More funding needed for Fort Wainwright memorial
By Chris Freiberg, Daily News-Miner
If everyone in the Fairbanks area donated just $1, the Fairbanks Veterans Association would have enough money to fund a Fort Wainwright memorial to those in the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team who have paid the ultimate cost in defense of freedom.
Contractors who have donated their time and money to the project are putting the finishing touches on the first phase of the Monterey Lake Memorial Park.
The nonprofit organization of about 50 veterans has raised $1,000 internally to pay for the $40,000 memorial, but is now appealing to businesses and the community for additional funding.
Books of Interest
Two recently published books have connections to the Stryker brigades.
- Moment of Truth in Iraq
, by Michael Yon: Yon has embedded with numerous Stryker brigades.
- I Lost my Love in Baghdad
Stryker soldier gets to meet Bush
By Chris Freiberg, Daily News Miner
A tour of duty in Iraq led to a trip to the nation’s capital for Sgt. Gregory Williams of Fort Wainwright after he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in December.
Last month, the sergeant, one of only eight men to receive the Army’s second-highest honor since 2001, spent 15 minutes with President Bush.
“It was very exciting,” Williams said. “It didn’t hit me until I got in there that this is the president. He’s a very nice, family-oriented man. Very energetic, too.”
While husband deploys, Army wife pens book
An Army wife has written a book chronicling her experiences during her husband’s 16-month deployment to Iraq.
Michelle Cuthrell was 23 years old and 11 weeks pregnant when her husband, then-1st. Lt. Matthew Cuthrell, of 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, deployed to Iraq. In August 2006, as the soldiers prepared to return to Fairbanks, Alaska, their tour was extended by four months.
Her book, “Behind the Blue-Star Banner,” documents her journey until her husband’s long-awaited homecoming in December 2006. [...]
For more information or to buy the book, visit www.behindthebluestarbanner.com/home.html.
Disabled Iraqi children get wheelchairs, big smiles
Stryker soldiers helped establish this project originally.
By Carol Jordan and Arwa Damon, CNN
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Mothers cradle children in their arms. Fathers smile softly at the helpless bodies they hold. Other parents are bent over from the weight of their teenage kids whose legs fall limp, almost touching the ground. In the absence of basic medical equipment, these parents do this every day.
Khaled is a father of three. On this day, his young daughter, Mariam, is getting fitted for her new wheelchair. Her arms and legs are painfully thin, little more than skin and bone. She's 7 years old, but looks barely half that. She and both her siblings, a sister and brother, suffer from varying degrees of polio. None of them can walk.
Hopes, fears run high for Fort Lewis troops who served in Mosul
By Mike Gilbert, The News Tribune
Fort Lewis soldiers and their families could be forgiven for feeling uneasy about the news lately out of Mosul. They made a steep investment in whatever security and stability has taken hold in the northern Iraqi city of 1.8 million.
Thousands of Fort Lewis soldiers have served there; 700 members of a helicopter squadron are stationed in and around the city now.
And of the 176 who have died in Iraq since the war’s beginning, more fell in Mosul – 46 – than anywhere else.
Stryker Soldier Awarded Distinguished Service Cross
Congratulations to SGT Williams. There's a related article linked at the bottom of this as well.
BY Spc. Vincent Fusco, Army News Service
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska (Army News Service, Dec. 13, 2007) - A 1st Stryker Brigade Soldier who saved the life of his platoon leader was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross Dec. 12 at Fort Wainwright for his actions during an ambush in Iraq.
Sgt. Gregory Williams received the Army's second-highest award for valor from Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. for what he did in a gun battle that ensued after an improved explosives device stopped his Stryker last year in Baghdad.
Wainwright soldier to receive DSC today
Hopefully there will be a couple stories in tomorrow's papers covering the presentation today.
The Army’s chief of staff on Wednesday will honor a Fort Wainwright, Alaska, soldier with the nation’s second highest award for heroism in combat for fighting off an enemy ambush in Iraq last year.
Gen. George Casey will present Sgt. Gregory Williams of 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, with the Distinguished Service Cross, according to a recent U.S. Army Alaska press release.
The prestigious award is second only to the Medal of Honor.
[...]
Group Builds Custom Home for Wounded Warrior
WASHINGTON - A former Army sergeant and his family this month are settling into a brand new house in New Burn, N.C., custom-built to insure his war injuries will not keep him from independent living.
"Well, we need the house because Eric is in a wheelchair all the time, so we need it so he can get around the house by himself," said Stephanie Edmundson, wife of Eric Edmundson. The former soldier was wounded by a roadside bomb while riding in a Stryker armored vehicle, Oct. 2, 2005, in Iraq, according to Homes for Our Troops officials, which took on the project for the family. The explosion left Edmundson unable to talk, walk, eat or drink, though he does have the ability to move his legs.
Monument to fallen soldiers dedicated on Fort Wainwright
By Chris Freiberg, Daily News-Miner
It will be two years on Monday, Veterans Day, since Maria Sutherland’s husband died in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Sutherland, assigned to the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Wainwright was killed when his Stryker vehicle rolled over. He was one of eight soldiers from the squadron to have died in the line of duty since the Iraq conflict began in March 2003.
Now, their names, each inscribed in a bronze plaque, adorn a black granite monument in front of squadron headquarters on base.
Camp helps wounded Iraq war veterans
A 172nd SBCT soldier is profiled in this article.
By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY
JACKSONS GAP, Ala. — Robert Cuthbertson slices across Lake Martin, strapped onto a sit-down skier towed by a powerboat. He grasps the tow rope handle with his left hand, and holds his right hand — heavily bandaged and wrapped in waterproof plastic — high up out of the water.
Moments later, he grins triumphantly as he wades ashore. "That was fun," says Cuthbertson, an Iraq war veteran who suffered third-degree burns over 38% of his body from an improvised explosive device (IED) on March 2, 2006. "You're just gliding across the water. It's awesome."
SPC William J. Willis
At the request of his fellow soldiers we wanted to recognize the passing of SPC William J. Willis, 23, of Kansas City, Kansas. He died September 5, 2007 at Ft. Wainwright in Alaska. He served with the 172nd SBCT during its 16 month deployment, where he worked as a counterintelligence agent, according to an Army statement.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers.
Out of death comes a new life for soldier’s family
Pretty incredible story.
by Jill Burke, KYUU News (Includes video)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Maria Sutherland's Army Stryker husband died at war, but that didn't stop the couple from having the baby they always dreamed of. He's a preemie, but doing well at four pounds, seven ounces, he's the full measure of his father's legacy and a family's love.
"I think that Stephen had a sixth sense that he needed to do this because he didn't think he was coming back," said Maria Sutherland.
Injured soldier returns home
By Mark J. Armstrong, The Daily Times
It’s been eight months since U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Boothby was injured by a roadside improvised explosive device near Baghdad.
Two pieces of shrapnel remain lodged in Boothby’s head, and his left arm and hand still are weak. Boothby also has no left peripheral vision.
Despite that, family members said Boothby has come a long way.
Battlefield Advances
A Stryker soldier is featured in the following article regarding medical advances used to treat soldiers.
By Michael J. Weiss, Reader's Digest
"Oh My God, I'm Hit!"
Hot dust choked the air over the desert outside Rawah, Iraq. It wasn't even noon last June 27, but already the temperature had climbed to 100 degrees. Perched in the gun turret of his Stryker light-armored vehicle, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jacque Keeslar surveyed the dirt road ahead while on a mission to raid a safe house for suspected insurgents. As his patrol sped through the dusty landscape, 36-year-old Keeslar never saw the improvised bomb buried beneath the road. Suddenly an explosion ripped through the vehicle with a roar. "Oh, my God!" cried Keeslar as he frantically tried to pull himself out of the turret. "I'm hit!"
Three out of five soldiers in the Stryker sustained serious injuries, but his were the worst: The blast had shredded both his legs. Within 48 hours, surgeons in Germany amputated his right leg below the knee and his left one at the kneecap. "I don't remember when I realized my legs were gone," says Keeslar today. "All I could think about was starting the recovery process so I could walk again."
78 teams compete for Best Ranger title
One of the teams competing is from the former 172nd SBCT, now the 1/25 SBCT.
When the 24th annual Best Ranger Competition begins Friday at Fort Benning, Ga., 78 two-man teams will hit the dirt and start pumping out push-ups, embarking on a 60-hour odyssey that one organizer called the “endurathon.”
The mental and physical contest is one of the Army’s toughest. More soldiers are competing this year than in the past five. [...]
Former Best Ranger Takes Benning's Top NCO Spot
BY Rachel Houston, The Bayonet
Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Ulibarri assumed responsibility as Fort Benning's senior NCO Friday in a ceremony in front of Infantry Hall. Ulibarri, who won the Best Ranger competition in the 80s, recently returned from a deployment to Iraq with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
This is not his first assignment to Fort Benning - he was a Ranger instructor with the 4th Ranger Training Battalion from 1987 to 89.
Video: SFC Peter Lara
The following is an in depth interview with SFC Peter Lara of the 172nd SBCT. Lara was awarded the Silver Star for his actions during a firefight in Mosul in November 2005. SFC Lara has been featured previously on this site.
Video link courtesy of SSG Ray Flores, Soldiers Radio and Television.
Soldiers talk about life after Iraq
Anchorage, Alaska - They spent 16 months in Iraq enduring a last minute four month extension, just days away from coming home.
Before these five soldiers walked into the room, the men, all from different companies, had a lot more in common than just being volunteered for this interview. All served in Iraq with the Stryker Brigade.
"The brigade needs these soldiers back to be the whole and very capable force that has been over the last year," said Major Gen. Charles Jacoby, commander, U.S. Army Alaska.
Soldiers talk about life after Iraq
Anchorage, Alaska - They spent 16 months in Iraq enduring a last minute four month extension, just days away from coming home.
Before these five soldiers walked into the room, the men, all from different companies, had a lot more in common than just being volunteered for this interview. All served in Iraq with the Stryker Brigade.
"The brigade needs these soldiers back to be the whole and very capable force that has been over the last year," said Major Gen. Charles Jacoby, commander, U.S. Army Alaska.
And all endured a four month extension to Baghdad just days away from coming home.
"It was a surprise. We thought we'd be going home within a week," said Capt. Robert Dapice.
Capt. Robert Dapice says while still in Mosul and after talking to his wife in Anchorage, he worked hard to find out what was happening in Baghdad.
Pace Travels: A Little ‘Moosenip,’ A Lot of Thanks
Here's another story regarding the Chairman's recent visit to Alaska.
By Linda D. Kozaryn, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2007 – You’ve heard of catnip, right? Well, somebody must have sprinkled “moosenip” around the VIP quarters where Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace and his wife Lynne stayed at Alaska’s Elmendorf Air Force Base last week.
Three full-grown, female moose spent several hours, morning and evening, right outside the quarters, nibbling at low-hanging branches and nestling in the snow catching some rays. The 800- to 900-pound, lanky-legged animals ignored the ever-present security specialists and the comings and goings of SUVs and military vans.
As for the chairman and his wife, the moose maneuvers were a first. But for the couple who spend much of their time traveling the nation and the world, it was just part of their latest adventure. On their last trip, they saw koalas in Australia.
War Story: Sgt. Ross Shores
If you follow the link to the article there are a number of video clips available as well.
Ross Shores enjoyed his football days at Chandler's Hamilton High School. In fact he planned to continue his athletic career at Montana State.
But, he says too much football and parties and not enough school, led him to transfer to the University of Arizona. When he still couldn't seem to focus on education, he decided to join the Army.
Chairman Presents Awards for Heroism in Iraq
The following article from the Armed Forces Press Service describes the ceremony also covered by the Daily News-Miner. Follow the link to see additional photos from the event as well. Congratulations to the three soldiers honored.
By Linda D. Kozaryn, American Forces Press Service
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska, Feb. 23, 2007 – Marine Gen. Peter Pace presented a Distinguished Service Cross and two Silver Stars here yesterday to three soldiers for heroism displayed in Iraq on Nov. 19, 2005.
Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was an emotional moment for him to properly recognize the soldiers’ heroism, and “to say thank you for their incredible valor in the face of a very, very dangerous enemy.”
Pace awarded the Distinguished Service Cross to Army Pvt. Stephen C. Sanford of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, for displaying extraordinary courage during the evacuation of casualties from a home in Mosul while under intense enemy fire, according to Army officials.
Army pins high honors on soldiers
By Robinson Duffy, Daily News-Miner
The Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest honor the army gives to soldiers, is small. The prestigious award is a 2-inch by 2-inch bronze cross suspended by a red, white and blue ribbon. It doesn’t weigh much, physically, but emotionally it’s a heavy burden to bear, Pfc. Steven Sanford said.
Sanford, who is now retired from the military and who served with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry in the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team stationed at Fort Wainwright, received the Distinguished Service Cross on Thursday for heroic deeds performed during a combat operation in Mosul, Iraq, in November 2005. The award was presented to Sanford by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace.
Fort Wainwright soldier to receive Distinguished Service Cross
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska (AP) - A Fort Wainwright soldier will be presented the Distinguished Service Cross on Thursday for his actions in Iraq.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace, will present the award to Private First Class Steven C. Sanford, Army officials said Tuesday.
Sanford distinguished himself in November 2005 during an assault on a house occupied by suspected terrorists in Mosul, officials said.
1-25 Stryker Brigade Begins Reset Period
BY John Pennell, Fort Richardson PAO
Before the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team - now the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division - left Iraq, the Army was already busy planning for its return to the Army's "Ready Force Pool" and future missions.
Before the unit could be considered ready, a major reset - or complete overhaul of equipment and re-stationing and training of personnel - had to be accomplished fast enough to allow incoming personnel to train on the necessary equipment and in the proper training strategies.
Overhaul window short
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
Scrubbed clean but showing a few scuffs and scratches, the Stryker vehicles being offloaded from rail cars at Fort Wainwright on Thursday looked much different than they did roaming the streets and countryside of Iraq just a few months ago with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
There were no 50-caliber machine guns mounted to the tops, no reams of barbed wire, no slat armor or ballistic shields. There was no rubber duckie mounted to the front of the vehicle once commanded by Lt. Col. Al Kelly to illustrate his penchant for encountering improvised explosive devices, a trait earning him the moniker “sitting duck.” Replacing the white, wooden signs with red Arabic writing that warned motorists and potential vehicular suicide bombers to “Stay Back” were pink labels with “Packing Slip Enclosed.”
Blessed to be alive
By Mary Beth Smetzer, Daily News-Miner
Army Staff Sgt. James Jeane calls himself “blessed.”
Jeane’s wife, Sunshine, frequently refers to her spouse as “My miracle husband.”
Almost a year ago — Feb. 26, 2006, to be exact — Jeane, a member of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry of the 172nd Stryker Brigade was severely wounded while on patrol near Mosul, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device hit the Stryker vehicle he was in.
Naperville soldier glad to be back
By Nick Fawell, Naperville Sun
By the time his high school classmates had settled into college life, Matthew Mason was moving into a tent so he could keep weapons from crossing the Syrian- Iraqi border.
Tuesday morning, he came home to his family in Naperville for the first time in 14 months.
Mason, a 2003 graduate of Neuqua Valley High School, wanted to be in the Army since he was a little boy, his mother, Patti, says. He was so sure that he enlisted more than a year before his high school graduation.
Army equipment returning from Iraq to Alaska
Battle equipment from two U.S. Army Alaska units that recently returned from Iraq will begin arriving in Anchorage this week, including the Stryker vehicles used by the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
The equipment is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Anchorage on Wednesday morning on the USS Shugart, according to a press release from U.S. Army Alaska.
Valley family's sleeping well again
Dennis McCarthy, LA Daily News
'Captain Darrell Stepter is home after 16 months in Iraq," the e-mail from a proud father began.
"Darrell was born and raised in the Valley. He is a graduate from Van Nuys High Magnet program. He graduated from West Point in 2003 at the age of 21.
"He is an officer with the 172nd Stryker Brigade that got extended to go into Baghdad in August 2006. During his tour he was awarded the Bronze Star.
Wounded warrior’s wife thanks the community
Stephanie Edmundson stood before a room full of Craven County people Monday to thank the community for giving her and her wounded husband, Sgt. Eric Edmundson, a chance for a better life.
“We feel the appreciation the community has for the sacrifice Eric has made,” she told the group attending the Craven-Pamlico Christian Coalition meeting.
Local residents and Homes For Our Troops are working toward a handicapped-equipped home for the couple and their 2-year-old daughter which general contractor Bill Russell hopes will be ready in six months.
Soldiers visit their adopted hometown
JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS, Associated Press
GUYMON, Okla. - They hailed from Arkansas, Iowa, New York and Chicago, but for one week at least, these Army buddies considered Guymon home.
They were nine battalion members who made a pact to return here months after they buried their best friend, Guymon native Joshua Pearce, who was killed by a roadside bomb explosion while they served a tour in Iraq. Pearce died two months before he was to return home.
Back from Iraq
By LISA BEISEL, Annapolis Capital
Army Sgt. Brendan Tompkins stepped off a plane at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport Dec. 19 to a midnight homecoming with a dozen relatives. He rode home in his mother's Ford minivan through quiet streets, amid twinkling Christmas lights and glowing nativity scenes.
"It was kind of like a relief - like, wow, I'm home," the 21-year-old Severn resident said. "It's been a long time."
And a long way from the dangerous streets of Baghdad.
Surprises aplenty for area grandparents
By JOE GRACE, Northwest Herald
Richard G. Sheppard admits that he has a bad heart, but that didn’t keep him from enjoying a long-awaited surprise.
In fact, the 79-year-old Johnsburg resident had two surprises this week.
The first was when his grandson, 34-year-old Army Spc. Edward Grove, surprised Sheppard and his wife, Kathryn J. Sheppard, on their 60th anniversary Thursday.
Soldier fights a different battle
By Amy Bartner, The Indianapolis Star
Derek Sutton is quiet and polite.
When the 21-year-old former U.S. Army corporal speaks about his tour in Iraq, it's as if he watched someone else go through it.
That's also how he refers to his diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia, which doctors discovered during his outgoing medical examination as he left the Army in early December.
Stryker increases troops’ survivability
By Spc. Debrah A. Robertson, 40th Public Affairs Detachment
Blackanthem Military News, Southwest Asia — I need pressure to stop this bleeding! Someone start an IV!
Brightly lit and teeming with medics, this is not an operating room or even an ambulance. This is a Medical Evacuation Stryker vehicle.
There are 10 different variants of the Stryker. Its smooth ride and heavy armor allow it to support multiple functions, from infantry power to engineering teams to ambulatory services.
Nikiski man mends, re-enlists after injury in Iraq
By JOSEPH ROBERTIA, Peninsula Clarion
KENAI, Alaska (AP) - They say it takes more than just strength, courage and determination to be a soldier. It also takes an indelible resolve in the face of adversity, which a soldier from Nikiski proved he had this past year.
Chris Bauer, 23, of Nikiski, was seriously injured in April when a suicide bomber detonated himself near Bauer while he was on foot out of his Stryker vehicle as part of a dismounted patrol in Rawah, Iraq.
Reluctant KH military hero comes home for Christmas
By: Arnie Harris, Bradford County Telegraph
While driving down S.R. 21 in Keystone, you may have noticed welcome home signs for Army Sergeant Christopher Glasgow at such locations as Mallard's, Johnny's Bar-B-Q, Ace Hardware, AMVETS and others.
A reluctant hero if there ever were one, Glasgow, who arrived home from Iraq on Christmas morning, had this as just another factor to add to his embarrassment over being made such a fuss over.
Warrior comes home and meets his pen pals
By STEVE MARRONI, Daily Record
Dec 27, 2006 — Mary Bankert could not have asked for a better gift.
Her son is home for the holidays, and he's safe. On a stage in front of a gym full of singing and cheering elementary school students, her son, Sgt. Will Worthington, smiled ear-to-ear, pumped an American flag proudly in the air and wrapped an arm around her as she willed away the tears of joy.
And Worthington, 22, could not have asked for a better homecoming. He was just happy to see green grass.
Area woman home after 16 months in Iraq
Today will be a special Christmas for Army Spc. Julia Thompson of Whittier.
She started feeling it even as the jet bringing her home safely from 16 months in Iraq descended through the fog at LAX. As other passengers on the commercial flight stared at her, Thompson began weeping.
"Nobody knew what I was feeling," she said. The 21-year-old Whittier resident returned Dec. 15 after serving as the only woman in a military intelligence combat unit, first in Mozul and then in Baghdad. She served with the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Richardson in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Family reunion, part I
Tim Doulin , THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Army 1 st Sgt. Juan Cornett was happy to be home after almost a year and a half in Iraq. It was a nice early Christmas gift, too, for his mother, Kathryn.
But both felt a bit of emptiness as they hugged at Port Columbus last night. Two of his brothers — her sons — are still in harm’s way.
Soldiers home for the holidays
By Eric Schwartzberg and Denise Wilson, Middletown Journal
LIBERTY TWP. — When Army Spc. Patrick Heitfeld arrived at his Squaw Valley Drive home on Wednesday evening after an 18-month tour — 16 of which were spent in Iraq — he was looking forward to a good night's sleep on his own waterbed.
"It's a lot better than the old, rusty spring bed," Heitfeld said of his sleeping arrangements in the Army.
Hours after the 2001 Lakota West High School graduate flew in from Alaska, he was relaxing on the living room couch surrounded by family and his grandmother's 12-year-old, long-haired Dachshund, Rudy.
Final Strykers return home
By ERIC LIDJI, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska (AP) - Of the many handwritten signs lining the lattice fences of Fort Wainwright, one, written from a wife to her husband abroad, read, "If you can read this, I can finally breathe again."
With the last flight of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team - now known as the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team - arriving Tuesday morning, the friends and family members who had waited the longest could finally release their breath.
The Volunteer: 172nd Soldier Deploys Through Extended Tour
By Sgt. Thomas L. Day, 40th Public Affairs Detachment
SOUTHWEST ASIA— The finish line was just days away for the 172nd Stryker Brigade. Then, after twelve months in Iraq, they were told their tour would be extended.
Pfc. Kyle Exzabe was stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, with the 172nd rear-detachment, and he thought the deployed troops needed some help. Many of the Soldiers assigned to the brigade had already been redeployed and needed to return to Iraq. Exzabe wanted to go with them.
Soldier returns from Iraq in time for Christmas
Indianapolis - The greatest of Christmas wishes came true for one Hoosier family Sunday. Corporal Derek Sutton of Greenwood reunited with his family after serving 16 months in war-torn Iraq.
There's no place like home for the Holidays, especially when it's been so long.
"He left Christmas Eve last year and that's the last time I saw him. So I am ready to give him a big hug and welcome him home," said Laura Sutton.
Leaders Praise Fortitude of Stryker Brigade Families
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Dec. 15, 2006 – Army leaders praised military families here during ceremonies this week for standing solidly behind the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team during its 16-month deployment to Iraq.
Army Secretary Francis Harvey told families of brigade members during the “Arctic Wolves’” redeployment ceremony here Dec. 12 that the Army recognizes their sacrifices and will continue its efforts to support them.
Reunited Stryker Families Planning for Extra-Special Holida
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service (Photos included)
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska, Dec. 15, 2006 – Christmas came early this year for the Skeen family as they celebrated what Joanna Skeen called the best gift she could ever ask for: the safe return of her husband.
Army Staff Sgt. Michael Skeen and his fellow 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team soldiers returned to Alaska this month after 16 months in Iraq.
“It’s already Christmas,” said Joanna, whose husband was among the first “Arctic Wolves” delivered to their families and loved ones during the past weeks -- not in sleighs, but in chartered commercial planes. “It’s felt like Christmas morning every day since he’s been home,” she said. “It’s just overwhelming.”
172nd SBCT Legacy to Live on as Unit ‘Reflags’
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Dec. 15, 2006 – The 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team was officially redesignated the 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team during a ‘reflagging’ ceremony here yesterday.
During the ceremony, the brigade commander who led the unit for 16 months in Iraq and six battalion commanders handed their commands to their successors.
How families trained for 172nd Stryker BCT homecoming
Did any of you participate in this program? If so, was it helpful?
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska (Army News Service, Dec. 11, 2006) - Family members and friends of the recently returned 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team spent a few weeks in a new type of reintegration training before their Soldiers returned home.
"Back in July and August we completed a round of reintegration classes prior to the brigade's extension. The feedback we received from those classes let us know that something more was needed," said Lt. Col. Greg Parrish, deputy commander, 172nd SBCT.
‘Arctic Wolves’ Dedicate Wall Honoring Fallen Comrades
Here's another article from AFPS regarding yesterday's ceremony. Additional photos are included.
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska, Dec. 13, 2006 – The Arctic Wolves bid an emotional farewell to 36 of their own yesterday as they gathered here to dedicate the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Memorial Wall.
Leaders from the unit joined about 25 family members of the fallen in the atrium of the high-tech Battle Command Training Center here to remember 26 Stryker Brigade troops and 10 soldiers from units attached the brigade during its deployment. Another 150 brigade soldiers just back from a 16-month deployment to Iraq watched the ceremony in an overflow room on a large-screen TV.
Stryker Brigade Ceremony Focuses on Accomplishments, Sacrifices
The AFPS published the following article, along with a photo essay, of yesterday's redeployment ceremony. The photos are excellent.
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service
FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Dec. 13, 2006 – Some 4,000 members of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team gathered here yesterday to celebrate their accomplishments during 16 months in Iraq and mourn their losses as they uncased the unit’s colors during a stirring redeployment ceremony.
The soldiers assembled at the Carlson Community Center, just down the road from Fort Wainwright here, to reflect on their deployment and receive a rousing welcome home and thank you from Army and brigade leaders.
News-Miner Archive
Fairbanks newspaper Daily News-Miner, which has provided the most in-depth coverage of the 172nd, has created a new archive of information regarding the brigade's recent deployment. This is a great resource if you'd like to browse articles from the entire deployment in one spot.
Stryker Brigade unfurls its colors
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
With pomp and ceremony, the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team unfurled its colors Tuesday at the Carlson Center, the Army tradition that signifies troops are home from battle.
The battle was a 16-month tour in Iraq that encompassed nearly 50,000 square miles of battle space for the brigade in northern and western Iraq and throughout Baghdad.
Alaska soldiers who died in Iraq honored
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
Nearly 3,800 soldiers with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team returned home to Alaska from Iraq during the last two weeks.
Twenty-six did not.
Those 26 died while serving with the brigade — 19 of them during the brigade’s first 12 months in northern and western Iraq, and seven in Baghdad after the brigade’s tour was extended 120 days and moved to the capital to help combat sectarian violence. An additional 10 service members died while attached to the 172nd or assisting the brigade with combat operations.
Trailing Strykers to arrive today
About 70 soldiers with the trail team of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team are expected to arrive in Fairbanks today as the brigade nears its complete return to Fort Wainwright.
All but nearly 200 of the 3,800 soldiers with the brigade returned to Alaska between Nov. 25 and Dec. 5 after their 16-month deployment to northern and western Iraq and Baghdad. All soldiers are out of Iraq, but the trail team remains in Kuwait to facilitate the return of the soldiers, Stryker vehicles and other equipment. The final group of soldiers are scheduled to return to Alaska by Friday.
Arctic Wolves’ Extended Tour Nearly Complete
Written by SPC Debrah Robertson
Kuwait – After an extended time in theater, the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team rolls out of Iraq and into Kuwait for the final leg of their tour – the resetting of their Stryker vehicles.
A job this big requires the hard work and dedication of several different groups.
Stryker Soldiers Rise to Challenge
Written by SPC Debrah Robertson
Kuwait – When the Soldiers of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team were told they could not go home after 12 months, despite all their hard work and dedication in Mosul, Iraq, they were disappointed.
“It’s disheartening at first. Everyone was looking forward to going home, especially [our] families,” said 2nd Lt. Jason Blair, ordnance officer with Forward Maintenance Co., 172nd SBCT.
Stryker brigade getting ready to head back to Alaska
The title of the article is a bit misleading since the main body of the 172nd has already returned to AK.
By Megan McCloskey, Stars and Stripes
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait — After 16 months in the scorching heat of the desert, a couple of hundred Stryker vehicles are now winterized for the deep freeze of Alaska.
The 172nd Stryker Brigade is finally going home.
The unit out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska, was in Iraq for four months longer than expected after a controversial extension of its one-year deployment. A victim of its own success in the northern part of the country, the brigade was tapped in late July to help quell the virulent sectarian fighting in Baghdad.
Daily News-Miner Photos
The Daily News-Miner has created a new section on their website featuring homecoming photos for the 172nd SBCT.
The Return
Newsweek concludes its coverage of the 172nd's extension with the following article.
Nov. 30, 2006 - For Staff Sgt. Duane Leventry, the culture shock hit him full force in an Anchorage, Alaska, supermarket. Shortly after returning home from 16 months in Iraq, he found himself staring at an aisle full of steak sauce and marinade, paralyzed by the sheer volume of choices. “I must have stood there for 10 minutes trying to figure out what to get,” says Leventry, who arrived home in Anchorage last Saturday, Nov. 25, to his wife Kelly and 3-year-old daughter Alexia. “Do I want this? Do I want that? It took us about two hours to get out of the store.”
Quarters are tight for returning Strykers, incoming soldiers
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
A combination of immediate and long-term growth on Fort Wainwright Army Post has Army officials pushing for more housing in the community and borough officials promising the needs will be met.
The short-term housing dilemma has been caused in large part by the four-month extension of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Iraq. The brigade was scheduled to return to Alaska in August but instead had its tour extended so the unit could be moved to Baghdad to help quell violence there.
First Arctic Wolves Return to Alaska After 16 Months in Iraq
A handful of images are also included with this article if you follow the link.
By Brian Lepley and Spc. L.B. Edgar, AFPS
FORT RICHARDSON, Alaska, Nov. 27, 2006 – Two days after Thanksgiving, the families of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team had a lot to be thankful for as three planeloads of the “Arctic Wolves” returned from a 16-month deployment to Iraq.
Fort Wainwright welcomed more than 620 soldiers and Fort Richardson welcomed another 215 troops Nov. 25. More flights through this week and next were expected to get more than 3,720 Stryker soldiers back home by Dec. 5.
Paintball in Baghdad
Think of it as a super-charged paintball gun. That’s what some soldiers in Iraq are toting these days to deal with troublemakers on the streets of Baghdad. But there’s nothing fun about being on the receiving end of the FN 303 Less Lethal System. The semi-automatic launcher shoots a .68 caliber projectile at 300 feet per second using compressed air. The fin-stabilized projectiles have an effective range out to 100 meters.
It’s not designed to kill, but it packs a potent sting.
'Arctic Wolves' head home from Iraq
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq (Army News Service, Nov. 27, 2006) - The Arctic Wolves are returning to Alaska after 16 consecutive months of operations here.
The Soldiers of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team cased their colors in a Nov. 24 ceremony outside the Division Morale Welfare and Recreation complex. The ceremony marked the official end of combat operations for the unit deployed primarily from Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and partially from Fort Richardson.
Stryker Brigade Returns Home to Alaska from Iraq
The following is an audio report from NPR station KUAC. Follow the link and click the "Listen" icon. Description:
Morning Edition, November 27, 2006 - Members of the Army's 172nd Stryker Brigade have finished an extended tour of duty in Iraq. After 16 months away from Alaska's Fort Wainwright, the soldiers arrived home to waiting families. Libby Casey of member station KUAC reports.
Homecoming Photos
The Anchorage Daily-News has a nice photo gallery that includes many photos from this past weekend at Ft. Wainwright.
Stryker soldiers home
By Beth Bragg, Anchorage Daily News
Ten-year-old William Crowley and his 6-year-old brother, Xavier, thought they had come to Buckner Physical Fitness Center on Saturday morning to hang decorations.
Each carried a poster bearing colorful welcome-home messages for their dad. They knew he was coming home from the war. They just didn't know he was coming home Saturday.
Their mom knew. But Kerrie Crowley hadn't told the boys because she wanted to protect their little hearts, broken this summer when their dad's yearlong tour in Iraq was extended by four months just as homecoming plans were being made.
Strykers return to open arms
Welcome home to the first group of 172nd soldiers!
By MARGARET FRIEDENAUER and AMANDA BOHMAN, Daily News-Miner
It was 32 below zero on Fort Wainwright, a 102-degree difference from Baghdad, where hundreds of soldiers with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team arrived from Saturday. But even with foggy and icy windows on the buses they rode from Eielson Air Force Base, all the soldiers knew was the warm welcome of friends and family.
Before the soldiers arrived at Fort Wainwright, Col. Robert Ball, deputy commander of U.S. Army Alaska, briefed the anxious and excited crowd of family and friends.
“Go easy on them. They’re tired and a little chilly,” Ball said.
Families ready for brigade’s return
Jennifer Thomas scrawled her sentiments about the upcoming week in white paint across the windows of her car Friday morning.
“It’s about time,” the letters read. “Welcome home. Finally.”
“I wanted to write ‘It’s about damn time,’” Thomas said. “But I thought for when the kids ride in the car and all, I shouldn’t.”
Still, the extra punch of that word reflects Thomas’ jumbled emotions, ranging from excitement to anxiety about the coming days when her husband returns from 16 months in Iraq.
Strykers heading home
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
The 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team ended its combat operations in Baghdad on Monday, essentially bringing to a close its major work in Iraq, an Army official said Tuesday.
Col. Robert Ball, deputy commander of U.S. Army Alaska, made the announcement at a Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
This time, families hope it's for real
By TATABOLINE BRANT, Anchorage Daily News
After a year-long tour in northern Iraq and a dangerous and controversial four-month extension in Baghdad, the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team is finally coming home, military officials said Tuesday.
The 3,800-person unit, which has lost 26 soldiers in the 16 months it has been gone, is scheduled to return to Alaska in waves starting Saturday, U.S. Army Alaska spokesman Maj. Kirk Gohlke said.
Most of the troops will be flying into Fairbanks, where the brigade is stationed at Fort Wainwright. About 200 will return to Fort Richardson. Officials hope to have all the soldiers back by Dec. 5, Gohlke said.
A Long-Delayed Homecoming
Here is another article from Newsweek focusing on families from the 172nd.
By Karen Breslau and Catharine Skipp, Newsweek
Nov. 21, 2006 - They are daring to hope. As the hours count down, Jodi Velotta and other U.S. Army wives are beginning to think that this time it might really be true—their men are headed home from Iraq.
“It's a lot to know that the day is coming and I didn't wake up to that e-mail saying, ‘We've been extended,’” says Jodi, whose husband, Capt. Brad Velotta, commands a company in the 4-23 infantry battalion of the 172nd Stryker Brigade, based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska. “I'm like a kid everyday, thinking ‘One day closer, one day closer.’”
172nd Redeploymnt Ceremony
This press release from the US Army Alaska Public Affairs Office provides details regarding the brigade's redeployment ceremony scheduled for December 12, 2006.
US Army Alaska, November 21, 2006 (PDF file)
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska – The 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team will hold a redeployment ceremony Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. to honor the soldiers returning from Iraq after 16 months and recognize them for an exceptional tour of duty.
Officials will hold a ceremony unveiling a Wall of Honor dedicated to those who gave their lives in Iraq at 9:15 a.m. Dec. 12. There is no seating available for this ceremony, and space is extremely limited.
Plenty to be thankful for, despite Iraq
The following editorial was written by the wife a soldier with the 172nd SBCT.
By JULIANA DAPICE, Anchorage Daily News
During this time between Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving, I am feeling both pensive and thankful. My beloved husband, Rob, currently serving with the 172nd Stryker Brigade, is among our nation's newest veterans. He deployed to Iraq from Alaska in August of 2005.
It is with mixed emotions that I look forward to this Thanksgiving. Because of the infamous extension of the 172nd Stryker Brigade, 15 months have passed since the day they left in August. Another Thanksgiving will soon be here and our husbands are still away. The yellow ribbons I tied around the trees this summer in anticipation of their homecoming have barely weathered the harsh change of Alaska seasons. In fact they are so ragged I must just tie new ones before they return.
Stryker brigade returning to Alaska
By TATABOLINE BRANT, Anchorage Daily News
After a yearlong tour in northern Iraq and a dangerous and controversial four-month extension in Baghdad, the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team is coming home.
The 3,800-person unit is scheduled to return to Alaska in waves starting Saturday, military officials said today.
U.S. Army Alaska spokesman Maj. Kirk Gohlke said all the troops are scheduled to be home by Dec. 5. Most will be flying into Fairbanks, where the brigade is based at Fort Wainwright, he said. About 200 will return to Fort Richardson in Anchorage.
The 172nd left Alaska for Iraq in September 2005. Their departure was and remains the largest war zone deployment of Army soldiers Alaska has seen since Vietnam.
Sleuths in Body Armor
Update 11/21/06: Parts 3 & 4 have been published.
The LA Times is running a four-part series of articles featuring the 4-23 INF (Tomahawks), 172nd SBCT. Provided below are links to each article, which also contain photos and audio. Full access to the content requires registration. Description:
Times staff writer Doug Smith spent seven days in October on patrols in Baghdad with two platoons of the 4th (Tomahawk) Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The platoons were investigating the kidnapping of at least 22 Iraqi men from a meatpacking plant in southwest Baghdad.
- Part One: Few clues and reluctant witnesses
- Part Two: U.S. troops become sleuths in Iraq slaying case
- Part Three: U.S. troops look for an inside man in Iraqi slayings
- Part Four: Witnesses take a ride downtown
Everyone who works the street wears sunglasses—the job requires it. If the sun’s glare impairs your vision, you won’t see to drive, look for crimes in progress or defend yourself from attack. The criminals we face know we need vision to avoid, evade or counter danger. During my 30- year career, my eyes were attacked on numerous occasions. You never know when the distressed little old lady will turn into a raving lunatic and try to poke you or the teenager smoking a joint will decide to throw dirt in your face. I defended myself against such attacks by keeping people at a distance, always a good idea, but closing in on other people remains unavoidable. Our soldiers, sailors and Marines fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan also face this necessity and the inherent risks, and they do something about it by wearing safety glasses at all times. Yes, I know that for American law enforcement officers to adopt this practice, the glasses must look good. Fortunately, the makers of Revision Military Eyewear understand the style requirement. After all, military personnel like to look good, too.
Bullet pierces soldier's future
The following article provides an update on a 172nd SBCT soldier recovering at Walter Reed after being seriously injured in Baghdad.
By Christy Strawser, Daily Tribune
HAZEL PARK -- Julia Chandler cannot describe what it was like to see her son on a stretcher with holes in his body.
"It was too much," she said. "There are no words. My son was in pieces with all these stitches; he was out of it; there were tubes coming out of him."
Infantry soldier William Isaac Chandler, 23, a 2001 Hazel Park High School graduate, was on a tank in Baghdad City, Iraq, on Oct. 5 when a sniper's bullet tore through his chest just outside his protective body armor.
Stryker Brigade Getting Job Done in Baghdad
By Spc. L.B. Edgar, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAGHDAD – One day in a war zone is a lifetime for some people. Now, increase that to approximately 16 months of dedicated service and you begin to understand the sacrifice of the Soldiers of the 172nd Stryker Brigade.
“We’re doing our jobs to the best of our abilities and we’re doing it until we come home,” said Spc. Virgilio Rivera, an infantryman with Troop C, 4th Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade.
For 172nd, finally, end draws near
By LARRY KAPLOW- Cox News Service
CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- After 16 months at war, Alaska's 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team heads home from Bahgdad later this month with its 3,500 troops expected back at Fort Wainwright by mid-December.
It has been one of the longest tours of duty the Pentagon has imposed on any major unit since the war began.
And it has put a strain on the soldiers.
U.S. takes on community building in Iraq
By LAUREN FRAYER, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. soldiers, automatic rifles buckled to their body armor, filed into a community center in a dangerous Shiite neighborhood of north Baghdad Saturday and for a few hours became social workers, cops on the beat and referees between feuding tribesmen.
Tea was passed around, notes were taken, local sheiks spoke in wise tones, heads nodded vigorously in agreement and mundane problems such as garbage collection and distributing electricity generators were tackled.
Wounded soldier expecting a full recovery and a trip home soon
Three weeks after being wounded by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, Neal Schanbeck II says he’s on his way to a full recovery and a visit to the Harbor.
“I’m feeling better. I should be in outpatient care in about a week,” the 2002 Aberdeen High School graduate said, speaking from his room in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Schanbeck has been at Walter Reed since Oct. 23, recovering from multiple injuries and surgeries.
Stryker Soldiers seize large munitions cache in Baghdad
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers seized a large weapons and munitions cache Nov. 7 while on a dismounted patrol in Rusafa, a central Baghdad neighborhood.
The Soldiers from Company C, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, discovered 35 60mm mortar rounds, two 82mm mortar rounds, 20 120mm mortar rounds, five 57mm mortar rounds, six 94mm recoilless-rifle rounds, two 120mm rocket warheads, 50 7.62mm rounds, seven rocket-propelled grenade launchers, six pounds of homemade explosives, two pounds of dynamite, two RPG rounds, two body armor vests and various bomb-making materials.
An explosive ordnance disposal team performed a controlled detonation of the weapons and munitions.
Medical Personnel Provide Care to Residents
By U.S. Army Spc. Jason Dangel
BAGHDAD, Nov. 8, 2006 — Someone once said, "little things can go a long way," and this is exactly what Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers aimed to achieve as they teamed up with Iraqi soldiers from the 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, to provide a free, one-day medical screening for the citizens of Baghdad’s Al Mansour neighborhood Nov. 4.
Iraqi army doctors and medics, along with medical personnel from the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, as well as medics and doctors from the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, rendered medical care to approximately 200 Iraqi citizens during the event.
IA, MND-B Soldiers detain 24 suspected terrorists
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
BAGHDAD – Iraqi army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers detained 24 suspected terrorists in Baghdad Saturday and Sunday.
Soldiers from the 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and MND-B’s 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, detained 23 suspected terrorists Sunday for their suspected involvement with death squads and setting up illegal checkpoints. All suspects were detained for further questioning.
SPC James Lee Bridges
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. James L. Bridges, 22, of Buhl, Idaho, died Nov. 4 in Baghdad, Iraq, when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations. Bridges was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Ala.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers. Additional information will be added to this entry as it becomes available.
Iraqis Take Lead Against Bombers, Militia Leader
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2006 – Iraqi units took the lead in capturing suspected bomb-makers and a senior militia leader, officials at Multinational Force Iraq reported today.
Iraqi special forces personnel conducted a raid yesterday in the Jihad district of Baghdad and captured two bomb-makers, officials said. The unit detained seven other suspected cell members and confiscated two Iraqi uniforms.
Families wait for soldiers to come home
The following is another audio report via KUAC. There is a text transcript for this segment if you don't have audio on your computer.
FAIRBANKS, AK (2006-11-04) It's been a difficult few months for families of soldiers in the 172nd Stryker Brigade, who were in the midst of planning reunions and welcome home parties when the Brigade's tour in Iraq was extended. Now the families are coping with frustration at the long deployment and fear for their soldiers' safety. KUAC's Libby Casey reports.
Soldiers' families find support
The following is an audio report from NPR station, KUAC. Follow the link and click the "Listen" icon.
FAIRBANKS, AK (2006-11-04) Since the 172nd Stryker Brigade had its deployment extended, there's been a lot of talk about the soldiers and when they'll come home from Iraq. Regardless of when the troops will ultimately finish their tour, the spouses left behind here in Alaska have to keep their lives going without them. As KUAC's Libby Casey reports, Army families learn to be strong and find support.
Election Spotlight on Iraq? Not For Some Soldiers.
The following article also contains links to two video segments featuring the 172nd SBCT.
BAGHDAD, Nov. 2, 2006 — Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade's 2nd Platoon live in a confined world. There are no windows in their armored vehicles, and barricades ring the Baghdad neighborhood they patrol.
The Iraq War may dominate the election in the United States, but on the front lines, these soldiers from Alaska don't have time to follow the big debate back home over the war.
Sgt. Kraig D. Foyteck
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Kraig D. Foyteck, 26, of Skokie, Ill., died Oct. 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, from injuries suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations. Foyteck was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones he leaves behind. Any articles we find regarding Sgt. Foyteck will be added to this entry.
Iraqi Demands Pullback; U.S. Lifts Baghdad Cordon
According to the following article the 172nd SBCT was responsible for some of the checkpoints that were removed.
By KIRK SEMPLE, The New York Times
BAGHDAD, Oct. 31 — Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki demanded the removal of American checkpoints from the streets of Baghdad on Tuesday, in what appeared to be his latest and boldest gambit in an increasingly tense struggle for more independence from his American protectors.
Mr. Maliki’s public declaration seemed at first to catch American commanders off guard. But by nightfall, American troops had abandoned all the positions in eastern and central Baghdad that they had set up last week with Iraqi forces as part of a search for a missing American soldier. The checkpoints had snarled traffic and disrupted daily life and commerce throughout the eastern part of the city. [...]
Stryker Soldier Killed in Iraq
FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska – A Fort Wainwright Soldier was killed in Iraq Monday.
The Soldier, assigned to the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Wainwright, was killed by enemy small-arms fire while conducting clearing operations in Baghdad, Iraq at 5:50 p.m. Monday Iraq time, 5:50 a.m. Monday Alaska time.
No other Soldiers were injured in the incident.
Next of kin have been notified.
Stryker Brigade homecoming set for Dec. 12
A welcome home ceremony is being planned for the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Wainwright. The Army is planning the homecoming ceremony December 12th to welcome the troops back from Iraq. The Army is expecting most soldiers from the brigade home by then.
However, Army spokesman Chuck Canterbury says the date is, "subject to conditions on the ground in Iraq." The ceremony will be followed the next day by a reflagging ceremony. The 172nd will be officially renamed the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division. [...]
Commander: Soldiers have embraced mission
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
BAGHDAD — Col. Michael Shields, commander of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, said he was no less surprised by the extension of his brigade’s tour in Iraq than many of his soldiers were.
Once he was told at the end of July of the decision by ground commanders in Iraq, Shields said he worked to notify the soldiers as quickly as he could, flying to each location he had troops located across northern and western Iraq. He spoke to family members in Fairbanks via video conference the night before the announcement became public.
Army Wife Distrusts Timetables
The following is a short excerpt from another very long article from Newsweek profiling 172nd SBCT families during the brigade's extension.
Oct. 30, 2006 - For the first year of her husband's deployment with the 172nd Stryker Brigade, Tamara Bell says she was a "good Army wife." She supported her husband's mission and trusted the military to bring him home safely—and on time. After all, Tamara, 32, grew up as a Navy brat, and she and Staff Sgt. Edward Bell have been married for 12 years, weathering several overseas deployments in South Korea, Bosnia and the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, when Edward was with one of the first units to enter Baghdad. Even during his second Iraq deployment, Tamara, waiting at home in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the couple's infant son, did everything she could to keep her spirits up. She and Edward counted the days remaining in full moons ("It seems a lot shorter that way") and communicated nonstop about their baby Nicholas, now 11 months old, whom Edward last saw at birth.
But last July, only days before Edward was to return home to Fairbanks following a year of combat duty in Mosul, Tamara learned that his infantry battalion, the 4-23, was being sent to Baghdad to quell violence in the Iraqi capital. The extension was to last four months. That was the moment she snapped, she says. "Everyone has a breaking point, and that was mine," says Bell. "He was exactly seven days away from coming home. With the extension, I said, 'Wow, I need to be a lot less trusting of what the military tells us.'" Her husband, she adds, feels his own country is using him. “They are no longer showing us any loyalty." [...]
Missing Soldier Married Iraqi
Here is some additional information regarding the missing soldier the 172nd was looking for last week. His identity is finally confirmed.
NEW YORK - A U.S. Army translator missing after being kidnapped in Iraq had broken military rules to marry an Iraqi woman and was visiting her when he was abducted, according to people who claim to be relatives of the wife.
According to a report in Monday editions of The New York Times, the relatives said that the Soldier, previously unidentified by the U.S. government, is Ahmed Qusai al-Taei, a 41-year-old Iraqi-American. The family did not know he was a Soldier until after the kidnapping, the relatives said.
172nd sees successes in Baghdad mission
By TATABOLINE BRANT, Anchorage Daily News
The U.S. military command in Iraq acknowledged earlier this month that its two-month campaign to stem violence in Baghdad -- called Operation Together Forward II -- had fallen short and that the effort needed to be refocused. The Alaska-based 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team -- 3,800 Army soldiers from forts Richardson and Wainwright -- are at the heart of that operation. After serving for a year in northern Iraq, the brigade late this summer had its tour extended and was moved to Baghdad to help quell violence there. Col. Michael Shields, commander of the 172nd, spoke to the Daily News by telephone Wednesday. His comments have been edited for length.
Sgt. Killed in Iraq Was Driven to Protect Others
The following audio report was filed by NPR affiliate KUAC in Alaska. Follow the link and click the "Listen" icon.
Morning Edition, October 26, 2006 · The Army has announced that Alaska's 172nd Stryker Brigade will finally be headed home by Christmas. But five men in that unit won't be returning home. They were killed during their extended tour of battle. The first to die was Sgt. Eugene Alex.
Search for Missing U.S. Soldier Continues in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Oct. 24, 2006 – Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers are searching for U.S. soldier missing since yesterday evening. Officials have not released the soldier’s name.
Soldiers from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, along with the Iraqi National Police, mounted an intensive effort to locate the soldier by using all means available, including attack aviation elements and unmanned aerial vehicles.
172nd Searches for Missing US Soldier
CNN's John Roberts is embedded with the 1-17 INF, 172nd SBCT in Bagdhad and reports that the unit was dispatched today to search for a US soldier who is missing. Other news outlets claim the soldier is from the 4th ID, but we haven't seen any confirmation from the military yet. You can read the CNN article online, and also watch a video report from Roberts in Baghdad (in left column under "Videos"). If you can't find the video try this direct link.
Related Article:
Troops Look for American Soldier Missing in Baghdad - The New York Times
Strykers keep fighting for Iraq
By Margaret Friedenauer, Daily News-Miner
BAGHDAD — If nothing else, the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team’s move to Baghdad has put the first 12 months of deployment into perspective for some battalions.
“You don’t realize how successful we were up there until you come down here,” said Capt. Dave Bedard of Anchorage, with the 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment of the Stryker Brigade.
To Stand or Fall in Baghdad: Capital Is Key to Mission
The following article also features a slideshow with many photos of the 172nd SBCT operating in Baghdad.
By MICHAEL R. GORDON, The New York Times
BAGHDAD, Oct. 22 — After three years of trying to thwart a potent insurgency and tamp down the deadly violence in Iraq, the American military is playing its last hand: the Baghdad security plan.
The plan will be tweaked, adjusted and modified in the weeks ahead, as American commanders try to reverse the dismaying increase in murders, drive-by shootings and bombings.
On Baghdad Streets, a Police Partnership Falters
BAGHDAD, Oct. 21 � When Lt. Col. John Norris led his Stryker battalion to the Baya district of Baghdad last month he planned to work hand in glove with the Iraqi police. But no sooner did he venture onto the streets than he discovered that the police who were to be his partners were part of the problem.
As his Stryker command vehicle drove along a crowded avenue Colonel Norris spied several Shiite women in black abayas wailing over a body sprawled near a mosque as distraught relatives smeared the dead man�s blood on their faces. The American officer tried to wave down an Iraqi National Police truck for help, but the driver gave him an icy stare and kept going.[...]
172nd SBCT Soldiers Deliver 75 Generators
by Staff Sgt. Kevin Lovel, 363rd MPAD
BAGHDAD Multi-National Division Baghdad Soldiers conducted a humanitarian aid mission Oct. 13 in Baghdads Karkh district.
The Soldiers from Troop A, 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, delivered 75 generators to the districts educational headquarters for use in 60 neighborhood schools.
Were dropping off generators, backpacks and soccer balls, said Capt. Benjamin Tiernan, fire support officer, Troop A.
Baghdad Briefing
Multi-National Force Iraq spokesman MG William Caldwell briefed reporters in Baghdad today regarding recent operations in the capital and elsewhere. One of the topics he covers is the increase in violence in Baghdad despite the higher level of coalition forces there, including the 172nd SBCT and elements of the 3/2 SBCT. A streaming video of the briefing is available at the Pentagon Channel website (Internet Exp