part of the center a controlled distribution point for the impoverished.

SINJAR, Iraq (June 14, 2006) -- A JAG officer’s job is never done. Capt. Annemarie Drazenovich, a brigade judge advocate with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, is getting ready to end her deployment but is still working on projects that will continue after she has left the Middle East.

“Sinjar sounds like a relatively small community, relatively safe,” Drazenovich said. “The security situation is not bad. They do think that the police should get more training. But because they’re not bombarded with criminal activity, it’s not something that’s crushing them and they’re still able to handle their workload.”

The judge told Drazenovich that he had only held three investigative hearings in the first half of the month. After the judge hears a case, the case goes to Mosul or Baghdad to be decided. Both cities have a backlog of cases. Drazenovich was interested to see how the legal system is operating and if she could find any ways to make it more efficient..

“All of the judges I’ve met have been very helpful,” she said. She asked about the investigative team and how it works. The Iraqi court system is based on the French judicial system where the judge leads an investigation. A case is only as strong as the evidence that investigators bring to the court, so their skills must be strong.

“[The judges] are interested and able to teach the police about investigating and improving their skills,” she said. “They don’t seem to need a whole lot. They’re functioning, they’re doing it, there’s just not a whole lot to do. I have found that at all the courthouses. They’re all functioning. They never stopped functioning [because of the war]. Sometimes they need more space, or they need more people.”

“The people in the courthouse are always there, professionally dressed in Western-style clothes and ready for business,” she said.

One thing she did see was that the courthouse needed a generator and some air-conditioning. The day she visited it was almost 100 degrees.

MOSUL, Iraq (June 18, 2006) --Captain Gabriel Scheinbaum, executive officer, 577th Military Intelligence Company, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, challenged Capt. Moises Soto, 1Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, Force Protection on Forward Operating Base Marez, Mosul, Iraq to a soccer game to boost Soldier and civilian morale.

“We thought this game would be a good way for everyone to have the chance to have some fun and relax,” said Scheinbaum. “Even though we are in a war zone people need a chance to relax and have some play time.”

Scheinbaum was given the name “Shooter” by Command Sgt.Maj. Hector Davila, CSM, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

“This game is a punishment to the Turkish, who said they were national players, but aren’t, this is going to be an easy game for the Soldiers to win,” said Davila. “Our next game will be against an Iraqi army team.”

According to Staff Sgt Fernandez Reyes, Company A, 1st Battalion, 17th FA and native of Miami, Fl., this is one game we are going to win with no competition what so ever. “I’ve been playing since I was a little kid.”

“CSM Davila told me there was a soccer game at 5:30pm and told me I better be there,” said Kristofer Dunlap, Scout, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Bn, 1st Inf. Rgt., 172nd SBCT, and native of Albuquerque, N.M. “I was not going to let the team down, so I was there to do my part.”

Dunlap said the game is a good morale boost Soldiers out here especially since we are close to going home. Other units should come out here and play.

“I find it motivating and relaxing to play a game out here in this war zone,” said Dunlap. “I was interested in playing soccer against people all over the world, once we came to Iraq. I played with the Turks, Albanians, Iraqis and South Koreans.”

The score of the game does not really matter; but both sides had fun and accomplished their goal of relaxing in a combat zone.

“The US is the guest, so in my opinion, it does not matter who won,” said Ale Sari from Turkey. “We all had fun; my team had a great time and we want a rematch.

Just south of Tal Afar in Bi’aj, IPs cut the ribbon on a new district headquarters building June 22. The new facilities overlook the city’s busy market, putting police closer to the community.

Iraqi police from the Provincial Headquarters of Ninevah signed for 1,400 ballistic vests and thousands of communication radios at Forward Operating Base Diamondback June 15. Iraqi police in Ninevah are now 100-percent equipped with the required radios, programming software and cables for the job.

Mosul police have also begun a program to track prisoners once they are released from custody. The Mosul Assurance Program began March 30 by the Major Crimes Unit at 1 West Iraqi police headquarters. Since the program’s inception, 776 prisoners have been released back into Mosul Society. The MCU has carefully maintained detailed records of the recently released prisoners, including fingerprints and photographs.

They have developed a mug shot book that will soon be converted into a digital version for distribution to the other IP District headquarters and emergency response battalions.

Mosul police are proving their worth to their citizens everyday. Three officers were recognized by Col. Michael Shields, commander, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, for their recent actions in combating anti-Iraqi forces.

Colonel Thiyab, chief of the Um al Rabeain District, and two of his officers were responsible for foiling an attempted suicide attack and disabling the bomber’s rigged vest in early June. They also uncovered a sizeable cache of explosive ordnance used to make improvised explosive devices a few days later.

The Mosul Olympic Committee, in conjunction with the 172nd Brigade Support Battalion, arranged for local contractors to make the repairs last month to promote sports among Iraqi children.

MOSULl, Iraq (June 26, 2006) --As Coalition Forces help rebuild Iraq, basic medical care, and medical supplies for Iraqi people is still an on-going concern. 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Striker Brigade Combat Team addresses this issue on a regular basis.

“This is a very small amount of what they need,” said Capt. Matthew Fargo of Uba City, Calif., medical officer,1st Battalion 17th Inf. Rgt., 172nd SBCT. “The Ministry of Health is doing all they can as well as Coalition Forces. This is one of the bigger and better clinics in Iraq. People travel from as far as Tal Afar to receive care. That shows how desperate the need for more clinics has become.”

The Primary Health clinic has eight doctors and four dentists. They are open six days a week and have two shifts. The clinic is general practice and treats newborns to the elderly. On average 600 patients a month are seen and treated. The most common condition treated is shortness of breath due to the quality of air.

“Doctors are very limited in Iraq, so security is a big concern. We are a target of the insurgents because of the money we make and our families our targeted too,” said a doctor at the clinic who asked not to be identified. “I stay here five to six days a week for my safety. All of the specialist doctors have left Iraq to other countries. They left because of threats on their lives and money they will be paid in other countries.”

The delivery of medicine to the clinic was a welcome site to the doctor. He replenished his shelves and was able to continue to see the women and children that were there for care.

“Children under the age of 12 are seen for free and receive free medicine. Those over the age of 12 are charged 5000 Dinar or 50 cents,” he said. “Every time U.S forces deliver medications it is a welcome relief. The Ministry of Health does what it can, but it is very limited in resources since the war. Any extras we get from the U.S. are greatly welcome and appreciated.”

The Ministry of Health has a very limited budget. The doctors that serve in the Iraqi Army receive more pay than the doctors employed by the Ministry of Health. The medications that are purchased by the ministry come from various countries that surround Iraq. The biggest suppliers of medicine are China, England, and Japan. The other obstacle that the Ministry faces is the supply of medical equipment. After the war most hospitals and clinics in Iraq were looted leaving them with no equipment to operate with.

MOSUL, Iraq (June 23, 2006) -- Not many Soldiers can say that they perceive themselves as being a mentor or tutor for the people of Iraq, but for one infantryman in the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, that is exactly how he describes his job.

“My role is to help those that need help,” said Clark. “The people of Iraq have a base, but I am here to help them apply new leaderships and concepts and put them into action to make them a stronger and independent nation.”

Clark has seen changes in the Iraqi people, utilities, and also coalition forces. “The people of Iraq have changed a great deal. They feel more self-assured with establishing their government, Army, and police force,” he says.

“When I initially rolled into Baghdad in Operation Iraqi Freedom I, there were no sewage system or power supplies.”

Not only has Iraq changed for its citizens, it has also changed for the troops. According to Clark, living conditions have improved.

“This deployment has been much easier due to improved living conditions. From sleeping in the back of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, or in the sand and eating MRE’s [meals ready] to eat to sleeping in air to sleeping in air conditioned quarters with a dining facility and access to telephones and computers with internet.”

One of the biggest challenges of this deployment for Clark has been leaving his family. His daughter Reese was only two months old when he departed Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

“It was hard missing her first steps, first words, and her first tooth.” Most of his military career has been spent in Iraq, which has left him with very little time to spend with his family, especially his 12 year old daughter who resides in Shakopee, Minn.

Clark looks forward to spending time with his family and going back to school. He will attend a military to advance his career in January and is thinking about becoming an officer.

“When I go home, I look forward to going to Officer Candidate School to make me a better person. Also, to go hunting in North Dakota with my father-in-law and going to the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks baseball games.”

According to Clark, as much as he reminisces about going back home, knowing that he is helping people make themselves better has made this deployment worthwhile.

“On patrols I see the youth of Iraq smiling, waving, and wanting to change for the better and not the worst. That really makes me feel like I have done something in this lifetime. Not just saying it, but accomplishing it hands on.”

Clark has had many Soldiers in his care during this deployment, which has made him become a better leader.

MOSUL, Iraq (20 June, 2006) --Transfer of authority ceremonies are becoming common place in Mosul. This indicates a progression toward a more independent Iraq. 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division took command and control of more area of responsibilities from their U.S. counterparts, the 1st Bn., 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Transitioning areas of responsibilities in the Mosul area to the Iraqi Army is an on-going process with the emphasis on the Iraqi’s completely purging military control from the U.S. Army.

The ceremony was brief but demonstrated a distinct Iraqi presence.

The Iraqi’s put on a first-aid, under small-arms fire demonstration. Afterwards, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kelly, commander, 1st Bn., 17th Inf. Regt., assisted an Iraqi army officer with unveiling the 1st Bn.’s new flag.

The coordination between the Marine Corps and Army units was successful in getting the father and son reunited for Greg's promotion - the first step to him becoming a leader in the noncommissioned officer ranks. Through the diligent efforts of both commands in Iraq, arrangements were made to allow Roger to fly from Al Asad to Qayyarah West Airbase.

JUNEAU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski spent two days this week in Iraq, where he had lunch with Alaska troops in Mosul, spent the night at a palace of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in Baghdad and spoke with Iraqi vice president Tariq al-Hashimi about the Alaska Permanent Fund.

"This is tough duty over here, I tell you," he said.

Murkowski is collecting cards from soldiers with their home information so that he can telephone their families upon his return to Alaska next week.

MOSUL, Iraq (19 June 2006) --Before the game started, player on both sides were talking trash about who would win the final volleyball match featuring Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment against 1st Bn., 17th Inf. Rgt., of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

“It has been four years in a roll that we beat the buffalo team,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Hector Davila, CSM Task Force, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt.,, 172nd SBCT. “I expected it was going to be a great game, both teams played extremely well.”

According to Davila, it was more of a trash talk game than a competition. We were playing for bragging rights until we meet again.

“I am sure we will meet again,” he said. “When we do, we will beat them again, and claim bragging rights for another year.”

“Soldiers are very competitive, they come out here and test each others abilities,” said Lt. Col. Richard Green, executive officer, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt., 172nd SBCT. “It was fun to watch and the players and fans had a great time.”

Green said it is great to see Soldiers compete against each other and have some fun, and they all have good sportsmanship. I came here to see 2-1 beat the buffalos, and they did just that.

“It was a competition for some of my team players, but for me its like a stress free game just come out and some have fun, said Sgt. 1st Class Salelea Tuiolemotu, platoon Sgt., 3rd platoon Co. A,, 2nd Bn.,1st Inf. Rgt.,, 172nd SBCT.

“We shoot way better, but we haven’t played as a team for a long time, and now we are trying to pull it together as a last minute thing,” said Staff Sgt. Eotiasi, Faamagalo, 1st Bn., 17th Inf. Rgt. “I love the game, and I am sure we will play them again.”

When Melissa Harmon asked her husband by phone last week if there was anything special he wanted when he returned from a year in Iraq, he had one request.

"The only thing he said is there better be a 12-pack of Killian's in the fridge," she said.

By Tuesday morning, the beer was chilling, the house was clean and Melissa and her 5-year-old son, Gavynn, had nothing to do but wait. Melissa hadn't told Gavynn his dad was coming home later that night.

"Let's go get my daddy," one small boy yelled, pulling his mom forward.

Melissa and Gavynn quickly found Craig, who scooped his son onto his shoulders. He said Gavynn looked different from when he last saw him in November while home on leave.

"About six inches different," he said.

Capt. Seth Smallwood, like most of the soldiers, looked tired from a long flight but content to be home.

About 50 U.S. Army soldiers from Fort Wainwright weren't about to let the Iraqi heat or their deployment prevent them from participating in the Midnight Sun Run.

But there was a good time had by the soldiers in the artillery battalion, who wore official Midnight Sun Run bibs bearing the number 411 and received T-shirts donated and shipped by race organizers in Fairbanks.

Staff Sgt. Martinez Tovar and 1st Lt. Jacob Haverstick were the first finishers, crossing together in 46 minutes, 10 seconds. Sgt. Jeffery Smith was next in 46:52.

The event was held at 6 a.m. on Friday to avoid daytime temperatures that often exceed 110 degrees.

The advance party of 150 to 200 soldiers is scheduled to arrive at Eielson Air Force Base late tonight and then be bused to Fort Wainwright Army Post around midnight to meet family members, although U.S. Army Alaska officials warn that travel plans for returning groups of soldiers can be unpredictable. The soldiers were slated to return last week but were delayed and it's possible travel plans could change again before this evening.

MOSUL, Iraq (June 15, 2006) -- U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kelly, commander, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright, Alaska and representatives from the Iraqi police, the Iraqi army, the Mosul director of municipalities and the Mosul Islamic Party held another on-going Regional Security Council meeting at the Mosul Social Club to discuss security and municipal concerns.

The IP Chief supports Col. Tahha 100 percent. He also identified some sections of Mosul that are safe and some city projects that are being accomplished. He mentioned that certain neighborhoods will not get municipal contracts unless the security situation gets better. He feels that 50 percent of the city is cooperating, but he is looking for 90 percent.

The last speaker was Mr. Khalid, director of municipalities, who explained how he is trying to improve the city by paving roads and getting the trash picked up. He said the efforts to do this are being hampered by certain sections of the city threatening his workers.

Khalid also pointed out the shortage of fuel and how it impairs the ability to accomplish projects. He plans to announce on local television a list of municipal projects he is working on.

In his closing remarks, the Islamic Party representative,e pointed out that more than 500 families have moved back into Mosul because it is a safe place to live and yet nothing has been done to assist these families. He also wanted to see the rehiring of about 500 IPs who were recently fired. The IP Chief assured him that they are rehiring IPs only after they have completed background checks.

The Midnight Sun Run has many fans, participants who have run the race each of its 24 years, people who come in costume or with family and friends. Groups like the students with Rural Alaska Honors Institute take part each year, as does a field artillery unit from Fort Wainwright, even if they're halfway around the world.

They run and bike each day they are traveling to keep in shape. Saturday night they showed up at the race start decked out in running shorts and athletic outfits, most in the Italian national colors of red, white and blue.

Giorgio Bonzanini is the youngest member of the group at age 52.

"It's a pity you have short summer time," he said. Bonzanini said the men are enjoying the long daylight hours and cool temperatures compared to the hot and humid summer weather they experience in Italy.

"We came to enjoy the temperature," he said. "And we eat spaghetti at night."

Some of the Italians introduced themselves to another group of international visitors, 10 Marines with the 5th Anglico, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, stationed in Okinawa, Japan. The Marines are in town taking part in the Northern Edge joint forces exercise at Eielson Air Force Base. They said their major heard about the race and told the unit to take part. Their desert fatigues were a contrast to some of the Italians' running outfits. One of the men from Italy asked to try on the Marines' boots to see if they were more difficult to run in than running shoes.

Any other year, the Marines would not have been the only participants in fatigues. Soldiers from Fort Wainwright's 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment take part each year, firing a Howitzer to signal the start of the race and pushing the cannon to the finish.

But this year, most of the unit is deployed to Iraq with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Instead, Lt. Phillip Kerber said about 70 soldiers took part in a run Friday at their base outside Mosul in honor of the Midnight Sun Run.

Kerber and a handful of soldiers from the rear detachment at Fort Wainwright still wanted to support the race, and even though they didn't have enough manpower to push the Howitzer, they brought it to fire across the starting line at race time.

MOSUL, Iraq (June 12, 2006) --A fallen comrade is honored during a memorial ceremony held at the community activity center on Forward Operating Base Marez, Mosul, Iraq June 12.

Lt. Vaughan was born on April 12, 1983 in Vail, Colo. He earned his commission in the United States Army and as 2nd Lt. from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. Vaughn was appointed as an Infantry officer. After completion of his schooling, he reported to the 172nd SBCT.

Within a month at arriving at his Fort Wainwright, Alaska duty station, he was deployed I support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and arrived in Mosul, Iraq on April 29 2006. He was assigned as 3rd Plt. Leader, Charlie Company.

According to Capt. Kent Park, commander, Company C, 2nd Bn, 1st Inf. Rgt., being a lieutenant, being a second lieutenant is even tougher. Many new lieutenants can’t handle the pressure of being a new platoon leader and instead of leading the team, the team carries them.

Park also said that some lieutenants thrive under the pressure, they step up and excel. They are the ones Soldiers look up to and proudly claim as their platoon leader.

“The Lt’s that handle the pressure become combat leaders,” said Park. “Lt. Vaughan was a combat leader, he was a natural, calm and confident, but must of all caring. He was passionate about his men; his heart was in the right place.”

According to Webster, Vaughan showed discipline and confidence while out on patrol. He was very pleased on how well he knew the area with only being here a short time and mentioned to the Sergeant Maj. On just how well he was doing.

“His platoon related very well to his orders and directives,” said Webster. “He was comfortable with his men and they were comfortable with him. He was a natural leader who had leadership and potential. 2nd Lt. Vaughan died leading his men. I only hope that someday I have the privilege of walking in his shadow.”

MOSUL, Iraq (June 9, 2006) --Being in a combat zone for a year is a long time for anyone, Soldier or civilian. Imagine being there for 25 months.

One such civilian has done just that. She is in her 25th month and has not regretted one moment

According to McKinney she was going to leave Iraq last August but Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team caught her eye, and she decided to stay.

“McKinney is very outgoing, with a super personality that will put a smile on your face if you feel down or depressed,” said Staff Sgt. Adam Fugal, Co. B 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment. “She helps you forget about your worries. When you walk into her work area she makes sure that you have contacted your loved ones either by phone or internet.”

McKinney said that her biggest challenges are memorial services when a Soldier loses his life during combat. It is something that she will always have a hard time dealing with.

“It is very hard when you lose a Soldier,” said McKinney.” “You see them constantly in your work area, next you’re being told that a Soldier lost his life outside the wire.”

According to McKinney she has made a lot of friends with the men and woman of the 172nd SBCT, which has made her time easier and go by fast.

“Just talking with them and getting to know them has been a rewarding experience,” she said. “These Soldiers of the 172nd SBCT is the reason why I have stayed so long in this country.”

McKinney said the she wants American public to know that these Soldiers are doing the best possible work they can do; these exceptional men and woman deserve the greatest respect and admiration from the American people.

About 170 soldiers in the 172nd's advance team, which left Fort Wainwright a year ago ahead of the main brigade, originally were expected to arrive late Tuesday night at Eielson Air Force Base and be bused to Fort Wainwright to meet family members.

MOSUL, Iraq (5 June, 2006) -- Being an infantry battalion squad leader can be challenging. It takes dedication and responsibility to lead Soldiers. It is a responsiblity that Staff Sgt. Jose Luis Cruz from Comerio, Puerto Rico takes seriously.

“Being a weapon squad leader, I have lots of responsibilities,” said Cruz. “You have to be a mentor to others, to teach them to become future non-commissioned officers.”

According to Cruz, he will never ask a Soldier to do anything that he has not already done or would do himself, no matter what the task is. Whether it is physical fitness or searching for insurgents on the streets, he must be willing to do it first.

“He leads by example,” said Spc. Nicholas Stabley, vehicle commander, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt., and a native of South Williamsport, Pa. “He maintains his confidence and composer at all times and he will not make a Soldier do what he is not willing to do or is not able to do.”

“I hope someday when I become a squad leader, I hope to be just as good as Cruz is.” said Spc. Jeff McDonald, vehicle driver, and native of Fort Collins, Colo. “Cruz is really good with all the Soldiers, knows his job and the job of other Soldiers.”

According to Cruz, physical fitness helps Soldiers relieve stress, so he ensures that they exercise properly. He is not one who simply tells them to work out; he is also there with them to exercise.

“I try and maintain a physical fitness standard that my Soldiers have to follow,” said Cruz. “This isn’t a game out here, so I have to make sure they are ready mentally and physically at all times.”

Cruz’s native language is Spanish which gives him the opportunity to talk to young Soldiers who are more comfortable speaking Spanish.

“I am a Mexican-born Soldier and Cruz will always speak to me in Spanish, making sure I never forget where I have come from,” said Pfc. Oscar Cuellar, gun team and native of Palmdale, Calif. “One thing that Cruz does is listen to you and make sure you are satisfied with what ever decision you as a Soldier come up with, he is not just our weapons squad leader, he is also our friend.”

Cruz said the biggest challenge for him is being away from home for a year and being on his third deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

MOSUL, Iraq (5 June, 2006) -- In the Community Affairs Center on Forward Operating Base Marez, Mosul, Iraq, Soldiers of Troop D, 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and civilians gathered to pay their last respects to fellow-Soldier, Benjamin E. Mejia.

“He not only made a contribution to the UAV team, he made contributions to every Soldier on the ground and it ultimately affected the brigade,” said Capt. Michael R. Greene, commander, Trp. D. “Sgt. Mejia was the Soldier behind the scenes supporting the war fighter to the best of his ability. He would watch from above as (ground) operations were conducted or reconning enemy routes and activity areas.”

“Ben Mejia was a good Soldier. He never accepted anything less than the best. Not at work and not in his personal life,” said Sgt. Kenneth A. McLeod, UAV operator, Trp. D, “He made friends just about everywhere he went.”

According to Sgt. David E. Needleman, he met Mejia in basic training at Fort Sill. His favorite thing to do on weekends was to go off-base and meet a girlfriend. This was my first and lasting impression of him. Here was a man who made the ladies happy. Ben was outspoken, he didn’t care who you were or what you had pinned on your chest, he’d tell it like it was.

Sergeant 1st Class David L. Hansen read the Lord’s Prayer from Psalm 23 followed by Capt. (Chaplain) James J. Foster, 14th Cav., who delivered a meditation message by quoting from Alexander Wolcott. “There is no such thing in any ones life as an unimportant day.” He went on to relate this quote to Sgt. Mejia’s commitment to his service to his country.

MOSUL, Iraq – A ribbon cutting ceremony was held by Iraqi police to re-open their northeast police station in Mosul June 4.

The station had been closed since 2003 because of numerous anti-Iraqi forces attacks that originally caused the IPs to abandon it.

The original station had been so badly attacked that the local IPs had to move down the street to an outpost, while the original station was rebuilt.

QAIRAWAN, Iraq (June 3, 2006) -- During the month of May, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team conducted medical training for Iraqi police officers in Qirawan, Iraq.

Should an officer get wounded in the line of duty, having another officer there to perform first aide and the basic medical care could result in saving a life. The IPs are out there everyday in harms way, so at any moment something could go bad.

The training consisted of basic CPR, treatment of a sucking chest wound, and a class on how to prepare and utilize an IV. The IPs were allowed (after instruction) the practical exercise of giving an IV to fellow policemen.

“This is very good training to learn,” said one officer. “It could mean the difference of life and death out there on the streets.”

The IPs are a very important asset in securing Iraq to help make it safer for the people. The more officers they have trained and able to handle the insurgency, the faster coalition forces will be able to pull back into being a quick reaction force, and be available only if the IA and IP need their help.

The leaders of the IP are trying to make sure all their officers are trained not only in their daily patrol responsibilities, but to make sure they have a fighting chance to survive should they become injured in the line of duty.

Dahuk, Iraq, (May 30, 2006) –Brigadier General Muthafer Tahir Al-Morori received the Order of Saint Maurice during a ceremony in Dahuk, Iraq, May 30.

Muthafer has been instrumental in the war on terrorism in Northern Iraq as the commander Iraqi Army’s Fourth Brigade.

Although Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003, Muthafer has been fighting for freedom all of his life. Muthafer is a member of the Peshmerga located in the providence of Dahuk in northern Iraq. They began there quest for freedom from Saddam in the late 70s.

It was not until Operation Dessert Storm that there work would start showing success. After the IA was defeated in Kuwait and the no fly zone was instituted, the Kurdish Army was able to drive Saddam out of Kurdistan.
“The infantry is here to honor a man of great honor and integrity,” said Lt. Col. Charles Webster, commander, 2nd Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd SBCT.

“We are here to present Brigadier General Muthafer the order of Saint Maurice. Saint Maurice is the patron saint of the Infantry.”

“I am truly honored to receive this award,” said Muthafer. “During my tenure as commander of Fourth Brigade, I was surrounded by some of the finest officers of the coalition forces.”

Muthafer said that Lt. Col. Webster and his staff along with Col. Michael Shields, commander, 172nd SBCT, enabled me to make the contacts I needed to establish the Iraqi Army in Mosul.

MOSUL, Iraq – In a ceremony held June 1 at the 3rd Iraqi Army Division Headquarters in Al Kisik, 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army assumed command from 4th Bn., 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Bde. Combat Team over areas in western Ninewah.

This event marked a pivotal moment in the security of Iraq as this IA battalion joins two others in western Ninewah in taking complete control of their own area of operation.

After demonstrating their ability to plan and execute complex missions independently, they were more than ready to assume the mission.

MOSUL, Iraq (June 3, 2006) -- In the Community Affairs Center at Forward Operating Base Marez’s, Mosul, Iraq, Soldiers of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat team, and Headquarters and Headquarters Company Medical Platoon, and civilians gathered to pay their last respects to Cpl. Jeremy M. Loveless, combat medic, HHC Med. Plt.

On July 28, 2005, Loveless arrived at Fort Wainwright, Alaska being assigned to 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt’s., Medical Platoon.

“He came to us with a big smile, a goofy laugh and a desire to do his jobs the best he could,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Walker, platoon sergeant, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt., HHC Med. Plt. “We saw the potential in Loveless, so we sent him to Fort Lewis, Wash. to attend the Live Tissue Tactical Combat Casualty Course. When he returned, he could not stop talking about all the things that he had learned.”

In August, 2005, Loveless deployed to Mosul as a combat medic assigned to the battalion aid-station in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“To all of us medics who had been there a while, he was the new guy,” said fellow combat medic, Spc. Kyle Jordan, combat medic, HHC Med. Plt. “And yet, in many ways, I envied him. His enthusiasm and competence are at a level that mine never will be.”

Loveless served throughout the battalion supporting combat platoon missions while the organic medics were on leave. He was also involved in the medical treatment of numerous coalition Soldiers, Iraqi Security Forces, Iraqi civilians and detainees.

“He never thought that what he did for us was that great of a thing,” said Pfc. Brian Manscill, 4th Plt., Co. A, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt. “He only thought he was doing his job, but to me he was doing more than just his job. He would reach out to people to be their friend. And he was my friend.”

Capt. (Chaplain) Steve Dunn, 172nd SBCT closed the commanders and Soldiers tribute portion of the memorial.

“I was asked should we have so many speakers and my response was something like this,” said Dunn. “Well sir we have a unique situation. We have a Soldier who belonged to two units, HHC medical platoon and company A. However, what I wanted to say was something along these lines. It is a testament to this young Soldier’s character and the quality of the man that has so many desiring to speak on his behalf. We had to turn away folks that wanted to speak about him, and pay their respects to honor him and his memory. What kind of man could evoke such loyalty and love?”

“I have a great deal of respect for all infantrymen, in fact, I have a great deal of respect for all Soldiers,” said Capt. Matthew McQuilton, commander, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt., HHC Med. Plt. “However, I feel the noblest of all are the combat medics, the ones who risk their lives daily in the selfless pursuit of saving others.”

“Before he received his fatal wound, he was calling out vehicles to his platoon sergeant that appeared suspicious,” said Capt. Allen Harris, commander, Co. A, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt.. “His last thoughts were not of himself or the danger of being an air guard, but of his duties as a Warrior and of the Soldiers in his care.”

Loveless is survived by his wife Melissa and daughter Chloe.

QARA QOSH, IRAQ (May 31, 2006) -- Having the basic necessities in life like water and electricity are important to all people, no matter where you live in the world.

If you live in Qara Qosh, Iraq, having the basic necessities is limited, and there are many needs to satisfy.

According to Capt. Timothy Sawyer, commander, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt., 172nd SBCT, the biggest concern that the mayor had was the water, and the pump station that pumps the water into his village.

“It is about 60 kilometers away and the mayor is concerned about the pumping capabilities,” said Sawyer. “The last time the pump station was serviced was back in 1970.”

Sawyer said the population has doubled, if not almost tripled since then, we don’t even know how effective the pumping station is.

Another main concern for the village is a run down medical clinic that serves about 700 residents a month and is in need of several repairs.

“The building has a leaky roof, and the sanitation is not good,” said Sawyer. “There is no clean water, yet they still continue to treat people here.”

According to Harhai, the next step in the process is to send an Iraqi engineer who works for the Army, to complete a “scope of work” on areas that need to be fixed.

“They send the “scope of work” to us, and then we send the paper work to the 101st,” said Harhai. “Then we wait for the 101st to approve the work that needs to be done. Nothing will get done until it gets approved.”

According to Sawyer projects like these demonstrate to the Iraqi people that when they have needs, they can go to their elected officials, like the mayor or police chief, and by doing so things will get done. Things are relevant and the government is improving.

“The gentlemen in power today are very smart individuals, and know what needs to be done,” Sawyer said. “By going to them directly, it gives them legitimacy to continue their governance.”

MOSUL, IRAQ (May, 31 2006) -- Soldiers count on a lot if items for their protection, but none as valuable as a good set of eyes. For 1st Lt. Anthony Aguilar, platoon leader, Company C, Task Force 2-1, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, this became a matter of life or death while on a routine combat patrol last February.

The blast caused considerable damage to a nearby house and cars parked along the street. Aguilar’s unit cordoned off the area and immediately did an extensive search before leaving.

“As our company cordoned off the area, I kept the glasses on and continued with the mission.” said Aguilar.

As a result of the incident, it is an absolute must for each Co. C Soldier to wear all protective equipment they were issued to include: the advanced combat helmet, eye protection, individual body armor with neck strap and Nomex gloves.

CAMP SLAYER, Iraq

Fewer than seven months after a sniper ended his stepson's life, Spc. Timothy VanDruff of Rossville and formerly of Tonganoxie, who is currently deployed to Iraq with 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, attached to Multi-National Division -- Baghdad, opened up about his son's life and death and maintaining focus while in the country where his son paid the ultimate price.

The phone call home turned out to be every parent's worst nightmare.

"Lorrie told me Lucas had been shot by a sniper and was killed," said VanDruff. The father of three, visibly upset, was escorted by his squad leader to see the chaplain.

"(The) first sergeant hugged me on the way to see the chaplain and told me everything was going to be OK and that they would get me home," said VanDruff.

Hatred came first

Spc. Lucas Allen Frantz died on his 22nd birthday, Oct. 18, 2005, in Mosul, Iraq. An infantryman assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, he was stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, where he lived with his wife, Kelly.

Upon hearing the news, VanDruff said his initial reaction was hatred.

"I quickly began to hate the people of Iraq, but after I calmed down, I knew it wasn't everyone's fault ... just the insurgents'," said VanDruff.

The flight home was extremely difficult for VanDruff. "The flight from California to Kansas City was rough because I did not know how I was going to react when I saw my wife, knowing she was torn up because she had just lost her son. We had just lost our son," he said.

"I have never been that sad before. You expect to go home and it be a happy occasion. This time, it wasn't," said VanDruff.

Pride -- that was the word used by VanDruff to describe how he felt at his son's funeral.

"When I saw how many people showed up for Lucas' funeral, I was proud of the support shown by the community, state and this country," he said.

A difficult decision

After the funeral, VanDruff was forced to make a decision that would arguably be difficult for any soldier. The battalion afforded him the opportunity to either stay home with his family, or continue with mobilization training and deploy to Iraq.

"My wife and I talked and we agreed that if I stayed home, I wouldn't be able to live with myself," said VanDruff. "Lucas was over here doing something he believed in, and I wanted to finish what he started. I refuse to let my son's death be in vain."

Making the choice to go on with the deployment is one he stands by.

"Every day, I could wonder if I made the right choice by coming and leaving Lorrie and the kids at home, but second guessing has never been my style. All Lorrie said was ‘Come back to me,'" said VanDruff.

Now, he said, "I (know I) am here for a reason, and I want to finish the mission."

VanDruff said a worldwide support system has made life in Iraq easier.

"It is OK because I know I have friends and other soldiers around me. I miss my family back home, but the support there, and here, makes it easier for me ... so that I can go home and put the pieces back together."

While looking at a photograph of Frantz, VanDruff recalled how his son towered over him.

"He was like 6-foot-4 and used to tease me about being shorter," VanDruff said. "I would tell him he was not bigger, it was just that I was getting shorter with age."

Calling up memories of years past, VanDruff laughed while explaining a particular incident.

"I got hurt at work one time and was on crutches," he said. "Lucas saw me about to go up the stairs. The next thing I knew, he was carrying me up."

Loving the Army

Frantz, a high school football stand-out and all-conference player at Tonganoxie High School, knew from a young age he wanted to be a soldier.

"He loved the Army. He grew up loving the Army," VanDruff explained. "He went to basic training between his junior and senior year in high school."

Like many other proud fathers, VanDruff continued to brag about his son.

"He was very energetic," he said. "As a son, he was always there when we needed him. He was a wonderful, good kid. There is no other way to put it."

Boles main function during the closure process is to inventory and document the base prior being turned back over to the Iraqis.

“I have spent the last month measuring square meters and inventorying equipment that will be turned over to the [Iraqi] government after U.S. Forces leave,” he said.

“Everything will be well documented so that we can show the Iraqi government that coalition forces did not destroy Iraqi property.”

Located on FOB Courage are two of Saddam’s palaces. These palaces have a place in Iraqi history and are part of the Iraqi culture. Coalition forces have used them as command centers since the beginning of the war and have made every effort to maintain them through out their use.

According to Boles, FOB Courage will begin the final steps of closing completely over the next couple of weeks. The official closing ceremony will be held some time next month.

The unit has been tasked to bring recently released detainees from an airport in Mosul to the local police station to be processed into the database and then released.

On a recent trip, the Soldiers in vehicle number twenty laughed and joked about ping-pong, food, promotions, and other topics. One member of the team wrote “The Dream Team” above the windshield of the vehicle.

The Dream Team’s gunner baited the 1st Sergeant.

“First Sergeant, I think you’ll be really bad,” said Spc. Chad O’Leary of the 1st Sergeant’s ping-pong skill. “I’ll beat the First Sergeant and the Cubs will win the World Series.”

O’Leary is from Wichita, Kan., or as he puts it, “the Dub Wizzle.” The driver laughed and shot down O’Leary.

“I think I could take O’Leary,” said Spc. Michelle Feedor, driver and chemical operations specialist from Bronx, N.Y.

“The main mission right now is the detainee mission,” Myrie said. The unit also brings food and supplies to other locations in northern Iraq such as Combat Outpost Rawah, Makmur, Jaguar North, COP Scorpion, COP Sinjar, Forward Operating Base Sykes, Fort Tal Afar, FOB Courage, and Rabbiyah. The unit also served as convoy security for the trucks bringing equipment from FOB Courage to FOB Marez.

“So far I have done 12 to 15 of these missions and they’ve been successful,” Myrie said. “I switch up my Soldiers and give each one of them the opportunity to do this mission and see what it’s all about.”

“We treat these detainees with the utmost respect, and that’s important to us, that we stay professional at all times when we are handling these detainees,” Myrie said. “Me personally, I love what I do. I’m a Soldier. That’s all I want to do. I have a good group of Soldiers and NCOs that I lead and they stay professional at all times.”

According to Myrie he has a good group of Soldiers and loves them. They are very professional, they know what they’re doing, and I’m proud of them. At any time they can switch from their original MOS, 92 golf, which is a cook, and they can go back to their basic Soldiering skills and handle it.

“I think that what we’re doing over here is a good thing,” Myrie said. “We’re trying to help the Iraqi people get back to normality, to a sense of security, to get their life on track. And I think that they appreciate what we’re doing. If I have to do it over again a million times I’ll do it, because I love it, because I’m a Soldier and I’m always going to do what I have to do as a Soldier, to make life better for others.”

According to Myrie he is happy to know that he can be a part of something that’s directly dealing with the Iraqi people and so to speak, make a difference.

According to Scott force protection is a means and measure to securing operational security on the installation.

“We are here to protect Soldiers and workers,” he said. “We provide security.”

From the radio room to the tower guards, each and every Soldier plays an important role in keeping the FOB safe.

“I am the radio telephone operator,” said Sgt. Jose Rivera, 1st Bn., 321st FA Rgt., and native of El Paso, Texas. “I basically control all radio traffic and keep everyone informed of what is going on.”

“My job is very important because I pass on critical information to the towers and gates, and they relay information to me,” said Rivera. “They are my eyes and ears out there.”

Force Protection is always looking for ways to improve perimeter security, taking steps to safeguard the FOB.

“Today we are installing counter measurements just off the FOB,” said Staff Sgt. Shed Winston, Company C, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, from Goodman, Miss. “It is hot out here, but the job has to get done to protect everyone that lives and works on Marez.”

According to Winston it feels pretty good that other Soldiers rely on him to keep them safe.

“This job is very important!” he said.

According to Toro, their job is to maintain the unit down in Rawah and at the same time help the rest of the Supply sergeants with supply runs, mail, Army Combat Uniform orders and anything that can help them out.

“I see supply as a long term field,” said Sergeant Juan P. Estrada, Supply Sgt, Troop A, 4th Sqdn.,14th ACR, and native of San Antonio, Texas. “I get a good feeling when I deliver or send mail to Rawah, I know how they feel being in an area where there is no facilities or what we have here in Marez.”

According to Capt. Kirk Lohweisser, Squadron Assistance S-4/Unit Movement Officer 4th Sqdn., 14th ACR, we make sure that the necessary coordinations are made between the brigade and the squadron as well as ensuring that supplies get to them.

According to Strickland, the biggest thing we are seeing in the IA is there desire to do the right thing and to hunt down terrorists.

“We are one step closer to having the IA taking over everything before we leave and allows the US forces to draw down,” said Strickland. “It makes me glad to see them taking responsibility, and seeing how the efforts of the United States army has built there program and is paying off.”

According to Strickland, there are a lot of good things to come out of the IA, and that the Iraqi people respect them and listen to them. The Iraqi people are proud of their Army and look forward to being defended by them in the future.

“Our task was to conduct a tactical over watch for the 3-2-2 operation called Lion’s phase two,” said Capt. Greg Sauer, A Co executive officer, 1st Bn, 17 Inf. Rgt., 172nd SBCT. “A tactical over watch is like being operations control for the operation, and we were there to act as a quick reaction force.”

According to Sauer, their main purpose was to watch over the operation. They gave information and advice to the IA commander. The IA are doing real live operations, but they have a dual purpose. The operations are also acting as training.

“The most important reason for the IA taking the lead in the operation is that they know the people,” said Sauer. “They are from the culture, they know the language, they know the body language and what we consider shady may not be shady in their culture.”

According to Sauer, There were two objectives; on one of the objects they found a RPK, which is an AK-47 with a longer barrel. It is a weapon that is not authorized for civilian use by the Iraqi government.

On the second objective they found nine sets of licenses plate and several passports, and in Mosul that is a sign of shady operations. They use the license plates to put on vehicles that are used against Coalition Forces. They also found several AK-47 butt-stocks, which is a sign that they were cut to make the weapon easier to conceal. The IA also found forty rounds of sniper rifle ammo, which is another weapon that is not authorized for civilians.

Fairbanksans will observe Memorial Day in different ways Monday. Some will attend services and ceremonies honoring fallen service members. Others will stand silently at the Alaska Moving Wall Project at Veterans Park, listening as the names of those who died in Vietnam are read. Others have nothing in particular planned, because for some, every day is Memorial Day.

Since Lucas' death, Kelly has slowly begun making a new life. She bought a house in Tonganoxie, something she said she and Lucas planned on doing someday. She works at a local bank. She keeps in touch with some of Lucas' friends still serving in Iraq. She keeps his dogtags hanging in her car.

It's hard to find something in the small town of Tonganoxie that doesn't remind Kelly of Lucas--the high school football field where Lucas was a star linebacker and his jersey, No. 69, was retired. The Veterans of Foreign Wars park where the couple had wedding pictures taken. The couple planned to renew their wedding vows at the park when Lucas returned, but it's where memorial services were held after he died. The grocery story where the couple worked together when Lucas first asked Kelly out. The Taco John's where they had their first date.

"There are reminders everywhere," she said.

She draws attention in the small town as the widow of a Kansas-born soldier.

"Honestly, the hardest part has been trying to blend in again," she said. "I'm at the point where I just want to blend in again and I want to be able to start my life over again."

April Hess is also struggling. While Lucas was the first casualty from the Stryker brigade, April's husband, Kenny, is one of the most recent. He died April 11 in a suicide bomber attack in Rawah that left two other soldiers seriously injured.

April left Fairbanks after Kenny's death and is staying with her parents in Kentucky. She said by phone last week that she's trying to find a place of her own, but isn't ready yet to think about finding a job. She doesn't have any plans for Memorial Day and bristles, she said, when people call it a "holiday."

"I don't even want to celebrate anything like that right now," she said.

Rather than reflect on Kenny's death, she said she wanted to remember his life. Her voice and slight Southern accents lifts when she describes how they met at a Louisville bar on Halloween 2001. She was dressed like a cave girl, Kenny wasn't wearing a costume. He wouldn't stop calling her after that, April said. He proposed for two months and they were married in March 2002.

Kenny was keen on history and knew random facts, April said.

"Maybe he wasn't always telling the truth," she said with a small laugh, "but he had an answer for everything."

While April won't be observing Memorial Day in any particular way, she said she thinks it's important for people to think about what deployed service members are going through.

“We were conducting a cordon and knock and we asked to see what weapons they had in their house,” said Dorman. “My suspicion got raised when I was shown a chest with seven AK-47 magazines.”

According to Dorman they ended up finding three AK-47’s, another rifle, over 1500 AK-47 rounds, three bayonets, two pistols, one hundred rounds of 9mm ammunition, and armored piercing rounds for the AK-47.

“The females in the house were sitting on the ammunition that was placed in bags hoping we would not find it,” Dorman said.

Once in Baghdad the two Soldiers met with a representative from the judge advocate general office to discuss the case before they were to testify.

“We discussed the case the day before,” said Irish, “We had to come up with a diagram where we found all the weapons and ammunition.”

Irish thought that the court would be like a court room television show where you sit on the bench and the defense lawyer tries to get you to break.

“It was more like going into the judge’s chamber with the defendant’s right there behind you,” said Irish.

“As we testified the judge was the only one asking the questions, and through an interpreter we had to tell what actually happened,” said Dorman.

“We had to explain what we found and where we found it,” Irish said.

Through out their deployment the 138th MPAD has provided exceptional coverage to the 101st as they conduct security operations in northern Iraq, securing democracy and freedom for the Iraqi people.

The 172nd SBCT has been one of the lead elements in northern Iraq. Their missions have ranged from search and seizure to support teams to the Iraqi Army, which have allowed the IA to conduct their own missions against the insurgents.

“The 138th MPAD has provided us with a valuable tool,” said Staff Sgt. Melvin Clark of Company C, 2nd Battalion 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd SBCT. “Their coverage allows us to review our missions and improve our skills and capabilities. The photos the 138th MPAD provides gives us the opportunity to show the people back home a little of what we do.”

Being a National Guard unit, they only received their ACU’s because they were being deployed to Iraq.

“We received our uniforms while going through mobilization at Fort Dix, N.J.”, said Canovai. “We just started wearing them a couple months ago because most of our Soldiers did not have them.”

The ACU’s were first tested in Iraq in 2003 by Soldiers of the Stryker Brigade Combat Teams. The colors are designed to work effectively in woodland, urban environments and the desert.

The ACU replaces the battle dress uniform that has been used since 1981 and the desert camouflage uniform which are worn by members of the Air Force and Navy while deployed here in Iraq.

The ACU uses a universal camouflage digital pattern of camouflage similar to that of the Marines. The uniform consists of trousers, jackets, wicking t-shirt and brown combat boots.

“The boots are great!” said Canovai. “I don’t have to spend time shining them anymore, which saves a lot of time.”

“I've enjoyed working here at FOB Courage. I know we’ve helped a lot of Soldiers relax and be able to come back to reality just a little bit” said Jim Coleman the MWR coordinator, and resident of Leesville, La.

The MWR workers dedicated themselves to providing Soldiers with a network of employee’s that make the operation runs as smooth as possible.

“Soldiers need the MWR’s to unwind a little over here in Iraq, especially after returning from some of the missions they do,” said James Hennigan, technician and event coordinator. “They need a place to come back to reality and burn off some of their stress.” Hennigan resides in Little Rock, Ark.

According to Hennigan one of the activities used most by Soldiers besides the gym is video games.

“Halo II is very popular with Soldiers, some of the runner ups are NASCAR racing and John Maddens NFL Football, but Halo II is played the most out of all the game titles we offer,” said Hennigan.

Being in Iraq away from family and friends is difficult, and then add in continuous missions and the heat of the region, a MWR facility can be a welcome sight for a tired and homesick Soldier.

“It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to this group,” said Coleman. “You start to build relationships with the workers and Soldiers over time, and it is relationships like these that I will always remember.”

According to Hennigan, he will be moving to FOB Marez to set up and run an exclusive gym that will be constructed for an element of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

According to Vann, the main focus point for the past month and half is the main palace, and they plan to have the palace finished by next month.

“We need to ensure that it is in the same condition as when we arrived,” said Vann. “We are doing our best to make sure that it looks good.

The palace was first used in 2003 as the Headquarters for the 101st Airborne Division. The palace served as the last command post for the multi-national force Iraq – northwest. Now the 101st is back to see the closure of this historic FOB.

“I consider running to be stress relief because it’s just the road and me,” said Sgt. Gary Wilhelm, 29 Sig. Bn. “I don’t have to worry about daily missions or convoys, just the rocks.”

Every Soldier has something that helps them deal with life away from family and friends and living a war zone.

FORT WAINWRIGHT — Sgt. Matt Thompson dreams of being the first active duty Soldier to participate in the Yukon Quest.

During her husband’s deployment, she has adopted 12 sled dogs, which are boarded at the Sundawg Ranch and Sled Dog Kennel in Salcha.

During his two weeks rest and relaxation leave, he met the dogs for the first time.

“Most of his R&R, we spent out at the boarding place, mushing on trails, and participating in events,” she said. “James would run the dogs about 10 miles everyday.”

When Thompson gets home, both he and his wife hope his chain of command will give him time to train the dogs and participate in the Yukon Quest, she said. They hope the Army will support them in their mushing endeavor.

Over the years, Memorial Day weekend has meant many things to me.

As a kid, it marked the absolute coolest event in the world of children's outdoor activities--the unveiling of the community pool. And then when I got a little bit older, it signaled the opening of the sweetest place in 16-year-old dating land--the drive-in movie theater. In college, it denoted the day I busted out my favorite white platform shoes, and in my young professional life, it designated the day I tore the cover off the grill.

I'm pretty sure my 16-year-old self would have rolled her eyes at my 23-year-old self had she seen me e-mailing Joseph Fields, coordinator of the Alaska Moving Wall project, who is helping to bring the famous Moving Wall to honor Vietnam veterans to Fairbanks from May 24-30 this year.

A soldier who rescued wounded soldiers during a deadly raid last year in Mosul, Iraq, was honored Tuesday during a memorial service on Fort Wainwright Army Post.

Cpt. Michael Spinello called Wall a "true warrior and hero" and praised him for his courage and selflessness during a raid on Nov. 19 in Mosul that resulted in the death of Fort Wainwright soldier Pfc. Christopher Alcozer.

Soldiers from the 172nd had responded to a report that Iraqi police had been fired upon from a house. As the soldiers raided the building, they were shot at and attacked with grenades and improvised explosives.

A dozen soldiers were injured and two squads became trapped in the building's kitchen. As troops breached the wall of the house into the kitchen, Wall led a raid with grenades to clear a hallway for his squad to enter.

The largest Alaska-based Army unit since Vietnam to spend time in a war zone is more than halfway through its yearlong hitch in Iraq and the commander said in a telephone interview that his troops have helped train thousands of Iraqi security forces to fight their own battles.

"We still have a lot of work to do but we're steadily making progress," the commander said in a follow-up e-mail from Iraq.

Fourteen members of the Stryker brigade have died since the brigade arrived in Iraq: four in noncombat incidents and 10 in combat. Most of the soldiers in the latter group -- seven -- lost their lives to the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Iraq: the roadside bomb.

Shields said 236 of the brigade's soldiers have been wounded. Of those, 170 -- roughly 72 percent -- have returned to duty, he said.

Ryan Krumblis has all the look and sound of a war veteran. Getting shot at is all in a normal day.

"Generally, it's a small rate of fire. Nothing too substantial," he says.

But when you see the photos and hear the stories, it's hard to believe Ryan's just been in Iraq since August -- in the army a bit over a year. He's a radio-telephone-operator, and takes photos to document his life working in the third largest city in Iraq.

"Mosul used to be old Nineveh, so there's a lot of history there," he says, though there's little time for sightseeing. There are so many streets, and Ryan and his buddies of the First Platoon Regulators, Charlie Company of the 172nd Strike Brigade patrol each one. In their mission, there are no front lines.

"We're generally on sector 12 to 18 hours a day and we have a platoon covering a sector 24 hours."

It means stopping cars, searching homes, and being shot at a lot. Life and death are a step or an instant apart, like last October.

"As we were loading up [in a vehicle], we had a white four door sedan pull around the rear of our security, and when he did, he opened up with an RPK, which is a fully automatic machine gun. When this happened, he put about 30 rounds in the back of our vehicle. Seven of them that we know of actually came into our vehicle. We had one of our riflemen hit in the back of the next. Fortunately, he was wearing his interceptor body armor and it was deflected," Ryan says.

"It's very loud. It's very confusing. Because on the streets, it's hard to hear where it's coming from because it's echoing on the buildings around you."

A roadside bomb killed a U.S. Army soldier based at the Fort Wainwright Army Post during a patrol in Iraq, according to the military.

U.S. Army Alaska spokesman Maj. Kirk Gohlke said the soldier was killed Tuesday when the bomb exploded near his Stryker vehicle, which was on a routine mounted patrol in Mosul.

The soldier's family has been notified.

MOSUL, Iraq - Soldiers deployed to Mosul, Iraq are documenting their deployment through the use of digital cameras on Forward Operating Base Courage.

According to Vanty, he was unsatisfied with the quality of his photos compared to those of the imbedded photojournalist. Vanty then upgraded his equipment and began snapping away.

Realizing that buying a digital single lens reflected camera didn’t make him a professional photographer, Vanty started to research the art of photography.

Vanty shoots with a Nikon D50 digital SLR camera body, which is a low end amateur camera. He has two lenses, a Nikon 18-55mm zoom lens and a Tamron 55-300mm zoom lens. Both of his lenses have Ultra Violet filters on them. UV filters filter ultra violet rays and helps to protect the lens. Vanty has recently purchased a Nikon speed light flash.

“I take pictures as often as I safely can while on patrol, at least two or three times a week,” said Vanty. “I take pictures because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. We are in the cradle of civilization making history and I want to remember a lot of these places and people.”

Vanty uses Adobe Photoshop elements to edit the pictures he takes. Photoshop allows a photographer to color correct, crop, and sort photographs. He uses his Apple iBook and iPhoto to store the photographs.

“Anyone who has an interest is free to see my pictures,” wrote Vanty. “I use a lot of them for military things and I send a lot of them home to help my family understand what it’s like around here. Not so much the military side of it but the people of Iraq and how they live.”

The temperature in Rawah, Iraq, routinely climbs past 120 degrees these days.

Add another 30 or 40 degrees to the interior of Sgt. Larry VanderMolen's Stryker, a tank-like battle vehicle.

Sgt. VanderMolen, who's 22, is a graduate of Owosso High School. He's a member of the Army's 172nd Stryker Brigade of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, in Rawah.

In an e-mail home, VanderMolen asked his parents for disposable cold packs. The soldiers put them on the backs of their necks, on their wrists, under their helmets - wherever they'll fit - in an attempt to keep their body temperatures down to a low broil.

VanderMolen described a recent incident in which the driver of his Stryker passed out because of the heat.

In an e-mail to me, Innes wrote: "This poor young man sits in the front of the Stryker, totally surrounded by steel, near enormous engines that continuously put out heat."

FORT RILEY, Kan. - Joseph Powers was a typical Army brat. Born at Fort Knox in Kentucky, he moved as his father transferred from post to post in Georgia and the Carolinas until, he says, he covered most of the South.

Such constant address changes are well-known for taking a toll on soldiers and their families.

Called "unit force stability," the new policy creates three-year life cycles for units - forming, training, deploying and returning them to the same post. The change also increases the likelihood that even if a soldier left a particular unit, he or she could transfer within the same post - bringing some stability to what had been the traditional, mobile military family. The change already has taken place in some units but not all.

The first unit to see the change was the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, in October 2003. That unit is completing a year in Iraq and will begin a new life cycle in December.

It's part of larger changes for the Army, which must cope with conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan while juggling staff as a result of base closings and division moves from Europe back to the U.S.

MOSUL, Iraq (Apr. 18, 2006) - Soldiers of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team are currently distinguishing themselves as part of America’s premier fighting force in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

On a normal day, Volino leads his platoon on several security patrols through some of the meanest streets in Mosul. This has not tainted his view of the Iraqi people however.

“I had a very biased opinion of Iraqis…I feel that I was very close-minded. During the first couple of months in country, [however] I met some very gracious families. I realize that most Iraqis just want nothing more than to live in a peaceful world without oppression. These families have taken us into their homes and have made us feel that we are truly part of their family.”

It is not uncommon to find Volino sitting in an Iraqi living room or kitchen drinking chia and eating the food offered to him by locals. His conversations generally migrate to serious business.

“Do you feel safe? Is there anything I can do to assist you and your family?” he asked over a hot cup of chia.

When it becomes necessary to search a home, Volino maintains the professionalism that contributes to his strong leadership. A soldier walks up to Volino, “Sergeant Volino, the door is locked, do you want me to kick it in?” the Soldier asked. “No, I have talked with the family and I am comfortable,” Volino replied. Volino has entered so many homes that by looking in their eyes and observing their body language, he concluded there was no threat there.

“You can’t win their hearts and minds if you’re kicking down doors of regular citizens. Only if we have to…only if we have to,” he said.

During many of the searches of Iraqi homes to find illegal weapons, it is not uncommon to discover an AK-47 assault rifle under a mattress or in a closet. Volino inspects the weapon.

“Ok, it checks out,” he said and gave it back to the owner. “It is not uncommon for a family to possess an AK. When a family member gets married, they will all fire their weapons in the air to celebrate,” he stated to one of the newer soldiers in the platoon.

Volino appears to have adopted the entire neighborhoods as his own and makes maintaining their safety his priority.

“Lets swing over to the west-side of the neighborhood and check on things,” he said over the platoon net. Shortly after he made his statement, an IED loudly exploded not far from his location.

“Let’s check it out and sweep the area,” he said as the Stryker vehicle began to move. Once on the scene, Volino questions Iraqis in the vicinity of the explosion.

“No one saw anything unusual. I am just happy that no one was hurt.” He said as he looked at his watch and yelled to mount the Stryker. “Our mission is done for the day. Time to get back.”

MOSUL, Iraq (Mar 29, 2006) - After a twenty minute-wait at Forward Operating Base Courage, Strykers pull up and Staff Sgt. Eric Shadowens, broadcast journalist, 138th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment climbs inside and wedges himself between eight other Soldiers.

The laughing and joking continues until the Stryker communication radio broadcasts, “Alpha Company leaving the forward operating base.”

Like magic, the music and hand-play stop. Suddenly, what seemed like a group of young men one may meet in “any-town, USA”, transforms into a group of more serious Soldiers.

From their eyes one can see that the boyishness is gone. They seem hardened now. They are ready to go outside the FOB.

On this day, Shadowens accompanied members of Company A, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team through the city of Mosul during a dismounted movement to contact.

His mission is to video-document Co. A as they root out anti-Iraqi forces and gather information from local nationals.

He has his digital video camera in one hand, and his rifle in the other.

“The story is important, but self-preservation is more important. It is very difficult to be aware of my surroundings while I am filming. Sometimes I forget, but when I hear small arms fire, it brings me back to reality.” Shadowens said when asked about challenges of carrying a weapon and camera.

As Co. A Soldiers entered homes of some Iraqi local nationals for questioning, .Shadowens accompanied them.

The Iraqis were friendly and frequently offered to serve “chia”, a favorite tea drink. At one home, Shadowens interviewed Spc. Kyle Jordan, a medic for Co. A.

Jordan and Shadowens are from Englewood, Ohio.

“My high school is fifteen minutes from his.” Jordan said. “My school would play his school at football games.”

After checking out several local national’s homes, Co. A got into their Strykers and continued moving through the city streets of Mosul.

Along their route, they stopped at a taxi cab stand where several taxis were not in compliance with a Coalition Force’s policy to have trunk-lids on their taxis.

In the past, some of these types of vehicles were used as suicide vehicle-born improvised explosive devices.

While questioning some non-compliant taxicab drivers, a vehicle-driver chose to disregard a rear security Soldier’s hand and voice signals.

The Stryker’s gunner fired a warning shot that the driver ignored. He skillfully fired several more rounds at the front of the vehicle, disabling it.

As the crowds quickly began to gather, Co. A Soldiers finished questioning the non-compliant taxi drivers and cleaned up the area before leaving.

Staff Sgt. Paul Volino, squad leader, said, “It is important that we get these taxi drivers to comply. It could mean the lives of American soldiers. We are very fortunate that no one got hurt in that vehicle. It was a very dangerous situation.”

As Co. A’s Strykers returned to FOB Courage, they radioed their return. It was a long day. They wearily and methodically removed their magazines from their rifles, pulled back on their charging handles, and cleared their weapons.

No music or hand-play now, just some grateful slaps on Shadowens back and some farewells.

MOSUL, Iraq, (April 11, 2006) - Soldiers of 172nd Brigade Support Battalion, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, remembered Spc. Dustin Harris at a service on Apr. 11, at Forward Operating Base Marez.

Spc. Harris lost his life when an improvised explosive device hit his convoy.

According to Spc. Brad Vantiem, 172nd BSB, Harris was a young man who was proud to be in the Army, proud to serve the nation and the ones who cannot defend themselves.

“Dustin was proud to be apart of something bigger than he was, proud to be the quiet hero and not afraid to die,” said Vantiem. “He loved his friends, his family, the Army, helping others and loved working hard.”

Harris’s squad leader and friend Sgt. Jeffrey Myrieckes said Harris was a great friend and a great Soldier. He completed over 50 missions protecting his fellow Soldiers.

“He was a leader among his peers and was an asset to his squad, company and battalion,” Myrieckes said.

According to Arbogast, it was an honor to stand beside him guarding our nation’s defense. He not only made the company stronger, he kept each of us alert on combat missions.

According to Lt. Col. Mark Keyes, 172nd BSB commander, Dustin is not a hero for what he did, but for who he was. He was special because he loved life.

MILLBRAE — On a quiet block of Banbury Lane, Donna Grogan sits filled with anxiety as her husband, Mike, awaits deployment to Iraq.

But both men — Millbrae Police Cpt. Mike Grogan and 22-year-old Kurt Macaulay — feel there is still a necessity to fight in Iraq, even though their families worry for their safety.

"That's what (Mike) chose as part of his military life. Part of him feels a commitment to serve the country," Donna Grogan said. "I have mixed feelings about the whole war, having friends there. Hopefully, he'll be safe and smart."

The Macaulays and the Grogans have known each other for 11 years, friends for most of that time. They would often spend their summers together until Kurt Macaulay enlisted into the Army nine months after graduating from Mills High School three years ago.

On Friday, it is Grogan's turn to leave. An Army Reservist, he reports to Fort Lewis, Wash.; he will be deploying to Kuwait in December.

But late Tuesday night, elsewhere on Banbury Lane, Ma- caulay was with his family again, arriving at 10:15 p.m. aftertraveling for three days. The family celebrated his homecoming with chicken enchiladas.

Macaulay slept in what was once his childhood bedroom, decorated with "Star Wars" posters and memorabilia.

Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade seized more than 70 rocket-propelled grenade warheads, 26 mortar shells, more than 20 grenades, seven sniper rifles with scopes, and several thousand rounds of AK-47 ammunition.

The Soldiers also found 10 pounds of plastic explosive, detonation cord and various other components for constructing IEDs.

TOWN OF MENASHA — At the McNamee home, tuning to television news for the latest developments unfolding in Iraq is secondary.

Simply put, his accounts of life on the streets of Mosul present a brighter perspective than that offered in the evening news. And he's got a gift for writing to young audiences.

"He comes back with stuff we can understand," said Nikki.

So when he e-mailed his younger daughter's first-grade teacher at Springs Road Elementary School in Neenah inquiring how she was adjusting, it didn't take very long for Karen Martis to invite him to participate in the class' weekly computer lab lesson. Every Tuesday, the class e-mails him a series of questions, such as his safety and the eating customs in Iraq.

"It's the most educational part of my day," Martis said.

Soon after, he also was being asked if he could field questions from Nikki's peers at Shattuck Middle School.

MOSUL, Iraq (April 2, 2006) - Col. Michael Shields, Commander, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team awards a Battalion coin to Maj. Sokoli and the Sixth Albanian Contingent for an outstanding job while deployed to Logistical Staging Area Diamondback, Mosul, Iraq.

Shields said the Brigade motto is the Artic Wolves. The motto was selected for the Brigades ability to hunt for long distances, to communicate over long distances, endure extreme hardship, extreme cold weather, and hunt the most ferocious predators on earth.

Shields also said the coin is from the Stryker Brigade Combat Team for combat excellence. The back of the coin states “The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack.”

“It means no wolf pack is stronger than its individual hunter, and no hunter is more important than the pack,” said Shields, “Individually we accomplish little, as a team we accomplish much.”

MOSUL, Iraq (March 22, 2006) -- Sgt. Eric Jackson, chaplain’s assistant for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, has a passion for music.

“It’s been a very interesting experience,” Jackson said of his deployment. He arrived in Iraq in August 2005. “One thing I never thought I would see, call it ignorance, are Christian Churches. We’ve seen no less than seven Christian Churches as well as ancient monasteries. It’s been a great experience. An eye opener.”

“In the Army chaplaincy, you have to support all religions,” Jackson said.
“The chaplain performs the ceremony. I provide the support for him to do so. I coordinate the service.” In addition, the chaplain’s assistant also acts as a security guard for the chaplain. Fortunately for Jackson, Capt. John Grauer, the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry’s chaplain, is a third-degree black belt, so he can pretty much take care of himself.
Jackson said he is considering becoming a chaplain himself.

“I plan on taking as many college credits as possible at my next duty station and then I will begin seminary.” Jackson is a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

“I’ve always been a patient person, but I think I’ve grown more patient and compassionate. More patient because of the language barrier and more compassionate comparing what they have to what people have back in the States.”

A local citizen’s tip led Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division, Iraqi police, and Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade to a house in Mosul. The combined force entered the house and found three local Iraqis chained to the wall of the basement. The joint force freed the hostages. No one was injured during the rescue.

MOSUL, IRAQ – Huddled around a map at an Iraqi Army base here, Iraqi and US officers hash out plans for an evening raid on the home of a suspected IED maker - the son of insurgent leader Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi's right-hand man, according to an informant.

The Iraqi Army picked this target themselves and developed the intelligence largely without US involvement, a sign of progress, says Captain Park. "Before, we fed them the targets, and we'd say 'go after this one, go after that one,' " he adds after the planning session. "They've come a long way."

But despite the best-laid plans, before Park's soldiers have even cordoned off possible escape routes, their radio crackles to life. The Iraqis have already stormed the suspect's home. They jumped the gun, but they got their man - a lanky 20-something with hair down to his neckline.

A central Illinois soldier is in a hospital in Germany after a bomb went off near his head in Iraq on Tuesday.

"When the other kids wanted to play cowboys and Indians, he always wanted to play Army," she said.

Siltman is a member of the 172nd Stryker Brigade of Alaska, where his wife naRetta lives on a base.

They have no children, his mother said.

He was in a Stryker armored vehicle near Mosul on Tuesday when the tank swerved to avoid a spot where insurgents had been seen burying an improvised explosive device, Logsdon said. He was in the gun turret when a bomb hanging in a tree went off near his neck.

As far as she has been told, no one else was seriously injured.

It was five minutes after midnight on April 6, 2003. In a matter of hours, allied forces would swarm Baghdad, Iraq, toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein. But Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Mestas had already arrived.

"My battalion did a division's worth of work," he said. "I knew that would go down in history."

In February, Mestas returned home from his second combat tour - a far more somber homecoming this time around.

While on patrol west of Rawah near the Syrian border, an improvised explosive device detonated under Mestas' armored Stryker, catapulting him six feet into the vehicle's roof and pinning him inside the wreckage.

It would take days to win back movement in his legs. The vehicle's driver, Army Spc. Patrick W. Herried, 29, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died in the blast.

Any other year, Dave and Jan Reed would be spending the winter touring the Lower 48 in their RV, working for the National Parks Service as lighthouse tour guides or campground hosts. But this year, the Reeds are spending time in Fairbanks, tackling snow, cold and holding down the fort for their son and daughter-in-law while they are deployed to Iraq.

The Reeds offered to come to Fairbanks for a year to house- and dog-sit for their son and daughter-in-law. They may not have chosen to spend a winter in Fairbanks if not to help out family, but the adventurous and cheery couple said they've made the best of it.

Dave said he had an inkling of what he and his wife may be getting into; Shawn was first stationed at Fort Wainwright in the mid-'90s, and father and son drove cross-country to Alaska in the middle of January. Dave said he was supposed to stay for about two weeks to help his son get settled, but he left after just four days of bitter cold.

"I said, 'You know, son, I gotta go,'" Dave said.

MAKHMUR DISTRICT, Iraq — From the rooftop of the Sultan Abdullah water pumping station, fields of green stretch to the base of the Makhmur foothills.

From Aliyawa, the water travels to Makhmur and the nearby villages.

The civil affairs team, an Army Reserve unit from Webster, N.Y., contracts local national workers to work on the stations, according to Hawthorne. The work ranges from building a plant from the ground up, to simple repairs.

Ingalsbe and his team were escorted by Soldiers from B Battery, 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, and Iraqi Army troops from the Makhmur-based 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division.

At a location near the Iraqi Army compound, Ingalsbe and Omar inspected a water tower originally built in 1964. With the help of the civil affairs team, local contractors were hired to fix the many leaks and replace the worn-out supports.

In addition, contractors installed a new fence and poured 144 square meters of concrete.

"The district of Makhmur is a mixed Kurdish/Arab area, where ethnic issues sometimes impede progress,” said Hawthorne in an e-mail interview. “The money we spend benefits both groups equally, and this is a very important consideration with each of our projects.”

A scope of work is the list of funding requirements, including materiel to be purchased and the price. The civil affairs team visited each station personally to ensure the projects required the repairs listed on the scope of work.

“It puts (us) as the customers and the contractor on the same sheet of music, so that we can hold them accountable for what we are paying,” said Hawthorne.

Once the scope of work is set, troops from B Battery will return to check on the progress, according to Capt. Michael Bugaj, battery commander.

Working with the locals to provide the area with clean water is one of the many functions of civil affairs in the Tigris River Valley.

“Providing the people with critical infrastructure such as water, electricity, education and roads helps them see that Iraq is a good place to live,” said Hawthorne.

Better living has widespread effects.

MOSUL, Iraq (6 Mar.2006) - Sgt. Faafetai Tufi, (left) ammo team chief, Battery C., 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery hands a bag of powder to another team member during a calibration fire exercise at Forward Operating Base Courage, Mosul, Iraq

Tufi is a native of American Samoa and joined the Army three years ago. He is stationed at Fort Wainwright Ala. He is married and has three children.

“I can’t wait to get home to see my wife and children,” he said, “I miss you all very much.”

COMBAT OUTPOST RAWAH, Iraq - In this once insurgent-heavy region in northwestern Iraq, U.S. soldiers here have unearthed one of the largest weapons caches discovered to date by Coalition forces in Iraq.

This latest cache is the 118th found in western Al Anbar Province by soldiers here since the U.S. Army arrived here last August. In a similar find last October, soldiers here discovered about 1,000 122 mm artillery rounds, 40,000 armor piercing bullets, 1,000 .50 caliber rounds, detonation cord and various bomb-making materials.

“This means a serious reduction in the IEDs available for anti-Iraqi forces to use in cowardly attacks,” said Army Maj. Doug W. Merritt, operations officer for 4th Squadron, 14th U.S. Cavalry Regiment.

A bit of good news

Munitions, such as those discovered in this recent cache site, are typically used to make roadside bombs – commonly referred to troops in Iraq as “Improvised Explosive Devices” - that injure and kill Iraqi civilians, coalition forces and Iraqi Army soldiers.

“We didn’t know what we were looking for, we were just looking,” recalled Army Staff Sgt. Steven J. Doolittle, a 32-year-old Chelsea, Oka., native and Scout section leader for the unit’s 1st Platoon, Assassin Troop.

Doolittle was one of about 12 soldiers, who were patrolling on foot in this desert-region about four miles west of the city of Rawah, where the discovery was made. Acting off a tip from a local, the soldiers were actively seeking signs of a reported hidden munitions cache in the area. The platoon was about to “call it a day” when they discovered the cache.

As one pile of weapons was being excavated, more were found. Nearly seven hours later, the soldiers had piled the thousands of rockets, mortars and other IED-making material for a final count before using C4 charges to destroy the weapons – a procedure which ensures no chance for the material to end up in insurgent hands and ultimately as a roadside bomb targeted at U.S. servicemembers and Iraqi soldiers.

Army Pfc. Christopher Jackson was one of the soldiers who made the initial find. Metal detector in hand, the 19-year-old was one of two soldiers who discovered the first two piles of rocks, which concealed thousands of munitions.

Jackson, who turned down a full college academic scholarship to join the Army, looks at the munitions cache discovery as a bit of positive news for coalition forces’ efforts in Iraq.

“All you see on the news is, ‘This person died,’ and other bad stuff; but there’s more to it,” said the Ft. Hood/Killeen, Texas, native, who added that the cache discovery was “cool.”

“There’s a lot of people now who can come home to their wives,” he said.

One less IED on the roads

Typically, most weapons caches discovered in this rural region consist of about five to 30 rounds or weapons, according to Army officials here.

In comparison, according to one soldier, typical caches found are “like a corner grocery store or newsstand. This one was like finding a Super Wal-Mart.”

Since January 2005, IEDs have accounted for about 50-percent of all U.S. fatalities in Iraq, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count – an organization which tallies U.S. and coalition casualties based off Department of Defense press releases.

For the soldiers of the “4-14” who travel Al Anbar’s roads daily, the find translates into less IEDs they’ll have to encounter on Iraq’s roadways. Moreover, the rising, mushroom-like smoke cloud caused when the soldiers detonated and destroyed the munitions means less chance of an attack on Iraq’s roadways.

“That’s one less IED that’s gonna be out there,” said Army Sgt. Kevin D. Rice, one of the unit’s medics.

Like many of the Squadron’s soldiers, Rice travels daily in the large, six-wheeled armored vehicles, called “Strykers,” during mounted patrols and convoys throughout western Iraq. The 27-year-old from Chicago has experienced two direct IED blasts since arriving in Iraq last August and has had several friends maimed by the bombs.

Three of the unit’s soldiers have been killed by IEDs, others hospitalized. One of the unit’s soldiers, a noncommissioned officer who worked with Rice, is still recovering from an IED attack several months ago.

“He had to relearn how to walk, talk, everything,” said Rice during a recent convoy from Al Asad – a nearly two-hour trip along a road which has been the site of many IED attacks. “Before I go out, I need at least an hour to prep my mind. Every time is like the first time.”

Tip of the iceberg

The cache discovery is just the tip of the iceberg of the progress these soldiers have made in the region since arriving here six months ago.

Just last night, soldiers here caught a high-priority target – a man responsible for at least one IED attack against U.S. forces in December as well as occasional indirect rocket attacks against this military outpost.

It’s catches like this, as well as the soldiers’ overwhelming presence throughout this region, that has quelled the insurgency and reduced the amount of anti-Iraqi activity here. Six months ago, when the Squadron took operational control of the 28,000 square kilometers of desert here along with a handful of towns along the Euphrates River, insurgents had nearly free reign. The soldiers faced multiple IED attacks, weapons smuggling in the towns, indirect fire attacks against there posts, and a less-than-friendly local populace, according to Army leadership here.

Progress here has been steady, and the Squadron’s efforts are noticeable – less IEDs on the roads, insurgent activities have been reduced, Iraqi soldiers and police are advancing in their training under 4-14’s wing, and perhaps most importantly, U.S. soldiers here have begun to earn the trust of the locals.

“Once you gain the trust and respect of the people, that’s when they start giving you information,” said 1st Lt. Richard A. Low, a 25-year-old from Summerville, S.C., and platoon leader for 1st Platoon, Alpha Company of the Army’s 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. Low’s unit spent six months in Mosul, Iraq, before arriving here in January to work with 4-14.

“Progress was slow in Mosul, too. It took six months to see change and they (U.S. soldiers) know and understand that,” he said.

Though progress, more work to be done

But there’s still more work that needs to be done here before 4-14, and ultimately all U.S. forces, can leave Iraq. There are still IEDs on the road and more insurgents to be captured as evidenced by last night’s raid in Rawah. Moreover, Iraqi soldiers and police require more training before U.S. commanders deem them capable of taking complete operational control of Iraq. There are also more hidden weapons and explosive devices to be found before they can be used to hurt and kill U.S. and Iraqi forces and civilians.

“This was not the last one by any means,” said Low, who added that soldiers who operate outside the wire on a daily basis have “gotta be tough, both physically and mentally.”

“There’s days here when they’re on (working) for 24 hours,” he said. “I tell my soldiers, ‘Your actions won’t get you home tomorrow, but they will keep you from coming back (to Iraq) in six months to a year.’”

Until these men and women return to their home base in Alaska in six months, they’ll continue working toward keeping this barren area in what was once known as Iraq’s “Wild West” secure and on the road to self-governance.

For at least a little while, they’re content with knowing they’ve kept a good number of IEDs off Iraq’s roadways – signified by the large ‘boom’ and mushroom cloud of rising smoke caused when they used C4 to destroy the would-be weapons they found two days earlier – at least until they find the next munitions cache.

MOSUL, Iraq (March 13, 2006) – The Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral William J. Fallon made a visit to Forward Operating Base Marez on Mar. 13 to see the progress Iraqi Army Soldiers are making during their training here, and visit with Soldiers of the 172nd SBCT.

Admiral Fallon commanded Carrier Air Wing Eight in USS Theodore Roosevelt to the Arabian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

”You have an opportunity to make a new future for yourselves, for your families and for all of your people, but it is not going to be easy,” he said. “It is going to require leadership. It will require you to step up, to have initiative to do things that maybe you wouldn’t think you could do before. You are the future leaders of the Iraqi Army and it’s important that you learn as much as you can and that you’ll be willing to be the leaders for the younger people.”

Admiral Fallon encouraged the Iraqi Soldiers to step-up to the challenge and to be resilient so they will become leaders in fighting the global war on terrorism.

“In my experience, you can’t just rely on the guys at the top, the old men like me,” Fallon said jokingly, “You must have your own leadership skills and must be willing to step up and do things everyday.”

During the conclusion of his visit, he thanked Headquarters Headquarters Company, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team for the tour in their Stryker vehicles.

“I want to tell them how much I appreciate what they are doing and how proud I am of them.” he said

Some of his major accomplishments include beginning his Naval Aviation service flying with a combat deployment as an aviator in Vietnam. He has logged more than 1,300 carrier arrested landings and 4,800 flight hours in tactical jet aircraft. He served as Commander, Second Fleet and Commander of Striking Fleet Atlantic from November 1997 to September 2000. He was the Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Atlantic Fleet from October 2003 to February 2005.

MAKHMUR DISTRICT, Iraq - The armored vehicles rolled across the open fields and left behind a trail of dust as Battery B, 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Soldiers viewed their new area of responsibility during a civil affairs mission conducted on March 3.

Capt. Michael Bugaj, battery commander, led the area familiarization mission, which gave the Soldiers a better view of the district they will soon be working in.

Battery B Soldiers plan to improve the Iraqi Army’s training, but first they must resolve equipment issues for the IA Soldiers based near the pipeline in order for them to begin the new operation.

“One of the main concerns is training,” said Bugaj, who believes his Soldiers can accomplish this mission.

“Instead of handing the IA soldiers a vest [and] an AK-47 rifle and demanding that they guard the pipeline, we need to train them,” said Bugaj with concern.

Battery B Soldiers plan and look forward to improving the IA Soldiers’ tactical skills through better training.

The cache included 11 AK-47 assault rifles, 28 weapon magazines, ammunition, and IED making materiel.

Last Wednesday, March 8 at 2 p.m., I attended a memorial service for Spc. Joshua Pearce.

He was killed in late February when his Stryker Combat Vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device outside Mosul, Iraq. The memorial service was short — about 30 minutes.

More importantly, he was a fellow Soldier and that fact makes us brothers-in-arms. I mourn his loss and my heart goes out to his family and friends.

One of Spc. Pearce’s friends gave a short speech that was filled with remorse punctuated by pieces of joy. One anecdote involving an impromptu boat rental and water-ski trip in the rain made the attendees laugh.

After this young man finished, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry’s Rear Detachment Commander, Capt. (Michael) Spinello stood and approached the podium.

He gave a speech that included a letter written by Spc. Pearce to his hometown newspaper. It was poignant, funny and showed exactly who Spc. Pearce was and what he was made of.

In this letter, Spc. Pearce mentioned driving down the small town streets of Iraq and seeing little kids that were barefoot on the corners, asking for basic necessities like food and water. The image of these children added new context to my life and inspired me to write this.

The question of why the United States is in Iraq comes up frequently in everyday activities — from the water cooler to standing in line at the grocery store to Internet forums.

Spc. Pearce answers this question in his letter. “… I am not here to kill someone, I am here to help as many as I can live a better life.”

He understood that it is about people, specifically the children, who are unable to protect themselves. Spc. Pearce knew we needed to do it for them.

Helping the helpless. If there is anything more noble, more demanding, or more rewarding, I don’t know what it would be.

The fight for freedom does not begin or end in the Middle East; it starts at home with our families. This is something every one of us can do, every day of our lives.

It is our job to protect our children from harm. This includes mental and physical abuse, malnutrition, and the other dangers that life presents.

There are times when children need to be protected from people they should trust and respect: parents, family members and even teachers.

Teachers at the kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade levels are tasked with introducing children to school.

More importantly, teachers must encourage their students in such a way that they will enjoy learning and put forth their best effort in everything they do.

Together, parents, family members and teachers have the moral obligation of preparing children for the future, without crippling them.

Parents must recognize the dangers presented by today’s world. We must protect our children in a way which will teach them to protect themselves.

Family members, as well as other adults with a direct influence on children, are charged with the same responsibility as parents.

Helping those that cannot help themselves. It is more than a cliché; it is something ingrained in my very soul. Children are helpless.

I know that I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my children — or any child — from harm. I believe it is a sacred duty that every person should perform.

We should all strive to have the same convictions that Spc. Pearce displayed. Joshua Pearce was measured, and he showed his quality in the letter he wrote.

These are his words as read by Capt. Spinello, “There is absolutely nothing that I wouldn’t give to allow the people who love me so much and support me to continue their day to day routine and have no worries.”

MOSUL, Iraq — The 172nd Brigade Support Battalion conducted a re-supply convoy for the 4th Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment, at Combat Outpost Rawah, Mar. 7.

“Today we are going to conduct a combat logistics patrol,” said 1st Lt. Kory Miller, truck platoon leader, 172nd BSB. “We are going to support the (4-14), which is stationed down in COP Rawah.”

The 172nd convoys go to Rawah often throughout the month. Their mission is based on logistical needs of the 14th Cavalry.

“It’s a station that we go to often to support the 4-14, as far as bringing them supplies at their request,” Miller said.

“Usually, we deliver mail and comfort items and things that the Soldiers need down there in order to support the fight against anti-Iraqi forces,” he added.

The 172nd is responsible for supplying their own brigade, which includes all the battalions watching over Mosul and outlying villages, and the Soldiers at Rawah.

The transportation route to Rawah is several hundred miles, so the 172nd waits until they have a substantial convoy to make the trip.

“When Rawah first started out, we used to bring everything: mail, food for the dining facility, comfort items, all their building materials and replacement vehicles. They also get support from another Forward Operating Base Al Lissaad,” Miller said.

“So now we bring items that they cannot get easily down there, like today we are bringing gravel trucks so they can gravel their COP,” he added.

According to Miller, the Soldiers of the 172nd BSB were a little eager to begin this trip, because it was a sign of success and excitement.

"We were getting ready to send him the dolls when he was killed," said his father, Allen Hoe, who served in Vietnam as an Army combat medic in 1967 and 1968. "His men picked up the ball during the rest of their tour."

His son was a 27-year-old platoon leader when he was killed in Mosul, Iraq, on Jan. 22, 2005.

With Allen Hoe yesterday was Command Sgt. Maj. Hector Davila, who told the students that the Iraqi children — even the boys — loved the dolls.

MOSUL, Iraq (Mar. 6 2006) – Battery C, 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery performed a series of artillery calibration fires from Forward Operating Base Courage, Mosul, Iraq Mar. 6.

The M198 Howitzer Medium Towed Howitzer is a 155mm field artillery howitzer. It is constructed of aluminum and steel and has a maximum rate of fire of four rounds per minute.

According to unclassified military website, the M198 provides the user with a towed system that is air transportable, has a high reliability and availability while greatly increasing the effective range of towed weaponry. It provides significant improvements in lethality, range, reliability, and rapid emplacement and movement.

“It’s a very powerful weapon with a range of about 14 miles,” said Sgt. Justin Wrightman, gunner and mechanic, Btry C, 4th Bn, 11th FA, and native of Boise, ID. “I have the responsibility to lay and safe the gun and make sure all the data is correct so when we put rounds down range they hit the target.”

Wrightman also said that the gun is very accurate. They practice to make sure they hit the target and not have any mishaps when called on to fire at the enemy.

According to Worstell, his fire team consists of eight Soldiers and each one plays a very important role getting the gun to operate effectively putting a lot of confidence in his team.

MOSUL, Iraq (Mar 7, 2006) – The 172nd Brigade Support Battalion conducted a re-supply convoy for the 4th Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment at Combat Outpost Rawah, on Mar. 7.

“Today we are going to conduct a Combat Logistics Patrol,” said 1st Lt. Kory Miller, truck platoon leader, 172nd Brigade Support Battalion. “We are going to support the 4th -14th, which is stationed down in COP Rawah.”

The 172nd convoys go to Rawah often through out the month. Their mission is based on logistical needs of the 14th Cav.

“It’s a station that we go to often, to support the 4-14, as far as bringing them supplies at their request,” Miller said. “Usually, we deliver mail and comfort items, and things that the Soldiers need down there in order to support the fight against Anti-Iraqi Forces.”

The 172nd is responsible for supplying their own brigade, which includes all the battalions watching over Mosul and out-lying villages, and the Soldiers at Rawah.

The transportation route to Rawah is several hundred miles, so the 172nd waits until they have a substantial convoy to make the trip.

“When Rawah first started out we used to bring everything: mail, food for the dining facility, comfort items, all their building materials, and replacement vehicles. They also get support from another Forward Operating Base, Al Lissaad,” Miller said. “So now we bring items that they can not get easily down there, like today we are bringing gravel trucks so they can gravel their COP down there.”

According to Miller, the Soldiers of the 172nd BSB were a little eager to begin this trip, because it was a sign of success and excitement.

A Walnut Creek native has been seriously wounded in Iraq, his father said today.

On the morning of Nov. 19, Shilo Lara received a phone call from Lt. Col. Charles Webster, commander, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment.

“He told me that my husband was injured and in serious condition after being shot three times, in the head, jaw and arm,” she said.

Shilo said Webster told her he felt like her husband was going to pull through, even though he was in serious condition.

“I thought that is what the lieutenant colonel had to say. I was in shock. Lt. Col. Webster asked if I wanted to talk to the first sergeant,” she said.

Shilo said hearing the news from someone she knew personally made it more real.

“I asked first sergeant if Pete was going to be OK, and hearing from him that he thought Pete was going to be all right put me at ease. But after that, it was basically a waiting game,” she said.

“They don’t want you to cross paths in the air, so I stayed in Alaska until we knew where he was going to be,” she added.

Rather than wait for the phone to ring, Shilo took matters into her own hands.

“I called and talked to the nurse (at Landstuhl, Germany). Pete was asking for me and asking how his Soldiers were,” she said.

But communicating with Lara on the phone was no small task — he couldn’t talk because of the injury to his jaw. Lara would write notes to the nurse and she would relay the message to his wife. The nurse also put the phone to his ear so he could hear his wife’s voice.

Once Lara was stable enough to be transported to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Shilo waited once again.

There, doctors did another assessment to determine if family should be at the bedside.

Once given the green light, Shilo was on a plane to see her husband for the first time since the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team left.

She missed her connection in Seattle, prolonging her reunion and worry about her husband. But Lara’s mother arrived at Walter Reed and was able to give Shilo a report over the phone.

“It was like heaven to know and hear from his mom how he was doing. I wasn’t scared anymore after talking to her,” she said.

Shilo said it was God’s way of working things out best. Initially distressed she didn’t get there first, Shilo said in hindsight, it was better that her mother-in-law was there because she, herself, was scared.

Her mother-in-law was able to put her mind to rest until she could get on the next flight.

Lara had just come out of surgery upon Shilo’s midnight arrival the next Tuesday.

“As soon as I saw him, he looked really good,” she said.

One of the hardest parts of the reunion was the difficulty in communication. With Lara’s mouth wired shut, he was unable to talk. The injury to his arm didn’t help his penmanship when he tried to write notes.

“Communication was hard. You could tell he was frustrated. We did a guessing game, but it got better each day,” Shilo said.

In addition to his injuries, Lara had an emergency tracheotomy done and then came down with pneumonia. But despite any setbacks or complications, he was determined to get home to Alaska.

In the meantime, his wife rarely left his side.

“I slept there 24-7. My mother-in-law would give me a break to go shower. It was hard too, because we were not eating because he was not eating. But after a while, we were having parties in the room,” Shilo said with a laugh. “The doctors were outstanding. There were a lot of good nurses, too.”

Being at her husband’s bedside was not only comforting to him, but part of his healing process — something Shilo was grateful for.

“Knowing there were Soldiers in the hospital with no family, no one to speak for them. I was sad for others,” she said.

“If I didn’t have my wife there, I wouldn’t have cared if I lived or died,” Lara said. “She stayed positive and provided comfort always. It was busy — between appointments and paperwork. She had a book of papers and cards of things to do.”

“You just do it. My mother died when I was 19. You do what needs to be done,” Shilo said.

This was a role reversal for Shilo. During her 14 years of marriage, her husband always took care of everything.

“To actually have to do everything was a little overwhelming. Finance was probably the easiest. They did a good job,” Shilo said.

“My (family readiness group) ladies were great. Caroline Webster gave me a packet of information before I left. It had information about everything in D.C. and who to contact, so I didn’t go over there blind. We’ve never relied on anyone before. It was difficult at first, but it was a great gift — all the meals and helping with the kids,” she added.

If she could offer advice to other spouses that may be in a similar situation, Shilo said to ask questions. She said while the Department of the Army did most of the coordination, the rear detachment commander was also a great help.

“The rear detachment’s goal was for us to not worry about the little stuff, and that happened — thanks to a great rear detachment,” she said.

Shilo emphasized to call ahead to ensure lodging is reserved. She said Malone House was the closest, and was a great place for her and her mother-in-law to have as a place to sleep, shower and re-energize.

“You don’t want to stay off post. For me, I wanted to be with my husband every minute that I could,” Shilo said.

The room had a computer and Internet access, which was also helpful.

“Knowing that I was going to be staying at the Malone House before I got there was a relief. It was so convenient, within walking distance to everything,” she said. “Once lodging is taken care of, then you can just worry about taking care of your husband.”

Shilo said when she thinks about the whole experience, she is grateful she was able to be by her husband’s side. While she worried about her kids back in Alaska, it was comforting knowing her aunt was here taking care of them.

“It’s hard to turn to strangers, but the wives of the FRG were ready. The FRG did a great job, between taking the kids where they needed to go and providing meals. Really great,” she said. “I never did the FRG thing before.”

Now Shilo understands the importance of the FRG role.

“We are all in the same boat. Knowing now that I have experienced it, it makes me have a different outlook,” she said. “I want to be more involved to help other wives.”

With titanium plates in his jaw and shoulder, and another surgery expected next month at Bassett Army Community Hospital, the journey from Walter Reed back to Fort Wainwright has not been easy, but the family is happy to be home together.

Before getting home, Shilo said her husband was really scared of the kids’ reaction — the way he looked, walked and talked. He was also scared to walk in the snow, not wanting to re-injure himself by falling.

Shilo said the children were a little nervous about seeing their dad again.

“They were afraid they were going to break him,” she said.

They asked a lot of questions, and Lara showed them his scars.

“I really tried to communicate with the kids from Walter Reed. Every day was like a journal of what was happening when I talked to them on the phone,” she said. “I would tell them that dad has changed, but the kids pulled it together and did well.”

Chessa, 13, said she was nervous when her dad was getting ready to come home. Tauntiana, 12, said she was happy he was going to come home.

“We were happy, because Mom told us he looks good, and (we were) thankful that he was all right,” she said.

The youngest, 9-year-old Julien, said, “I felt shy and nervous at first, but I felt so good and happy that he was coming home safe. He looked a lot better than we thought.”

“The kids are doing a good job and help me out a lot,” Lara said with a smile.

Julien has even been to physical therapy with his dad a few times and knows his dad’s injuries.

“The physical therapist was impressed that Julien knows all of the bones and what Pete needs to do,” Shilo said.

MAWALI, Iraq — Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, conducted a medical screening for Iraqis and delivered much-needed medical supplies to a clinic.

Mawali has had problems receiving medical supplies in recent months because of heavy rain in the area.

“The entry roads to Mawali have suffered greatly, making it difficult to get in and out of the village,” said Staff Sgt. Dominic Petyrk, 401st Civil Affairs Battalion.

“It was not what we expected. It was very calm. A lot of times we go out on (medical) screens and there’s a lot of pushing and shoving to get to the front of the line to try to be seen,” said 1st Lt. Brett Phillips, 1-17. “They came in, were seen by the doctors and received the civil affairs package, and it seems everybody was pretty happy when they left.”

The CA care package consisted of children’s clothing, small toys and candy. Some of the products within the care package were donated from communities from the United States; others are purchased from the Iraqi economy.

According to Phillips, they saw 149 patients in two hours. That is about average, but they don’t aim for numbers or time limits. The medics try to help the community the best way possible.

“I thought it went really well. I expected a few more Iraqi doctors to work with,” Dougherty said. “I ended up working with an Iraqi doctor that did not speak any English. It was a little rough at first, but we ended up making a really good team.”

Dougherty worked along with Taha Ahamed, Mawali Medical Clinic doctor. They shared knowledge to ensure the patients received the best available treatment.

It seems nearly every time I turn on the network news or check out the newest national news Web site, I hear about another U.S. soldier who has died in Iraq, and what that soldier's death now brings the U.S. death toll to. But, unless he's a high-ranking officer or a Pat Tillman-type figure, rarely do I hear on these national reports anything specific about the recently killed soldier, his passions, or even so much as his name.

I initially attended the service to honor one of those many fallen U.S. soldiers.

As I entered the Northern Lights Chapel at exactly 2 p.m., though, I was immediately hit by the revelation that this wasn't just some nameless soldier. The place was packed, and though I was on time, I had to grab a seat in the overflow area set up in the chapel lobby.

From my place in the back, I listened as friends, commanders and chaplains spoke about this man I had just minutes earlier counted as "another fallen Stryker soldier." I learned how Spc. Pearce had been voted "best looking" in his high school, and how he was largely considered the life of the party. I heard the story of the day he painted a local water tower, and the time he dressed up as a Spice Girl and performed a song with his friends. I was told where he hid the dirty dishes his mother had assigned him to clean, and what color wig he donned the previous Halloween.

MOSUL, Iraq (Feb. 25) - As the U.S. Army is preparing to close Forward Operating Base Courage and turn it over to the Iraqi government, members of the U.S. Air Force’s 557th Expeditionary Red Horse Squadron, located at FOB Marez, are preparing for the influx of forces from FOB Courage.

In addition to refurbishing existing buildings to accommodate new tenants, the 557th is building two new structures for the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team to use as office space.
“It’s a tight schedule, but I don’t see why we cannot accomplish the mission,” said 1st Lt. Bjorn Helgeson, project manager from Minnetonka, Minnesota. “Currently, we are on track with all of our projects.”

The Airmen of 557th arrived in January of 2006 and are scheduled to complete their mission of building up FOB Marez by the end of July.

MOSUL, Iraq (Mar. 5, 2006) -- Soldiers of 572nd Military Intelligence Company were awarded their Cavalry Golden Spurs at a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Courage, Mosul, Iraq Mar. 5.

“It makes me feel great to award these Soldiers,” Freitag said. “I know that I am carrying on a tradition that my Squadron commander passed on to me when I was awarded my Golden Spurs. We get troops together to recognize their service, for serving faithfully and diligently with a cavalry unit.”

“I am very proud to be awarded a spur,” said Sgt.1st Class Bruno Sanchez, “throughout my career I have accomplished a lot of things, this is a rare opportunity, and not a lot of Soldiers get a chance to earn their Golden Spurs.”

Sanchez also said that a tour of duty in Iraq is a difficult thing at best, anything that can make you proud of your unit is very positive.

MOSUL, Iraq (Mar. 3, 2006) -- Soldiers of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team honored Spc. Joshua Pearce at a memorial ceremony at Forward Operating Base Marez, Mosul, Iraq on Mar 3.

Pearce perished during combat operations when the Stryker Brigade Combat vehicle he was in was hit by an improvised explosive device on Feb. 26.

Pearce was assigned to Co. B, 2nd Bn, 1st Inf. Rgt., 172nd SBCT at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and was deployed to Iraq in August 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

According to Lt. Col. Charles Webster, Task Force 2-1 commander, Pearce did not go to college, get a job and just talk about the greatness of America. He decided to come forward and be counted as one of the few, to make a stand, who would fight, and die if necessary, to ensure others would have opportunities that he and his other countrymen share.

“Spc. Pearce was a patriot and a true American that in his heart, knew what this county stood for,” said Webster. “What his country gave to the world was worth fighting for.”

Spc. Daniel Castillo, Co. B, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt., said that I never had a really true friend, I never experienced love so strong that I would cry everyday, and be grateful everyday, I was happy in Iraq because of Pearce, and he made it feel like home.

“It was a privilege to share over two and a half years of memory with you Josh, I just wish we could share more,” said Sgt. William Pearson, 2nd Bn, 1st Inf. Rgt., 172nd SBCT. “The memories I have will carry with me forever, and I will cherish each one.”

MOSUL, Iraq -– Jeff Bouldin’s career took a step forward this week, at the knee of a bug-eyed winged mythical beast.

3-29 FA is part of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division assigned to the Task Force Band of Brothers. The battalion took control of its area of operations 11 January and has since been training Iraqi Army units in southern Salah ad Din Province.

This transition of responsibility is one of many ceremonies to come as more Iraqi Army units prepare to take responsibility for the safety and security of Iraq.

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq — More than 3,000 pieces of various types of munitions were discovered Feb. 20 by 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Soldiers conducting a reconnaissance patrol near Al Quratiyah, about 350 kilometers northwest of Baghdad.

Upon further investigation, the displaced areas were identified as weapons caches and were excavated by the cavalry Soldiers.

The vehicle path and shallow depth of the rock piles where the caches were discovered indicated the munitions were easily accessible to terrorists.

“This find means a serious reduction in the IEDs (improvised explosive devices) available for anti-Iraqi forces to use in cowardly attacks,” said Maj. Doug W. Merritt, operations officer, 4-14th Cav.

The cache of munitions ranged from 60 to 125 mm mortars and included various other projectile-type munitions.

The munitions are typically used to make roadside bombs which injure and kill Iraqi civilians, coalition forces and Iraqi Army soldiers.

MOSUL - The future of a successful Iraq begins with the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police. Having them trained properly is an important step in accomplishing that goal.

During an Iraqi Soldier’s career, he will attend different stages of learning at the training center. One of those stages is the Junior Officer Development Course which lasts 24 days. It combines basic Soldier skills, leadership training, and intense physical training; raising the overall effectiveness of platoon leaders. Upon completion of the course, platoon leaders will return to their assigned units better trained and more proficient.

In January, 21 Soldiers graduated from the first squad leaders course held at RTC. The course is designed to teach Iraqi Soldiers basic military skills such as drill and ceremony, basic Soldier common tasks skills, rifle marksmanship, military operations in urban terrain and training on improvised explosive devices. The Soldiers endured an intense six-week course of military training before returning to their assigned units.

Also at the RTC, Iraqi Police will receive a Police Basic Skills Course that will train recruits on basic law, human rights, detainee and basic police operations.

Iraqi Army medics will attend a 30-day training course teaching them the basics in treating injuries on the battlefield. Throughout the course each Soldier is trained how to control bleeding and shock, CPR, airway management, how to treat a chest injury, and how to administer an IV.

MOSUL, Iraq – Lt. Col. John Norris needed his soldier’s attention.

MOSUL, Iraq -- Every evening here, men fill chairs at waiting telephones and internet terminals looking to connect.

Policy dictates that when a soldier is killed in action, all means of communicating to the outside world are cut at the brigade level until next of kin is notified through official military channels.

Ever since Sunshine Jeane learned that her husband, Staff Sgt. James Jeane, was severely wounded in Mosul, Iraq, she has been surrounded by the sheltering arms of other Fort Wainwright Army wives.

Monday afternoon, the telephone was ringing nonstop, and Heather Carland was taking messages.

Piles of sorted laundry dotted a long hallway and, between loading and unloading the washer and dryer, Angie Pearce kept busy folding clean laundry.

Lorinda Barnes stopped in, carrying pizzas for Monday night dinner, and, after a visit, took three of the four Jeane boys home with her for the rest of the afternoon.

ll day long, a rotating round of friends and Family Readiness Group members, proffering hugs and offering support, filled and refilled the couches.

The conversation ranged from tears to laughter to tears again as child care arrangements were discussed and travel plans gone over.

A Fort Wainwright soldier was killed and three wounded while conducting operations in Iraq, according to U.S. Army Alaska officials Sunday.

Balad Air Field north of Baghdad hosts one of the most comprehensive field hospitals in Iraq and acts as a full-service trauma emergency room. Injured soldiers are evacuated to the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany from Balad if they need additional medical attention.

Snow falls, and winter's cold lingers. Legislators have reconvened and are debating issues of great importance to Alaska.

And half a world away, a war continues with more than 3,000 Alaska-based military personnel involved in it.

Kimberly Johnson of USA Today began her time with the Fort Wainwright brigade earlier this month and has been filing reports on the national newspaper's Web site. A posting from last week shows that the 172nd's personnel are far from immune to attack in their patrol zone in Mosul, one of Iraq's largest cities:

MOSUL, Iraq –- I see few equalizers in this war, but those that exist are potent.

Every soldier here must deal with the frustrations of being away from loved ones and the realization that death can come with all the accuracy of a game of Roulette. Daily they also face a very real dilemma of how to fill out their day beyond their work. Here in Iraq, time can stretch an eternity. During downtime, soldiers are forced to find little ways to be a little less here and a little more back into themselves, even if it’s for a few moments each day.

MOSUL, Iraq — “Come to me only with playthings now,” said Carl Sandburg in his poem, “Murmurings in a Field Hospital.”

The line comes from an injured Soldier in a field hospital who, wilted from the exhausting path of war, seeks to find peace as he prepares to return home.

Sgt. Walter R. Davis, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, was promoted to the rank of sergeant in early January, just a few weeks before he was shot in the arm by a sniper.

Davis, was put in charge of a rifle squad that often found itself on the front lines in the battle against insurgents in Mosul. Davis, a natural leader according to his fellow Soldiers, knew the responsibility that came with the stripes he had just earned — and the inherent dangers of the profession he chose.

The Soldiers of the 172nd SBCT had already shed blood. A few months earlier, on Nov. 19, Davis’ unit, C Company, was involved in a firefight with insurgents that left them with 11 wounded and one killed in action.

“When something like that happens, it really hits home,” said Davis. “I’ve never been closer to a group of guys in my life.”

On a cool morning in late January, Davis and his men were conducting business as usual in the dense urban jungle of Mosul — a rat’s nest of insurgent activity since the war began.

“It was like any other day really,” said Davis of Jan. 24. “We had a three-hour patrol in the morning, came in for chow and rolled back out at noon,” he said.

On their second mission of the day, Davis and the other Soldiers from C Co. provided security in a heavily populated area of the city as a tactical psychological operations team was distributing flyers and pamphlets to the locals.

Davis and his fire team took responsibility for the southwest section of the four-corner perimeter around a mosque to safeguard both the psychological operations team and the people inside.

“He was doing the right thing,” said 1st Lt. Joe Vanty, Davis’ team leader. “He knew his job well.”

Davis watched his team dismount from the Stryker to set up security. As his teammates scanned their sectors for threats, Davis moved from man to man for the better part of an hour to provide guidance and support.

“I went to go check on my (squad automatic weapon) gunner, and as soon as I stepped off the curb onto the street is when I got shot,” said Davis. “I actually heard my bone snap.”

“The second I heard the shot, I saw him hit the ground,” said Vanty, who initially thought the body armor Davis was wearing absorbed the 7.62 mm round. Davis stumbled for cover behind the Stryker and fell over.

“I knew I had been shot,” Davis said.

As he lay in the street, he said he immediately thought of his family back home.

After Davis fell to the ground, Pfc. Jeffrey ‘Doc’ Stewart rushed over and provided the initial treatment for the wound. “(Davis) was only down for three to four minutes before Pfc. Stewart was there with the stretcher,” Vanty said.

“I packed the wound and threw a tourniquet on because I couldn’t see the exit wound,” said Stewart, who was worried about hemorrhaging. He also determined the bullet had not hit an artery because of the light color of the blood.

After making sure he could breathe without problems, Stewart helped a nauseous and bewildered Davis into a Stryker vehicle. “I thought I was going to throw up, but I didn’t,” said Davis.

Staff Sgt. Joseph Anthens, C Co.’s senior medic, cut Davis’ gear away and determined the wound was a ‘through and through’ gunshot wound, meaning the round had gone straight through Davis’ bicep. His fellow Soldiers made him as comfortable as possible and took him to the 47th Combat Support Hospital, a short ride away.

From point of injury to his arrival at the CSH, C Co.’s Soldiers delivered their wounded comrade into the hands of the 47th in less than 15 minutes.

“The Stryker parted traffic like the Red Sea,” Vanty said.

Dedicated to life

On the modern battlefield, military medical professionals are not only trained in their respective specialties, they must also master basic soldiering skills because of their close proximity to the fight.

A medic takes on job of the Soldiers around him, whether he is with the infantry, military police, or explosive ordnance disposal team.

“We live as infantry,” said Spc. Joshua Cresswell, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. “We do everything they do. We’re just one of the guys until someone gets hurt.”

Along with ammunition and gear, the medics also lug tracheotomy tubes, IVs, tourniquets and medicine - everything they need to save a life.

When someone does go down, Cresswell said the first step is to assess the injury.

“We try to figure out were he is bleeding,” he said. He checks the entire body, often cutting off the Soldier’s protective vest. Blood is one of the few things a medic can’t replace on the ground, so stopping the flow is vital.

Medics then move on to the airway, stabilizing the breathing through CPR or breathing tubes if needed. When more than one Soldier is injured, fellow infantrymen trained in first aid lend a hand, but it is the medic who is running the show.

“Once one is stabilized, I move on to the next one,” Cresswell said.

For Cresswell, stationed at Camp Prosperity, the nearest CSH is the 10th CSH in central Baghdad. The crowded streets sometimes make evacuating a patient by vehicle impossible. Instead he calls on air support. With the helicopter medical evacuation procedure memorized, he shouts it out line by line to a radioman while still treating the casualties.

There is nothing more important than getting the Soldiers out of the field and into equipment-rich environment of a hospital. The same holds true in Mosul.

“The biggest benefit is the rapid evacuation of the casualty,” said Lt. Col. David Misner, emergency room chief at the 47th CSH. There are some disadvantages of being so close however, he said. “The care is excellent for trauma, but it’s a dirty environment and we live from boom to boom here.”

The 47th CSH, only 200 meters from the city of Mosul, is a frequent target of insurgent mortars and rockets.

“Luckily they’re terrible shots,” said Capt. Christopher Washack, commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 47th CSH.

Hearing the call come over the radio that a wounded American Soldier was inbound to the hospital, the Soldiers of the 47th combat hospital went into intense preparation to receive their brother-in-arms.

“When these guys come in, we’re ready in droves,” Misner said.

While the 47th CSH, which provides comprehensive medical care for the northern sector of Iraq, sees a variety of patients ranging from local nationals to insurgents, they are especially focused when an American Soldier is injured, Washack said.

As the Stryker vehicle carrying Davis came barreling into the hospital’s emergency service lane, Soldiers were ready to quickly transfer him into the trauma bay, where three medics, an anesthesiologist and a trauma team leader quickly assessed Davis’ wound and relieved his pain.

Davis’ condition was determined to be stable by Misner. From a trauma standpoint, the wound was very straight forward, he said. There are three main wires that run through the arm, and Davis’ all remained functional.

“He is lucky he hasn’t lost nerve function in his arm,” said Misner, who expects Davis will return to duty after he undergoes months of rigorous physical therapy to rebuild the muscle in his bicep.

One-third of Davis’ bicep muscle was decimated by the 7.62 mm round, said Col. Randall Espinosa, who commands the 274th Forward Surgical Team from Fort Bragg, N.C.

Davis’ injury could have been limb threatening, so he was quickly rushed into the operating room where Espinosa operated on the Soldier’s damaged arm.

“He had a diminished pulse, but his biggest problem was the humerus fracture,” Espinosa said. In the operating room, Espinosa cleansed Davis’ wound and repaired the shattered bone with fixiter pins.

In past conflicts, Davis may have lost his arm. Because of the advanced technology, better response time and more highly trained personnel, injured Soldiers have an increased chance of returning to duty and living normal lives, Espinosa said.

A CSH in Iraq is comparable to a state-side emergency room. With some of the best-trained and experienced trauma surgeons and staffs in the world, doctors and nurses have all the equipment they need to save a patient’s life.

“About 94 percent of the trauma patients that make it to the CSH survive,” said Col. Dennis Doyle, commander, 10th CSH in Baghdad. “One reason is because the medics in the field and the pilots get them to us so quickly. Another is we have some talented senior folks.”

Doyle said the hospital receives about 600 patients a month. While they’re they are not all severe cases, it is still more than enough to season a staff.

Fortunately, their work flow has decreased steadily over the past few months.

“I’m convinced that we’ve had more basketball injuries than the ones the insurgents have inflicted,” said Espinosa on the diminished number of coalition patients at the hospital in recent months.

About one quarter of the 47th CSH’s patients are coalition troops, with the rest being local nationals, Iraqi Security Forces and insurgents, adding a humanitarian element to the hospital’s overall mission.

Shortly after Davis was awarded the Purple Heart by Brig. Gen. Rickey Rife, 101st Airborne Division, he was on a C-130 headed to Lundstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he will transition back to the United States to recuperate from his wound.

“I’ll tell you, a lot of people tell me that they’re sorry for me. I’m not sorry,” said Davis.

“I’m glad it was me rather than my fire team.”

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq –– More than 3,000 pieces of various types of munitions were discovered Feb. 20 by U.S. Army soldiers conducting a reconnaissance patrol near Al Quratiyah, approximately 350 km northwest of Baghdad.

This cache is among the largest discovered to date in western Al Anbar province.

“This find means a serious reduction in the IEDs (improvised explosive devices) available for anti-Iraqi forces to use in cowardly attacks,” said Army Maj. Doug W. Merritt, operations officer, 4th Squadron, 14th U.S. Cavalry Regiment.

The cache of munitions ranged from 60 to 125 mm mortars and included various other projectile-type munitions.

The munitions discovered in this cache site are typically used to make roadside bombs that injure and kill Iraqi civilians, coalition forces and Iraqi Army soldiers.

MOSUL, Iraq - Teachers and students of the Alabed Middle School in the Palestine neighborhood of Mosul, gratefully accepted donated school supplies for the second time this month from the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion and 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, today.

This was the second time this month that the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion was there to hand out the supplies. The Local Iraqi Police and the 401st were there earlier this month to hand out the school supplies to 400 girls who attend the school. This time the supplies were given to 340 of the boys.

The school day is split in half in order house all the students in one day. During the morning hours the girls are taught. The afternoon hours are when the boys are able to come to their classes.

The school, which served as an election site for the recently past December elections, houses over 740 boys and girls ranging in age from 7-12 years old.

The supplies were provided by Operation Iraqi Children. The individual bags were put together consisting of pencils, erasers, folders, rulers and a few other items to help the school girls with their studies.

MOSUL, Iraq - “Bring me only beautiful, useless things,” said Carl Sandburg in his poem murmurings of a field hospital.

'I knew I had been shot'

Sgt. Walter R. Davis, 2nd of the 1st Infantry Battalion, 172nd Stryker Brigade, was promoted to the rank of sergeant in early January, just a few weeks before he was shot in the arm by a sniper.

Davis, who hails from Hattiesburg, Miss., was put in charge of a rifle squad who often find themselves on the front lines in the battle against insurgents in Mosul. Sgt. Davis, a natural leader according to his fellow Soldiers, knew the responsibility that came with the stripes he had just earned - and the inherent dangers of the profession he chose.

The men of the 172nd Stryker brigade had already shed blood. A few months earlier, on Nov. 19, Davis' unit, Charlie Company, was involved in a firefight with insurgents that left them with 11 wounded and one killed in action.

“When something like that happens, it really hits home,” said Davis. “I've never been closer to a group of guys in my life.”

On a cool morning in late January, Davis and his men were conducting business as usual in the dense urban jungle of Mosul, a rat's nest of insurgent activity since the war began.

“It was like any other day really,” said Davis of Jan. 24. “We had a three-hour patrol in the morning, came in for chow and rolled back out at noon,” he said.

On their second mission of the day, Davis and the other Soldiers from Charlie Company provided security in a heavily populated area of the city as a tactical psychological operations team was distributing flyers and pamphlets to the locals.

Davis and his fire-team took responsibility for the southwest section of the four-corner perimeter around a mosque to safeguard both the PSYOPS team and the people inside.

“He was doing the right thing,” said 1st Lt. Joe Vanty, Davis' team leader. “He knew his job well.”

Davis watched as his team dismounted from the Stryker to set up security. As his teammates scanned their sectors for threats, Davis moved from man to man for the better part of an hour to provide guidance and support.

“I went to go check on my SAW (squad automatic weapon) gunner, and as soon as I stepped off the curb onto the street is when I got shot,” said Davis. “I actually heard my bone snap.”

“The second I heard the shot, I saw him hit the ground,” said Vanty, who initially thought the body armor Davis was wearing absorbed the 7.62 mm round. Davis stumbled for cover behind the Stryker and fell over.

“I knew I had been shot,” said Davis. As he lay in the street, Davis said he immediately thought of his family back home.

After Davis fell to the ground, Pfc. Jeffrey 'Doc' Stewart rushed over and provided the initial treatment for the wound. “He (Davis) was only down for three to four minutes before Pfc. Stewart was there with the stretcher,” said Vanty.

“I packed the wound and threw a tourniquet on because I couldn't see the exit wound,” said Stewart who was worried about hemorrhaging. 'Doc' Stewart also determined that the bullet had not hit an artery because of the light color of the blood.

After making sure Davis could breathe without problems, Stewart helped a nauseous and bewildered Davis into a Stryker vehicle. “I thought I was going to throw up, but I didn't,” said Davis.

Staff Sgt. Joseph Anthens, Company C's senior medic, cut Davis' cumbersome gear away and determined that the wound was a 'through and through' gunshot wound, meaning that the round had gone straight through Davis' bicep. His fellow Soldiers made him as comfortable as possible and took him to the 47th Combat Support Hospital, a short ride away, said Anthens.

From point of injury to his arrival at the CSH, Charlie Company's Soldiers delivered their wounded comrade into the hands of the 47th in less than 15 minutes.

“The Stryker parted traffic like the Red Sea,” said Vanty.

Dedicated to life

On the modern battlefield, military medical professionals are not only trained in their respective specialties, they must also master basic soldiering skills because of their close proximity to the fight.

A medic takes on job of the Soldiers around him, whether he is with the infantry, military police, or explosive ordnance disposal team.

“We live as infantry,” said Spc. Joshua Cresswell, of 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. “We do everything they do. We're just one of the guys until someone gets hurt.”

Along with ammo and gear, the medics also lug trach tubes, IVs, tourniquets and medicine. Everything they need to save a life.

When someone does go down, Cresswell said the first step is to assess the injury.

“We try to figure out were he is bleeding,” he said. He checks the entire body, often cutting off the Soldier's protective vest. Blood is one of the few things a medic can't replace on the ground, so stopping the flow is vital.

Medics then move on to the airway, stabilizing the breathing through CPR or breathing tubes if needed. When more than one Soldier is injured, fellow infantrymen trained in first aid lend a hand, but it is the medic who is running the show. “Once one is stabilized, I move on to the next one.”

For Cresswell, stationed at Camp Prosperity, the nearest CSH is the 10th CSH in central Baghdad. The crowded streets sometimes make evacuating a patient by vehicle impossible. Instead he calls on air support. With the helicopter medivac procedure memorized, he shouts it out line by line to a radioman while still treating the casualties.

There is nothing more important than getting the Soldiers out of the field and into equipment-rich environment of a hospital.

The same holds true in Mosul.

“The biggest benefit is the rapid evacuation of the casualty,” said Lt. Col. David Misner, emergency room chief at the 47th CSH. There are some disadvantages of being so close however, he said. “The care is excellent for trauma, but it's a dirty environment and we live from boom to boom here.”

The 47th CSH, only 200 meters from the city of Mosul, is a frequent target of insurgent mortars and rockets.

“Luckily they're terrible shots,” said Capt. Christopher Washack, company commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company.

Hearing the call come over the radio that a wounded American Soldier was inbound to the hospital, the Soldiers of the 47th Combat Hospital went into intense preparation to receive their brother-in-arms.

“When these guys come in, we're ready in droves,” said Misner.

While the 47th CSH, which provides comprehensive medical care for the northern sector of Iraq, sees a variety of patients ranging from local nationals to insurgents, they are especially focused when an American Soldier is injured, said Washack.

As the Stryker vehicle carrying Davis came barreling into the hospital's emergency service lane, Soldiers were ready to quickly transfer him into the trauma bay, where three medics, an anesthesiologist and a trauma team leader quickly assessed Davis' wound and relieved his fierce pain.

Davis' condition was determined to be stable by Misner. From a trauma standpoint, the wound was very straight forward, he said. There are three main wires that run through the arm, and Davis' all remained functional. “He is lucky he hasn't lost nerve function in his arm,” said Misner, who expects that Davis will return to duty after he undergoes months of rigorous physical therapy to rebuild the muscle in his bicep.

One-third of Davis' bicep muscle was decimated by the 7.62 mm round, said Col. Randall Espinosa, who commands the 274th forward surgical team out of Fort Bragg.

Davis' injury could have been limb threatening, so he was quickly rushed into the operating room where Espinosa operated on the Soldier's damaged arm.

“He had a diminished pulse, but his biggest problem was the humerus fracture,” said Espinosa. In the OR, Espinosa cleansed Davis' wound and repaired the shattered bone with fixiter pins.

In past conflicts Davis may have lost his arm, but because of the advanced technology, better response time and more highly trained personnel, injured Soldiers have an increased chance of returning to duty and living normal lives, said Espinosa.

A CSH in Iraq is comparable to a state-side emergency room. With some of the best-trained and experienced trauma surgeons and staffs in the world, Doctors and nurses have all the equipment they need to save a patient's lives.

“About 94 percent of the trauma patients that make it to the CSH survive,” according to Col. Dennis Doyle, commander of the 10th CSH in Baghdad. “One reason is because the medics in the field and the medivac pilots get them to us so quickly. Another is we have some talented senior folks.”

The hospital receives about 600 patients a month, said Doyle. While they're they are not all severe cases, it is still more than enough to season a staff.

Fortunately, their work flow has decreased steadily over the past few months.

“I'm convinced that we've had more basketball injuries than the ones the insurgents have inflicted,” said Espinosa on the diminished number of Coalition patients at the hospital in recent months.

About one quarter of the 47th CSH's patients are Coalition troops, with the rest being local nationals, Iraqi Security Forces and insurgents, adding a humanitarian element to the hospital's overall mission.

Shortly after Davis was awarded the Purple Heart by Brig. Gen. Rickey Rife, 101st Airborne, he was on a C-130 headed to Lundstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he will transition back to the United States to recouperate from his wound.

“I'll tell you, a lot of people tell me that they're sorry for me. I'm not sorry,” said Davis.

MOSUL, Iraq (17 Feb. 06) -- When an individual senses their life might be at stand still, a decision has to be made to jump-start a new career.

Today, Horris is a Soldier with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright, Alaska, currently supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom at Forward Operating Base Courage, Mosul, Iraq.

Back home in Baltimore, Horris knew exactly what his schedule would be, with very little change. However, here at FOB Courage, he gets up before dawn, and is out patrolling the streets of Mosul, at times, for many hours.

“No day is ever the same, everyday we do something different, usually two to three missions a day,” said Horris. “We do more before 9 a.m. than what I did for an entire day back at home.”

The 172nd arrived in Iraq in August 2005 while Horris was still attending advanced individual training. He caught up with the 172nd in November 2005 and was assigned as a Stryker vehicle driver.

“Horris is doing a great job as one of our drivers, he’s very reliable and is quick to learn new tasks,” said 1st Lt. Devin Hammond, platoon leader, Co. A, 2nd Bn, 1st Inf. Rgt.

Horris is responsible for getting Soldiers to and from FOB Courage safely, not an easy task considering the risks of improvised explosive devices and insurgent activity in the area.

“Our Stryker has had one direct hit from an IED, but Horris remained calm and was able to remain calm and follow directions,” said Spc. Nicholas Ericson, team member, Co. A, 2nd Bn, 1st Inf. Rgt.

MOSUL, Iraq (16 Feb. 06) --The future of a successful Iraq begins with the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police. Having them trained properly is an important step in accomplishing that goal.

“What has been accomplished over the past several months has been unbelievable, it would not have been possible without the help of the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army, and also the citizens of Mosul,” said Lt. Col. John Norrris, battalion commander, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf. Rgt.

During an Iraqi Soldiers career he will attend different stages of learning at the training center. One of those stages is the Junior Officer Development Course which lasts 24 days. It combines basic Soldier skills, leadership training, and intense physical training, raising the overall effectiveness of platoon leaders. Upon completion of the course, platoon leaders will return to their assigned units better trained and more proficient.

In January, 21 Soldiers graduated from the first squad leaders course held at RTC. The course is designed to teach Iraqi soldiers how to conduct basic military skills such as drill and ceremony, basic Soldier common task skills, basic rifle marksmanship, military operations in urban terrain and training on improvised explosive devices. The Soldiers endured an intense six-week course of military training before returning to their assigned units.

Also at the RTC, Iraqi Police will receive a Police Basic Skills Course that will train recruits on basic law, human rights, detainee and basic police operations.

Iraqi Army medics will attend a 30 day training course teaching Soldiers their basics in treating injuries on the battlefield. Throughout the course each Soldier is trained how to control bleeding and shock, CPR, airway management, how to treat a chest injury, and administering an IV.

. . . There have been soldiers that have written and made it sound like all of us have plenty of free time, and that life is a walk in the park. Although this is true for a certain few, the majority of us do not have the luxury of a set schedule, or the time required to enjoy the facilities provided on a day-to-day basis.

Forward Operating Base Marez is nestled in a picturesque bend in the Tigris River Valley. Slopes of green grass blend into distant bluish hills that trap smudged charcoal clouds trying to push through. The rainy season brings wet weather almost daily – from downpours to bone-chilling mist. No matter the moisture level, the effect seems the same. Tire and boot treads pulling away from the thick layer of sticky mud create sharp noisy lick marks, stiff as peaks on any prized meringue pie.

Diana Gabel got to see her husband Tuesday evening for the first time since he left for Iraq in September.

Digitally, that is.

"You don't go really to talk," she said. "You go to look."

dispatches every Monday. Previous installments can be found at www.adn.com.

As an Air Guard, your upper body is out of the hatch and you scan your sector for anything out of the ordinary. On that evening, as the light was fading, everything looked out of the ordinary.

MOSUL, Iraq — Usually at around 10:30 p.m. most people are getting ready for bed after a long day at work.

The day is done and it’s time to think about settling down; letting go of the stress and anxiety for another day.

They are scheduled to go on a night raid to capture suspected terrorists in the Al Sharkya and Nabi Younis neighborhoods in Iraq.

Their target is an assassination cell that operates out of the Mosul area that targets coalition force supporters – namely Iraqi Army, and Iraqi Police personnel. The cell is also known to attack targets of opportunity, which provides them a lucrative source of income.

This cell was threatening Iraqi citizens leading up to the December elections and published and distributed leaflets in the Maham Rasheed area. The cell was threatening to behead anyone who participated in the elections or were friendly with coalition forces.

Before they leave for this late night mission, the Soldiers from the 172 SBCT go through rock drills to practice for the mission and to ensure everyone understands their role.

“It is a good way to get prepared for any mission,” Cruz explained. “It kind of gets your head in the game and thinking about everything that can happen.”

At 11:30 p.m., Soldiers get in their Stryker vehicles and head out to their assigned areas. Tonight’s mission will be a joint effort between Iraqi Security Forces and coalition forces.

“This is their country. They are the ones that have to learn how to do this, and this is a great opportunity for them to get confidence and possibly help bring down a terrorist cell,” said Capt. William Harris, A/2-1 commander.

Harris spends several minutes explaining the night operation to an Iraqi Police supervisor to inform him of the selected targets. He informs him that he must know where all his people are at all times and they must be extremely careful with the handling of their loaded weapons.

At 12:30 a.m. the teams were ready to meet their objective. In a line formation, they exit the Stryker and line up against a wall.

The only thing they see and hear are dogs barking; they suspect their arrival was detected. They want to seize their targets by surprise and catch, them fast asleep and cozy in their beds, with ten toes up.

At 1 a.m., the strike teams are in place to enter the house, just the way they practiced. The team leader gives the order to enter. One team member pushes open a door which leads into an outdoor courtyard.

Slowly the team moves toward the house, cautiously surveying their surroundings.

Once positioned near the front door of the house, Soldiers enter shouting, “Get on the ground, get on the ground!” Within seconds they have nabbed the occupants and emerge with three Iraqi men.

With their targets in custody, they radio in to the raid commander that they met their objective. Capt. Patrick Flynn arrives at the house with a confidential informant who gives positive identification of two of the men.

This part of the mission is a success – their planning and rehearsals have paid off.

The two men are arrested and escorted to another house where another team was also successful in finding suspected terrorists.

Each suspect is tested for bomb-making residue and photographed. They are blindfolded, placed in a Stryker vehicle and taken to a coalition holding facility.

LSA DIAMONDBACK, Iraq — The smile on the face of the little Iraqi girl in the Intensive Care Ward of the U.S. Army’s 47th Combat Surgical Hospital has an uplifting effect on the otherwise somber mood of the hospital.

It was obvious to her father, Mohammed Arajy, that his daughter needed medical treatment soon.

Help came in the form of 2nd Platoon, B Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment. While in Mosul, where Samah’s family was staying temporarily, her father sent her brother running outside their residence to flag down a Stryker vehicle on patrol to ask for some anti-bacterial ointment. Capt. Brent Irish, 2nd Platoon leader stopped the Stryker and asked to see the girl.

“I asked our medic, Spc. Jacob O. Olthoff, to have a look at her and see what he could do for her,” said Irish. “As Olthoff was removing the bandages, we could tell that she was not healing right. The look and smell of the infection was obvious. So we decided to bring her to the CSH for treatment and her father agreed to let us take her there.”

The doctors at the CSH examined Samah, realized the infection was serious, and needed immediate medical attention; care she would not be able to get locally.

Lt. Col. Gregory Semanick, a pediatrician, was her doctor at the ward.

“I knew that if we didn’t treat her, she would lose her leg to the infection,” Semanick explained.

The Soldiers of 2nd Platoon visit her almost daily to check on her condition. For them, it is therapeutic as well as an escape from the tensions of daily patrols in dangerous neighborhoods. She has become their surrogate daughter and they lavish her with the loving attention they would give their own children.

Since she was admitted to the CSH, Samah has undergone several operations and six weeks of intensive antibiotic treatments. Her condition has improved dramatically and her leg is healing.

Q-WEST BASE COMPLEX, Iraq — Iraqi Sgt. 1st Class Ala received what used to be known as a battlefield promotion.

About a year ago, Ala was a jundi, or private, in the Salamiya Company, near Mosul. The unit was threatened by “bad guys,” and some of the soldiers decided to quit.

The commander asked his soldiers, “Who would like to go on a mission to fight terrorists?”

This course is designed to train Iraqi NCOs and develop a strong NCO Corps for the Iraqi Army, modeled on the U.S. Army NCO Corps.

For soldiers like Ala, the course unearths their potential as leaders and gives them the necessary skills to lead their troops.

“The will and the desire to succeed (are) there in the Iraqi army,” said Sgt. Maj. Walter Murrell, NCO Academy commandant.

Murrell and his instructors are from various units within the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

The curriculum is based on training developed by the U.S Army Sergeants Major Academy, and uses the NCO schools program as its base document, said Murrell.

The NCO Academy is a small building tucked into a corner of the base near the 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, tactical operations center. Inside, there are four classrooms, a storage room and a small covered area for formations.

Outside, the cadre constructed a combatives pit, a mock traffic control point and an obstacle course. A one-mile road march down Perimeter Street leads to the rifle range.

The U.S. Army NCO Corps has a proud tradition that traces its lineage back to the time of the Revolutionary War. The Iraqi NCO Corps, as the coalition forces are trying to develop it, is something new for these troops.

The training consists of practical ranges, as well as classroom training on professionalism, discipline and soldier skills.

In order to become an NCO, Ala first took an exam. He was then given the responsibility of leading missions to see if he could lead troops and treat them with respect.

When Ala arrived at the academy to attend the NCO course, his initiative once again came to the fore.

“After we began the cycle, the instructors asked, ‘Who can march the platoon?’ ” said Ala.

He raised his hand and, after demonstrating he could march the troops, was chosen as platoon guide.

The first few days of instruction took place inside one of the small classrooms.

On the third day of training, Ala marched his soldiers in and they stood at attention by their seats until he gave the command to sit down.

Sgt. Ben Huminski began teaching a class on the Law of War. After every couple of sentences, he paused to allow translation.

Huminski, who came to the school from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, put forth a scenario: troops are patrolling outside Qayyarah, and suddenly they take fire from inside the village. What do they do?

Ala raised his hand. Standing, he said he would call his commander for further instructions before firing on the civilians.

Satisfied with the answer, Huminski explained further. An NCO is responsible for obeying his orders, but he is also responsible for the actions of his subordinates.

Throughout Huminski’s class and the class on the Geneva Convention, taught by Staff Sgt. Alvin J. Cates, some students took diligent notes while others focused their attention on the projection screen.

The slides for the class on the Geneva Convention were emblazoned with the winged lion seal of the Multi-National Security Transition Command–Iraq, the agency in charge of training Iraqi Security Forces.

Cates, who is a fire direction chief with the 4-11, began by teaching the history of codified laws of war. The first systematic code was one used by the Saracens, based on the Koran.

With a quick fast-forward to 2006, Cates elaborated on different lessons such as discriminatory firing practices and proper care and treatment of detainees.

During the next four days, the Iraqi cadre took charge of the course as they brought the soldiers through the rifle marksmanship section of training.

On the day the students went to the firing range, a platoon of Iraqi Army soldiers and their American counterparts pulled up to use the neighboring range.

One of the IA, a former platoon guide himself, went through the NCO course a month ago.

Sgt. Achmed said he has used the training he received at the school when he goes out on missions. He teaches other soldiers and tries to explain everything to them, he said.

MOSUL, Iraq — Days following the downing of an OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter by a group of insurgents, Soldiers from companies A and C, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, and the Iraqi Police took to the streets in one of the most dangerous parts of Mosul.

The men in question stood facing a wall as the police searched them for identification papers and asked questions while some of the Iraqi Army soldiers and American Soldiers provided security.

Other Soldiers searched the shop, rummaging through the office papers and desk drawers for evidence or clues.

The tension was high; everyone was anxious to find the insurgents and bring them to justice. Stryker vehicles and up-armored Humvees cordon the area with guns pointed outward to provide security around the muffler shop.

Two Kiowa Warrior helicopters circled overhead to provide over watch security.

After an intense search, the Iraqi police decided they identified four men as suspects and took them into custody.

The four men are zip cuffed, blindfolded with rags taken from the shop, and placed into the cargo area of the Iraqi Army vehicles — small commercial pickup trucks modified with gun mounts.

The men rode in the back of the pickups to a local Iraqi Army compound for further questioning.

Once inside the walled compound, the Iraqi Army soldiers took their prisoners into the main building, again hoping to obtain useful information.

The other Iraqi policemen and soldiers dismount their vehicles to provide security for the compound from possible reprisals.

Everyone, including Capt. Kent Park, commander of C/2-1, was anxious to hear the outcome of the questioning.

Park’s company was tasked to take the lead in assisting the Iraqi Police in finding the killers. Park takes his job seriously; his fellow Soldiers were killed in the crash.

Two hours later, the Iraqi policemen emerged from the building and told Park the prisoners refuse to give any information.

The Iraqi policemen said they are going to take the prisoners to the local police station for the night.

That was not what Park wanted to hear. Now he and his company will have to wait another day to find the killer they sought.

With no further information and the uncooperative prisoners still in custody, the Soldiers decided to call it a day, for now, and headed back to Forward Operating Base Courage.

Rumors around Fort Wainwright have many talking that Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team will be coming home early.

When the brigade deployed this past summer, they left in stages just under a two-week period. This most likely will be the case when the brigade redeploys — a small group of Soldiers will come home with the advanced party and others with the main body which can span several weeks. As with all deployments, some Soldiers will be a part of the trail party which will be the final Soldiers coming home.

However, there is no set time available yet to publish when the Soldiers will start redeploying.

It was around 8:30 p.m. and nearly 50 degrees below zero when one of those scary, late-night knocks sounded at my front door.

With a sigh of relief that this man obviously wasn't a military injury informant, I unclenched my fists, smiled and replied, "No, I'm sorry. You have the wrong address."

Sgt. 1st Class Pete Lara is my neighbor--a man I've seen plenty of times kidding around on his four-wheeler on long summer nights, playing with his children in the front yard after work on short fall days.

MOSUL, Iraq - A year after its police force melted away and the streets descended into anarchy, Mosul has climbed up from the abyss. But this city of 2 million, a key battleground in the Iraq war, still teeters on the edge of chaos.

Though the political, economic and military situations in Mosul are still tenuous, U.S. officials here say the city's fate will soon be in Iraqi hands. Confident in the skills of the newly trained Iraqi army and political and military leaders who say they are fiercely opposed to terrorism, U.S. commanders have started giving small units responsibility for protecting areas of this ethnically divided city.

Who was that masked man? Decatur soldier says he's a friend

They don't know the lanky man's name. In his hometown of Mosul, Iraq, it is as hidden as his masked face.

"He carries himself with dignity," said White, who returns to Mosul on Sunday after a 14-day visit with family. Homer and White make quite a contrast. White is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 140.

Anyone looking to understand the U.S. counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq in the last few months need look no farther than Andrew Krepinevich, a prominent analyst who came up with the "oil stain" theory. [...]

Krepinevich said he is friends with Khalilzad but did not know that U.S. soldiers were using his teachings on the ground. He had no idea that some, like Col. Michael Shields, the commander of the 172nd Stryker Brigade in Mosul, were passing out copies of his writings.

The unit’s area, approximately 150 square kilometers, is west of the Tigris River east of the Mosul-Baghdad highway and between the villages of Aitha in the south and Munirah in the north.

The battalion grew out of an Iraqi Civil Defense Corps company and now has more than 800 trained and ready soldiers.

It was certified ready to assume the frontline in the counter-insurgency fight after conducting more than two dozen major battalion-level missions.

MOSUL, Iraq--When 1st Lt. Rob Murdough found out he and soldiers in his platoon were being moved from Mosul to Rawah in western Iraq for the remainder of their tour, he asked his parents to send him an electric razor.

While most of the brigade is situated around Mosul, a city of nearly 2.5 million, elements of the brigade are stationed at Combat Outpost Rawah, about 60 miles from the Syrian border. The soldiers there are from the same brigade, with the same training and equipment, including Stryker vehicles.

But they have been involved in a different fight under austere conditions in a rural, desolate corner of the desert.

"We're about 18 months behind where Mosul is right now as far as security," Lt. Col. Mark Freitag said in December. "It's a different fight. It's not even close."

TAMPA, Fla. — Army Sgt. Wayne Landis, 25, a Middleburg, Pa., native, will receive his Purple Heart during a ceremony today at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, 13000 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa Spinal Cord Injury Center.

MOSUL, Iraq — When the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team deployed from Fairbanks to Iraq in August, it was my first deployment since joining the Army in 2003.

Since our arrival five months ago, our unit has worked continuously with training, daily patrols and numerous missions throughout the city of Mosul.

The letters and packages received by Soldiers from friends and family prove our labors are not overlooked.

I made plans to fly to Germany and travel throughout Europe for two weeks. Other Soldiers mentioned extravagant ideas to take trips to Australia and the Caribbean.

As our tour continued through Thanksgiving and Christmas, those plans seemed to fade and were replaced with conversations about returning home to our families.

Many members of our platoon came to Alaska directly from basic and Advanced Individual Training.

For them, this will be their first time returning home in over a year.

Soldiers anticipate many of life’s changes that have occurred while they have been gone.

As for myself, I recently became an uncle with the birth of my nephew, Nicholas, who has already learned to crawl and stand on his own.

My brother tells me his favorite thing to do is push up the living room rug and look to see what is underneath.

Prior to deployment, I may not have given this much thought. I may have been distracted by making adventurous plans to travel throughout Europe on leave.

However during the slow times here in Iraq, I have thought about Nicholas’ explorations and how entertaining it must be to watch.

MOSUL, Iraq — The previous week has seen A Troop, 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, preparing and packing equipment for our latest move.

At the same time, it will be hard to leave a task force where so many relationships and bonds have been made over the previous five months.

The task force accepted A Troop not as a hindrance or distraction, but as a member of the collective team from the first day in Mosul. This was apparent from the task force staff level down to the platoon level of each company.

Comfort could be found in knowing if a platoon happened to run into trouble while on patrol, another member of the task force would drop whatever they were doing and be on their way to help, no questions asked.

Such acts were performed on more than one occasion.

Company and troop commanders often found themselves controlling a mixture of platoon elements from other companies as if they were their own, always keeping the team mentality.

As hard as it will be to leave the Soldiers, NCOs and officers of Task Force 2-1, the troop remains focused on the obstacles ahead.

The long, rough, dusty convoy into Rawah may not be enjoyable, and trading a palace for a tent has never really been considered a good deal in any culture.

Despite these small disparities, I am looking a bit forward to the change of environment.

In my experience (as a general rule, lieutenants should avoid this expression, but I’m going with it), change always seems to make time go by faster.

In the last five months, we have operated in Mosul as well as the vast lands lying to the north.

We have met and developed relationships with numerous individuals to include Iraqi Police, mayors, election workers, Iraqi Army soldiers and countless members of the local populace.

MOSUL, Iraq – Two Task Force 2-1 Soldiers were recognized recently for their actions during a fierce firefight that claimed the life of one of their compatriots and left several others injured.

They encountered seven al Qaeda extremists barricaded in the house determined to fight to their death.

A firefight ensued with the platoon deploying to clear the house and using attack aviation to finish the enemy combatants.

A number of the American Soldiers were wounded in the fighting as the insurgents abandoned their normal “hit and run” tactics and fought back furiously from fortified positions inside the house.

Pfc. Christopher Alcozer was mortally wounded while evacuating injured Soldiers from the house.

Johnson, platoon sergeant for 2nd platoon, knocked out a key enemy position with a grenade, an action considered to have been the turning point in the battle. He was then able to orchestrate the evacuation of casualties that saved the lives of 11 Soldiers, including four with critical wounds.

Plantz, a fire team leader with 2nd Platoon, disabled a member of the al Qaeda group who was firing on the platoon from a fortified position and initiated the withdrawal from the house, carrying more than half of his wounded comrades to safety.

Seven terrorists were killed and a huge weapons cache was found including rockets, mortar rounds, fragmentation grenades, land mines, assault rifles and instructions and materials for constructing improvised explosive devices.

The awards for Johnson and Plantz were presented by Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, XVIII Airborne Corps commanding general, who told the audience simply, “We are in the presence of greatness” as he went through the platoon shaking hands with the Soldiers and thanking them for their service and heroism.

Other members of the platoon have also been recommended for awards for their valor.

Stryker Brigade Staff Sgt. Joshua Lothspeich 1/23/2006

Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team were securing an IED they had discovered while patrolling in the city, when they started receiving small arms fire from an unknown source. As they searched the area for the shooter, the patrol took more gunfire from a nearby car.

The Soldiers pursued the car through the city and engaged it with well-aimed rifle fire, causing the driver to lose control and crash. The suspect fled the scene on foot and tried to hide among a group of local men, but the troopers identified the gunman and took him into custody.

Twelve U.S. service members and four civilians were killed as the result of three separate helicopter crashes that occurred in Iraq this month:

Two U.S. Soldiers died Monday when their AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed north of Taji;

On Jan. 13, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Soldiers responded to an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter crash in Mosul that killed two U.S. Soldiers; and

Eight Soldiers, including four Alaska National Guardsmen, and four civilians were killed Jan. 7 when their UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed near Tal Afar.

Di Rita also said military aviation experts are examining whether the terrorists are targeting U.S. helicopters by some new means.

“Is there a new threat out there that we need to be more aware of?” Di Rita posited. However, he cautioned reporters not to jump to any conclusions.

“The first reports are very often wrong,” Di Rita said.

All three crashes are being investigated, he said.

MAKHMÛR, Iraq — Coalition medical personnel conducted a medical civil action program, or MEDCAP, with medics from the Iraqi Army 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, here in December.

“If it’s something simple, we can take care of it,” said Spc. Michael Crittenden, BSMC combat medic.

The combat medics tested for diabetes with an over-the-counter blood sugar test.

“We also hand out toys to the kids,” said medic Spc. Jesse Valerio.

The medics interviewed each patient, with the help of an interpreter, for medical history and previous treatments and noted his or her complaint on a small slip of paper.

“We write a basic note for the docs so they can begin right away,” said Sgt. Courtney Berry.

At the next station, Moore and Roberts examined the patients, reviewing the medical history if available, reviewing X-rays and prescribing and distributing medications.

“We’re not just an offensive force,” said Sgt. Brian Hawthorne, a civil affairs NCO with Company A, 401st Civil Affairs Battalion. “We’re also a sustaining force.”

One of Moore’s first patients was a young boy, paralyzed, with ulcers on his lower back. Moore treated the boy, advising the family on various aspects of care.

With the help of an interpreter, Moore also explained the situation to local tribal leaders who attended the MEDCAP. The tribal leaders have the ability to mobilize the community and get additional help for the family, explained Hawthorne.

Master Sgt. James Townsend, 101st Sustainment Brigade medical operations NCOIC, assisted Moore distributing medication and gathering equipment.

Nestled in the foothills east of the Tigris River, the Iraqi outpost is known as Forward Operating Base Crazy Horse to the small American liaison team permanently stationed there.

The Iraqi medics, also known as “Blue Shirts” because of their distinctive uniforms, attended the MEDCAP to gain more experience, according to Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Kearney, Special Forces medic.

With fellow Special Forces medic, Sgt. Justin Kirschner, Kearney trained the Blue Shirts in medical tasks such as trauma assessment and beginning an intravenous drip.

“We gave them a week of anatomy and physiology,” said Kearney. “(The training was) pretty similar to what a combat lifesaver in the Army would get.”

The two medics are from 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Campbell, Ky.

The Blue Shirts assigned to 3rd Bn. conduct the battalion sick call, said Kearney. Some of the Iraqi medics who successfully completed the course became trainers themselves and teach the material to new classes.

The liaison team hopes to create a medical platoon for the battalion, said Kearney.

Coalition forces conducted a MEDCAP for each battalion in the brigade, according to Hawthorne.

As the day continued, the medical personnel saw patients with everything from spinal stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal, to back fractures, eye problems and clubfoot, according to Roberts.

In America, many of the conditions would have been corrected at birth, said Roberts. Still, he and Moore did what they could for the patients they saw.

“Our purpose here is to hopefully forge good relations and to work with the Iraqi (medical) providers here,” said Roberts.

Now that Iraqi medics have begun to provide care to their fellow soldiers and train others in their skills, the next challenge is developing a re-supply process, according to Staff Sgt. Stephen Soza, BSMC combat medic.

“My soldiers are working hard, fighting the terrorists,” said Lt. Col. Dosky, 3rd Bn. executive officer. Dosky is a graduate of the prestigious Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, in Surrey, England, from which his father also graduated.

Dosky invited the American personnel for lunch, which consisted of warm flatbread, couscous with beef and vegetable soup.

Q-WEST BASE COMPLEX, Iraq — Fifty-four trainees graduated from the Iraqi Basic Combat Training program, taught by 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Soldiers, at the NCO Academy here Dec. 16.

“The graduated class, 05-06, was the first class to end with all of its original soldiers who attended,” said Sgt. Maj. Walter Murrell of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment.

“I have high spirits,” said Abdulaziz through an interpreter. “I am happy and proud of the good training from American instructors because the U.S. Army has the best instructors.”

The 30-day basic combat training program, taught by the 172nd SBCT and other units, covers 28 subject areas including physical fitness, personnel searches, first aid, marksmanship and enemy tactics.

These skills and others are developed to assist the Iraqi soldiers in peacetime and wartime situations.

“(The Iraqi soldiers’) attitude improves after days like today,” said Staff Sgt. Alvin Cates, 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, during a combatives class Dec. 8.

A sandpit, which Cates implemented, serves as the arena for combatives and pugil training.

Techniques such as punches, kicks and the use of elbows are including in the training.

TIKRIT, Iraq – Three raids in northern Iraq led to five captures of anti-Iraqi forces, including one that was turned in by a cohort, Jan. 13.

Three more AIF were detained near Mosul in relation to vehicle-borne IED attacks, based on information gathered by coalition resources. All three men were rounded up by the 172nd SBCT along with a sniper rifle and various identification cards.

Iraqi civilians in Mosul led Iraqi police and a patrol from the 172nd SBCT to the house of an anti-Iraqi forces man wanted for a drive-by shooting Jan. 15.

Iraqi police reported that a vehicle approached and began to fire at them with an automatic rifle. Many of the citizens who witnessed the event gave information concerning the direction the vehicle traveled.

The Soldiers responded to help the police as they followed tip after tip until the final one led them directly into the suspect’s yard.

I'd like to begin by giving you a little background on our task force, our battlespace, our mission, and finally, some areas where we're seeing progress.

The population's approximately 10.2 million, and all of the Iraqi ethnic and religious groups are represented in the AO.

The task force consists of approximately 23,000 U.S. soldiers, which includes three brigades from the 101st, the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Alaska, the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment and the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division from Fort Carson, Colorado, and it includes the 555 Combat Support Brigade (Maneuver Enhancement) out of Fort Lewis, Washington. We also have tactical control of about 105,000 members of the Iraqi security forces. That includes four Iraqi army divisions, one strategic infrastructure brigade, 14 strategic infrastructure battalions and four border police brigades.

Our mission in northern Iraq is to develop Iraqi security forces capable of conducting independent counterinsurgency operations within MND North while simultaneously conducting combined operations to neutralize AIF. This is in support of the Iraqi government's ongoing efforts to improve internal security, foster economic growth and the maintenance of basic infrastructure.

We are partnered with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Iraqi army divisions. These units have made tremendous progress in their training and the ability to provide the citizens of Iraq the security they deserve. Iraqi soldiers and policemen are in the fight every day. They're risking not only their lives, but often the lives of their families for the security of their fellow citizens.

Iraqi citizens are also stepping forward in the fight to secure their country. Tips from concerned Iraqis to both Iraqi security forces and coalition forces have led to the discovery of numerous weapons caches and IED-making materials.

As you know, in the December parliamentary election, the voter turnout was a tremendous success. The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq determined that 70 percent of those Iraqis eligible to vote voted -- over 11 million -- did so despite the threats of violence. In the six provinces within MND North, 75 percent of those registered voted. The high voter turnout is a clear indicator that the citizens of Iraq not only have a strong desire for democracy, but they also have an increased sense of security, security that during the latest election was provided entirely by Iraqi security forces.

Iraqis continue to advance in other areas as well. One government capability that has progressed tremendously is the Joint Coordination Centers, which are located throughout every province and municipalities.

The JCCs have become extremely effective in coordinating emergency service responses. Their planning and the Iraqi security forces execution of that plan was primarily responsible for a safe and secure vote during the December elections.

Our most important mission, however, remains the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces. Working together, we will support the continued progress toward a democratic Iraq. Our end state remains unchanged: an Iraq at peace with her neighbors, with a representative government that respects human rights of all Iraqis, with a security force capable of maintaining domestic order, and denying safe haven to terrorists.

MOSUL, Iraq--The darkened city appeared dormant after curfew Monday night. No people on the streets, shops closed, sheep huddled and sleeping, entire neighborhoods swathed in blackness from sporadic power outages. No vehicles on the road.

Soldiers with this battalion, BSB for short, support several bases around Mosul's perimeter, in outlying rural areas and as far away as Rawah, near the Syrian border. Repairing Strykers. Refueling Humvees. Ordering paperclips. Distributing ammunition. Organizing convoys. At the root of all they do is the success of a soldier's mission; success that, sometimes, just means coming home alive.

"It's the brigade commander saying he wants blueberry muffins in Rawah," Capt. Kevin Pelletier said, referring the remote combat outpost near the Syrian border.

Army Spc. Derek Reese is running two miles a day, building his strength and endurance after receiving a serious leg wound in Iraq. The 25-year-old hopes to rejoin his unit in Iraq next month.

All three soldiers, members of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, were wounded by improvised explosive devices as they patrolled Rawah, Iraq, in their Stryker vehicles. They are recovering from their wounds at Fort Wainwright Army Post.

Reese of Bremerton, Wash., and Cundy of Hillsdale, Mich., both members of B Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, were in Iraq only 23 days when wounded. Reese's upper leg was badly sliced and Cundy, who sat in the rear of the vehicle, was injured when a following Stryker rammed them from behind.

MOSUL, Iraq - When Capt. Pat Flynn and his squad knock on doors in Mosul in search of intelligence tips, Iraqis often welcome them inside with chocolate candy and tea in tiny glasses. When he asks if they have been intimidated or threatened, they emphatically shake their heads "no." That's a bad sign.

Commanders with the 172nd Stryker Brigade, whose troops patrol Mosul, believe that since Dec. 15 elections, insurgents have shied away from U.S. soldiers with their heavily armored attack vehicles. In the meantime, they have begun to prey on civilians who are allowed one gun and 50 rounds of ammunition per household.

As evidence, U.S. military officers point to an apparent assassination campaign against neighborhood leaders called "mukhtars" and recent attacks on gas stations and tanker trucks, a tactic they suspect is tied to a government decision to raise fuel prices. The next step may be a wave of assaults against those elected in December and candidates in an upcoming local election.

The Soldiers responded to help the police, as they continued to follow tip after tip until the final one led them directly into the suspect’s yard.

The troops cordoned the area around the house as the police did a search of the residence that turned up the car involved with the shooting as well as the man responsible.

MOSUL, Iraq - The Iraqi informant is a new source, but his tip seems solid: The chief financier of a Mosul terrorist cell, a gas station owner, lives in the neighborhood. He is wealthy enough to afford two armed guards to accompany his son to Mosul University.

Sgt. John Alvarez, the squad leader, puts his M-4 carbine to his shoulder and runs to the door, ready to smash it in.

A man stands in the doorway waiting for him.

"Down!" Alvarez shouts at the silhouette. "Get DOWN!"

---

Brogan and Alvarez's unit is Alpha Company of the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment - nicknamed the "Assassin Troop," and known for the giant skull painted on plywood hanging outside the bombed-out building they call home at Forward Operating Base Courage.

They profess not to be frightened of the night's raid. They have executed more than they can count, and the operations usually go smoothly. They bash open doors, shout their targets awake and bind their hands with thick plastic restraints called zipcuffs. The captives are fitted with blacked out goggles and taken to base for questioning.

WALTON COUNTY — Some soldiers in Iraq had their own Santa Claus for the Christmas holidays.

Jackie Cash, Patsy Thomas and Wanda Griffioen, who are charter members of Southern Belles, a non-profit organization with people whose roots are firmly in the South either by birth or by choice, asked businesses for donations to help send Santa to Iraq.

The group campaigned local businesses within Walton County to help with their endeavor of adopting 160 soldiers for Christmas.

Q-WEST BASE COMPLEX, IRAQ — Battery C, 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment and Rakan Daille, a local contractor, dedicated the Shukran Water Treatment Project in a ceremony recently, marking the payoff of a long-term project.

Battalion civil affairs and executive officer, 1st Lt. Phillip Kerber, handled the quality control of the project.

“The Shukran Water Treatment Facility pumps water from the Tigris across the desert to Al Hadr, the biggest town and the other four smaller towns,” said Capt. James Mitchell, Battery C commander. “The project cost approximately $83,000 to complete.”

Improvements to the water treatment facility include two new pumps that push water to the smaller villages and two larger pumps that push water to Al Hadr.

Six repaired filters and new concrete water tanks are also additions to the water facility.

“We have 43 personnel to assist in running the water treatment facility, with seven personnel who look over it constantly,” said Sabar Tali Muhammad, water treatment facility manager.

“(Everyone) worked well on the project, and I would like to give thanks to the Army, Mr. Ali, Sabar and to all of the people who helped out,” said Rakan Daille.

“Before, dirty water was pushed out, but now clean water is pushed out to five villages.”

This project is only the beginning of the help Charlie Battery has in store for the local area. The unit has future improvements in the works to help restore surrounding towns.

Q-WEST BASE COMPLEX, Iraq — A fire support team from Company A, 52nd Infantry (Anti-Tank), traveled outside the wire recently to act as forward observers during a live-fire artillery certification.

“We’re the eyes of the artillery,” said Capt. Patrick Shepherd, fire support officer.

The actual fire support team consisted of Staff Sgt. Andrew Thomas, fire support NCO, and fire support specialists Spc. Greg Werthmann and Spc. Robert Toretta.

After clearing the impact area, Shepherd used a compass and map to shoot an azimuth and plot the target points.

On this exercise, the artillery battery directed its rounds to a “safety box” within the impact area, which is a smaller aiming area, according to Shepherd.

“Our end … is to find the target and calculate distance and direction,” said Shepherd.

Once Battery C set up its M198 howitzers, the team began calling in “missions” over the radio. The missions were situations in which artillery might be needed, such as a suspicious vehicle in an intersection or a platoon in defilade.

Shortly after the fire support team called in the mission, rounded plumes of dust appeared in the impact zone, accompanied by smaller mushroom plumes from shrapnel and ricochets. Moments later, the sound waves caught up with the impact.

From the observation point, the team could hear a whistling sound that approached quickly. The actual sound of the impact thundered through the steel floor of the Stryker vehicle, causing more of a vibration than the impact itself.

Sometimes a round would land slightly too far in one direction. Toretta observed with a pair of binoculars and used a compass to calculate the azimuth to the impact, informing the team of where the “splash” landed in relation to where the team thought it would land.

“We adjust fire onto the targets,” said Toretta. “If they’re off, we’ll call in corrections.”

The battery must adjust fire for such variables as temperature, wind speed and propellant temperature.

“There’s a lot of math on the gun side,” said Shepherd.

After the mission, the forward observer radioed back to the battery the accuracy of the shot and estimation of “casualties.”

At one point, the radioman jokingly called in a mission on a “platoon of sheep in defilade.” After a successful mission by Battery C, he radioed back an estimate of “zero three lamb chops.”

As night fell, the team prepared to call in illumination rounds, also known as flares. The illumination rounds burned brightly enough to provide light over the entire impact area.

“It turns night into day,” said Shepherd.

The battery practiced firing illumination rounds followed by high-explosive rounds. The grand finale was a “range and lateral,” in which the battery fired three simultaneous shots which hovered next to each other as all the howitzers fired together.

“When we come out here, we’re training for the lethal side (of our mission),” said Thomas.

The forward support team usually participates in the “nonlethal side of the job,” which includes support for civil affairs missions outside Q-West.

The unit’s regular mission is to help to the Iraqi community in any way possible, according to Werthmann.

The team also conducts cordon and knock as well as entering and clearing procedures, said Toretta.

Pfc. Christopher Sims, Stryker driver, watched the proceedings while reading a Stephen King novel. Sims joined the Army about two years ago.

Sims came into the Army with Cpl. Ross Wade, vehicle commander, from Sarcoxie, Mo.

Wade is in charge of keeping the company commander’s vehicle running.

Q-WEST BASE COMPLEX, Iraq — In April 2003, an elder from the small farming village of Jedallah Sofia appeared at the gates here with a handwritten request.

More than two years later, projects that grew from that meeting came to fruition Dec. 28 as Mohammed and representatives from Task Force Band of Brothers cut the ribbons on a newly-opened chicken farm, granary and well.

“This is a great day for my village,” said Mohammed.

Walking across the village, Dr. Mohammed pointed out a small rubble-strewn lot. Pieces of plastic and other debris clung to broken bricks and mud.

“This used to be my house,” said Dr. Mohammed.

Across the way, on the front porch of a neatly-kept, smooth brick house, a woman expertly tossed dough for Iraqi flatbread.

This is Mohammed’s new residence.

“(The coalition forces) are doing great things here,” said Mohammed.

He explained that people in his village still talk about improvements to the roads the British forces made when they occupied the country in World War I as part of the offensive against the Ottoman Empire.

For many generations, the people will talk about these projects as the actions of the coalition forces, said Mohammed.

Past the old foundation and across the road from a pen of bleating sheep, Mohammed and Maj. Daniel Jones, Military Transition Team 33 staff advisor, from Columbia, S.C., cut another ribbon to open a new granary, another project that began under the auspices of Wellman’s team and has now come to fruition.

The villagers purchase bags of un-milled corn and grind it into two thicknesses – slightly coarse for animal feed, and finer for flour. Muslim Ali Hassen, who operates the mill, is “the poorest man in my village,” said Mohammed.

With the income from his work grinding the flour, Muslim hopes to build a new house for his family.

Soldiers from various units on Q-West including the 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, and the 101st Sustainment Brigade, watched as Muslim dipped into the open bags of grain to show the difference in the textures of the milled products.

A local mukhtar, or elected head of a village, Mohammed, from the neighboring village of al Safah, joined the tour as Dr. Mohammed opened the tap of a tall, blue well before ceremonially cutting the ribbon.

In the field next to the well, irrigation sprinklers sprayed out streams that glinted in the sun where the village is growing a crop of wheat. After the harvest, they will plant a crop of vegetables as an experiment with the water quality.

After opening the village projects, the Soldiers visited the local school, which the village completed with the help of the Soldiers from Q-West.

MOSUL, Iraq — When Capt. Pat Flynn and his squad knock on doors in Mosul in search of intelligence tips, Iraqis often welcome them inside with chocolate candy and tea in tiny glasses. When he asks if they have been intimidated or threatened, they emphatically shake their heads ‘‘no.’’

That disconnect reflects the task the U.S. Army faces in Mosul, a city that has been hailed as a major success in recent months. Free to move around the city as never before, U.S. troops are realizing that they simply are no longer the main target.

Commanders with the 172nd Stryker Brigade, whose troops patrol Mosul, believe that since Dec. 15 elections, insurgents have shied away from U.S. soldiers with their heavily armored attack vehicles. In the meantime, they have begun to prey on civilians who are allowed one gun and 50 rounds of ammunition per household.

MOSUL, Iraq - In the eyes of the infantrymen, the patrol Friday afternoon was going great. Not merely quiet and routine but positively peaceful.

Most shops were closed, and the few cars on the streets were filled with families.

Not a single shot had been heard nor any boom from a dreaded improvised explosive device for the first three hours of the patrol.

MOSUL, Iraq — A U.S. Army reconnaissance helicopter went down near Mosul in northern Iraq on Friday while aiding Iraqi police who came under hostile fire, and its two pilots were seriously injured, military officials said.

MOSUL, Iraq--At the bottom of his sign for OIF Tattoos, Staff Sgt. Justen Folda wrote the words: "Welcome to your new addiction."

Or in many soldiers' cases, several souvenirs.

Feeding their addiction fills up any free time he has when not on duty as a forward observer with the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry. By day he directs artillery, by night he is the resident tattoo artist at Forward Operating Base Marez.

"It's like killing two birds with one stone a lot of times," Capt. Brian Kaiser said.

Team Tomahawk--so named because it is the brainchild of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Tomahawks--is a hodgepodge of various non-infantry units that includes a surgeon, a chaplain, civil affairs workers and intelligence soldiers.

Two other Mosul residents are being credited with discovering a cache of anti-tank mines after reporting what they believed to be an IED to local police. Police officers secured the area and an Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal unit responded and found 20 AT mines and an artillery round.

Another Iraqi EOD team in Kirkuk was called in Wednesday morning to dispose of a collection of old munitions discovered in the back of a truck. Eighteen artillery shells and two mortar rounds were safely destroyed.

Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division captured three suspects near a weapons cache in the Tikrit area Wednesday afternoon. The cache, consisting of mortar rounds and rockets, was discovered near an area where numerous rocket and mortar attacks have originated.

We were just sitting there, waiting for the explosive guys to come check out and dispose of what the soldiers figured was an IED when the darn thing just blew up.

3rd HBCT Soldiers also discovered a cache of bomb-making materials near Logistics Support Area Anaconda, southeast of Balad. The Soldiers were investigating a suspected IED when they noticed detonating cord running to a nearby house. The home was searched resulting in the discovery.

Another large cache was discovered by Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team southwest of Kirkuk. The patrol discovered about 80 mortar rounds and several large artillery shells.

A separate 1st BCT patrol operating north of Kirkuk found a cache of 30 mortar rounds and two rocket-propelled grenade warheads. An EOD team destroyed the weapons at the site.

Acting on a tip, troops from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division teamed with Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment and local police to raid a house near Tal Afar. The security forces found a variety of IED-making materials in a portion of the house that was extremely well hidden.

“That one was on me,” Follman said.

Some people have asked if my stories are censored by the military.

The short answer is no.

The long answer is no, but my stories are “censored” by myself.

MOSUL, Iraq—Sciatica, ear infections, swollen tonsils, worms from playing with dogs, cold, fever and asthma.

That's a short list of ailments that might be found at any U.S. walk-in clinic, except this clinic is taking place with an armed detail in a damp and chilly schoolhouse in a poor Mosul neighborhood.

The clinic was austere, held in a building with no electricity. The 16 medics and doctors on hand to examine patients were using the basics: stethoscopes, penlights and an interpreter to communicate.

Medics laid out a table of medicine, including adult and children's vitamins, pain relievers, syrups for coughs and colds and remedies for infection and other ailments, in each of the three examination rooms. All the medications were purchased over-the-counter at local pharmacies. This was important, according to physician assistant Capt. Minnie Dougherty. If the medicine is familiar to the patients, with Arabic directions on the labels, it helps them understand what they can buy on their own if symptoms or illnesses reappear.

MOSUL, Iraq--The going rate for a duck in this northern town is about $5.

That's what Sgt. 1st Class Michael Steffey and his platoon found out while patrolling the neighborhood of Al Ahmil on Friday.

"That one was on me," Follman said.

It's not clear who with the 1-17 of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team ran over the duck, though it wasn't Steffey's platoon. But it was probably a driver who either didn't realized he squashed a duck or didn't have time to stop to reimburse the owner, as soldiers often do when they occasionally hit livestock in the busy streets.

The duck dilemma solved, Steffey and his platoon continued walking the neighborhood. Al Ahmil is in a poor section of Mosul with lots of mud, trash and animals in the streets. But Steffey said it's also quiet.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, detained 25 individuals suspected of terrorist activity from Dec. 19-28 and discovered a weapons cache consisting of two AK-47s, seven magazines, one pistol, five rocket-propelled grenades, ammunition and blasting caps.

Published: January 6, 2006
Last Modified: January 6, 2006 at 01:31 PM

An Iraqi Explosive Ordnance Disposal team searched the terrorist’s destroyed vehicle and found 12 mortar rounds that failed to detonate. The unexploded mortars were taken to a nearby military base for disposal.

FORT WAINWRIGHT — At 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 19, Enid Rosario Rivera received a phone call from Iraq.

It was Command Sgt. Maj. Hector Davila calling to tell Enid her husband had been injured.

Enid was understandably shaken and upset. She said when she talked to Javier, she was strong for him, but after the phone call, she was crying hysterically. By 3 a.m., her house was packed with friends there to support her.

Doctors performed surgery on Javier’s left hand while still in Iraq. He was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, the same night, where he endured another surgery.

From Landstuhl, he went to Walter Reed Medical Center for just one night, then on to Travis Air Force Base, Calif., and eventually arrived at Madigan Army Medical Center at Fort Lewis, Wash., on Sept. 27.

“Fort Lewis Air Evac was great,” he said. “I went straight to the doctor for X-rays and ortho. They checked out my wound and immediately put on a different cast.”

Another surgery was scheduled for October.

This surgery would be much more intense. A nerve graft was to be done, taking a nerve from his leg and placing it into his left hand.

While most everything at Fort Lewis and Madigan was a positive experience, Javier was initially in shock when he was released to the barracks without even one night in the hospital for observation after his long journey.

“After everything that I had been through, I expected a higher standard for wounded Soldiers,” he explained. “I have never been in combat before. Being in the barracks was depressing.”

After an emotional phone call with his wife, Enid immediately called their Family Readiness Group leader.

“Mary Cheney helped 110 percent,” she said. “She fought to make things better for him and me.”

Javier said they have a lot to thank their FRG leader for. He also said Fort Lewis was taking steps to make the barracks better.

There was confusion with travel orders to get Enid to Madigan. Because Javier had been stabilized, somehow his wife’s orders had been closed.

Since Enid had received the initial call back in September, she was packed and ready to go meet her husband wherever he was.

But two weeks went by, and Enid was still waiting. As a back-up plan, Mary Cheney had helped facilitate Army Emergency Relief support. Enid had completed the paperwork for an AER grant since her travel orders had been stopped.

“As soon as our FRG Leader knew that my orders were cancelled, she started making calls. Mary assured me that I would get to Fort Lewis,” Enid said.

And she was right. Enid received a phone call from Fort Lewis informing her of her flight information for the next day. Within minutes, the phone rang again but this time was told she was going to fly that day.

On Sept. 30, Enid and her daughter Krystal, 11, left Fort Wainwright to reunite with Javier at Madigan.

Javier needed help. Since he was released to the barracks, he had no help doing basic tasks like tying his shoe.

With limited mobility in his left arm and hand and still on pain medications, Enid would not only become his support, but his nurse and therapist as well.

The doctors and therapists encouraged Enid to learn how to care for Javier’s wound and to help with his therapy.

Once Enid and her daughter arrived at Fort Lewis, the family moved into the Fisher House. This was a welcome change for Javier not only to be with his family but to be cared for in a house with so much support and love.

Family from Puerto Rico came to Fort Lewis to support Javier during the time of this surgery.

“My sister says that I have two birthdays,” he said. “Sept. 19 was the day that God gave us a second chance.”

While the family was at the Fisher House, FRG Leaders from Fort Lewis brought food regularly and provided encouragement. They even helped the family celebrate Krystal’s 11th birthday by singing to her.

The Rosario Rivera family was amazed by the support from the community for the injured Soldiers.

While sitting at Madigan for pre-operative procedures, a woman sat next to Javier and talked to him. She was a nurse who worked in the operating room.

Enid said this nurse was an angel. During the surgery, she would keep Enid informed on everything happening. This nurse even came in on her day off to check on Javier after his surgery.

The Oct. 6 surgery repaired two tendons in his thumb and index finger and Javier now has a plate in his wrist with six screws.

While he now sends lights flashing at security in the airports, Javier said airport personnel were helpful and he didn’t have problems when he was coming back to Fort Wainwright.

“The FRG has been awesome,” Enid said. “Before I left they brought dinners and when we got back too. They are great.

“I have never seen an FRG like this unit,” she said. “They are hard, hard workers. They make everything possible. Mary Cheney, Gaby Davila, Capt. (Timothy) Sawyer, everybody was great.”

Javier said Davila e-mailed and called regularly, asking and kidding about when he was going to start doing physical training.

The family has been back at Fort Wainwright since Nov. 16, and Javier reported to work with the Rear Detachment Nov. 21. He is now the Rear Detachment NCO for Company A, 2-1st.

Javier has occupational therapy three times a week off-post and mental health counseling every other week. Another surgery to remove scar tissue is probable.

It is bittersweet for Javier to be home. His recovery has been slow and there is no guarantee on how much mobility he will regain in his left hand. But doctors and therapists are hopeful.

“I wish I was with my guys,” he said. “But it is nice being home with family. It’s hard because I don’t know if anything is going to happen again over there.

“But for now, the priority is my family and my recovery.”

Enid and Javier’s advice to other families in a similar situation is to keep the faith.

“Trust your FRG and keep good communication with them at all times.”

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM — In January of 1945, the Department of the Army authorized the Combat Medical Badge to recognize those medics who served alongside the infantry in combat.

The requirements have changed over the past 60 years, but one thing has remained constant.

To earn the Combat Medical Badge, the medic must perform his medical duties under fire while assigned to a ground combat unit.

Inside the vehicle, everything went black as Soldiers and equipment bounced around in the wake of the blast.

Over the noise and chaos, the voice of a wounded Soldier called out, “I’ve been hit.”

Working with other members of the squad, Mendoza helped extricate the wounded from the burning Stryker and move them to a safe area to initiate treatment.

His trauma rucksack, packed with the critical medical supplies needed to provide care, was destroyed in the initial blast.

He collected the medical supplies from the Stryker Improved Medical Pack carried by each Stryker Soldier, and began treating the wounded Soldier.

As the vehicle continued to burn, ammunition began to cook off and explode.

Mendoza continued to take care of the wounded, disregarding his own personal safety. A second Stryker vehicle approached the scene and positioned itself to shield the medic from the explosions as he worked on his patient.

While providing treatment, Mendoza worked with the radio-telephone operator to provide information to the medical evacuation crew which was enroute.

He packaged the wounded Soldier for the flight and provided a detailed briefing to the flight medic on the nature of the injuries and the care provided.

As the DUSTOFF helicopter left with its patient, Mendoza returned to his squad, collected what was left of his gear, boarded the second Stryker and continued on with his mission.

MOSUL, IRAQ — There was an anticipatory buzz in the atmosphere at the Al Amel Institute for the Deaf and Mute as the Soldiers of the 172d Stryker Brigade arrived to help celebrate the grand re-opening of this unique school Dec. 12.

Their eyes popped when a Soldier, doing his best to emulate Santa carrying his pack, came in carrying a bag of soccer balls.

Soldiers milled about in a central foyer, trying to look comfortable while wearing body armor, helmets, eye protection, gloves and carrying rifles. All the while, they tried to communicate with waves and smiles to the children and teachers.

Each time a Soldier took a picture, the children would gather around to see the image on the camera screen.

The mayor of Mosul, Ahmer Jihad, and vice headmaster Alkrem Abdul Kareem, the principal of the school, had the honor of cutting the ceremonial ribbon to officially dedicate the institute. After the ribbon cutting, each child lined up to receive a new backpack and cake.

Like any other kid, the children tore into the cake and frosting with vigor and immediately went into exploring their new backpacks and showcasing each feature to whatever Soldier was near.

MOSUL, Iraq--When an improvised explosive device exploded near a group of four U.S. Army Stryker vehicles Wednesday, it wasn't the pulsing boom as much as the timing that surprised the soldiers.

"I was going to get out and take a look but something this time told me not to," Kelly said. "I knew it was an IED."

So the soldiers called the Explosive Ordinance Detachment, the unit charged with investigating and detonating or disposing of IEDs and other explosives.

Thirty minutes later while waiting for the unit to arrive, the device exploded with a boom and quick shake of the earth. There were no injuries or damage to Strykers.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE Q-WEST--Americans live on the road and take their cars to mechanics for a myriad of reasons to keep them road worthy. In Iraq, vehicles come to the shop to remain "battle ready."

Mosul is Iraq's second- or third-largest city, depending on who's counting. It is populated predominantly by Kurds and Sunni Arabs, with the west side almost entirely Sunni. A little more than a year ago, the police force in Mosul collapsed in the face of an insurgent uprising. Dozens of police officers were killed. The rest of the force quit. In the months that followed, the American battalions then overseeing the city struggled to regain control, drive off the insurgents, bring in stronger Iraqi Army units, and build an entirely new police force. More recently, since the latest American battalions arrived four months ago, the violence has begun to subside. But insurgent cells still operate here. Attacks against American forces by improvised explosive devices occur daily. Suicide bombers remain a threat, and gunmen roam the city looking for Iraqi security forces and American soldiers to pick off at random.

Barely two hours after the assassination of the campaign worker, Maj. Jonathan Fox, a 43-year-old officer with the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, the American unit that oversees security operations in western Mosul, arrives at Four West to meet with the police station chief, Col. Eid al-Jabouri, about the attack. Nashwan, says al-Jabouri, has started talking to the Iraqi police. The police interrogator's questions focus on the afternoon attack. Nashwan confesses to having driven the getaway car, but he insists he did not shoot the party member.

An Elmhurst family is homeless after a candle left burning on a shrine to their son -- a soldier killed six weeks ago in Iraq -- set their house on fire.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE Q-WEST--Following a tip from a resident of a nearby village, Capt. Robert Rossi of Fort Wainwright's 52nd Anti-Tank Unit led his team to search a farm near the site of a recent explosion.

Rossi wasn't convinced and told them so. "I don't think you're telling the truth," he said. "If you were here when it happened you must have seen something."

"I believe in the government," the man replied. "We want it to be safe."

Having found no evidence, Rossi and his Iraqi counterpart moved their soldiers to another nearby village.

ADIAH, Iraq--They are infantrymen who carry big rifles and are trained to fire a mobile missile system to destroy enemy tanks. But, like most soldiers in the Mosul area, they have found they spend more time making peace than mayhem.

The 52nd Anti-Tank unit is from Fort Wainwright Army Post and deployed here as part of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. They are stationed at Q-West Base south of Mosul but are the only infantry unit at this base. They are also the only ones with Stryker vehicles and some of the few with M-4 rifles, which they said make them the "red-headed stepchildren" of Q-West.

Iraqi Police detained six individuals suspected of terrorist activity during operations in Mosul Dec. 18-22.

Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment detained eight individuals suspected of terrorist activity during operations in Mosul Dec. 17-25. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, detained three individuals suspected of terrorist activity in Bayji, Dec. 28. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment detained 25 individuals suspected of terrorist activity in Mosul Dec. 19-28. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 10 Infantry Regiment, detained one individual suspected of terrorist activity during operations in Mosul, Dec. 27. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st infantry Regiment, detained 20 individuals suspected terrorist activity during separate operations in Mosul, Dec. 27. Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, detained 10 individuals for suspected terrorist activity during operations near Tal Afar, Dec. 22. Soldiers from TF 5-7 detained three individuals suspected of terrorist activity during a raid north of Balad, Dec. 26.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, detained 11 individuals suspected of terrorist activity and discovered a weapons cache consisting of 180 mortar rounds, a functional machinegun, and artillery fuses during seperate operations in the Kirkuk province Dec. 27. Soldiers from 2/3 ACR discovered a weapons cache during operations near Tal Afar Dec.17. Soldiers from 43rd Combat Engineer Company discovered two weapons caches consisting of paraphernalia for making IEDs, AK-47 ammunition, and magazines during operations in Mosul Dec. 20. Soldiers from 4/23 discovered a weapons cache consisting of 16, 120mm mortar rounds during operations in Mosul, Dec. 25. Soldiers from 1-17 Inf. discovered a weapons cache consisting of two AK-47’s, seven magazines, one pistol, five rocket propelled grenades, ammunition, and blasting caps during operations in Mosul, Dec. 28.

Iraqi Security Forces in conjunction with Multi-National forces continue successful operations aimed at defeating anti-Iraqi forces in an effort to provide safety and security to citizens of the region.

(Dec. 28)

While visiting surrounding villages today, I had to check my girl-power at the door.

The building process is actually thousands of years old. The locals build with brick then make a concrete-like mixture of gypsum, found locally, animal dung and water. The mixture is plastered over the bricks and dries to light henna color.

Local sheiks or muktars and other influential leaders often have larger, more conventional homes. So do residents in the larger cities in the area.

Josh, who volunteered to come to Iraq, serves as an air transportation specialist supporting the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Forward Operating Base Sykes.

MOSUL--Chaplain Capt. Steve Dunn has received literally hundreds of Christmas trees this year from people wanting to make sure the soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment have a festive holiday. There have been trees of all sizes, artificial and real. And he has passed on every tree to a soldier.

"At 1 a.m., at 2 a.m., I get that knock on the door; "Chaplain, I just talked to the wife and I need to talk," he said. "I say 'Just a minute,' I pound a Red Bull and then, 'Let's talk.'"

FORWARD OPERATING BASE Q-WEST--Watching the wheelings and dealings of local Iraqi leaders in this part of the country is like nothing seen on C-Span.

MOSUL, Iraq -- Lt. Col. John Norris drives through the southeastern corner of Mosul comfortably standing up in the turret of his Stryker armored vehicle, something he rarely did until a few months ago for fear of being hit by a bomb or a bullet.

Few Iraqi cities have seen such extreme swings between peace and violence since the U.S. invasion in March 2003. Sunni Arab with a large Kurdish minority, Mosul is where Saddam Hussein's sons hid after the U.S. invasion, and where they died.

RAWAH, IRAQ--In some ways, Combat Outpost Rawah is a rather appropriate setting for the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. They come from the state dubbed "The Last Frontier," an equally suitable title for this area of Iraq that remains one of the most active regions in the country for enemy activity.

"We're about 18 months behind where Mosul is right now as far as security," Lt. Col. Mark Freitag said. "It's a different fight. It's not even close."

Sand and explosives

MOSUL--The soldiers with Task Force 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment were honored Friday for their actions during combat since arriving here in Mosul 15 weeks ago.

Several soldiers also received Purple Heart and commendation medals.

Additionally, the soldiers in Task Force 2-1 were also awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Combat Action Badge and the Combat Medical Badge.

MOSUL, Iraq--It wasn't a white Christmas, but there was just enough of a nip in the air to make it feel a little like it was Christmas Eve.

In this part of the world near where Christ was born, soldiers with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team on Forward Operating Base Courage did the best they could to make it feel like Christmas this week.

After a rough interpretation of the angel visiting shepherds in their fields--as performed by soldiers of the 2-1--Lt. Col. Chuck Webster had some more solemn words for the holiday.

"Christmas in a combat zone," he said. "We knew it was coming but that doesn't make it any easier."

On Dec. 15, Crowe saved the life of an Iraqi two-year-old boy who had nearly drowned in the basement of his family home. The child had stopped breathing until Crowe administered first aid saving the boy’s life.

Rumsfeld pinned the Bronze Star on Crowe and congratulated him for a job well done.

During the visit, Rumsfeld served dinner to the Soldiers, awarded a Bronze Star Medal to a Soldier who saved an Iraqi child’s life, and met with top military officials.

“I am here to wish the troops a Merry Christmas and to commend them on what an excellent job they have done preceding the Iraqi elections and since the elections”.

Rumsfeld took the time to meet and take pictures with several hundred troops during the visit. He told the Soldiers that in the future Soldiers will look back and see what a great difference they have made liberating the citizens of Iraq.

MOSUL, Iraq, Dec. 24, 2005 – Withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq now would mean victory for terror and lead to attacks on American interests abroad and at home, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told soldiers here today.

Task Force Freedom Command Sgt. Maj. Ricky Pring passes out phone cards donated by Wal-Mart to soldiers at the dining facility at Forward Operating Base Courage in Mosul, Iraq. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld brought the cards during a Christmas Eve visit to the base.

MOSUL--Gearing up to head out on patrol to the Al Bareed neighborhood of Mosul, Sgt. Adam Smith said there usually is little enemy activity in the area.

"Except for sniper fire on Fridays," he said, only half-joking.

Then he realized what day it was.

But on this Friday, the enemy stayed inside, away from the rain and chill that made for a quiet morning for the 1st Squad of the 4th Platoon.

"Whenever you're ready," Smith said, motioning down the street with his hand. "You're in charge, brother."

The combined forces knocked on gates and were usually ushered inside to sit down and talk with the residents. Most said Al Bareed is a good neighborhood, although several drive-by shootings have occurred at a busy four-lane thoroughfare just blocks away.

MOSUL, Iraq--Maj. Julie Tullberg is a pediatrician who usually can be found on Fort Wainwright Army Post keeping office hours at Bassett Army Community Hospital. Normally, she sees patients under the age of 16 with complaints like the sniffles and broken bones.

These days, however, her office is in a modest aid station in Iraq and her patients are adults with maladies such as gunshot and shrapnel wounds.

MOSUL, Iraq--The first thing the members of 4th Platoon, Charlie Co., noticed when they dismounted their Stryker vehicle Tuesday was the 12-foot-tall pale yellow cement wall pock-marked with bullet holes.

It was a sure sign the platoon had found a prime fishing hole for the enemy in a central neighborhood of this northern Iraqi city of 2.5 million.

Though exposed on the street, they were covered by snipers strategically placed to keep an eye out for shooters tempted by the bait.

The neighborhood was quiet as the patrol passed through. A few pedestrians on the sidewalk hugged the wall as they allowed troops and Strykers to pass on the narrow street, then slipped quickly into gated courtyards.

MOSUL, Iraq--Pounding the pavement in this northern city of 2.5 million requires some savvy, the kind employed by Sgt. John Boxrucker and his platoon.

The 1st platoon has drawn fire countless times in this neighborhood of upscale homes rising behind concrete walls and ornate gates. Three soldiers were seriously wounded Sept. 19 in a firefight in this neighborhood, although one is set to return to duty in the coming weeks. The lack of battle scarring on the area's outer appearance belies the potential danger. Likewise, the soldiers find it difficult to find leads to the sources of trouble. They talk amicably with locals, sip tea, and exercise the art of conversation while trying to maintain friendly relations but ferret out problems at the same time.

One vision for the future of the American presence in Iraq is rising in the ruins of an Iraqi agricultural university just south of Mosul.

"The NCO is the backbone of the army," he says. "We need to train the trainers in order to breed competence throughout the Iraqi army."

TALL KAYF, Iraq--While Mosul commonly smells of rubbish or burning trash, the smell of fresh-baked bread wafts through the air of this small community.

HAMMAM AL ALIL, Iraq - Young Iraqi soldiers will soon begin arriving for leadership training in this small northern town, where Iraqi insurgents once operated with impunity and the buildings were stripped bare by looters.

He explained that in the old Iraqi army sergeants did not have the authority to make decisions or give orders like U.S. noncommissioned officers, or NCOs.

"Now with the help of the coalition forces, we want NCOs like them," he added. "I don't want to say it is easy, we have to come a long way, but it will get easier day by day."

U.S. Army and Marine units have been operating courses for Iraqi military leaders across the country to fill immediate requirements, but the courses were not standardized and relied on U.S. instructors.

The school in Hammam al Alil will initially use a mix of Iraqi and U.S. instructors, but within a few months will become an entirely Iraqi operation, U.S. and Iraqi officers said.

"The importance of this school to the development of the Iraqi army is absolutely critical," Col. Michael Shields, commander of the 172nd Brigade based in nearby Mosul, said at a joint staff meeting. "We need to make sure we certify each instructor before they get in front of soldiers, to make sure they are the right people for the job."

MOSUL, IRAQ - Spc. Lucas Crowe, a medic with HHC 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment meets the family of the boy he helped save Dec. 17.

The children in the family received gifts and clothes from the 401st Civil Affairs unit.

Multi-National Forces continue their efforts to aid the Iraqi people and assist them in providing security.

MOSUL, Iraq--Spc. Lucas Crowe didn't know what to expect Saturday when he arrived at the home of 2-year-old Muhammad.

"He looks good," Crowe said, smiling and greeting the family as they crowded around.

MOSUL, Iraq--With only a handful of attacks that caused no damage or injuries, Lt. Col. Chuck Webster said the cooperation between U.S. and Iraqi forces to secure Iraq's parliamentary elections Thursday was success.

But that's not to say U.S. soldiers weren't busy.

Within an hour of beginning their predawn patrols around polling areas, members of Charlie Co., 3rd platoon were hit with two improvised explosive devices along the side of the road. One of the squads left their Stryker vehicle to search for the spotter and trigger men who fire the bombs remotely, but continued the patrol a few minutes later. The series of early morning explosions prompted speculation by troops that there might be several attacks during the day.

"It's like the Fourth of July," Pvt. Donald Terriquez said.

HAMMAN AL AIL, Iraq—This area was a hive of terrorist activity a year ago. Now, this community south of Mosul is getting ready to open The Northern Iraq Regional Training Center in an effort to continue strengthening the Iraqi Army for the fight against terrorism.

"All these courses will provide the backbone for a highly efficient Iraqi Army," Alzebari said.

The center used to be the site of Mosul University's agriculture college. But buildings had been destroyed and gutted during the war and the insurgency that followed in the area.

MOSUL, Iraq -- Manal Yahia cast her ballot Thursday for a candidate whose name she feared to speak.

In this northern city that has been jaggedly divided along religious and ethnic lines, Yahia, a Sunni, didn't believe it was wise to make it widely known that she was backing a secular Shiite.

The U.S. military, which was providing security Thursday, received reports that large numbers of voters were being turned away after being told that they didn't have the proper registration. At one polling site in a predominantly Kurdish neighborhood, it appeared only Arab voters were being turned away. Kurdish voters made similar protests of being blocked from the polls in some Arab neighborhoods.

"If the Americans and Shiites want a certain candidate, they'll be sure to get that candidate," said Hamid Kareem, a Sunni voter.

Lt. Col. Charles Webster, commander of the U.S. 172nd Stryker Brigade overseeing much of eastern Mosul, acknowledged some problems but said he did not believe a significant number of voters were affected.

MOSUL, Iraq — Since assuming control from the 25th Brigade Support Battalion, the 172nd Brigade Support Battalion has not only assumed its doctrinal support mission of providing maintenance, medical and supply support, but also a wide range of other critical roles.

Since the transition, the BSB has completed more than 135 combat logistics patrols (CLP), issued more than 2,200 tons of ammunition, performed several equipment recovery operations — including one downed aircraft — and completed more than 200 maintenance jobs to keep the brigade’s Stryker vehicles operating.

“These accomplishments are an example of the amount of training our junior leaders conducted and evaluated back in Alaska,” said BSB Command Sgt. Maj. Dean Phillips.

The combat logistics patrols are high adventure operations conducted to distribute supplies and ammunition to the multiple forward operating bases in Iraq.

Each patrol is a stressful, heart-pounding event for the Opaheys. Most of the CLPs are intermixed with Stryker vehicles from other 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team battalions, which serve as additional security escorts.

Some are solely executed by the BSB with vehicles and Soldiers from the Distribution Company. The drivers on these convoys take control of the road as they speed through the city and cross back and forth over the median strips.

It is a fine balance between safely operating the enormous tactical vehicles and keeping the momentum moving fast enough to prevent enemy disruption. The tenacity and awareness of these young Soldiers is so precise, it is hard not to confuse them with seasoned veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

One of those veterans, Staff Sgt. Jared Matthews of Distribution Company, is on his second tour to OIF.

“The escalation of force on these convoys can occur within seconds along the routes in the city” Matthews said. “Then you turn on an unimproved country road and everything is head on. Warning shots are sometimes the only way to get the attention of the oncoming traffic that gets too close.

“Moving oncoming vehicles off the road is the best way to avoid vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices,” he said.

Often riding in the lead vehicle on most convoys, Matthews said the terrain varies from three feet of powdery dust to a rock hard surface that makes for a teeth-jarring experience.

“Soldiers often bounce around inside the cab, feeling like they just played full- contact football without pads,” he said.

Matthews’ experience proved to be a valuable asset during a CLP in October as he detected two 122mm artillery rounds rigged as an improvised explosive device along the route to a remote combat outpost.

He quickly took control and maneuvered the convoy around the danger. His actions prevented the possible destruction of equipment and injury to the Soldiers in his convoy.

The Forward Maintenance Company of the BSB is also a key asset to the brigade as their Soldiers often work directly with infantrymen, frequently joining them on raids to keep vehicles rolling after mechanical failures or battle damage.

These mechanics bring battle damage assessment and repair kits on patrols, raids and cordon searches to quickly execute field expedient repairs to prevent interrupted operations for the infantry, field artillery and cavalry units within the 172nd SBCT.

These Soldiers know the risks they take with each mission, but are eager to get their unique skills into the fight.

The HQ Company of the 172nd BSB has sent Soldiers out to a remote U.S. combat outpost near the Syrian border to train the Iraqi Army on food preparation.

Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Summerville and a team of BSB Soldiers trained Iraqis on logistics with a heavy focus on food preparation and field sanitation.

Summerville, Pfc. Juan Childs and Sgt. Vernon Bell taught the Iraqi soldiers how to prepare food and maintain the new equipment in only three days.

Normally this type of training takes weeks, but the Iraqis were eager to learn.

MOSUL, Iraq – The 1st Platoon of A Troop, 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry, conducted a route recon mission one morning in November to confirm or deny enemy activity.

We were clearing and searching for any improvised explosive device emplacements or any anti-Iraqi forces planning an attack on coalition forces on this specific route.

It is pretty scary to ride down a road and not know what is buried or hidden that you cannot see.

You are just trying to anticipate the explosion as if you know it is about to happen.

It was a relief when we saw the Iraqi Police patrolling the area to safeguard their home. The Iraqi Police were doing the same thing we were doing, trying to keep the terrorists away and protecting the local community.

As the 1st Platoon maneuvered on the road there was a loud explosion that went off in front of the lead vehicle.

We just thought the worst had happened.

The explosion was an IED that was set off. None of the U.S. Soldiers or the Iraqi Police were injured, but there was one local civilian standing next to a bus stop who was injured by debris from the explosion.

Immediately our platoon medic, Pfc. Raymond Nelson III, rendered aid to the injured civilian. The man’s left arm took some shrapnel, causing him to bleed profusely.

“Where do you sleep?”

“Do you eat good food?”

“Do you take breaks?”

The students love to hear stories about their teacher’s travels, especially about her summers in Alaska. When the opportunity came to write to deployed Soldiers from Alaska, Brock decided this was a perfect project for her students.

Holley Brashear, family readiness group leader for the BSB, helped facilitate the project by providing the names of Soldiers who agreed to write back to the students.

With the names in hand, Brock assigned each student to a Soldier and they started writing letters.

Longview Elementary students face many challenges in their daily life. More than 90 percent of the students are on free or reduced lunch and 37 percent are learning English as a second language.

“Many of my students struggle in the area of writing. One of the reasons that I wanted them to have pen pals to write to is to give them a reason for writing,” Brock explained.

“My students are now excited to write when it is writing letters to our Soldiers. They even write extra letters on their own at home,” she said. “They know that their letters will make their Soldier happy.”

Brock said the day a letter arrives from a Soldier it is all the students can talk about. It is hard for them to concentrate at school because they are so excited.

“The students feel special. The letters are addressed to them, and they cherish every word,” she said.

The BSB Soldiers have not only written letters but included small gifts as well such as Iraqi money, stamps, voting ballot instruction, postcards and pictures.

One Soldier even sent a birthday present to a student.

“This project has opened so many doors to teaching geography, how to address an envelope, and even how the post office works,” Brock said. “My students have planners, and in their planner they have drawn a dot in North Carolina and in Alaska. They also have drawn a dot on the United States and in Iraq for them to remember where their Soldier is.

“Every day this project brings about something unexpected, but it is always amazing,” Brock said.

Even more amazing to Brock is a letter she received from one of the Soldiers addressed to her.

Spc. Matthew Flemister, a cook with the BSB, wrote, “Your students have written me twice now. Please just tell me where to sign and you will have my vote to be teacher of the year. I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed receiving letters from your kids.

“Getting mail over here so far from family and loved ones is always a blessing,” he wrote. “I can’t thank you enough for the expression of love and support. Thank you for instilling your students with a sense of pride on the military. I pray that it is a lesson that will stay with them long after they leave your classroom.

“I have a 10-month-old son. I pray that he will have a teacher like you when he is in 3rd grade.”

The class recently made Christmas ornaments for the Soldiers.

Less than a week after my husband deployed to Iraq, I was already spending every spare second browsing discount airfare Web sites, searching for the cheapest fare I could find to be back in the Lower 48 for Christmas.

MOSUL, Iraq - Manal Yahia cast her ballot Thursday for a candidate whose name she feared to speak.

In this northern city that has been jaggedly divided along religious and ethnic lines, Yahia, a Sunni, didn't believe it was wise to make it widely known that she was backing a secular Shiite.

The U.S. military, which was providing security Thursday, received reports that large numbers of voters were being turned away after being told that they didn't have the proper registration. At one polling site in a predominantly Kurdish neighborhood, it appeared only Arab voters were being turned away. Kurdish voters made similar protests of being blocked from the polls in some Arab neighborhoods.

"If the Americans and Shiites want a certain candidate, they'll be sure to get that candidate," said Hamid Kareem, a Sunni voter.

Lt. Col. Charles Webster, commander of the U.S. 172nd Stryker Brigade overseeing much of eastern Mosul, acknowledged some problems but said he did not believe a significant number of voters were affected.

Though there were several booms in the early morning hours from mortar attacks and roadside bombs targeting polling sites and Iraqi security forces, the U.S. military reported few significant incidents in the city. One man was killed by a mortar that was intended for a polling station near the hospital the man worked at.

Uniformed, gun-carrying members of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's militia, or pesh merga, stood outside one polling site in the Saddam neighborhood. They were reportedly telling voters that they should cast their ballots for the Kurdish list.

Capt. Allen Harris, a company commander for an element of the 172nd Stryker Brigade, paid a visit and warned the pesh merga that they weren't allowed on the street with their weapons or in their vehicles Thursday. Harris also reminded them they were prohibited from any sort of campaigning at the polls.

"If you are out in the street in your vehicles or with your weapons or vehicles, you risk the possibility of us shooting at you," Harris warned the militia commander. "Is that understood?"

Soldiers were patrolling a neighborhood near a home where an Iraqi man was seen holding a lifeless baby who had drowned in the flooded basement of their home. The child had a blue tone to his body as a medic, SPC Lucas Crowe, from 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment administered aid to the 3-year old boy. The child became responsive, released water from his mouth and screamed a cry that Soldiers were elated to hear. After resuscitating the young boy, the combat medic from 2-1 Infantry turned the child on his side and monitored his breathing until an ambulance arrived.

MOSUL, Iraq - U.S. troops won't be at the polling stations for Thursday's national elections. But they'll be close by - ready to back up Iraqi security forces if called upon.

As final preparations were carried out at hundreds of schools across northern Iraq, U.S. soldiers helped deliver the last of the ballot boxes and other election materials as well as food and water for Iraqi security forces.

In Mosul, Lt. Col. John Norris, commander of the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, told his staff that despite a recent drop in insurgent attacks and pledges by some groups not to disrupt the vote, all of the security forces, both American and Iraqi, needed to remain on guard.

"We've got to think worse-case scenario, and the worse-case scenario is someone sets off an explosive device that kills hundreds of people," said Norris, whose unit patrols the southern half of Mosul.

Stryker soldiers also diplomats

MOSUL, Iraq—The job description for soldiers of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team includes an entry not often linked to the military: diplomat.

Patrolling polling places around this Tigris River city in Northern Iraq on Wednesday, Lt. Jeremiah Parker and his platoon looked like quintessential soldiers as they dismounted their Stryker vehicle in haste, moved into formation and entered the building, keeping their heads on swivels and rifles at the ready.

It was a fairly informal conversation. Parker asked how well the forces are prepared for election day. Does each location have enough female election workers so female voters don't have to be searched by men? He encouraged the forces to keep a presence around polling places to deter potential terrorist or insurgent attacks.

"That kind of show of strength, that is a sign of power against the terrorists," he said.

MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — U.S. troops won't be at the polling stations for Thursday's national elections. But they'll be close by — ready to back up Iraqi security forces if called upon.

As final preparations were carried out at hundreds of schools across northern Iraq, U.S. soldiers helped deliver the last of the ballot boxes and other election materials as well as food and water for Iraqi security forces.

Think about everything you’ve heard about the conditions in Iraq, the role of U.S. forces, the multi-layered complexities of the war.

Then think again.

I’m a journalist. I read the news everyday, from several sources. I have the luxury of reading stuff newspapers don’t always have room to print. I read every tidbit I could on Iraq and the war before coming.

MOSUL, Iraq—With parliamentary elections looming Thursday and insurgent attacks doubling this week, Iraqi and U.S. troops are coordinating the role various security forces will take to keep voters safe at the polls.

Iraqi Police detained an individual suspected of placing several IED’s near an election site during operations in Mosul Dec.10. The suspect is in custody with no ISF injuries reported.

Also in Mosul, Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment detained five individuals suspected of terrorist activity and seized an anti-tank mine, detonators, and a timer Dec. 5. Soldiers from 1-17 Infantry detained eight individuals suspected of terrorist activity during operations Dec. 6-10. The unit detained another ten individuals suspected of terrorist activity during a raid Dec. 7. Soldiers from 4th Squadron, 11th Field Artillery Regiment detained an individual suspected of terrorist activity during operations Dec. 9. Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment detained three individuals suspected of terrorist activity during operations Dec. 10. Suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported.

In Tal Afar, Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment detained an individual suspected of terrorist activity during a raid Dec. 5. Soldiers from 2/325 Infantry also discovered a cache of AK-47 bandoleers, a 120-mm round, TNT-filled canisters, sticks of TNT, anti-U.S. propaganda, and various IED materials Dec. 5. Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment detained six individuals suspected of terrorist activity and seized IED making materials during operations Dec. 9. Suspects are in custody with no MNF injuries reported.

Iraqi Security Forces in conjunction with Multi-National forces continue successful operations aimed at defeating anti-Iraqi forces in an effort to provide safety and security to citizens of the region.

FOOTLOOSE: While Iraq is struggling to get on its feet, a young soldier from Fort Wainwright is helping care for the feet of Iraqi children, thanks to donations from Fairbanks.

Over the past couple of months, Fairbanksans and businesses have donated more than 1,000 pairs of kids' shoes to send to Iraq.

He's now back in the desert and giving out shoes when he can. He began distributing shoes on his first tour of Iraq and is continuing it now that he is deployed with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

Jammie has been sending big boxes to Iraq, containing enough shoes that other soldiers and some of his superiors have also helped give them away, Jammie said.

"I never thought I'd be able to collect so many shoes," she said. "It's incredible. The outpouring from the community has been amazing and I give my most genuine thanks to everyone that made any sort of donation.

News-Miner military reporter Margaret Friedenauer is in Iraq.

She arrived in Baghdad after 35 sleepless hours awaiting transport from Kuwait City. It came in the form of a Black Hawk helicopter. In Baghdad she is awaiting transport to Mosul, where she will officially embed with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Alaska.

Sorry, Mom

I have never considered myself rash, but it's nice to have my suspicions confirmed by an Army captain.

"You don't look like a hot dog, Margaret," said Capt. Paul Edwards, a media relations officers for the Army here in Kuwait.

Plain-clothed and sipping a frothy latte, Edwards had come to meet me and a photojournalist requesting credentials to go to Iraq. We were sitting outside a Starbucks attached to the (Hilton Kuwait) resort when Edwards told me he had raised an eyebrow when he heard I was coming through to embed in Iraq.

He said he's used to the big guys; CNN, New York Times, European photographers, large U.S. city newspapers. Why was the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner here? he asked. I said because 10 percent of our town's population was in Iraq in the form of the (172nd Stryker) Brigade; I was just following a local story.

OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM — I was sitting in my shack surfing the Net and planning on chilling out after a 12-hour detainee guard shift. Some friends came in and asked if I was going to dinner.

“No, I’m just grabbing some pogy bait and taking it easy.” Pogy bait is a term used to describe snacks and candy sent to the Soldiers by family and friends.

I quickly changed and we rolled out. The chow hall put on quite a feast with all the trimmings.

An hour later, I was in my shack preparing for the post Thanksgiving dinner nap. As I lay on my bunk, I started thinking about what I was thankful for.

I was glad I could have a nice dinner with good friends; for being able to relax in my warm bunk.

The mail and the hot showers are nice. I am thankful for that.

Not getting all shot up or killed or to have to pull dead bodies out of rubble, I am thankful for that.

I am glad I was not there (at the Nov. 19 battle in which two American and several Iraqi soldiers were killed), but at the same time I wish I was.

I joined the Army to fight, to see how I would react; to test myself in battle.

I am also glad I missed it.

The memorial service for the two American Soldiers, Master Sgt. Tony Yost and Pvt. 1st Class Chris Alcozer, was impressive and powerful.

My eyes glassed over with tears that I would not let fall. Chills ran up my spine during the “Role Call” and the “Final Salute.”

We are all putting our personal pieces back together. The war is not over, and we still have plenty of work to do.

As the saying goes, “Drink water and drive on.”

Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, detained five individuals suspected of terrorist activity in Mosul Nov. 29.

Soldiers from the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, discovered three car bombs and detained nine suspected terrorists west of Rawah Nov. 29 after their patrol was attacked by a suicide bomber.

At approximately 1 p.m., two cars approached the mounted patrol. As the patrol neared, one vehicle sped off while the other stopped and waited for the Soldiers.

The driver of the stationary vehicle detonated explosives hidden in his car resulting in his death. There were no casualties or damages reported as a result of the attack.

Soldiers then pursued the second car into a wadi where they found the car abandoned. In a search of the area, three other car bombs were discovered and nine suspected terrorists were detained.

Iraqi Army Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, detained two individuals suspected of attacks on Coalition Forces in Mosul Nov. 27. Iraqi Army soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, detained two individuals suspected of terrorist activity and confiscated a weapons cache during operations in Mosul Nov. 30.

Iraqi Army soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, detained four individuals suspected of terrorist activity during operations in Mosul Dec. 1.

Iraqi Police, in conjunction with Soldiers of 65th Military Police Battalion, detained an individual suspected of terrorist activity during operations in Mosul Nov. 28. The Iraqi Border Patrol detained 12 individuals suspected of terrorist activity near the Syrian border Nov. 30 – Dec. 2.

Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, detained two individuals and seized a weapons cache consisting of a rifle, magazines, paraphernalia for making IEDs, multiple rockets and rocket propelled grenade rounds, during operations near the Syrian border Nov. 28.

Soldiers from 2/3 ACR also seized a cache consisting of explosives instruction manuals and blasting caps. Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, detained three individuals suspected of terrorist activity and seized a weapons cache south of Tal Afar Nov. 29 - Dec. 2. Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, detained 13 individuals suspected of attacking Coalition Forces and manufacturing IEDs, and seized bomb-making materials, compact discs of IED and suicide attacks, and a large amount of cash in Tal Afar Nov. 29.

FORT WAINWRIGHT — Coalition forces including Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team recently completed an extensive isolation and containment mission in Ramana, Iraq.

The joint forces were not fired upon and lost no lives during the operation.

Capt. Rusty Tapf, the commander of Company B, 4-14 Cavalry, said there will continue to be a U.S. presence with the ongoing security in the area, but also said security will be mostly Iraqi run.

Both Freitag and Tapf said the Iraqi forces that participated in the mission were professional and well-trained.

“The Iraqi Soldiers that we worked with were first rate,” Freitag said.

Tapf said although there were different services working together to achieve a common goal, the Iraqi soldiers fit into the scheme with ease.

“They all worked real well together,” Tapf said. “A soldier is a soldier, it doesn’t matter what language they speak.”

While the mission was successful and there were no casualties, Tapf said the mission was not completely without incident.

Tapf said during the mission an IED detonated on one of his platoon vehicles.

During the mission, joint forces detained 96 individuals, and many of them tested positive for tampering with TNT and other explosives.

Tapf was also pleased to report no civilians were displaced during the operation. Tapf said after forces moved through the area, a team followed behind and distributed comfort items including blankets and food to the Iraqi citizens.

A combined joint military effort is currently securing the area.

Whenever I picture soldiers returning home from war, I always think of the classic photograph "Kissing the War Goodbye" of the sailor kissing the woman in Times Square just after the end of World War II.

I met Jill four months after her husband, Sgt. Dave Phaneuf, deployed with the 4-123rd aviation unit out of Fort Wainwright.

Spc. Timothy Stewart has been through a lot in the past three weeks, but you wouldn't know it from hearing him talk about it.

Stewart was one of a handful of soldiers in the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team called in during a raid on a house in Mosul, Iraq, that turned out to be an explosives factory. Stewart was shot in the left arm after going into the building to get others out.

Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was at Fort Wainwright to tour the new hospital, dropped by his room. When she asked him what the soldiers in Mosul needed from her, Stewart answered, "Just the support."

Stewart's right arm is thick and solid. He has a military haircut and thin metal-frame glasses. He was wearing sweat pants and a gray Army T-shirt with the sleeves torn off when the senator arrived.

When a local soldier stationed at Fort Wainwright recently came home from a yearlong deployment in Iraq, his return to family life wasn't picture perfect.

CHINO -- When Pfc. Jeff Baca of Bravo Company, 117th Infantry Regiment, returned home on Dec. 1 after two months in Iraq, he brought back a Purple Heart and a positive message about the war effort.

"They don't show people who are happy to have us there," Jeff said, adding that 75 percent of the Iraqis he encountered were in support of the American soldiers.

The Bacas have been supportive of the war, even before Jeff enlisted in the Army on Sept. 9, 2003. But now that they have an honored veteran in the family, the issue is much more personal.

On Tuesday, military reporter Margaret Friedenauer leaves for a six-week stay in Iraq. If all goes well, she will be in Mosul before the Dec. 15 elections, spend the holidays with our troops, and return at the end of January.

She will be embedded with the 172nd Stryker Brigade soldiers from Fort Wainwright and Fort Richardson. The reason for this is simple. It's because those 3,000 soldiers from Fort Wainwright are roughly 10 percent of the Fairbanks population. This is an intensely local story and she will be there to cover the daily activities of our troops, to tell their stories and to help our community understand and share in their daily challenges.

MOSUL, Iraq – A 1,600 year old Christian monastery located eight miles to the northeast of Nimrud or the ancient city of Kalkh, is a gathering place for Christians in a Muslim-dominated area.

The Saint Behnam Monastery was built in the last half of the 4th century and renovated during the 12th and 13th centuries.

It thrives among a Muslim-dominated population and carries on many of the ancient Christian rituals.

In America, it might be unusual to have an Evangelical pastor conducting a service in a Catholic church, but on this day denomination played no part.

Spc. Donald Houack and Spc. Daniel Mattair had expressed an interest in being baptized, so I pondered how we could make this baptism a reality given the resources and the environment of Iraq.

It would have been easy to do the ceremony in a chapel, but with so much history all around, conducting the baptism in a place where other Christians have gathered for centuries carried special significance.

I was able to resolve this issue by contacting one of the local Iraqi churches.

I thought a place where biblical history was made would be an unforgettable experience.

Mosul is often equated with the ancient city of Nineveh. To be baptized is a life changing commitment, and to be baptized in a place where biblical characters like Jonah walked draws on the historical significance of the region.

I arranged the baptism during a meeting between myself and Father Francis Djahola from the Saint Behnam Monastery.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, Iraq — Local leaders from the Tigris River Valley came together Nov. 20 to sign a “Contract Against Terror” to signify their opposition to terrorism.

Taha Ali Taha, an Al Aitha city council member and brother of Sheik Hussein, spoke for the participants, saying, “We have come here to announce that we reject terrorism and will not have terrorists intimidate us.”

This statement of solidarity was all the more pointed since his fellow attendee, Sheik Zedan, presented a letter to the group from purported anti-Iraqi forces who threatened retribution to the citizens of Al Aitha for their continued cooperation with both Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Forces.

This pledge to renounce terrorism was echoed by the comments of Tutakat city council president Abdulla Mohammed Khalaf who came to add his support.

“I am happy to come here to support the citizens of Al Aitha and its pledge to renounce terrorism,” he said. “It is through the brave efforts of both the ISF and CF in pursuing these terrorists that they will be defeated.”

MOSUL, Iraq — They’re not hard to spot.

Not because they rumble through the streets in their Stryker vehicles; those have been here before.

It’s a new attitude; it’s a new uniform on smiling faces with determination to get the job done.

The Soldiers spend parts of their days in their vehicles, driving around with a “Hey, we’re here,” attitude before dismounting to walk the streets on foot.

“We get on the ground as much as possible because that’s really the only way you get to know the people in the area,” Pickerel said.

“This used to be called the wild, wild west, but the unit ahead of us did a lot of work here,” said Pickerel, a St. Joseph, Mo., native. “We’ve got all the kinks worked out, and things have calmed down quite a bit since we’ve moved in.”

Take the next left on Broadway

Patrolling the streets nicknamed for New York City avenues such as “Canal”and “Broadway,” and an area known as “Yankee Stadium” which is complete with alleys called “1st Base Line” all the way around to “Home Plate,” doesn’t come easy.

Along with shaking hands and giving candy to kids, the Soldiers of Co. B move up and down miles of concrete laden with weapons, ammunition and 40 pounds of armor strapped to their backs.

Despite temperatures rising into the 130 degree range, the gear is essential when the troops have to get down to the business of being infantrymen.

“We’re out here looking for the bad guys,” said 1st Lt. Anthony Cerullo, platoon leader, 3rd Plt.

And the bad guys are out there. The Tomahawks take on sporadic gunfire when loading into their vehicles and deal with drive-by shootings and improvised explosive devices regularly, said Cerullo.

“We take intelligence that has been gathered, and we look for certain vehicles we know are to be possible insurgent vehicles,” Cerullo said. “We do standard patrols where we look for suspicious activity – anything out of the ordinary.

“We do improvised explosive devise sweeps, looking for IEDs before they go off, and we also take care of guys we catch emplacing them,” he explained.

“We talk to citizens in the neighborhoods and do random searches to see if we can find anything, information or otherwise,” he said.

“It’s a dual-facet mission,” said Staff Sgt. Austin Fernandez, a squad leader with 3rd Plt. “We let the citizens know we are here to help them, but we are also here to let them know we don’t take any (mess).”

Equal opportunity patrols

On top of the patrol mission, a day isn’t complete without a trip to see their counterparts-in-arms.

The platoon stops in daily to speak with the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police, seeing what they need and talking about future missions.

“We’ve done joint patrols with the IA and the IP, and we are going to do even more now because it’s their country, and they are going to be the ones doing it after we leave here,” Cerullo said. “The more we can teach them how to do it the right way and help them along in that process, the better off they’ll be.”

Having a Soldier in the platoon with the ability to speak Arabic helps the effort. Fernandez has picked up the language from interpreters, and it has helped tremendously with relations, he said.

“I don’t have any kids, but I can speak Arabic pretty well and the kids come to me naturally,” Fernandez said. “It helps out a lot with relations, being able to talk to the Iraqis a little.”

A recent patrol had a gaggle of 20 Iraqi children hanging onto and holding hands with Fernandez; the M-4 assault rifle was put away for the time being. The infantrymen had parents lining the streets with smiles on their faces and gestures of “thumbs up” for blocks.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, Iraq — “I swear to God that I will be faithful for my people and protect my country.”

These words marked the solemn oath of 22 students who graduated from Iraqi Police Proficiency Training class 06-01.

The ceremony was attended by the Iraqi Police commanders of all three districts in the Tigris River Valley, an area of northern Iraq that encompasses over 11,000 square kilometers.

The opening remarks were given by class leader and honor graduate Lt. Mahdi Hajee Ali. He thanked all the police officers and Iraqi Army commanders for attending and specifically mentioned his trainers for their dedication and mentorship.

FORT WAINWRIGHT — Having a baby while a member of the family is deployed can be a difficult part of being military. Knowing it will be a difficult birth can make it worse.

They knew Brooks was in breech position, but the position would not be a concern until the last month of her pregnancy.