4/2 SBCT, The Last Combat Brigade
Lots of coverage of the 4/2 SBCT as it redeploys as the last combat brigade in Iraq.
- Operation Iraqi Freedom ends as last combat soldiers leave Baghdad - Washington Post
- Last U.S. combat convoy has left Iraq - CNN.com
- Last of US troops in Iraq return to Lewis-McChord - The News Tribune
- Last U.S. brigade combat team conducts movement out of Iraq - DVIDS
- Soldiers deploy multiple times, see Iraq in different stages - DVIDS
- Fierce Company completes different kind of mission this deployment, as part of historic last combat brigade to leave Iraq - DVIDS
- New Dawn: 1st TSC Supports 4/2 Strykers in Historic Iraq Drawdown - DVIDS
- ommander Describes Road March Out of Iraq - DoD
- The Meaning Of The End Of Operation Iraqi Freedom - NPR
4/2 SBCT Redployment Articles
Welcome home!
- 4th Brigade troops head home - The News Tribune
- Sweet homecoming for 4th Brigade troops - The News Tribune
U.S., Iraqi leaders bid farewell to last American combat brigade
By Spc. Luisito Brooks & Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
FORWARD OPERATING BASE CONSTITUTION, Iraq (Army News Service, Aug. 10, 2010) -- Two Iraqi and three American Soldiers marched crisply across a parade field here to a display where their unit colors and their nations' flags flew in the wind.
The U.S. Soldiers, members of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division "Raiders," knelt and removed the American flags from the display. After executing a left face, the detail marched off the field from the direction they came, with the 6th Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi Flag remaining on the field.
Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of United States Forces -- Iraq, Abdel Qader Jassim, Iraqi Minister of Defense and other senior American and Iraqi leaders watched the event.
This gesture -- symbolizing the departure of the Raider Brigade and the commitment of Iraqi Security Forces to the people of Iraq -- brought the Soldiers of the unit one step closer to the end of their year-long deployment as the last combat brigade to depart Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
More Soldiers Returning to JBLM
Stryker brigade returns: Two down, one to go - FOB Tacoma
Another of Joint Base Lewis-McChord's Stryker brigades has returned from combat, but for a few soldiers in the trail party. That means two of the three brigades are home.
More than 200 soldiers with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division reunited with their loved ones at the local base early Friday. Among those getting the welcome wagon was the command team, including Col. Dave E. Funk and Command Sgt. Major Alan D. Bjerke.
Closure comes with JSS Tarmiyah transfer
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – When 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, arrived at Joint Security Station Tarmiyah in January 2010, there were still empty shell casings scattered on the rooftops and in the guard towers; a misleading sign as to what they would encounter over the next year.
As the third and final 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, unit to serve in Tarmiyah during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the squadron had the honor and privilege of transferring authority of JSS Tarmiyah to the Iraqi security forces, along with a sense of stability that hasn’t been seen in the area in many years.
JSS Tarmiyah was established at the beginning of the coalition offensive known as “The Surge” when U.S. forces strategically placed security stations in areas that were under the control of insurgents. This was done to help connect U.S. forces with the local people and root out the insurgency.
Tarmiyah was considered one of the hubs of the insurgency and the last stopping point on the northern smuggling route where insurgents brought weapons and foreign fighters into the capital city.
During the brigade’s first deployment in 2007 to 2008, Soldiers with 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, inherited JSS Tarmiyah from 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment. However, it was not where 2-8 Cav. had originally set up.
Long List of Recent Stryker Articles
Provided below are links to a number of recent Stryker related stories, photos and videos from DVIDS.
2/25 SBCT
- Task Force Marne Commander, CSM welcome Golden Dragons
- ˜Golden Dragons begin meeting with local leaders
- Hawaii Strykers build relationship in Iraq
- FOB Warhorse Transfer Ceremony [Photos]
- Hawaii unit arrives to Iraq to advise, assist
- 2SBCT, 25th ID Assuming Contingency Operations [Video]
2nd SCR
3/2 SBCT
- FOB Warhorse Transfer Ceremony [Photos]
4/2 SBCT
- Iraqi Army medics and local doctors lead medical mission in Abu Ghraib
- Abu Ghraib Medical Operation [Video]
- Humanitarian Assistance Drop [Video]
- US, Iraqi Security Forces open refurbished school
Redeployment Information for 4/2 SBCT
Head on over to the Facebook Page for the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker) for important redeployment information for the brigade.
US, Iraqi Soldiers Open Renovated Abu Ghraib School
BAGHDAD – Ebn Kuthrir School in Abu Ghraib was in desperate need of repair.
Children attended classes with outdated or broken equipment and had to suffer through the heat of summer without air conditioning. All of this made learning difficult for them.
Not anymore.
For the last few months, the school has been undergoing a facelift and is ready to receive the children. Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Inf. Division, United States Division – Center, who helped coordinate the renovation, traveled to Abu Ghraib, July 17, to open the reconditioned school.
“It’s been a big change,” said 2nd Lt. Will Daigle, fire support officer and a Cleveland, Tenn., native assigned to Company C, 1st Bn. “It was run down. Now it is the nicest building in the neighborhood. It is something they can look up to.”
Stryker Soldiers Featured in Photo Set
Recent scenes from Iraq, an album of recent photos compiled by The Big Picture blog, has a number of photos featuring Stryker soldiers in it.
Troopers Teach Iraqi Army Basic Forensics
By 2nd Lt. Joseph Dennis
KHARK, Iraq – An Iraqi Soldier from 5th Tank Battalion crouched down, shielding his eyes from the sun as he examined the ground beneath a doorframe.
“Right there,” he said, motioning toward a pile of gravel. Among the rocks, a small wire rose up and led through the door, a tell-tale sign that an improvised explosive device lurked just on the other side.
“Great job!” said Spc. Benjamin Peters, a scout with C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. “What do you do now?”
Peters, a Healdsburg, Calif., native, is one of several troopers from the squadron training his Iraqi counterparts how to perform tactical site exploitation.
When terrorists detonate IEDs or fire weapons, they leave behind small pieces of evidence, usually fingerprints or pieces of hair, which U.S. and Iraqi forces can trace to individuals using modern forensics. However, oftentimes first responders are unaware of the potential evidence and tamper with it. As a result, they contaminate the site.
An Accident That Saves Lives
CAMP LIBERTY – While Staff Sgt. Alqua Stephenson was conducting her normal inspection of the electronic warfare systems on several vehicles and taking notes in her notebook, she saw something was different.
“What the heck is this [antenna] doing here?” thought the electronic warfare non-commissioned officer in charge at 702nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. “How did this antenna get up here?”
What Stephenson saw stood out like a sore thumb to her trained eye. The antenna, used to jam the signals of remote-detonated improvised explosive devices, wasn’t mounted in its usual place.
She spoke with Sgt. Erika Collins, a logistic specialist from the unit, who explained that her MaxxPro Plus Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle had been turned in to the repair shop earlier in the day to repair a mounting bracket holding an antenna in place. The bracket had been damaged by overhanging trees while on a convoy escort mission the night before.
Curious to find out how this would affect the antenna’s signal jamming capabilities, Stephenson and fellow Soldiers in the battalion’s EW section ran a few tests and discovered that the change in location provided the vehicle with better coverage than the original configuration.
Service Members Become Citizens During Independence Day Ceremony
[Soldiers from the 4/2 SBCT were among those who took the oath.]
Courtesy of 103rd Publuic Affairs Detachment
Baghdad – The voices of 156 service members echoed off the marble-covered walls of the Al Faw palace as they proudly sounded off with the United States Oath of Allegiance.
The rotunda of the palace was standing room only July 4 as United States Forces-Iraq hosted the 17th U.S. naturalization ceremony held in Iraq.
Vice President of the United States Joseph R. Biden Jr., and his wife Dr. Jill Biden, were on hand as service members and civilians from across Iraq came to show their support for the new citizens.
Originally from 56 different countries, the new Americans now share a common bond of citizenship and have an additional reason to celebrate Independence Day.
Biden and Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, USF-I commanding general, both spoke to the service members before they recited the oath. They highlighted the selfless service the men and women have already given to their adopted country before becoming citizens.
4th SBCT Raid [Photos]
New photo album at DVIDS featuring the 4/2 SBCT.
Caption: U.S. Army Pfc. Justin McQuaid, from Windson, Calif., of 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division travels with his platoon to attend a local counsel meeting outside of Forward Operating Base Taji, Iraq, July 3. U.S. Soldiers attended the function to discover how the area is handling the withdraw of U.S. forces.
Dr. Jill Biden celebrates Fourth of July with Raider Brigade
Story by Sgt. Bryce Dubee
BAGHDAD – Dr. Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, met with members of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division “Raiders” and other deployed service members and civilians at Camp Liberty Sunday as part of a visit to Iraq during the 4th of July weekend.
Biden made a stop at the brigade headquarters and met briefly with Col. John Norris, the brigade commander, before joining Raider Brigade Soldiers for a Fourth of July barbecue celebration.
“I just want to say what an honor it is to spend the 4th of July with my family,” she said, explaining that as the mother of a Soldier, she considers the military her extended family.
Biden expressed her appreciation of the deployed Soldiers’ hard work and thanked them and their families for their service.
“I think she’s a pretty good role model for females,” said Sgt. Nicole Golden, an intelligence analyst with 45th Military Intelligence Company, 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div., who had a chance to meet with Biden. “I appreciate that she took the extra time to take a picture with us.”
After dining with the troops, Biden was given a walk-through of a few of the capabilities of the Stryker combat vehicle.
Sgt. Jed Glover, the vehicle commander, said he was impressed by just how interested Biden was in the capabilities of the vehicle.
“She clearly took it a little more to heart with her son being in the military,” he said. “It’s an honor for me to give her a presentation on what do.”
(via Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System)
JBLM Prepares for Influx of Soldiers
The impact of JBLM troops coming back - The News Tribune
By the fall, nearly 18,000 men and women from various local units will have returned this year – the largest incoming tide since both wars started.Just between Thursday and Sunday, some 800 troops were scheduled to come home to holiday weekend embraces.
For military families as well as surrounding South Sound communities, deployment —and preparing for a homecoming — can take on a familiar rhythm.
Police agencies prepare for young soldiers eager to taste freedom again. Schools gear up for more children, colleges for adult students seeking new skills. Everyone braces for more freeway traffic. And businesses get ready for returning customers.
Cav Scouts Share Knowledge With Iraqi Police Partners
Story by: 2nd Lt. Joseph Dennis
TARMIYAH, Iraq -- With a bang and a door bursting open, Iraqi policemen kicked off an urban assault exercise at the Tarmiyah Iraqi Police station June 26.
They conducted the training under the watchful eye of 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and an Iraqi Police advisory team from Tarmiyah.
“Great job, but remember to bend from your knees, not from your waist,” said Staff Sgt. Anthony Lovell, a member of Troop B, and a Constantinople, Ariz., native, as he analyzed their form.
Medics test for best honors in Raider Brigade
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Sixteen medics from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, participated in a top medic challenge at Camp Taji June 21.
The competition stretched the abilities of eight, two-medic teams who travelled from bases large and small across the brigade area of operations. Each of the six battalions in the brigade was allowed to send as many as two teams, the goal being to determine the best team through grueling challenges aimed at testing Soldier and medic skills.
“It takes a lot of heart and determination to be the best medic,” said Staff Sgt. Steven Haney, a health care sergeant from 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment. “You have to set your goals and not let yourself come up short.”
Completing the tasks could have been tough enough, but they faced the additional challenge of a harsh Iraqi environment in which to compete.
“Even though it was at night, it was still roughly 100 degrees out,” said Haney. “The heat takes a lot out of you.”
Officials factored in the heat when deciding to conduct the competition during the night in order to ensure teams proceeded through the entire course safely and with minimize risk of heat casualties.
Soldiers in Baghdad run 12K to raise awareness for cause at home
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
JOINT SECURITY STATION NASIR WA SALAM, Iraq – The temperature baked 100-plus degrees of heat on Joint Security Station Nasir Wa Salam when they began running June 12.
No families were at the finish line cheering them on, no money being raised, but for three U.S. soldiers at, the 12 kilometers they traveled were still worth it.
The soldiers, from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, participated in a shadow run of the Sound to Narrows 12K held the same day in Tacoma, Wash., to raise awareness among fellow soldiers.
“I like running races that support a good cause,” said Sgt. James Maarsignh, from Company B, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg. who organized the run and convinced a few soldiers to run alongside him. “I wanted to run this event to show support to for the organization because they support good health.”
According to the race’s official website, the Sound to Narrows 12k, which has been run in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park since 1973, raises money to help promote and support the building of healthy lifestyles in children and families in the community.
4/2 SBCT Stryker Soldier Offers Thanks
Local care package senders meet soldier on leave from Iraq - The York Daily Record
For more than eight months, the employees of Industrial Distribution Group Inc. have been sending care packages to the members of the 2-23 Infantry Stryker Brigade based in Fort Lewis, Wash.On Thursday, they put a face to the fruits of their labor when Staff Sgt. Shane Gallagher paid them a visit to give thanks for their efforts.
Small American flags and yellow ribbons fluttered in the breeze outside the Manchester Township industrial supply distributor as employees gathered to view a slideshow Gallagher, 28, made for them.
(via FOB Tacoma)
Customs Inspectors: No Bugs, Drugs or Dirt
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – A clump of dirt. A bag of pills tucked away in a rolled-up sock. An apple.
Any of these items could make an already long deployment even longer for Soldiers preparing to redeploy from Iraq.
Before any unit can pack up their equipment and head home, they first need the stamp of approval from a customs inspector signifying there are no harmful materials or contraband travelling with them.
But certified inspectors can sometimes be in short supply, so when a group of Soldiers from 472nd Signal Company, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division heard there was a need for inspectors at Camp Taji, they stepped forward.
Adavance Parties Arriving
Summer homecomings begin at base - The News Tribune
About 300 Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers returned home early Wednesday as the season of large homecomings began in earnest.In March, the base began welcoming back the first of about 18,000 soldiers who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan last year.
The soldiers who returned Wednesday are from two infantry battalions of the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, which is completing its third tour in Iraq.
Iraqi Police learn 'use of force' from US forces
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Soldiers with C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, recently facilitated "use of force" training at a Tarmiyah police station beginning mid-May.
The class was led by a civilian policeman from the United States with the assistance of previously trained IPs, and with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers playing the role of local citizens during training scenarios similar to what the Iraqi police encounter out on the streets.
The Soldiers provided the U.S. perspective on law enforcement and how it's supposed to operate, said Staff Sgt. Anthony Lovell, a cavalry scout with C Troop, and the non-commissioned officer in charge of Iraqi Police advisory training.
"[We're] trying to … train the Iraqi Police to where they can start establishing their foothold in their own country and [ensure] that they have the knowledge and training that we would give our Soldiers," said Lovell, a Phoenix native.
During the training, the Iraqi policemen learned the difference between deadly force and non-lethal force through a series of classes and exercises.
Operation Medical Alliance [Photos]
U.S. Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division pulled security with Iraqi police during an ambush at a local hospital in Abu Ghraib, Baghdad, Iraq, May 15. The Soldiers were part of a Operation Medical Alliance to provide knowledge between Iraqi and American providers for the growth of Iraqi provider health care networking.
(via DVIDS)
Injured Stryker Soldiers Interviewed [Audio]
Life After Injury: Stories From American Soldiers is a segment from KUOW that featured three Stryker soldiers dealing with combat injuries. Click the audio format you want under the "Listen to Weekday" heading on the right side of the landing page. Description:
Thousands of American soldiers have served in Iraq and Afghanistan during the last decade. Many suffered physical injury as a result. What does it take for them to rebuild their lives after such a trauma? How does a serious combat injury change a soldier's perspective on life, or on the wars we are fighting? Today we hear first–hand stories from members of our military. Also, if you were injured in combat, what encourages you? What advice do you have?
Photos: Wounded Warriors Visit 4-2 Stryker Soldiers at Camp Liberty in Iraq
Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Huggins (center) and Lt. Col. Darron Wright (left), the brigade sergeant major and deputy commanding officer of 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, U.S. Division-Center, greet wounded warriors returning to Iraq to share their stories with Soldiers May 12 at the Camp Liberty Warrior Chapel. Operation Proper Exit allows service members to return to the country where they received their wounds to help them find closure.
Analysis: Al Qaeda in Iraq
Al Qaeda in Iraq: Last stand, or sign of resilience? - The Long War Journal
In the wake of a deadly wave of coordinated bombings and shootings in Iraq on Monday, which marked the bloodiest day in the country so far this year, Iraqi and American authorities have scrambled to reassure the public that the Iraqi security forces remain firmly in control of the security situation in Iraq, and that American forces will continue to withdraw from the country as planned.Both Iraqi and American security officials have blamed the attacks, which killed 119 people and injured more than 350, on al Qaeda in Iraq. The officials reiterated their belief that the terrorist organization has been seriously damaged in recent months, as Iraqi and American forces have succeeded in killing or capturing a number of key al Qaeda commanders.
Tomahawks Make Macro Difference With Micro Grants
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
HAMAMIAT, Iraq – There's an empty space where a front window should be, letting in flies that climb over food waiting to be sold to customers, while dust coats the shelves at a hole-in-the-wall falafel shop in Hamamiat.
Shop owner, Majid Saadoon Noor, is caught in a catch-22. He believes that with improvements to his shop, he can double his business. However, because he isn't drawing in enough customers, he can't make enough money to afford those improvements. He also is unable to secure a small business loan because they are unavailable from Iraqi banks.
There is help. U.S. forces are offering micro-grants to Iraqi small business owners to help grow the local economy.
Company B, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment Soldiers visited Majid's falafel shop and another business to hand out paperwork for the shop owners to apply for the micro-grants.
Funding for micro-grants comes from the Commanders' Emergency Response Program, explained Staff Sgt. Carl Hendricks, a squad leader with B Company, 2nd Bn., 23rd Inf. Regt.
Air Power Gets Grounded to Help Iraqis
Story by Sgt. Phillip Valentine
BAGHDAD – A police force is considered necessary in order to bring order from chaos, especially in Baghdad.
Airmen from 2nd Platoon, 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, U.S. Division–Center, work in partnership with local Baghdad based Iraqi police to do just that.
On May 7, the Airmen of 2nd Plt., traveled to the Yarmouk local police station located inside a hospital to distribute medical supplies and bed linens. The Iraqi Police will later take these items and deliver them to the hospital and people in the local area.
"We go out to IP stations and patrol with them emphasizing community policing," said Tech. Sgt. Eric Gray, a Phoenix native and squad leader assigned to 2nd Plt. "It helps them build up their rapport within the community."
Photos: Odierno Visits 4-2 'Tomahawks'
It's a bird ... it's a plane ... no, it's the Wasp III
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – In today's warfare, being able to put a set of eyes on the enemy first, without the enemy knowing, greatly increases the success rate of the mission.
Soldiers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division were the first U.S. Army Soldiers in Iraq to receive training on the Wasp III, an unmanned micro-aerial surveillance system, and take it for a test flight April 24 around Camp Taji.
"This system is effective, lightweight and very adaptable," said Staff Sgt. Brian Phillips, a Raven unmanned aerial surveillance master trainer with Company C, 1st Battalion, 38th Inf. Regiment, 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. "A single Soldier, at the company or platoon level can throw the whole system on their back and carry it into the field,"
Phillips also said a unit commander has the ability to launch the Wasp III from just about anywhere.
Recent Stryker Stories
DVIDS released a number of Stryker-related stories recently, which we've linked to by brigade below.
3/2 SBCT
- Apache Blanket covers Iraqi palm groves
- Cleaning up the streets in Baqubah
- Attack Company helps Iraqi police take charge
- Taking the final steps toward home
- Stryker Brigade Combat Dental Team, At Your Service
4/2 SBCT
- 4-2 SBCT takes another step forward
- 4-9 Infantry Soldiers answer the call
- A partnership with 'man's best friend'
5/2 SBCT
SSG Christopher D. Worrell
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Christopher D. Worrell, 35, of Virginia Beach, Va., died April 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 702nd Combat Support Battalion, 4th Stryker Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Related:
Stryker soldier dies in Iraq of noncombat-related injuries - FOB Tacoma
Soldier from Virginia Beach dies in Iraq in non-combat related incident - The Virginian-Pilot
4-9 relaxes as 49 re-enlist
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
JOINT SECURITY STATION NASIR WA SALAM, Iraq – It's not every day Soldiers in a deployed environment, or any environment for that matter, get to take a whole day off to enjoy athletic recreation and team building.
The "Manchu's", Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, celebrated "Manchu Day", a day filled with spirited competition, concluding with a mass re-enlistment of 49 Soldiers, April 9.
"We wanted to have a special day not only for the Manchu Soldiers who wanted to re-enlist but also for the battalion," said Sgt. Maj. Lee Baleme, the operations sergeant major for 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg. "The purpose of Manchu Day is to build esprit de corps among the Soldiers," he said, adding that even with as many of the Soldiers as possible having the day off, the unit still maintained force protection, a quick response force and security on the base.
Organizing an event of this scale took a lot of planning in order to ensure its smooth success.
"Manchu Day has been in planning for about three months," said Baleme, a San Diego native. "We just started putting ideas together, and before we knew it everyone was on board."
Building a footbridge for safe passage
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
ABU GHRAIB, Iraq – Traveling to school should be a fun and safe experience for children; but in this neighborhood, the journey to a good education means crossing a treacherous road.
Capt. Talgin Cannon, a member of the joint project management office from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, travelled to the area to discuss a project to rebuild a footbridge with a local construction company manager April 6.
The footbridge was destroyed by an improvised explosive device about two years ago, he said, explaining that rebuilding the footbridge would allow safe traveling for the locals in the neighborhood trying to cross the busy road.
"The most important thing is the safety of the children here," said Cannon. "The bridge will help get these kids to school safely without getting hit by a speeding car."
According to several sources, including local Iraqi police and District Area Council members, at least five children have been killed while trying to cross the busy road this year alone.
"For these kids it's like playing a game of leap frog with their lives every day to go to school and then return home," said Cannon, an Elkin, N.C., native.
Base Preparing for Redeployments
FOB Tacoma - ｻ Madigan prepares for returning Strykers
Three Joint Base Lewis-McChord Stryker brigades are returning home from war this year, and Madigan Army Medical Center will temporarily expand its behavioral-health staff and implement new screening programs to deal with the mental-health issues of deployment.Hospital staff will be paying particular attention to 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, which has lost 35 soldiers and seen frequent combat since it deployed to southern Afghanistan last July.
Piggybacking off post-deployment programs already in place, Madigan officials will collect additional behavioral-health information and screen them again shortly after they return home.
EPRT Program Creates 'buzz'
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
TARMIYAH, Iraq – A blossoming new program organized by embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team-North is creating a buzz and giving some area women a much sweeter outlook.
The "buzz" is teaching Iraqi widows and divorcees the ins and outs of beekeeping in order to help them put food on the table while they help put honey on the tables of others.
Twenty-five Iraqi women graduated from the beekeeper training program, March 27.
"These women are the heads of the household, many [because of] the sectarian conflict," said Mary-Denise Tabar, the public diplomacy and women's affairs advisor for ePRT-North. "The program aims to train local rural women on the theoretical and practical applications of basic beekeeping."
ePRT-North embeds with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and receives its security from the brigade's subordinate battalions. This allows them to work safely on projects in areas north of Baghdad, including Tarmiyah and the city of Taji, including the bee course.
Taught in four-hour sessions over a period of six days, the course covered the proper care of bees and techniques to harvest their honey.
"The women were chosen by the non-government organization, Fafedian Foundation, who knows the community and the women who need it most," explained Tabar.
Interest in the beekeeping course proved to be extremely high, explained Tim Lowery, an agricultural specialist with the ePRT. They received more applications than there were available seats, so the team is already planning more for courses.
Upon completion of the training, each woman received her own active and healthy beehive containing thousands of the bees, along with all the necessary equipment to operate it.
In total, the entire beekeeping training program including the 25 beehives for the graduates, tools and supplies cost approximately $23,450, said Tabar.
Each beehive houses anywhere between 10,000 and 30,000 bees that on average can produce about 15 to 20 kilograms of honey a year. Bees also provide a valuable resource for local farmers, helping to pollinate their crops.
"For most of these women, this is how they earn income for their households," said Tabar. "They can sell a kilo of honey anywhere from $20 to $50."
During the graduation ceremony, family and friends looked on as the new beekeepers were called forward to receive their certificates and beehives. They showed their support of each other with rounds of applause.
The honey has yielded an additional benefit, bringing together these women who are dealing with great adversity, and with the new skill, the added bonus of reducing the stigma that they are a burden on their families and society.
One graduate was so overwhelmed that she was brought to tears during the ceremony.
"A woman told me that she was so thankful for everything and can remember having bees as a child," said Lowery, "She said that she will raise the bees like they were her own children."
(via Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System)
Go Say Thanks to Scott Fontaine
FOB Tacoma - Moving on The News Tribune Blogs, Tacoma, WA
After 3 1/2 years at The News Tribune (including the last year and a half on the military beat) I'll be leaving the paper next week. My wife and I both received jobs in Washington, D.C., so I'm in the midst of packing up our home in University Place ahead of the big move. My last day at the paper is April 9.
Best of luck, Scott!
Video: Cpt. Hughes Mark in History
Package about Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command, Gen. Ann Dunwoody, visiting the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team and inspiring Soldiers like Capt. Aiesha Hughes as she takes command for the first time. Produced by Pfc. Mitchell Fosman.
Soldiers downrange learn about life, career-progressing opportunity
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
JOINT SECURITY STATION NASIR WA SALAM, Iraq – Once a Soldier deploys downrange, his military career is not put on a hiatus until he returns back to the States.
Opportunities to advance military careers find their way to Soldiers regardless of the situation.
Airborne liaison officer and recruiter, Sgt. 1st Class Paul Pahl, toured around 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division's operational environment and arrived at 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment headquarters March 18 to educate Soldiers from every company in the battalion on the benefits and requirements of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger.
1-38 Infantrymen Trade Bullets for Barbie Backpacks
Story by Sgt. Bryce Dubee
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – With their Strykers parked outside, 1st Lt. Matt Sawdy led 1st platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, into the building, his men setting up a security perimeter along the way.
Inside the courtyard, the lieutenant met with his Iraqi army counterpart, discussed plans for the day's mission, then took a knee, placing his M4 carbine at his side and picking up a bright pink Barbie backpack.
Soldiers from the platoon conducted a series of humanitarian assistance drops March 25, delivering roughly 2,400 backpacks full of school supplies to children at schools in their operational environment.
As Sawdy and his men took their positions to begin distributing the supplies, teachers from the school led their eager students into the courtyard.
First female four-star general visits, inspires Raider Soldiers
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Standing at parade rest in the doorway of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division headquarters, Spc. Jacqueline Williams, a medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, was excited, waiting to call the headquarters to attention for a distinguished guest.
Though she'd done it many times before for important visitors, this guest meant a little more to her as a female Soldier, as the guest that day was the first female four-star general in U.S. Armed Forces history – Gen. Ann Dunwoody, commanding general of U.S. Army Materiel Command.
The general visited the brigade March 22 and received a brief from leaders of 4th SBCT about the Stryker unit's mission, the Stryker's role in current operations, recommendations about changes to the maintenance program of the Stryker, changes to the vehicles basic equipment load and configuration of the new blast seats.
While the brief was taking place, a group of female officers had gathered outside the brigade headquarters, as excited about the general's visit as the young specialist had been earlier that morning.
Working to Restore Iraq's Past for the Future
By Spc. Brian Johnson
BAGHDAD – Soldiers from the 16th Engineer Brigade Survey and Design team conducted a site assessment on several buildings at an historic site in Aqar Quf, 20 miles west of Baghdad to assess and verify the electrical needs of renovating two modern structures at the base of an ancient ziggurat there.
The ziggurat, a stepped, temple tower, is the Mesopotamian equivalent of the Egyptian pyramids. Aqar Quf's ziggurat, rising 180 feet above the desert floor, was considered to be built more than three and a half millennia ago.
Recently, the Iraqi Ministry of Antiquities approached 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, for help with restoring some modern structures at the temple in order to attract visitors to the site which would revitalize the economy and preserve the temple.
The modern structures at the base of the ziggurat, built in the 1960s, functioned as a museum and administrative building throughout the second half of the 20th century. However, after years of war, the site is not what it once was.
Engineers Attend JOC Grand Opening
By Spc. Brian Johnson
BAGHDAD – As leaders from 6th Iraqi Army Division and the U.S. Army 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, celebrated the grand opening of a new joint operations center at Joint Security Station Constitution, March 15, leaders from 16th Engineer Brigade and 101st Engineer Battalion celebrated getting them to this day.
The new JOC affords American and Iraqi forces the opportunity to bring command and control elements together under one roof.
"This structure provides the ability for our IA partners to work side-by-side with our 4/2 BCT brothers and train them how a tactical operations center should function," said Brig. Gen. Glenn C. Hammond, III, commander of 16th Engineer Brigade.
6th Iraqi Army Division, 4-2 SBCT Open New Operations Center
By Spc. Luisito Brooks and Sgt. Bryce Dubee
BAGHDAD – After months of planning and construction, the 6th Iraqi Army Division and the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division held a ribbon cutting for the recently completed Joint Operations Center on Forward Operating Base Constitution, March 15.
"This JOC will prove to be an invaluable asset in the effort to provide security to the Iraqi people," said Lt. Col. Darron Wright, deputy commanding officer of 4th Bde., 2nd Inf.
While the new facility, designed to be the central node for the sharing of information between U.S. and Iraqi forces in western Baghdad, had been in operation since before the March 7, Iraqi national elections, the ceremony represented the official opening of the operations center.
With a quick snip of a pair of gold-handled scissors, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Hashim Aouadi, commanding general of the Baghdad Operations Command, cut the ribbon on the state-of-the-art center, which brings the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities of the U.S. and Iraqi militaries under one roof.
4-2 Legal Office Settles Old Debts
Story by Sgt. Bryce Dubee
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – As U.S. forces proceed on course with the responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq, Soldiers in the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division legal office are working hard to set things right and tie up loose ends among Iraqi citizens who are owed compensation from the U.S. government.
The Army has programs in place designed to address any claims filed by Iraqi citizens, including property damage, injury or loss of life, and even paying landowners lease payments for land used by the U.S. military.
For example, if a 20-ton Stryker accidentally backs into an Iraqi citizen's car, the drivers can't exactly exchange information and let the insurance companies take care of it.
Instead, the citizen can file a claim with the military, which is then processed and paid out by military legal professionals.
Video: Press Conference Discussing the 2010 Iraqi Elections
Lt. Col Darren Wright briefs the media on the role the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division had in the mission to integrate Iraqi security forces with U.S. troops to ensure safe elections. Parts 1 & 2.
TNT Outlines Stryker Role in Iraqi Elections
South Sound soldiers work behind the scenes in election - The News Tribune
American troops should be out of sight from polling places today as Iraqis elect a parliament for the second time since the fall of Saddam Hussein. But Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers are working behind the scenes throughout the country.From Baghdad to Basra to Diyala, many of the 12,000 troops from Lewis-McChord have trained Iraqi soldiers to secure today’s polling. They also will provide support and remain on call to intervene in any attacks.
For many troops, the majority of whom arrived in Iraq last year, today’s election is the climactic event of their 12-month deployment.
Recent Stryker Articles on DVIDS
DVIDS has a number of recent article re: the Stryker Brigades.
- Signal Soldiers Provide a Different Type of Communication
- Small Gift Creates Hope for a Better Future
- Signal Soldiers Have Unique Opportunity
- Security paved way to successful Iraqi elections; leaders pleased
- Frontline Soldiers operate Warhorse Woodshop
- 296th Brigade Support Battalion Holds Mass Graduation
- 1-38 provide defensive support for Iraqi elections
- Raider Brigade witnesses hard work pay off as Iraqis head to polls
Photos: 2nd Battalion, 12 Field Artillery Regiment 'Vikings' Change Command
Lt. Col. Terrence Braley, right, incoming commander, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, and other 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, commanders and command sergeants major, salute the American flag during a change of command ceremony in which Braley took command of the battalion from Lt. Col. Kevin Murphy March 2.
U.S., Iraq Leaders Join Together to Provide Fresh Water to Aqur Quf
Story by Spc. Daniel Schneider
CONTINGENCY OPERATING LOCATION NASIR WA SALAM, Iraq – Civil affairs Soldiers and leaders from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, joined with the Iraqi Ministry of Water, Feb. 28, to celebrate the opening of a refurbished water filtration plant near the village of Aqur Quf.
The Soldiers, from Company B, 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, and 4th Bn., 9th Infantry Regiment, assisted the Iraqi officials in the project at their request in order to provide clean drinking water to the Iraqis in the area.
The plant is one of three such plants expected to open in different regions in the coming months, said 1st Lt. James Hester, a civil affairs team leader and project manager assigned to Company B, 422nd CA Bn.
"This is the main water treatment plant of the area, and [it] now can connect more areas through water piping from this facility," said Hester. "The Iraqis did a tremendous amount of work on this project. We've had weekly meetings with the Ministry of Water, the plant manager and contractors to make sure things progressed properly."
The new plant will deliver fresh water to the people living in the Jeb Dafar and Zydon regions as well as an additional 4,000 to 5,000 people in the surrounding area. The plant can be renovated further to serve even more people as the need arises, said Hester.
4-9 'Manchus' Check Polling Sites in Election Preparation
Story by Spc. Daniel Schneider
CONTINGENCY OPERATING LOCATION NASIR WA SALAM, Iraq – A week before Iraqi elections, March 7, Soldiers from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, conducted a presence patrol along the Kandahri marketplace near Abu Ghraib.
At the request of Iraqi security forces, the Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, joined them, March 1, to patrol along polling sites that will be used in the coming election to ensure the Iraqis were prepared to protect voters.
"We're here working together with the Iraqis for a common goal," said Spc. Yahir Macias, assigned to Company B. "If the Iraqis succeed, then U.S. forces succeed."
The patrol demonstrated U.S. willingness to support the Iraqi people when requested, said 1st Sgt. Mark Ohme, first sergeant of Company B.
Photos: Key Leader Engagement
DVIDS has a new photo album featuring the 2-3 INF, 3/2 SBCT.
Correction: In the comments DJ points out that the photos are of 2-23IN/4-2 SBCT in Taji.
Profile of 4/2 SBCT Chaplain Junior Tupuola
A long, twisting path for Army chaplain - The News Tribune
Thus began Tupuola’s long, unlikely journey to Iraq, where he serves as a chaplain with a Joint Base Lewis-McChord Stryker brigade in western Baghdad province.Tupuola is one of the most visible people at his battalion’s base in rural Nasir wa Salam. He pops into offices. He organizes Bible study. He referees basketball tournaments. He hangs out at the morale tent. He pumps iron alongside the infantrymen in the weight room.
Chaplains can’t carry weapons, but Tupuola wears a sidearm holster with a Bible in it.
“Everyone knows chap,” said Lt. Col. Mark Bieger, commander of the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment – part of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
Fighting History in Iraq
The News Tribune has a new article featuring the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT.
ZAIDON, Iraq – To understand the roots of Islamic extremism in Iraq, you must first study this rural Sunni area of western Baghdad province. The religion runs so conservative here, many men wear thick beards and Afghan-style robes that end at the calf.Women completely cover much of their faces. Tribal ties bind and tear at the area. [...]
“I’m not sure there’s any way an American can solve the conflict, and I’m not sure the Iraqis really know what to do,” said Capt. Andy Lembke, the commander of Comanche Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment. “Our goal right now is just to get the (Iraqi army) and the local leaders talking. That’s the best we can hope for here.”
Stryker Continue to Train Iraqi Counterparts
The News Tribune team is home, but they continue to publish new articles from their time in Iraq.
In dozens of interviews with soldiers of myriad rank and responsibility, American troops appear to view the Iraqi army as increasingly capable of doing independent operations. But the Iraqis are held back by several problems: a laissez-faire work ethic, fluid scheduling, inconsistency of skill level among units and, on a larger scale, the inability to train and supply themselves.The 2009 security agreement between Washington, D.C., and Baghdad stipulates that all missions must include Iraqi security forces. American service members must remain outside cities and towns unless explicitly allowed in by the Iraqis.
Soldiers who have made repeated deployments to Iraq say their counterparts’ improvements in recent years have been vast – despite differing views about whether the Iraqi army could secure its country without U.S. support.
Photos: 4-2 Soldiers Distribute Care Packages to Aqur Quf Families, Children
Spc. James Gibson, a Lawton, Okla., native and infantry radio and telephone operator with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, retrieves a care package to distribute to local children in the Aqur Quf area Feb. 10. The care packages included school supplies, stuffed animals, and other goods for Iraqi children.
Hitting the Links in Iraq
BAGHDAD – The soldiers serving at Joint Security Station Aqur Quf had a problem: They had a hitting mat and tens of thousands of golf balls, but only two clubs.
Thanks to the kindness of News Tribune readers, that’s not a problem anymore.
The donors are people such as Zoeanne Hondle of Tacoma, who sent numerous clubs and a hard-top bag. Vic Peterson of Tacoma shipped clubs including a Callaway Big Bertha, plus a note saying his distance record with the driver was 325 yards.
Full article at thenewstribune.com
Photos: Soldiers Watch the Super Bowl
Soldiers with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division stay up late to enjoy some camaraderie and watch Super Bowl XLIV in the brigade conference room, Feb. 8. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bryce S. Dubee)
1-38th Commemorates 138th Day 'boots on Ground'
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Kristina Scott
BAGHDAD – For Soldiers who are in the habit of patrolling the streets of Baghdad up to eight hours each day, meeting with key Iraqi leaders and training members of the Iraqi Security Forces, taking a day off now and then comes as a much-welcomed break.
For Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, that day arrived Feb. 5. But the idea was not simply about taking the day off.
Leaders decided that tying the numeric designation of the unit into the 138th day of "boots on ground" – a term which refers to how many days the Soldiers have been in Iraq – was a great way to remember the heritage of the 1-38th Inf. Regt., and to build esprit de corps by bringing the troops together for some friendly competition.
"Today is primarily to honor the service of the regiment, but it also gives a little bit of a break to get re-motivated," said Lt. Col. John Leffers, 1-38th commander and a native of Utica, N.Y.
The festivities started with a somewhat informal ceremony during which two Soldiers were promoted in rank and several awards were given out; one for expertise of marksmanship. There was also an historical account of the battalion's involvement at Omaha Beach, during the Normandy Campaign, in July 1944.
Stirring Up Justice: 4-2 Field Artillerymen Turn Paper Plates Into Targets
Story by Sgt. Samantha Beuterbaugh
BAGHDAD– A 20-foot high dune rises from the sand at Contingency Operating Location Justice, partially masking the bustling life of Baghdad in the distance.
Soldiers hike to a quiet corner of the lifeless landscape.
"Let's go!" a Soldier shouts. "The faster we get the range set up, the sooner we get out of here."
Soldiers spring from the right and left sides of the mound, equipped with two-by-fours, large pieces of cardboard, thumbtacks, tape, paper plates and plastic bottles.
Their intent: to construct a rifle range.
With limited resources, the Soldiers assigned to Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, have been forced to find innovative ways to build a rifle range so they can hone their marksmanship skills. Their creativity has become a weekly ritual.
Soldier Gain Closure Through Operation Proper Exit
Story by Sgt. Bryce Dubee
BAGHDAD – The last time they were here, they lost a piece of themselves. Years, and numerous surgeries later, they've returned to get a small piece back.
Six Soldiers, each severely wounded during combat operations in Iraq, returned to the battlefields where they were injured to gain a sense of closure as part of the Army's Operation Proper Exit.
Arriving in Baghdad on Sunday, the six men, all retired from the Army, visited and shared their stories with Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at the Warrior Chapel here Monday.
Biden visits Lewis troops in Iraq
BAGHDAD – Lt. Jill Ogues first learned the news from an intelligence report: Vice President Joe Biden was coming to Baghdad, and he was going to make an unannounced stop to meet Fort Lewis soldiers at a dining facility.
This called for action.
Ogues and two other lieutenants from Fort Lewis’ 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division arrived at the chow hall 15 minutes before Biden appeared and chose a table near the side entrance where the vice president entered. And when he arrived with entourage in tow, the officers had prime seats.
Their table was one of the first he visited at the dining facility Saturday. Biden asked the lieutenants about their jobs, their hometown and how long they had been in Iraq. He thanked them for their service and posed for photographs.
"It’s a thoughtful gesture – him coming here, spending time with us," said Lt. Caitlin Conley, the leader of 4th Brigade’s military police platoon. "He’s got a busy schedule while he’s here. He’s got to meet with leaders and generals and guys like that, but it’s nice he made time for soldiers."
Related:
U.S. Vice President Visits 4-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team - DVIDS
Photos: Army Unit Partnership Soars on Taji Flight Line
(Left to right) Sgt. Brett Pierce, an avionic mechanic with 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, and native of Longview, Texas, Staff Sgt. Andrew Carrier, a standardization instructor operator and native of Missoula, Mont., and Sgt. David Gomez, the quality assurance, quality control non-commissioned officer-in-charge and native of Brooklyn, N.Y., both with Troop D, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, provide maintenance for a Shadow unmanned aerial system after an evaluation flight Jan. 15.
Manchu Soldiers Hit the Links
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
JOINT SECURITY STATION AQUR QUF, Iraq – Some would call having a shipping container full of golf balls and only two clubs ironic, but that's exactly the situation Soldiers from the Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment "Manchus," found themselves in.
It was only through the help of two embedded reporters, and the generosity of organizations and families from the Fort Lewis, Wash., area that they were able to address the matter and properly adjust their swing.
"We read the article in the Tacoma News Tribune, by Scott Fontaine, about our brave Soldiers of Able Company, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Regt.," John Thompson, a military supporter from Fox Island, Wash., wrote in a letter sent to the unit. "We understand that they could use some golf clubs for the 50,000 golf balls they found."
Stryker Articles from The News Tribune
The News Tribune has a number of new articles and blog entries regarding the Ft. Lewis Stryker brigades.
- Soldiers face enduring threat of IEDs
- Fort Lewis mourns its latest loss in Afghanistan
- It's like an anti-MRAP
- Among the people
The News Tribune in Iraq
The News Tribune has a few new articles and blog entries from its team in Iraq.
- Social media sites a new tool for deployed troops
- FOB Tacoma - Coming home is never easy
- FOB Tacoma - Happiness for the neediest
FPs, Soldiers Celebrate Graduation After Culmination Exercise
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Like a family reunion, Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Company F, 52nd Infantry Regiment and Iraqi Federal Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal directorates greeted each other with hugs, laughter and eccentric handshakes.
While a normal welcoming for the two groups, there was a sense of excitement Dec. 31 as the five trainers from 2nd Platoon, Company F, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division prepped their eight EOD FP trainees for a culmination exercise leading to the first graduating class of Company F's Violator EOD Security Training Course on Forward Operating Base Prosperity.
After three weeks of training, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Gomez, a platoon sergeant with Company F, said he and his Soldiers are confident in the skills of the EOD FPs.
"[My Soldiers] trained them to the point where they can actually feel comfortable fighting side-by-side with these guys," said Gomez, a Denver native. "I wouldn't have a problem doing a joint mission with those guys."
The EOD FPs showed their eagerness and willingness to learn every day of the course by training long hours and even staying later to make sure they learned all they could. They regularly asked the 2nd Plt., Company F Soldiers to teach them more.
Training began with roping off sections of the platoon's area with 550 cord and engineer tape but progressively evolved into an intricate training exercise around FOB Prosperity.
The final exercise included such tasks as reacting to enemy contact – mounted and on foot – and clearing buildings.
4/2 SBCT Takes Different Approach in Iraq
The News Tribune has a new embedded article featuring the 4/2 SBCT in Iraq.
AL SALTUIN, Iraq - The American soldier and the Iraqi villager stood in a tidy dirt courtyard and talked about electricity. They discussed clean drinking water and tribal politics in this rural corner of Baghdad province.And then Sgt. Sam Harper – a member of a Fort Lewis Stryker brigade’s psychological operations detachment, known as “psyops” – cut to the chase.
“I’m here for another reason: to educate the people of this area,” said Harper, 38. “Do you know of any insurgent groups operating in this area?”
The man said he didn’t.
Holiday Hiatus
I plan on taking the next week off due to travel plans for the holiday. In my absence be sure to check the following sources for news regarding the Stryker troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- FOB Tacoma - Two journalists from The News Tribune are in Iraq to cover soldiers from Ft. Lewis.
- Northwest Military - JM Simpson is with the 5/2 SBCT in Afghanistan.
- Michael Yon - Independent journalist currently embedded with the 5/2 in Afghanistan. Also check his Facebook page for micro-updates.
- DVIDS - Here are the search results for Stryker-related stories, photos and videos from public affairs units across both fronts.
- SBN Facebook Page - the fans of our page do a great job of posting any stories that we might miss.
Happy Holidays to all of you. Check back in a week or so for updates.
Todd
TNT Arrives in Iraq
The crew from The News Tribune has traveled north from Kuwait and arrived in Baghdad.
MASCAL Training Provides Learning Experience
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Pfc. Tessa Marsh, a combat medic, arrived on the scene where she found five people "injured" from a simulated mortar attack during a mass casualty exercise here, Dec.14.
After checking with a combat life saver qualified Soldier who had already assessed the wounded, Marsh treated the most critically injured person by quickly placing a tourniquet on a man's severed arm, while simultaneously explaining to a fellow Soldier how to tourniquet the man's leg.
As she aided the injured man, Marsh had two things on her mind: her medical skills and communication with those around her.
Because of the limited number of medical staff on site, she worked to do what was best for the patients while communicating with others on scene, in order to provide aid to the most seriously injured, explained Marsh, a Lacrosse, Wisc. native, with the 702nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
Marsh's team evacuated casualties to Riva Ridge Troop Medical Center where Staff Sgt. Charles Ensminger, the medical evacuation platoon sergeant acted as the triage officer, sorting incoming patients into medical categories before sending them to treatment.
TNT Heading Back to Iraq
The News Tribune confirmed today that reporter Scott Fontaine and photographer Joe Barretine are headed to Iraq to cover the 12,000 Ft. Lewis troops currently serving there, including the 3/2 & 4/2 SBCTs.
Air Assault Training at Joint Security Station Aqur Quf
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Like something right out of an Army recruitment commercial, a helicopter landed in the center of an open sandy space, kicking up dust in every direction as Soldiers in full body armor jumped out and dropped flat on their stomachs with heads low and weapons aimed.
These Soldiers, however, were not in a commercial. They are members of 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division practicing loading onto and off of a UH-60 Black Hawk during air assault training, Dec.4.
The platoon leader, 1st Lt. Mark Hamilton signed up his Soldiers for the training to meet the battalion's objective of having every Soldier be familiar with air assault tactics.
"As a Stryker Brigade, there are places the vehicles that we use can't go because of their size and weight," said Hamilton. "It's always good to have platoons capable of doing a quick air mission, so when the time comes to do an air assault mission, [the commander] can pick any platoon and know that they're qualified," said Hamilton, a Baltimore, Md., native.
For Pvt. Aaron Flanagan, a squad automatic weapon gunner, it was his first time taking part in this type of training. The Mount Vernon, Ill., native said he enjoyed jumping out of the Black Hawk onto the ground.
But while he had fun during the training, Flanagan knew that the training was important to the mission of the brigade.
"It shows that they want us to be on top of the game and know what we're doing in different situations," said Flanagan. "If we need to do something a Stryker can't do, it shows the brigade is ready to do it, even if we are not in our normal vehicles."
The training included a night assault that had the Soldiers apply the same skills after the sun went down that they learned during the daytime.
By the end of the training day, the Soldiers, covered in dirt from their numerous exits from the Black Hawks, learned the basic skills needed to execute an air assault mission and looked forward to future training sessions.
(via DVIDS)
Iraqi Army Lead Combined Search for Weapons Caches
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Searching through brush and bricks, with the help of a military working dog, Soldiers from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and the 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, were on the hunt for weapons caches and insurgents, Dec. 3.
A tip to the Iraqi army led the combined force to a small town north of Fira Shia, a rural farming area northwest of Baghdad.
IA forces spearheaded the patrol while American Soldiers assisted and were ready to support in case anything was found.
"When we go with them, it empowers them," said 1st Lt. James Harvie, a platoon leader. "We always let them take the lead and we always plan the missions together. It shows them that they can be successful and builds their confidence so they can take control when we finally leave."
After more than an hour of searching different locations, the two groups cleared the area, and no caches were uncovered.
Not finding anything, however, isn't a bad thing according to Harvie, a St. George, Utah, native.
"It means there are not, as far as we know, stores of weapons," said Harvie.
The Iraqi army commander had a different take on the combined patrol, and on what not finding any weapons means.
"It's not about good or bad, it's about sending a message to bad guys," said Iraqi Capt. Nomas Mohammed Hussain. "We're still here doing our job and we're going to catch anyone doing bad stuff."
(via DVIDS)
Making Better Spouses in Combat
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are doing everything they can to become better spouses and combat the high divorce rate among service members.
Each month at the Engineer Chapel the unit conducts a four week class on "The Five Love Languages," using short videos, literature and experienced advice from marriage counselors on how Soldiers can become better partners to their spouses back home.
"Our mission is to build strong and ready Soldiers and families, better prepared to meet the mental, emotional and spiritual challenges of deployment and military life," said Chaplain (Capt.) Chester Olson, one of the program leaders. "Soldiers redeploy as better men, better husbands and better fathers."
The focal point in this class is how a person can learn their spouse's love language and by focusing in on that language, how it can improve communication in their relationship.
"I just celebrated my one year anniversary last month, said Pfc. Sean Tika, a Queens, N.Y. native. "My wife and I have taken this class before and when we applied the lessons on how to speak to each other's love language it has really made a huge difference in our marriage."
Photos: Raiders Meet Locals
DVIDS has a few photos of 1-38 INF, 4/2 SBCT patrolling in Iraq.
Micro-grants Boost Purchasing Power for Iraqis
By Pfc. Debrah Sanders
BAGHDAD – In a small village northwest of Baghdad, the American troops of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division conducted a foot patrol focused on finding the owner of a generator.
The Soldiers were here to give the man paperwork for a micro-grant that could assist him in the general upkeep of the generator and for purchasing fuel, thus powering the generator and a good portion of the community, said Sgt. Charlie De Nune, of Tacoma, Wash.
U.S. forces regularly give micro-grants to assist Iraqis in purchasing products and also for local refurbishing projects, allowing the Iraqi people to become more independent. The micro-grants are intentionally designed to be small amounts of money, but they yield large benefits for the communities that receive them, said Sgt. 1st Class Joe Huffman, native of Batesburg, S.C.
After talking to the owner of the generator, the Soldiers moved throughout the village. They were also trying to find the owner of a local pharmacy to see if he would also like an application for a micro-grant to help purchase supplies and to fund needed repairs to the building.
The fact that the village has a pharmacy benefits the residents of the village, said Spc. Brenton Dulak, a medic from Waesau, Wis.
"[The pharmacy owner] has a lot of antibiotics, which is good for fighting infection, which I've seen in a lot of kids in villages," said Dulak.
Dulak also said that it is good that they have a local pharmacy so that the locals don't have to travel so far in order to get what they need. The Americans made one last stop on their patrol in order to conduct assessments of a medical facility and a cement factory.
Jenan Abdullah Ghafil, an Iraqi woman who lives near the medical facility, said she is hopeful that the facility will be refurbished and re-opened, as she looks forward to employment opportunities if it opens. Jenan also said she is thankful for the presence of Soldiers, as they are generous with needed supplies.
The Soldiers are also trying to show the Iraqis how to work with the local government and build self-reliance. Huffman added that if the micro-grants are approved the projects will be monitored by U.S. forces to ensure that the money is being used in the manner for which it was sought.
The visit to the village was one of many which Soldiers plan to conduct in the future in an attempt to strengthen bonds between U.S. forces and local communities.
(via DVIDS)
Chaplain Assistant Trains With PSD
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Following the command "Dismount!" a group of Soldiers jumped off the ramp of a Stryker and scanned the area for potential threats.
Surrounded by Soldiers whose main job it is to protect the commander, Spc. Jacob Barbe, a chaplain assistant, trains with the personal security detachment in order to learn how to properly protect the chaplain.
Barbe's mission in the Army is helping the chaplain with important services, preparing sermons and providing religious support throughout unit. When those tasks are done, he searches for a different, but equally important mission; tagging along with the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division's PSD.
It's necessary to train with the PSD to gain experience and knowledge of tactics used when outside the wire in order to effectively protect the chaplain, said Barbe, an Ocala, Fla. native. Chaplains are designated as non-combatants and do not carry weapons.
"I'm with the PSD for everything except for physical training and when I'm working with the chaplain," said Barbe.
U.S. Doctors Meet Iraq Partners
Story by Sgt. Bryce Dubee
BAGHDAD – The exchange of information regarding the latest medical studies and procedures are commonplace throughout the worldwide medical community, however after years of conflict and instability in Iraq, many Iraqi medical professionals have been left out of the information loop.
To help Iraqi doctors learn some of the latest medical, U.S. medical Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division organized an alliance between U.S. military doctors and local Iraqi hospitals.
"Our goal is to meet with the hospitals monthly," explained Capt. Gabriela Niess, a native of Davis, Calif., the brigade's medical planner.
Currently the brigade meets with two hospitals, one in Abu Ghraib and one in Yarmouk, in western Baghdad, with plans to add more hospitals to the exchange in the future.
Zaidon Market Road Increases Commerce, Safety
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Local area leaders of Zaidon gathered, Nov. 12, to celebrate the completion of the three-month-long project which transformed what was once just a pot-holed dirt road into paved thoroughfare.
Soldiers with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division provided security at the official opening of the road, designed to facilitate easier travel and better business opportunities for locals going to the Zaidon Market in Abu Ghraib.
"People weren't able to get in the Zaidon market to make purchases in the city and transport goods and items that were sold, particularly agricultural items," said Navy Lt. Ross Simpson, a civil affairs team leader with 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion. "Trucks couldn't fit through."
The $440,000 funding for the project was funded through Commander's Emergency Response Program. The project started during a previous brigade's deployment and was transferred to Simpson when his unit took over responsibility for the area.
The close proximity of the market to the citizens of Zaidon was also taken into consideration when planning what improvements would be made. These considerations lead to going beyond just simply widening and paving the streets for vehicles, the sidewalks were also paved for the safety and ease of pedestrian traffic.
"The overall goal of the project was to provide the local populace of the Zaidon village with a more efficient, safer, more convenient way to travel throughout this major village," said Simpson, a native of Dalton, Ga.
Convenience, however, came to a screeching halt in the beginning of the project.
"One of the biggest obstacles was being able to juggle the amount of traffic on any given day with construction work that needed to be completed," explained Simpson. "[The workers] had to do it in a way to allow the local populace to use [the road.]"
It took a lot of planning, but the project was finally completed earlier this week, he said.
Once the ceremony came to an end, the attendees said their goodbyes and left down the road that now provides the area with a safer and more efficient way to travel.
(via DVIDS)
Raiders Earn Combat Patch
Story by Sgt. Bryce Dubee
BAGHDAD, Iraq – All across western Baghdad, Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division took time, Nov. 11, to make an adjustment to their uniform; adding the distinctive Indianhead patch of the 2nd Inf. Div. to their right sleeves.
The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Former Wartime Service, commonly known as the "combat patch" is authorized for wear right sleeve of the uniform by Soldiers to denote their participation in combat operations.
Roughly 4,000 troops from Fort Lewis based brigade combat team arrived in Iraq in the beginning of September, conducting operations across western Baghdad and north, to include the city of Taji. Of those Soldiers, approximately 1,200 received their first combat patch on Wednesday.
"This patch is never coming off of this uniform," said Pfc. Jason Jerome, an Aniston, Ala. native assigned to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment. "I'm really proud of it."
Units within the brigade all held their own patching ceremonies with Soldiers amassing in front of rows of Stryker armored vehicles, around a large metal anvil and even at a nighttime bonfire.
At a small ceremony held in front of the brigade headquarters, Soldiers representing every battalion received their patch from Col. John Norris, the brigade commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Huggins, the brigade command sergeant major.
"It is, indeed, my honor to stand amongst you heroes, put your combat patches on, and welcome you to a very, very elite club," said Norris, after the ceremony.
Spc. Niomi Wright, a Portland, Ore. native from 4th Brigade's personnel office said that it felt "surreal" to actually be in Iraq and receive her patch.
"It's exciting. I never thought I'd actually deploy," she said.
Pfc. Joel Pasqualucci, from Placentia, Calif., said he feels that earning the patch will help in his military career, as a sign of experience.
"I think it represents everything that you're doing here," he said. "It's [not just] a patch."
(via DVIDS)
Abu Ghraib Recreational Facilities Improvements
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Thanks to combined efforts of U.S. forces and the Iraqi community, the children of Abu Ghraib have two new places where they can safely play.
Local leaders from the Abu Ghraib area, along with Lt. Col. John Leffers, commander, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, and native of Utica, N.Y., attended the opening ceremony of a soccer field and a playground, here, in central Abu Ghraib, Nov.10.
The soccer field and playground, funded by the Commander's Emergency Response Program and sponsored by the Iraqi Ministry of Youth and Sports, cost approximately $20,000 and $40,000 respectively, and were contracted through two different sources.
Video: Combat Patch Ceremony
B-roll of Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division receiving their combat patches in a brigade wide ceremony.
When Crashing Is Part of the Plan
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Focused on his task, Pvt. Richard Jarus, guided a small unmanned aerial vehicle in circles around a landing area near the brigade headquarters on Camp Liberty, Nov. 7.
Steering it into a straight line, he used the hand controller to tell the RQ-11B Raven to quickly lift its nose into the air, causing it to stall and crash into the ground; pieces of the UAV scattering among the rocks. The landing was a success, by a Raven pilot's standards.
When the Raven "crashes", its pieces are designed to fly off, dispersing energy among them, to keep from harming the main body of the UAV, said Jarus, a native of Hanover, Penn.
Soldiers from every battalion in the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division had new equipment training (NET) with the Raven during the brigade's rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., but most of the Soldiers who attended review training that day hadn't flown the bird in country before, said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Wayne Grimes, of Fort Lewis, Wash., a brigade Raven master trainer.
This training provided an opportunity to build the Raven pilots' confidence and evaluate their efficiency with the device. It also reinforced the skills they already learned as well as some tactics, techniques and procedures that they didn't necessarily learn during NET.
It's important to have extra time to execute flying techniques is to remind them of the skills they learned in previous training on Fort Lewis, said Grimes.
"It's so perishable since they just learned it."
The Soldiers know that they might not have many opportunities to fly the Raven, so they took full advantage of what the training day had to offer by asking questions and continually working on flying the UAV.
"The guy I went to training with [changed duty stations], so it's just me and it's hard to [fly the Raven] by yourself," said Jarus, who explained that since he's the only Raven-trained Soldier in his platoon, he may not get to fly it as often.
Grimes told a story about how he has flown a Raven alone, and how many others have had to do the same.
Training ended with everyone laughing and cheering as the Raven hit the ground one last time, another perfectly imperfect landing.
(via DVIDS)
Partnership at the Range
Story by Spc. Luisito Brooks
BAGHDAD—As the sun sets over a dusty patch of land surrounded by a wall of dirt, Iraqi army and U.S. Soldiers take time to improve their rifle marksmanship and build a stronger relationship.
Members of the 6th Iraqi army division and 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division met, Nov. 6 to exchange training tips and ideas at the range on Forward Operating Base Constitution.
"We meet up with guys from the Iraqi army very often," said Sgt. 1st Class James Denison. "We share our stories and training with them and they share with us."
This range took a new turn for the Americans as IA Soldiers demonstrated to the how to handle, load and fire their AK-47s at the range.
"The AK-47 was very fun to shoot," said Pfc. William Knights, from Scottsboro, Ala.
The U.S. Soldiers also allowed the IA Soldiers to fire their weapons as well, including the M240B machine gun.
"The American Soldiers have very nice weapons," said Maj. Yessn, a company commander with the 6th IA Div.
"The Americans and us have a common goal of seeing the Iraqi people do well," said Lt. Miutz, a military police officer with the 6th Div.
As the sun went from a tiny speck to nothing, the IA soldiers finished firing and began to picking up what brass they could find.
"Our relationship with the IA is very important and we have to make every attempt to make that relationship better," said Denison.
(via DVIDS)
Iraqi Army, U.S. Troops on the Hunt
Story by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell
BAGHDAD, Iraq – As Iraqi Security Forces continue their missions inside the city, here, insurgents and criminal groups find themselves forced out to the rural areas.
Recently, insurgents used a local farm on the western outskirts of Baghdad to attack a U.S. convoy.
U.S. infantrymen from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, combed the area with Iraqi Army Soldiers, Nov. 4, to prevent insurgents from gaining a foothold in the area.
"A lot of weapons come through this area into Baghdad," said Spc. Daniel Pacheco, from San Antonio. "Our job is to stop the supply routes into the city."
The joint American/Iraqi patrol searched rows of farmlands and abandoned buildings in the area to hunt for any clues, explained 1st Lt. Mark Hamilton, a platoon leader from Baltimore.
"Historically, the people doing the emplacing or pulling the trigger aren't doing it because they dislike the U.S. or IA, they do it for money," said Hamilton. "The jobless rate out here is very high, I think like 70 percent, so it's important to get out there and go see the people...so that they're not forgotten."
Hamilton stressed that joint patrols like this one allow local farmers to connect with Soldiers, with the hope that they will be less likely to help insurgents in the area.
"We make it a lot harder for the insurgents, so they can't do what they want," added Pacheco, while his fellow troops checked haystacks, looked under empty barrels and searched behind doors.
While many times the searches turn up nothing, Soldiers, like Pacheco, do understand the importance of their role in the out-lying regions of Baghdad.
"If we stop the flow of weapons into the city, then it helps the government get on its feet," said Pacheco. "Helping the capital helps keep the country stable."
(via DVIDS)
IA Led Joint Patrol Protects Aqur Quf
Story by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell
BAGHDAD – On a dusty road in northwestern Baghdad, Sgt. Kegan Cline kneels beside a wall, resting his M-14 sniper rifle as a group of Iraqi girls in blue school uniforms walk by, giggling and pushing each other, Nov. 3.
The Worcester, Mass. native, smiled briefly and nodded at the girls, knowing that his presence, combined with Iraqi Army Soldiers, allows the girls to walk around safely.
"It feels great that we're here serving a purpose," said Cline, assigned to Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. "These kids can go to and from school without fear and that the community sees two organizations working together as one is a great thing."
Since arriving a few months ago in Aqur Quf, a rural area in northwestern Baghdad, U.S. troops have worked with IA Soldiers on a daily basis to help keep the area safe.
"It's a good thing that the U.S. forces support us and we work together and the community sees that," said IA Capt. Nomas Mohammed Hussein. "These people just need somebody to hear their concerns and understand them."
In order to do that, the American and Iraqi Soldiers patrol the area on foot, interacting with the people face-to-face and giving the locals a different perception.
Stryker Battalion Uncases Colors
Multi-National Division Baghdad
CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Making the arrival of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, official, here, north of Baghdad, the Stryker Soldiers held an uncasing of the colors ceremony, Oct. 29.
"We are at the right place at the right moment with the right Soldiers for this job," said Lt. Col. Michael Lawrence, the battalion's commander. "This is not the first time we have uncased these colors and that is because this unit works hard and will succeed at whatever we do."
"I can't tell you how proud I am to see each and every one of you here," said Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Huggins, the brigade command sergeant major. "For the next year, this unit will have many challenges. It will not be easy because nothing is, but I have complete confidence in this unit. Let's do a good job so we can get back home to our families."
The Fort Lewis, Wash.-based Soldiers will continue working with the Iraqi government, army and police to create irreversible momentum pushing towards a complete hand over of control to the Iraqi people.
"Standing here in this formation are 'Tomahawks', said Lawrence. "We trained hard, we've got a strong vision and you've got buddies that you care about to your left and you right, and by God, you are not going to fail."
Photos: Raiders Search for Weapons
DVIDS has a new album featuring soldiers from the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT.
Trust Leads to Weapons Cache Find
Story by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell
BAGHDAD – A concerned local citizen contacted the Soldiers of Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment about a site insurgents used to store weapons here, just northwest of Abu Ghraib.
With the help of local Iraqi army soldiers, the Fort Lewis-based troops assigned to 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, quickly sprang into action and dug up an insurgent weapons cache in northwestern Baghdad, Nov. 1.
The combined search uncovered a mortar tube, a tripod and a base plate used by insurgents for launching indirect fire.
For these Soldiers who have been in Iraq for almost two months, it is a tangible sign they are helping the security situation here, said Spc. Eric Marquez, an infantryman from El Paso, Texas, assigned to Company A, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Regt., 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div.
"I was pretty excited ... I broke a little sweat, but it was worth it," Marquez explained after digging up suspected cache sites in full body armor.
Marquez added, most of the time the information or the tip doesn't work out, so this mission has been the best one yet.
"This is the first thing that we've found since we've been here," stated a sweat-soaked and dirt-covered Marquez.
Videos: 4/2 SBCT
DIVIDS has a couple new videos featuring soldiers from the 4/2 SBCT.
Brother to Brother Re-enlistment
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Becoming a "lifer" in the U.S. Army is a big deal. It's an even bigger statement when you make that commitment in the beginning of your second tour in Iraq.
To Sgt. 1st Class Philip Neal, a native of Gibson City, Ill., now the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division's legal team non-commissioned officer-in-charge, reenlisting indefinitely wasn't the only thing that made the event special. His brother, Capt. Matthew Neal, also of Gibson City, a physical therapist with 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, did the honors of reenlisting him at the al-Faw palace, here, Oct. 13.
Philip originally joined the Illinois National Guard in 1994 as a paralegal specialist to pay for college. He enjoyed his job so much he switched to active duty in December of 1997.
In 2003, he became a recruiter. Meanwhile, his brother, Matthew, wanted to be a physical therapist and decided to enlist.
Marysville Native Serves in Baghdad
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
BAGHDAD – Pfc. Robert Moritz, a radio telephone operator with 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, awoke one afternoon in Nasir Wa Salam, when the driver of his Stryker vehicle barged in with news of a mission.
No stranger to this kind of wake-up call, the native of Marysville, Wash., put on his gear, readied his M4 carbine and headed out to where the rest of the members of the scout platoon were waiting.
Even with a mission as simple as escorting interpreters to a nearby joint combat outpost, the team must have every aspect of the mission worked out. That's where the importance of Moritz's job comes into play.
"Communication is the key to success. It's important that everybody knows what's going on within the battalion," Moritz said. "It's important that the [platoon leader] communicates to all right people about the situation."
Not only is Moritz an RTO, he's an infantryman whose training included more detailed infantry skills, such as performing combat missions in an urban environment. Even though the focus of U.S. forces has altered from a combat force to one of assisting and advising the Iraqi army, Moritz and the rest of his platoon trained hard for the deployment; despite the fact that they're all fairly new to the battalion. The pre-deployment rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La. was the first time the platoon trained together as a team and since then they've continued to grow.
Pfc. Raymond Russell Burrows III Acquitted in Robbery Case
The Seattle Times has a follow up to a story we linked to last year regarding three 4/2 SBCT soldiers accused of robbery. Burrows also left a comment on our previous entry in response to the story.
The third of three Fort Lewis soldiers accused in a string of robberies in Seattle's University District has been acquitted on all charges.A Seattle jury acquitted Pfc. Raymond Russell Burrows III on Friday, freeing the 22-year-old Rhode Island man after seven months in King County Jail. Now cleared, Burrows said he'll be deploying to Iraq in October to join his Stryker Brigade.
Speaking Thursday, Burrows said he jury's verdict gratified him but the rush to judgment by the public and the authorities left him troubled.
Related:
Stryker Brigade News: Ft. Lewis Soldies Suspected in Robberies
Changing Role in Iraq
The News Tribune describes how the 3/2 SBCT's role in Iraq will be much different during this deployment.
Two Fort Lewis Stryker brigades totaling nearly 8,000 soldiers will be serving in Iraq by the end of September, and a key clause in the security agreement signed in 2008 between the United States and Iraq means their year-long deployments will be far different than previous ones.The status of forces agreement required all U.S. combat forces to withdraw from cities and towns by June 30. Since then, American troops are keeping a lower profile and increasingly staying on bases while their Iraqi counterparts lead missions in urban areas.
Raider Family Center
The News Tribune reports on a new resource center established for the families of soldiers with the 4/2 SBCT.
The recently organized center caters to families from the Iraq-bound 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division – the Stryker unit nicknamed the Raiders – and aims to be a one-stop shop for people inquiring about family resources available at Fort Lewis. It consolidates offices that were previously spread across post.The building holds an office for an FRSA for each battalion, a conference room with small tables, a big-screen TV, a rack of DVDs and books for kids, and a play area with toys. [...]
“We’re the go-to place for families,” said Jeannie Swezer, the FRSA for the brigade’s 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment. “We don’t want the family to have to paddle around looking for resources, places for events, stuff like that.”
Testing New Technologies
The News Tribune reports on new communication systems being used by the 3/2 SBCT and 4/2 SBCT in Iraq.
Gunmen fire on American troops in Iraq. The soldiers pursue, but they can run into problems if the terrain is unfamiliar. Landmarks are confusing. They focus on the wrong building. Or they get turned around in the urban setting.Now, a communications system that two Fort Lewis Stryker brigades are fielding in Iraq aims to provide leaders with more real-time information – and a better chance of tracking insurgents.
The Tacticomp system can link soldiers on the ground with commanders back at the operations center, using troops’ geographical coordinates and live video from cameras soldiers carry or from drone aircraft circling overhead.
FOB Tacoma Updates
Scott Fontaine's FOB Tacoma blog has a couple recent Stryker updates worth noting.
Deployment Ceremony
The News Tribune reports from yesterday's deployment ceremony for the 4/2 SBCT.
During a day at Fort Lewis dedicated to the future, much of the focus was on the past.Veterans from World War II and the Korean War helped case the colors for 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division on Tuesday ahead of leaving for its second tour of Iraq. Speeches centered on the unit’s success on its first deployment in 2007, when it weathered a brutal 15 months of combat.
This time, a different atmosphere awaits the 4,000 Stryker brigade soldiers. A new security agreement means American soldiers are going on fewer combat missions. And training up the Iraqi military is of the utmost importance. The 4th brigade’s year-long deployment will be crucial to long-term stability in Iraq, the acting post commander told thousands assembled at Watkins Field for Tuesday’s ceremony.
4/2 SBCT Deployment Ceremony
The deployment ceremony is taking place tomorrow (8/25) at 10 am according to the the Fort Lewis Ranger.
2-1 CAV Spur Ride
The News Tribune followed soldiers from 2-1 CAV, 4/2 SBCT as they go on the traditional cavalry spur ride.
The spur ride is a tradition that dates back generations, when cavalry scouts rode horses deep into unknown territory. The ride was a grueling test of skill – still captured today as modern cavalry soldiers ride in Strykers, helicopters or armored vehicles – that culminated with a more experienced rider presenting the spurs.The 2nd Squadron’s spur ride included water survival training, road marches, rifle shooting, blindfolded weapons assembly, night land navigation, small-boat operations and tests on the cavalry’s history and traditions.
This week’s spur ride was the squadron’s first since 2006. The next year, the cavalrymen deployed to Iraq as part of 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, and when they got back, they were busy training for their second tour. The brigade leaves over the next few weeks again for Iraq.
Related: More pictures from the 'spur ride' at Fort Lewis
Extreme Sports Therapy
The Associated Press has a piece on how the military is using extreme sports as a form of post-deployment therapy.
Secured with elastic cords to a railroad bridge more than 200 feet over a gorge south of Mount St. Helens, Portillo's mission was to dive over the edge. She pretended to throw up, getting a nervous laugh out of the troops behind her. Then, keeping her own anxiety in check, she bungee-jumped into the lush green below.Dozens of soldiers in the 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment and the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team took the plunge that day last fall. Most had been recently deployed in Iraq. Few had bungee-jumped before.
As he stood at the edge, Sgt. Steve Damron felt a mix of trepidation and adrenaline that he likened to patrols through Baghdad. ''It's a chance to calm our brothers down,'' he said, ''to push that adrenaline out.''
Ft. Lewis Memorial Dedicated
Memorials for soldiers of the 1/25 SBCT and 4/2 SBCT were recently dedicated at Ft. Lewis.
- Fort Lewis Memorial Park honors soldiers - Seattle Times
- Memories of Fort Lewis fallen etched in stone - The News Tribune
A Good Night for Bayonet Company
Story by Pfc. Casey Collier, 22nd MPAD
For the Soldiers in B Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, packing like sardines into a Stryker armored combat vehicle and going on a night raid to capture a high-valued target is nothing new. The company is preparing for an upcoming deployment to Iraq and most of the troops scheduled to deploy, redeployed less than a year ago. Those who have never deployed are receiving a level of training here that ensures that when the time comes to deploy, they will be ready.
The training takes place at the Joint Readiness Training Center here and simulates real world scenarios including: mock villages, improvised explosive device drills, and cultural role players who portray Iraqi army, Iraqi police, civilians, and terrorists.
What is different for B Co. about the upcoming deployment is that they will no longer be the ones who kick down the doors during raids. That aspect of operations will rest on the shoulders of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police and is reflected in the tactical exercises B Co. has been executing.
Stryker Brigade Trains on Unmanned Aircraft
Story by Pfc. Victor Ayala, 49th Public Affairs Detachment (Airborne)
Nearly a mile in the sky, a 400 lb. bird of steel flies in deliberate, careful patterns, watching the world below with an unblinking eye. It can tell the living from the inanimate, the friendly from the enemy, and relay that information back to its controllers instantly without ever giving up its position. Armed only with its camera, the unmanned aerial surveillance vehicle, Shadow, is a weapon of intelligence, and it's giving Soldiers with Fort Lewis's 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, the edge they need at the Joint Readiness Training Center here.
Since the training began at the JRTC in early June, the Soldiers of Darkhorse Troop, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, have been sending these UAVs into the air to support the many training missions undertaken by the brigade. While Soldiers may not even realize the Shadow is in the air during many of their operations, they have all benefited from its capabilities at one point or another.
"The Shadow is the commander's eye on the battlefield," said Spc. Eric Myles, a UAV operator with Darkhorse Troop. "It's surveillance, target acquisition and route reconnaissance all in one."
Fort Polk Simulated Training Exercise
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
FORT POLK, La. - Soldiers with Company B, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment participated in an urban attack simulated training exercise lane June 18 at the Joint Readiness Training Center here.
The objective of the training was to gain control of a simulated city and turn it over to the Iraqi security forces.
"The mission was a kinetic operation in the town of Suliyah to remove insurgent forces from this village," said Capt. Jason Smith, a native of Davis, Calif., now the company's executive officer.
To meet their objective, Soldiers spent the afternoon searching buildings for insurgents and reacting to incoming fire.
The firefight began as soon as the Strykers rolled into town.
Iraqi Security Forces Training Exercise
Story by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth
FORT POLK, La. - Soldiers with Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment assisted Iraqi security forces in an ISF patrol simulated training exercise lane June 19 at the Joint Readiness Training Center here.
The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers accompanied the ISF, played by JRTC role players, in conducting tactical site exploitation, cordon and search, and detainee operations.
The Iraqi police led the way into buildings and searched the people inside.
In one of the buildings searched, the ISF and Soldiers located a bomb maker and another man.
Army Psychologist Shares Unique Skills
FORT POLK, La. - Atop a hill overlooking a small, makeshift training village at Forward Operating Base Forge is a small shed designed more for the storage of lawn tools than the rehabilitation of Soldiers. The plywood walls hold two desks, three chairs, one storage box for medical manuals and a cot.
It is in these Spartan conditions that Soldiers of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team can find a resource more valuable than any of the tools it might naturally store. It is the 202nd Brigade Support Battalion's behavioral health clinic and despite being out of the way, the traffic hasn't suffered any, said Spc. Axeo Rowe, the mental health specialist who splits the space.
Capt. Michelle Tsai, the behavioral health officer for the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, is the office's other occupant. She is at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., with the 202nd BSB, participating in a training exercise for the Raider Brigade's upcoming deployment to Iraq, where she will offer her services in order to ensure the mental health of Raider Soldiers.
Cavalry and Diplomacy
FORT POLK, La.— As the transfer of power in Iraq progresses, Soldiers are finding themselves in new roles.
A Troop, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, took part in street level engagement exercises June 15th at the Joint Readiness Training Center here.
Street level engagement exercises are one way the cavalry troopers from the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division is helping the Iraqi army and Iraqi police to take a greater role in maintaining peace and stability in the region.
Staff Sgt. James Bell, A Troop, 2nd Sqdn, 1st Cav. Regt., has served three deployments to Iraq and thinks training like this is vital.
TOW Missile Range at Joint Readiness Training Center
An infantryman's long education isn't over when he graduates from his One Station Unit Training in Fort Benning, Ga. From the high-flying Airborne and Air Assault infantry to the hard-hitting Stryker and Heavy Infantry, there is a multitude of special skills unique to certain units. Once he arrives to his unit, a new infantryman must learn a whole new set of skills in addition to the foundation he developed in basic training.
For Radcliff, Ky., native, Pvt. Corey Fowler of F Company, 52nd Infantry Regiment, an unconventional Stryker infantry unit trained and outfitted for anti-armor combat, the continued education took form in the shape of a training range at the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division's rotation through Fort Polk's Joint Readiness Training Center on June 17.
The company fired tube-launched, optically-tracked, wire-guided missiles from massive launchers installed onto their Stryker vehicles. The TOW missiles stand about five feet high and must be loaded into the launcher by hand, a job Fowler performed for the first time during the exercise.
Former Stryker Officer Takes Command
Lt. Col. Danny Dudek, formerly with the 4/2 SBCT, recently took command of the Warrior Transition Battalion at Ft. Lewis.
- Wounded commander leading by example - The News Tribune
- Wounded soldier takes command of Fort Lewis unit - Seattle Times
4/2 SBCT Trains at Ft. Polk
DVIDS has a number of articles featuring the 4/2 SBCT as it trains at Ft. Polk.
- In the Field with Comanche Company
- Chaplains train for deployment
- Stryker brigade Soldiers strengthen spirits
- Using the Multi-functional, Agile Remote-Controlled Robot
4/2 SBCT Offload at Rail Head Station
By Pfc. Victor Ayala, 49th Public Affairs Detachment
FORT POLK, La. - Hot steel tracks, the unforgiving Louisiana sun and the dull roar of engines sum up the experience some Soldiers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, have enjoyed since offloading began at Fort Polk's rail head station on June 3.
Since their arrival from Fort Lewis, Wash., Soldiers with the brigade have been offloading vehicles from train cars and preparing them for the month-long rotation through Ft. Polk's Joint Readiness Training Center, the center that will prepare the Soldiers for their upcoming Iraq deployment by immersing them in a simulated combat environment.
In addition to nearly 100 Stryker vehicles, the brigade brought with it a large number of other tactical vehicles, all of which had to be specially prepared for the training. From the Stryker to the smaller Humvees, Soldiers with the brigade guided the vehicles along narrow train cars and delivered them to the bays where they were inspected. Once inspected, Soldiers outfitted them with the Military Integrated Laser Engagement System.
Simulated Training
The Olympian has a bit more on the new Stryker simulator used to train troops from the 3/2, 4/2 & 5/2 SBCTs.
FORT LEWIS – A $1.1 million simulator will help soldiers assigned to the three Stryker combat brigades based here make the most of their time before they deploy to combat by this fall.To train on the Mobile Gun System – the behemoth of the 10 variants of the armored, eight-wheeled vehicles – gunners and vehicle commanders trekked over to the Yakima Training Center, an area both large and isolated enough to fire off the system’s 105 mm cannon. Now they can step inside a trailer parked behind the Battle Command Training Center, the post’s center for virtual training, saving them time, money and ammunition.
Related:
Stryker unit gives new gunnery training system first Armywide test run - Northwest Guardian
Preparing to Deploy
The Seattle Times visits a fair sponsored by Ft. Lewis to prepare military families for upcoming deployments.
FORT LEWIS — Inside a huge white tent staked out in the forest alongside Interstate 5, the Army is holding a fair.There are no carnival games or rides. Instead, soldiers who will soon head to Iraq and Afghanistan, and their families, visit booths that offer information about child care, art programs, high-interest savings accounts and other support services. [...]
This year, some 18,000 Fort Lewis soldiers — more than half the 30,000 soldiers stationed at the post, and a peak since 9/11 — are scheduled to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
That compares with the previous peak of roughly 12,000 soldiers two years ago.
Stryker Soldier Dies in Rafting Accident
The News Tribune confirms the death of PFC Robert Lang Wheatley, Jr., a soldier with the 4/2 SBCT, in a rafting incident on the Nisqually river. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. Excerpt:
FORT LEWIS, Wash. - The body of Private First Class Robert Lang Wheatley, Jr., of Arcadia, Calif., was recovered from the Nisqually River June 2 by members of Thurston County's dive team. [...]Pfc. Wheatley was assigned to Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Lewis, Wash.
On May 17, Pfc. Wheatley and eight other soldiers and one child were on a white water rafting trip on the Nisqually River, in Thurston County, when the three rafts were caught in a fast river current and hit logs jammed in the river. All three rafts were capsized; everyone made it to the river embankment except Pfc. Wheatley.
Decorated Soldier Trains Future Warriors
Via FOB Tacoma we found another article by the LA Times regarding former 4/2 SBCT soldier, Spc. Erik Oropeza, who was recently awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
On his fifth Memorial Day holiday as a U.S. soldier, Spc. Erik Oropeza had much to reflect on.Only 22, he has felt the earth shudder from mortar and bomb blasts, faced down enemies who outnumbered and outgunned him, and seen good friends die. While others took Monday off to enjoy picnics with their families, Oropeza's thoughts were with the men who stood with him through the test of combat.
"I don't celebrate Memorial Day like other people do," he said. "It's a sad day for me."
This year, Oropeza was awarded the Army's second-highest decoration for valor. And now the quiet young soldier has a new role: helping to train those headed for combat.
Related:
Distinguished Service Cross awarded for saving lives in Iraq - Stryker Brigade News
Virtual Battlespace
The News Tribune describes a new computer training system in use by the 4/2 SBCT as it prepares for a deployment to Iraq.
Sgt. Christopher Osborne was riding in a Stryker through Baghdad’s International Zone when his view went black.“Man, we just got smoked!” one soldier yelled.
“Catastrophic kill,” another announced over his headset. “1-2 is dead.” [...]
Welcome to Virtual Battlespace 2, a computer-based trainer that soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are using this week at Fort Lewis to prepare for the Stryker brigade’s fall deployment to Iraq – its second trip in three years.
Related:
Surviving the virtual battlefield - FOB Tacoma
4/2 SBCT Continues Training
The News Tribune provides an update on the training by the 4/2 SBCT as it prepares to deploy to Iraq in the fall.
These roadside bombs weren’t much of a surprise.A convoy of three Strykers from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division rolled down the muddy roads of a Fort Lewis range Wednesday afternoon.
A mock bomb exploded near the second vehicle. Soldiers discovered a copper wire leading to a house at the base of a hill. Gunners in the vehicles fired at the house with Squad Automatic Weapons while a patrol on the ground closed in and eventually stormed the building.
Then they’d regroup, reload their ammunition and repeat the scenario.
It doesn’t quite mimic what they’ll see in Iraq, where the brigade will deploy this fall, but Wednesday’s live-fire training was as real as some of the unit’s newest members have seen since joining 4th Brigade.
It's Official
The DoD just announced that the 4/2 SBCT our of Ft. Lewis, WA will deploy to Iraq next fall in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Department of Defense announced today that 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based in Ft. Lewis, Wash., will deploy in the fall of 2009 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. The brigade consists of approximately 4,000 personnel and will deploy as a replacement unit for a formation currently operating in Iraq. Its deployment will provide commanders in Iraq the flexibility to maintain the appropriate level of effort based on their assessment of the security situation on the ground.
Related:
Fourth Fort Lewis unit to deploy - KOMO 4 News
4th Brigade to deploy in fall from Fort Lewis - The Olympian
4000 from 4th SBCT to deploy to Iraq - Army Times
Preparing for Afghanistan - Northwest Guardian
4th Brigade’s deployment adjusted for early autumn - Northwest Guardian
Distinguished Service Cross awarded for saving lives in Iraq
John M. Wagstaffe, Army News Service
FORT IRWIN, Calif. - In front of a standing-room-only crowd of 600 at the National Training Center Friday, Spc. Erik Oropeza became the 21st Soldier to receive the Distinguished Service Cross since the war in Afghanistan and Iraq began.
Lt. Gen. Joseph F. Peterson, deputy commanding general and chief of staff of Forces Command, pinned the medal on Spc. Erik Oropeza of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment for heroic actions that saved the lives of three fellow Soldiers in Iraq.
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second-highest military decoration for valor, second only to the Medal of Honor. It is awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force.
Oropeza received the medal for his heroic actions while assigned to B Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division during combat near Taji, Iraq on May 22, 2007.
Stryker Soldier to Receive DSC
According to an article in this week's Army Times, Spc. Erik Oropeza will receive the Distinguished Service Cross this Friday at Ft. Irwin for actions taken when he was deployed with the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT ("Manchus"). The DSC is the second-highest award for valor in the military. Congratulations to Oropeza.
Spc. Erik Oropeza doesn’t remember hearing a thing when the 13 155mm howitzer rounds exploded beneath his Stryker.“I remember seeing a white light and then it went dark,” said Oropeza, who had been driving his Stryker on a dirt road 10 kilometers north of Taji, Iraq.
The soldier from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment regained consciousness a few minutes later and climbed out of his blown-open hatch. [...]
Before the morning of May 22, 2007 was over, the young soldier had carried out action that would earn him the country’s second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross. Oropeza, 22, is to receive the medal in a Feb. 13 ceremony at Fort Irwin.
Thanks to CPT Shallcross for the heads-up.
Ft. Lewis Soldies Suspected in Robberies
According to various local news reports, three 4/2 SBCT soldiers were arrested this week in connection with an armed robbery that took place in the University District in Seattle. Other soldiers from their unit tipped off military officials, who in turn contacted local authorities.
- Soldiers suspected of UW attacks ordered held in lieu of $100000 bail - Seattle Times
- Fort Lewis soldiers charged in U District holdups - Seattle Times
- Third soldier arrested as suspect in Seattle robbery, pistol-whipping - The News Tribune
Back to Basics
The Northwest Guardian has a nice article featuring the 2-12 FA, 4/2 SBCT.
The 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery got back to its roots during two weeks of field artillery training in December. The Vikings, recently returned from a 15-month deployment in Iraq, have been training rigorously to hone their core skills as artillerymen following a combat tour that saw them used in other ways.The 2-12 FA deployed to Iraq with the 4th Brigade from April 2007 to June 2008.
As part of the “Surge” strategy, the battalion was employed as a provisional infantry unit in Northern Baghdad and the volatile Diyala Province. The artillerymen exchanged their howitzers for rifles and patrolled the streets, earning distinction within the brigade as an effective land-owning unit.
Holiday Celebration
The Olympian reports on a 4/2 SBCT soldier and his family who won a "Decorated Soldiers" contest to have their home decorated for the holidays.
FORT LEWIS – Christmas for Spc. Matthew Goldsmith and his family will be special in more ways than one.Goldsmith, 25, will spend the holidays with his family in his own home for the first time in five years after several deployments.
And an Olympia-based company added to the Goldsmiths' holiday cheer Friday by decorating their home on post for free to recognize Goldsmith's service.
"It just really makes it a holiday," said his wife, Dana, 23. "I'm huge on Christmas. It's so neat to have the house decorated."
Manchu Memorial
The Northwest Guardian has a nice feature an a memorial the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT ("Manchus") built for the fallen soldiers from its recent deployment.
The Manchus of 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment honored the seven Soldiers who lost their lives during its deployment to Iraq by dedicating last week a unique memorial to their sacrifice. An A Company Soldier, Sgt. Lee Gorzen, built the wooden concave wall at the end of a headquarters hallway where photos of the seven now hang.“We gather to honor their memory and say quietly in our own way, ‘We will never forget,’” said battalion commander, Lt. Col. Mark Bieger Nov. 26 from a lectern in front of 4-9 Inf. headquarters.
The battalion was arrayed in a horseshoe before him, with family members of the fallen and distinguished guests to the side.
End of an Era
Mike Gilbert, the military reporter for The News Tribune, announced he was leaving the paper after 21 years. For my money he has been the best reporter covering Ft. Lewis and its Stryker Brigades. I hope you join me in wishing him the very best. Thanks Mike.
Home From War
Seattle Weekly has a long profile of former 4/2 SBCT solider Mike Siegel, who was injured in Iraq. Excerpt:
Shortly after the incident, the Army transported him back to Fort Lewis, where on May 28 he became one of approximately 20,000 Iraq War veterans so far to receive a Purple Heart.Less than a month later, Siegel was escorted off the same Army base and instructed to sign a document stipulating that he could not return. He had been kicked out—or in military parlance, "administratively separated"—due to a urinalysis that revealed the presence of cocaine. As a result, he lost a host of benefits he might have otherwise received, including military-provided health care, disability pay, and eligibility for the GI Bill.
Siegel is one of numerous combat veterans being penalized after turning to drugs and alcohol or acting out in other ways. The Army and Navy discharged 3,300 people for drug use alone in the 2007 fiscal year (which ended September 2007) . (The two military branches did not supply figures for how many of those people had served in Iraq or Afghanistan.) Fort Lewis released nearly 200 soldiers for drug use in the first 10 months of the 2008 fiscal year—almost twice the number that it did in 2003, the year the Iraq War began.
Thanks to Dan for the link.
Warrior Adventure Quest
Seattle P-I reporter Mike Barber has an entry on his blog about a new 4/2 SBCT program to combat PTSD called Warrior Adventure Quest. Excerpt:
You might not think that jumping out of an airplane at 13,000 feet is a way to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.But a new program being tested at Fort Lewis aims to help returning soldiers readjust from a high-adrenaline combat zone to home life by offering high-adventure challenges to blow off steam.
More than 40 soldiers from the post's 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment of the 4th Stryker Brigade, which returned in June after a 15-month deployment to Iraq, will participate this week "Warrior Adventure Quest." WAQ, for short.
Land Warrior Update
The Arizona Republic reports on a new contract for General Dynamics to supply the 5/2 SBCT with an updated version of the Land Warrior system that the 4/2 SBCT tested in combat during its recent deployment. Excerpt:
The Army initially deployed about 400 of the systems, which are now getting rave reviews from soldiers, who helped get initial bugs out of the system.The new contract is for an additional 900 systems to equip the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
Land Warrior was first deployed to Iraq with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment.
4/2 SBCT in Transition
Christian Hill with The Olympian has an article discussing some of the efforts by the 4/2 SBCT to help its soldiers adjust to life at home. Excerpt:
They've stopped fighting in Iraq and begun grappling with the memories and trauma of their 14-month deployment.In turn, the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), is arming soldiers and families with information like never before so combat-related stress doesn't destroy relationships or lead to alcoholism or suicide. [...]
The leadership of an infantry battalion took another step. The officers invited a PTSD expert to speak to the soldiers and the families of the entire brigade after its return.
Soldier Update: Christopher Crank
The Fairfield Echo has a profile of CPL Christopher Crank, who was injured while serving with the 4/2 SBCT in Iraq. Excerpt:
Christopher Crank saw the charge that detonated the bomb before he felt its effects.Driving an eight-wheel Stryker armored vehicle through Iraq's Diyala Province on June 6, 2007, the Fairfield Twp. resident and then-Army PFC used night vision equipment to detect the activation of an improvised explosive device 10 feet ahead a split second before it detonated.
"It went from a dark, black road to all of sudden light-up-the-sky kind of bright," he said. "It was a perfect square."
4/2 SBCT Leadership
A leadership transition for the 4/2 SBCT is underway - Mike Gilbert at FOB Tacoma has all the details.
4/2 SBCT Memorial
The city of Lakewood near Ft. Lewis will unveil a memorial for the 4/2 SBCT this Monday. The festivities are open to the public.
Army Times Solider of the Year
Via FOB Tacoma we learn that First Sgt. William C. Harlan of the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT has been named the Army Times 2008 Solider of the Year. He also deployed with the 172nd SBCT when it was stationed in Alaska.
Related: SSG Randy D. Eoute of the 1-21 INF, 2/25 SBCT was an honorable mention (see sidebar of story).
Related:
Army Times honors Stryker brigade soldier - The News Tribune
ID Theft Warning
KING-5 News has a report regarding the theft of an Army laptop containing sensitive information regarding 4/2 SBCT soldiers. Mike Gilbert with The News Tribune has additional details on his blog FOB Tacoma.
Update 07/11/08:
Army records on stolen laptop - The News Tribune
Update 07/13/08:
Laptop update - FOB Tacoma
Army laptop recovered, teen arrested - The News Tribune
Sec Def Visits Ft. Lewis, Strykers
Mike Gilbert has a nice write-up in The News Tribune about Secretary of Defense Robert Gate's recent stop at Ft. Lewis. Excerpt:
Making his first public visit to Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base, Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Army Rangers and military spouses over two days.He lunched with airmen, checked out the Strykers and got his picture taken with newborn babies and their moms at Madigan Army Medical Center. [...]
It was the first local visit by a defense secretary since Donald Rumsfeld came to Fort Lewis in April 2002.
Related:
Gates at Fort Lewis - FOB Tacoma
Gates Visits Troops in Washington State - AFPS/NW Guardian
Photos: Gates Visits Fort Lewis, Washington - US Department of Defense
Operation Gratitude and Chrysler Present Jeep to Soldier
(The following is a press release provided by Operation Gratitude. Be sure to follow the link to the photo gallery)
In front of 4,000 soldiers of the 4th Stryker Brigade in Ft. Lewis, Washington, Army Corporal (Cpl.) Michael "Shaun" Gallagher took possession of the vehicle promised to him in the Operation Gratitude care package he received last January: An all-new, custom-painted 2008 Jeep® Liberty. The vehicle was provided to him by Chrysler LLC in partnership with Operation Gratitude, and includes a custom-painted mural that honors the fallen warriors from Gallagher's unit.
The presentation was the culmination of Operation Gratitude's 300,000th care package celebration, which started on December 15, 2007 with the assembly of the 300,000th package at Operation Gratitude's facility in Van Nuys, CA, continued with the January, 2008 personal delivery by Operation Gratitude representatives of that package to (then) Spc. Gallagher in Iraq, and was concluded on July 1 with the emotional presentation of the vehicle just prior to the redeployment ceremony marking the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division brigade's return from their Iraq deployment.
4/2 SBCT Homecoming Stories
Provided below are links to a number of stories regarding yesterday's official homecoming ceremony for the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT).
- A homecoming of heroes as Fort Lewis welcomes Styker soldiers - The News Tribune
- Soldiers awarded Silver, Bronze stars - The News Tribune
- Custom-painted Jeep honors lost soldiers - The Olympian
- Welcome home Dragoon Raiders - FOB Tacoma
- More on the Strykers' return ceremony at Fort Lewis - FOB Tacoma
- It’s official: 4-2 Inf. Div. is home - Northwest Guardian
- Stryker brigade celebrates homecoming - The Olympian
Land Warrior System
Paul McLeary of Defense Tech International has an after action report regarding the Land Warrior system the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT took into combat. Excerpt:
In February 2007—despite a cumulative $500 million price tag—the program had its funding cut, despite the fact that the 4/9 has been training with the gear and was about to start its deployment. The 4/9 deployed with the equipment anyway, and more than a year later, it looks like Land Warrior might have been saved from the dustbin of history.According to Mark Showah, General Dynamics’ director of the Integrated Systems Group, the feedback that the company has received from soldiers has been largely positive, and the company is currently working to secure a contract to supply 1,000 Land Warrior systems to the Strykers of the 5/2, which is slated to deploy to Iraq some time early next year. This is a sharp increase from the 440 units that went to war with the 4/9.
So what changed?
Related:
We posted a video (embedded below) a while back featuring LTC Bill Prior talking about the battalion's use of the system in combat.
Remembering 4/2 SBCT's Fallen Heroes
Christian Hill with The Olympian has compiled profiles of all of the soldiers the brigade lost during its deployment. Excerpt:
On Tuesday, the approximately 4,000 soldiers of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and their families will attend the unit's formal welcome-home ceremony after spending 14 months in Iraq. Thirty-seven soldiers assigned to the brigade didn't return from the deployment.These are brief stories to highlight the personalities and qualities of these men.
4/2 SBCT Homecoming Celebration
Mike Gilbert of The News Tribune has all the details regarding the homecoming ceremony for the 4/2 SBCT taking place tomorrow at Ft. Lewis.
Joint Chief's Visit to Ft. Lewis
Provided below are links to a number of articles and blog entries related to Adm. Mike Mullen's, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visit to Ft. Lewis.
- Fort Lewis troops question chairman of Joint Chiefs - Seattle P-I
- Joint chiefs chairman visits Fort Lewis – next up, McChord - The News Tribune
- Mullen visit: Fort Lewis barracks all a matter of perspective - FOB Tacoma
- Mullen visit: Health care a big deal - FOB Tacoma
Boonville's Star Spangled Thursday
Found the following story via Blog-Ah!.
by Bruce Anderson, Anderson Valley Advertiser
A thousand people in Boonville is fifty thousand in San Francisco, and there were more than a thousand people in Boonville by five o'clock last Thursday waiting for Sgt. Jesse Slotte to come home.
Boonville has never seen anything like it, not even at fair time when the town swells to several thousand visitors, most of them dispersed throughout the Fairground's 20 acres. Last Thursday, there were people everywhere until there were so many people on both sides of the highway between the Fairgrounds office and the Live Oak Building that the road seemed to narrow, seemed to become almost tunnel-like.
"This is amazing," said Harold Hulbert, born and raised in Boonville. "People are clear down to Mountain View Road, all kinds of people, and they're still coming." [...]
800 Stryker soldiers return to Fort Lewis Tuesday
More than 800 soldiers are expected to return to Fort Lewis on Tuesday, on three flights.
Then, all 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division units, will have returned, completing the return of the brigades’ “main body.” [...]
Approximately 400 soldiers remain deployed as part of the brigade’s “trail party.” Most of those soldiers will return later this month.
He loved Ruston Way
MATT MISTEREK, The News Tribune
There was no 21-gun salute, no chaplain giving a message of God’s provision, no bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace.”
The formal benedictions for Cpl. Jared Crouch were taken care of a year ago at a joint Fort Lewis memorial service for three soldiers. The Stryker cavalryman was killed June 2, 2007, while serving in Iraq with the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
Instead, on Saturday evening, Crouch was honored with a come-as-you-are memorial just for him at the north end of Ruston Way in Tacoma.
Entire brigade to deploy with Land Warrior
Debi Dawson | Army News Service
FORT BELVOIR, Va. - As Land Warrior reaches its first anniversary in combat, the Army is seeking to equip an entire brigade combat team with the high-tech system, which increases mission speed and effectiveness and decreases risks to the warfighter.
The Army has approved an operational needs statement to field the Land Warrior system to the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, in 2009.
During the past year, Soldiers with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment have faced the challenges of asymmetric warfare in Iraq using Land Warrior, and the battalion's success has prompted others to ask for the system. The 4-9 Infantry is part of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash.
Brigade deployment schedule changed to meet surge needs
By Don Kramer, Northwest Guardian
The 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division was caught squarely in the troop surge of 2007 that turned U.S. fortunes in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Originally programmed to deploy in May, the brigade was not only accelerated by a month to join surge forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom in April, but extended three months to serve a 15-month combat tour.
The one-month adjustment in its arrival date, however, required a major shift in the brigade’s Mission Readiness Exercise plans. The site shifted from the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif. to Fort Lewis.
Raiders, Dragoons Conclude Transition
By Ryan Eliott, 14th Public Affairs Detachment
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE - The 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment took the reins of responsibility for the Diyala region from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division during a Transition of Authority ceremony held in Sgt. 1st Class David J. Salie Fitness Center on Forward Operating Base Warhorse, June 1.
“It’s a great day to be in the cavalry and a great day to be a Dragoon,” said Lt. Col. Bryan Denny, deputy commander, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.
“The 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team gave the Iraqi people of the Diyala province hope,” said Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, commander of Task Force Iron and Multi-National Division - North.
More Stryker soldiers back Tuesday
FORT LEWIS -– The 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division’s command team and nearly 300 of the brigade’s soldiers will return to Fort Lewis Tuesday.
Col. Jon S. Lehr and Command Sgt. Major John W. Troxell, along with about 275 of their soldiers, are expected to be welcomed home by family and friends in a ceremony scheduled for 3:30 a.m. at Soldiers Field House.
The majority of 4/2 soldiers will return by mid-June. The 4-2 Stryker brigade will formally observe its redeployment by uncasing the brigade colors in a ceremony at Watkins Field July 1. [...]
Brigade Stabilizes Iraqi Province, Moves Into Support Role
By Kristen Noel, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON — Iraq’s Diyala province is now secure and stable enough for people to return to work and for the government and civil services to conduct business, an official there told online journalists and bloggers last week.
“Operations in concert with the Iraqi security forces have made the province a safer and more stable area, providing a place for the government and civil services to conduct business and for the Iraqi people to live and work,” said Army Col. Jon Lehr, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division’s 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, which has occupied Diyala province for the past 14 months.
“Overall, Diyala has seen a 70 percent reduction in violence over the past year,” Lehr said.
A Family Tradition Continued in Warhorse
By Spc. Ryan Elliott, 14th Public Affairs Detachment
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq- Capt. Joseph Shorr, 2nd Platoon Leader for Bravo Battery, Fires Squadron, 2nd Stryker Calvary Regiment, replaced his older brother Cpt. Geoffrey Shorr fire support officer with Bravo Company, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division in Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Iraq. The brothers don’t hold the same position in their units as each other, but both are Field Artillery officers.
The two soldiers’ units recently crossed paths while conducting a Relief in Place operation, in FOB Warhorse this month. A RIP is the process when a unit trains to take over another unit’s positions and duties.
“It was a great feeling knowing I was replacing my brother over here,” said Joseph, “My arrival allowed my brother to go home and that gave me a good feeling.”
Soldiers return to warm family welcome
Another 4/2 SBCT unit arrived home today. Be sure to see the accompanying photo slide show.
The brass band played, the crowd cheered and some cried as soldiers returning from tours in Iraq marched into Fort Lewis' Soldier Field House Saturday morning.
The balloons, flags, and posters filling the auditorium were to celebrate the homecoming of the Washington Army National Guard's 1/168 General Support Aviation Battalion after a year-long deployment to Iraq.
"The great thing is we left with 162 people and we came back with 162 people," said supply Sgt. William Clardy, who arrived into the arms of his wife, Davina, and their four young daughters.
Also returning Saturday were roughly 200 soldiers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division after a 15-month deployment to Iraq.
Stryker brigade homecoming
Be sure to click through and read the entire article.
MICHAEL GILBERT, The News Tribune
The first wave of Stryker soldiers returned to families Thursday at Fort Lewis, with many more reunions due over the next few weeks as the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division closes its grueling combat tour of nearly 15 months in Iraq.
Once all 4,000 of the brigade’s troops arrive, Fort Lewis for the first time will have all three of its Stryker brigades at home.
Not even car trouble was going to stop Elizabeth Gipe from making it for the occasion from her home in Caldwell, Idaho.
Brigade to Get 'Land Warrior' System
by Debi Dawson, Army News Service
FORT BELVOIR, Va. - As Land Warrior reaches its first anniversary in combat, the Army is seeking to equip an entire brigade combat team with the high-tech system which increases mission speed and effectiveness and decreases risks to the warfighter.
The Army has approved an Operational Needs Statement to field the Land Warrior system to the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, in 2009.
During the past year, Soldiers with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment have faced the challenges of asymmetric warfare in Iraq using Land Warrior, and the battalion's success has prompted others to ask for the system. The 4-9 Infantry is part of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash.
‘Surge’ Brigade redeploys
Multi-National Corps – Iraq PAO
BAGHDAD – Approximately, 4,000 Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, are redeploying back to Fort Lewis, Wash., next month.
The 4th Stryker Brigade deployed in April 2007 to secure the Diyala Province north of Baghdad to improve the safety and quality of life for the approximately 1.2 million people living there. During this time, the 4th Stryker Brigade was part of the initial surge of five additional brigades into Iraq.
“We have been extremely successful during our 14 months of operations in Taji and Diyala,“ said Col. John Lehr, brigade commander for 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. “Operations in concert with the Iraqi Security Forces have made the province safer and more stable resulting in a place for the government and civil services to conduct business and for the Iraqi people to live and work. “
4/2 SBCT Homecoming Begins
Ft. Lewis public affairs has alerted local media that flights of 4/2 SBCT soldiers will begin arriving tomorrow. If you have a good story or photos to share please let us know. Congrats!
- 4th Brigade is coming home - FOB Tacoma
- 4-2 Stryker brigade homecoming at Fort Lewis - Seattle Times
- About 250 Fort Lewis soldiers expected to return tomorrow - The Olympian
Kingsport native commanding Stryker battalion honors young soldiers in Iraq
Commander of 2-23 INF, 4/2 SBCT featured in the following article. There is also a 4 minute video featuring photos of the battalion with audio provided by LTC Landes.
By Kacie Dingus Breeding, Kingsport Times-News
A Kingsport native stationed in Iraq since last fall offers a few words of praise for his battalion as they prepare to rotate back to the United States in about a week's time.
United States Army Lt. Col Mark Landes departed Fort Lewis on Sep. 26, 2007, to assume command of the 2-23 Infantry Stryker battalion in Iraq.
In an emailed update earlier this month, Landes had a few words of praise for those he led to successes in several areas of Iraq. "I can not be more proud of the Soldiers that serve with me. They are the best that our Country has to offer and their performance has been nothing less than fantastic," Landes said. [...]
Army may spend $102 million for more Land Warrior units
Max Jarman, The Arizona Republic
General Dynamics C4 Systems' $3 billion Land Warrior program is showing signs of life after being terminated by the U.S. Army last year.
The Scottsdale-based General Dynamics Co. subsidiary was the prime contactor on the program and was dealt a significant blow when it was canceled in what the unit's President Chris Marzilli calls a "pre-emptive strike."
But soldiers, who were initially slow to accept the technology, are now clamoring for the high-tech gear.
Memories of a Stryker
The family of Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson is profiled in the following article. This is a long piece, so click through to read the full article.
By Erik Lacitis, Seattle Times
ROCHESTER, Thurston County — It's been a bit over six months since Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson was killed in Iraq by a suicide bomber.
This little town of 1,800 just south of Olympia, with pastures and small family farms, was his home.
Some 300 people turned out last fall for the 22-year-old man's memorial service at Rochester High School. He was the community's first local casualty from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And so far he has been the only one.
Families prepare for return of their soldiers
By Christian Hill | The Olympian
Sgt. James Brinson's long journey home from Iraq will end on tree-lined streets festooned with yellow ribbons.
His wife, Gené, 24, has decorated a stretch of College Street, the driveway of their apartment complex and their apartment door.
It's her way of celebrating her husband's return and reminding people of the sacrifice of thousands of local service members and their families.
Col. Lehr Interviewed
Colonel Jon Lehr, commander of the 4/2 SBCT, must have conducted a press briefing via telephone because two separate outlets are quoting from the session.
- In Diyala Province, Persuasion by Artillery Fire - Wired Magazine
- 'Like A Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone' - The Washington Independent
Chehalis Tribes Hold Successful Veterans Benefit
Apparently the event will benefit the 4/2 SBCT.
ROCHESTER, Wash., May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chehalis Confederated Tribes held a highly successful benefit dinner and theater performance for returning combat veterans at the Lucky Eagle Casino Event Center May 17th, tribal officials announced this week. The fundraising effort, appropriately named "The Return To Honor Veterans Benefit," was created to provide much needed support for the Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund and the Freedoms Foundation's Return To Honor program. Hosted by television personality Grant Goodeve, the event was attended by an enthusiastic crowd of 250 and raised over $65,000.
"We are pleased with the support and participation we received from the community," said Chehalis Tribal Chairman David Burnett. "It was our belief that people would welcome the opportunity to help charitable organizations that serve our returning combat veterans, and that proved to be the case. We are especially grateful to our key corporate sponsors, Pepsi, Wells Fargo, Uhlmann I-5 Auto Group, Reichert's Distributing and the Olympian."
The benefit featured moving speeches by Major Davina French, veteran of the Iraq War and currently the Interagency Coordination Officer for the North Dakota National Guard, Thomas K. Lee, combat veteran who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and Major Daniel Dudek, Iraq War combat veteran who served with the Stryker Combat Brigade team (4th Brigade, 2d Infantry Division).
Dover native leads Army brigade in Iraq
Commander of 4/2 SBCT interviewed for his hometown paper.
by CHRISTINA KAUFFMAN The York Dispatch
U.S. Army Col. Jon Lehr has found inspiration in a most unusual place: an ATM in Baqubah, Iraq.
The Dover native is a member of the coalition forces that made it possible for the city to open its first private bank, complete with an ATM and electronic funds transfer, he said.
The little cash machine, seen by some Iraqis for the first time, is a big deal there. And electronic funds transfer is equally unusual in a cash-based society where the cash of the provincial budget used to literally take up an entire tractor trailer, Lehr said.
'They're in Good Hands'
A 4/2 SBCT soldier is briefly interviewed in the following article.
By Lennox Samuels
The young man in the gauzy yellow jumpsuit sits motionless in a reclining chair at the edge of the ward, his knees drawn up in a near-fetal position. His face is puffy from his wounds and he exhibits the stillness of someone who is blind. Indeed, the thick white bandage over his eyes seems to confirm that he is. But a second look takes in a light-brown leather strap that tethers him to the chair, and an American military officer confirms that he is a detainee. There’s nothing wrong with his eyes. The oversized bandage is there to make sure he won’t be able to identify anyone after he is released.
Apprehended because of his actions fighting Coalition forces in Iraq (Only captured or suspected insurgents face such restrictions), the man is a patient at the U.S. Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base. He is an emblem of the facility’s policy of treating anyone, friend or foe, who arrives there needing medical help. The care is world-class at the hospital, which is renowned for its trauma treatment and the skill of its doctors.
A new source of mental health care for veterans
By MICHAEL GILBERT, The News Tribune
A group of mental health care providers in Washington is offering free help to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families who either can’t or don’t want to go through traditional channels for care.
The Soldiers Project Northwest is modeled after a similar effort in Los Angeles, where volunteer therapists since 2004 have seen clients without charge for help with their war-related problems.
“The war just feels so big. The problems of the country feel so big. This is something that I can do,” said Tim Mallon, a University Place mental health counselor who is taking part in the Northwest effort. “I’ve got the training to do it, and the need is there. It’s pretty simple, really.”
2-1 CAV Operations in Diyala
One of our readers sent a link to the personal website of Arthur Humphries, who I believe is a State Department representative in the Diyala province. He has a number of photos and blog entries featuring the soldiers of 2-1 CAV, 4/2 SBCT. I highly recommend a visit.
Stryker unit’s homecoming an event for family, friends
By Spc. Aaron Carpenter, I Corps Public Affairs
It wasn’t breakfast in bed but it was just as sweet for those in attendance at Sheridan Gym for the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division’s homecoming Saturday morning.
Roughly 200 family members and friends of the returning Soldiers packed the gym to welcome them home.
Approximately 110 Soldiers assigned to the 4th Bde. 2nd Inf. Div., came home as part of the advance party. The stands were buzzing as technology made it possible for the crowd to track the arrival.
Fort Lewis fixing up old barracks with $2.8 billion
By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, Associated Press
Soldiers at Fort Lewis live in buildings that date back as far as 1927, but base officials say an ambitious barracks construction and renovation project is keeping soldier housing entirely hospitable.
Fort Lewis, base for about 28,924 soldiers, has been building new barracks and upgrading old ones for the past seven years, mostly to accommodate population growth as new Stryker brigades are formed or moved to Washington state.
Raid results in more than 21 detainees
Even though there is no specific mention of the brigade I suspect elements of the 4/2 SBCT were involved in this operation.
Multi-National Division – North PAO
TIKRIT, Iraq – An operation for two known insurgent leaders resulted in over 20 Iraqi males being detained, May 7.
The operation was conducted in the Khatoon district of Baqubah during the early morning hours.
“The unit had gathered intelligence that indicated two high-level insurgent leaders were in the home,” said Maj. Mike Garcia, spokesperson for Coalition forces in Diyala.
“When they entered the home shortly after midnight, they found over 20 Iraqi adult males – awake – with several illegal weapons and a notebook containing plans for future attacks against Coalition forces in the home,” said Garcia.
Many of the men claimed to be students, local farmers or local media.
“We’ll identify these (individuals) through further questioning and if it is determined they are not involved in insurgent activity, they’ll be released,” said Garcia.
Pride Week at Fort Lewis puts soldiers to the test
FORT LEWIS — Pride Week traditionally has involved soldiers cleaning the post and removing debris from training areas.
Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby Jr., commanding general of Fort Lewis and I Corps, expanded this year's weeklong event to celebrate what soldiers have done and can do together.
For the first time, Pride Week includes unit-sponsored competition, including marksmanship, boxing and weightlifting, in an effort to build camaraderie and morale.
GI itching to rejoin Iraq unit
Here's a nice update on a 4/2 SBCT (I'm guessing) 2nd SCR soldier injured in Iraq and now recovering in the States.
By ROGER W. HOSKINS, Modesto Bee
WATERFORD -- The rocket exploded just inches from Josh Whitfield's head, leaving him with a concussion and other moderate injuries.
But it isn't how close the Army specialist came to eternity that troubles him today. It's the distance that separates him from his buddies in Iraq.
The blast didn't stop him from ordering the driver of the Stryker armored vehicle he was in to back up to protect U.S. soldiers on the ground. Nor did it stop him from firing his mounted .50-caliber machine gun for nearly a minute before he passed out.
Stryker soldiers rejoice at home
SCOTT FONTAINE, The News Tribune
It’s been nearly 13 months since Shawnie Salgado’s husband deployed to Iraq.
That’s 13 months of loneliness. Thirteen months of juggling work and motherhood. Thirteen months of apprehension every time someone knocked on the door or called late at night.
Those 13 months ended Saturday.
Her husband, Army Capt. Joseph Salgado, and about 110 other members of an advance party of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division returned to Fort Lewis, and enthusiastic friends and family members greeted the returning warriors.
The advance party consists of soldiers from each of the brigade’s battalions and companies. Their job is to help prepare for the return of the brigade’s remaining 3,500 to 4,000 soldiers, who will come home in the next few months.
Battle-tested soldiers return from Iraq this weekend
The arrival of the advance party is always a good sign.
The first wave of Fort Lewis soldiers who served a brutal deployment of nearly 15 months in Iraq are scheduled to come home Saturday.
About 110 soldiers with the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division will return to Fort Lewis Saturday and will be welcomed home by family and friends at a 7 a.m. ceremony at Sheridan Gym, according to a post press release.
The first-arriving soldiers make up the Stryker Brigade's advance party, a select team from each of the unit's battalions and companies who redeploy ahead of the rest to make preparations. The majority of 4th Brigade's roughly 4,000 soldiers are scheduled to begin arriving home in June.
[...]
The Desert Raider - Final Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community. According to the brigade this will be the final edition before it redeploys.
Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - May 2008 Edition (PDF, 8 MB)
New Academy Helps Diyala IPs Meet Training Requirements
BAQUBAH, Iraq – As the situation in Diyala continues to improve, the mission is changing from clearing the province of al-Qaida in Iraq, to ensuring it remains secure and free of criminal elements. The improved security has allowed the Iraqi police to focus on other issues. One of the larger issues the force is addressing is the training of newly hired policemen that have not received the schooling required by the Ministry of Interior.
The solution to this training issue is a temporary academy that recently opened on Forward Operating Base Grizzly, near Ashraf, Iraq.
The Multi-National Division–North Regional Training Center, or Al A’athaiem Academy as it is known by the Iraqi police, was built to help fix the backlog of IPs who have not undergone official training. Coalition forces and Iraqi security forces are working to build a permanent academy in the town of Muradiyah, located between Baqubah and Khan Bani Sa’ad.
Diyala Battery on Pace to Decimate OIF Rounds-fired Record
Some nice photos if you follow the link as well.
BAQUBAH, Iraq – Boom … Boom … Boom.
The earth-shaking sound of artillery fire is nothing new to residents of Diyala province. It’s practically a daily occurrence, with rounds fired at all hours of the day and night.
Whether or not those loud booms are comforting or scary depend on who hears them. For the enemies of peace and security, those sounds and the resultant explosions are an anathema, but to coalition and Iraqi security forces, along with civilians working for a stable Iraqi, the sounds of King Battery firing their M109A6 Paladin Self Propelled Howitzers are sweet music.
Battery K, 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (King Battery) arrived in country in November, and immediately began providing artillery support to the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, the coalition unit responsible for Diyala province. In the battery’s first five months, they have already fired just under 5,000 rounds, on pace to decimate the record of most rounds fired by a battery in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In fact, they are only a few hundred shy of the record, one that was set by a battery who was in country for more than a year.
From Haddon Heights to Iraq
Profile of the commander of 202 BSB, 4/2 SBCT.
On war-rattled Iraqi streets, a son of Haddon Heights has watched life resurface.
Lt. Col. Kenneth E. Evans said he sees the vital signs in Taji city and Diyala province, both north of Baghdad. The streets were all but deserted when Evans and his U.S. Army battalion arrived 13 months ago, he said, because "you just didn't know what was going to happen."
These days, though, markets are open again. Children are out and about. Security, buoyed by new and better Iraqi security forces, has helped instill a fresh confidence, Evans said in a phone interview last week from Diyala province.
Fort Lewis preparing for summer population surge
This summer, post exchange and commissary patrons may find the stores a little more crowded, traffic may be a little thicker and unit operations officers may have to plan a little further ahead to use high-demand training facilities on post.
That’s because Fort Lewis will welcome about 6,500 Soldiers home from deployment between May and September, hiking the post’s troop population to almost 29,000 in what many are calling the “summer surge.”
But Fort Lewis garrison officials have been hard at work for eight months, planning to accommodate the returning units with many new unit buildings, facelifts for existing barracks and facilties, and and a delicately crafted plan to ensure Soldiers, families and units get the support they need during the surge.
New academy helps Diyala IPs meet training requirements
By Spc. Kirby Rider, 4/2 SBCT PAO
BAQUBAH, Iraq – As the situation in Diyala continues to improve, the mission is changing from clearing the province of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, to ensuring it remains secure and free of terrorist elements.
The improved security has allowed the Iraqi Police to focus on other issues.
One of the larger issues the force is addressing is the training of newly-hired policemen who have not received the training required by the Ministry of Interior.
Soldier of the Week: CPT Hoyle
The radio program Murphy in the Morning has selected CPT Justin Hoyle, 1-38 INF, 4/2 SBCT as its soldier of the week. Hoyle was nominated by his brother, Jonathan, who is also an Iraq veteran.
Ft. Lewis soldier gets 28 months in shooting death of sergeant
MICHAEL GILBERT, The News Tribune
It wasn’t the first time he’d pointed his pistol at a fellow soldier, Cpl. Timothy Ayers told the judge Wednesday at his court-martial.
But this time, he said, he pulled the trigger, and this time the gun was loaded.
The Fort Lewis soldier was sentenced to 28 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of his platoon sergeant at their forward operating base in Baghdad.
Lakewood seeks donations for soldiers
By ROB TUCKER, The News Tribune
Lakewood has launched a campaign to fill gift baskets for 2,000 Fort Lewis Stryker soldiers who will return soon from their nearly 15-month tour of Iraq.
The first wave of soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division could come home in late May, although the entire unit likely won’t be back until July.
The brigade’s return is part of the larger troop drawdown in Iraq that U.S. political and military leaders have spoken of for months.
The Desert Raider - April Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community.
Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - April 2008 Edition (PDF, 3.9 MB)
U.S. troops make progress in Iraq's Diyala province
Nice long article re: 4/2 SBCT's recent operations in Diyala. Via FOB Tacoma and J Calhoun.
By Steve Lannen, McClatchy Newspapers
KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq --
GIs call it “KBS” or “the Khan,” and for most of the past two years, this agricultural town of 100,000 in Iraq's Diyala province was the site of fierce fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslim extremists.
After a firefight Feb. 25 that killed at least nine insurgents, however, the Iraqi and U.S. militaries declared that al Qaida in Iraq had been pushed out of the area.
Diyala remains one of the most dangerous provinces in Iraq, but in the past month, thousands of people who'd fled the region, fearing fighting between the armed forces and insurgents, have returned to villages near the Diyala River. Local Sunni militias are forming in villages that Sunni insurgents occupied a few months ago, with the U.S. military paying recruits $10 a day.
IA, CF kill 3 AQI, destroy bunker near Baqouba
Multi-National Division – North PAO
TIKRIT, Iraq – Multi-National Division – North Soldiers killed three enemy personnel after locating a weapon cache and an al-Qaeda in Iraq bunker in Bojima, near Baqouba, Iraq, March 30.
During a joint clearing operation, Iraqi Army Soldiers began taking small arms fire.
A Coalition air weapons team spotted the armed personnel fleeing from the contact location and engaged the individuals, killing three and wounding a fourth.
Soldiers from the Iraqi Army’s 5th Division and MND-N Soldiers of 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., destroyed one heavy fortified bunker, two 82 mm mortar base plates, one 60 mm mortar base plate, and a 60 mm mortar tripod. Two propane tanks and a fire extinguisher, suspected of containing homemade explosives, were also destroyed.
“Destroying the bunker will further degrade al-Qaeda in Iraq’s ability to conduct offensive and supply operations,” said 1st Lt. Colin Lebeau, assistant intelligence officer, 2-23 Infantry.
MND-N captures key criminal in Diyala
Multi-National Division – North PAO
BAQUBA, Iraq – Soldiers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division captured a key criminal leader in Diyala province near Sadiyah, Iraq, March 29.
The suspect is believed to be the leader of a criminal cell operating in the Khalis area and is accused of numerous improvised explosive attacks specifically targeting local Iraqis,, and Iraqi and Coalition forces. He is also believed to an explosives expert who leads more than 300 criminals.
Another key criminal was also detained during the operation.
Mass grave discovered near Muqdadiyah
TIKRIT, Iraq – Acting on a tip from a local Iraqi, Multi-National Division – North Soldiers and Iraqi Policemen discovered 37 bodies buried in a mass grave north of Muqdadiyah, Iraq, March 27.
All the bodies were badly decomposed and appear to have been there anywhere from two to eight months. Some of the bodies showed signs of torture.
The bodies will be moved to a nearby cemetery.
“Those responsible need to be put to justice for these barbaric acts,” said Maj. Dan Meyers, a spokesman for Multi-National Division - North.
CF kills 1 suspected AQI in Diyala
Multi-National Division – North
BAQUBA, Iraq – Coalition forces killed one suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq member in an operation on a building where known AQI operatives were believed to be hiding March 21.
“The targeted individual was known to be an expert in the manufacture of house-borne improvised explosive devices and suicide vests,” said Lt. Col. Patrick Mackin, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
Diyala leaders meet to establish tribal support councils
Multi-National Division – North PAO
SA’AD MUHAMMED, Iraq – Influential leaders from throughout Diyala province gathered at a home in Sa’ad Muhammed, Iraq, March 20 to establish tribal support councils.
More than 1,000 people attended the gathering at the home of Sheik Dura Fayyadh Al-Amiri. Representatives of the central government, the governor, members of the provincial council, the Iraqi Army and Police commanders for the province and sheiks throughout Diyala attended.
Last month the central government approved the creation of tribal support councils throughout Iraq. The purpose of these councils is for the various tribes throughout the nation to have a voice in government to help with reconciliation and stability.
Stryker Troops Train ISF to Be Self-sufficient
BAQOUBA, Iraq – As the fifth year anniversary of the war in Iraq approaches, one of the big questions often asked is “Are Iraqi security forces capable of providing for Iraq’s security?” Soldiers of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., are currently working closely with their ISF counterparts in Diyala province to ensure they are.
One of the ways the Stryker troops work to ensure the ISF is self-sufficient is training Iraqi soldiers and policemen on basic skills during a 10-day, “basic-warrior-skills” course.
News Tribune on 5th Anniversary
The News Tribune has a number of items related to the 5th Anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.
- The Iraq conflict five years later: A look back and ahead as war rolls on
- A Fort Lewis & Washington timeline of the Iraq war
- More comments on the 5th anniversary - Views from the paper's readers
- Five years from Tacoma to Iraq - Multimedia presentation posted on YouTube
Five years later, soldiers reflect on casualties
Follow the link for video as well.
By Keith Eldridge, KOMO 4 News
FORT LEWIS -- This base is 6th on the list of military bases with the most casualties in the war in Iraq. But the soldiers at Fort Lewis say they want to make sure each and every soldier is honored for their supreme sacrifice.
When the fighting in Iraq began, it was everyone's hope that the U.S. could get through the conflict with very few soldier deaths, and have it be over and done with quickly.
That was five years and 179 Fort Lewis casualties ago.
Time and again, soldiers, their families and friends have gathered to pay honor to those who've fallen.
On this 5th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, the soldiers and their commanders say the deaths that happen today are just as hard to take as those back in 2003.
[...]
Discovery Highlights Recent Counterinsurgency Successes
By Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett, 4/2 SBCT
BAQUBAH, Iraq – Coalition forces discovered a sizable weapons cache in the Tahrir district of Baqubah, Diyala province, Iraq, March 15.
Soldiers of Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., discovered two rocket propelled grenade launchers on the roof of a home during a routine patrol of the area. The house’s rooftop was connected to another home where the Soldiers found a mortar tube, additional RPG rounds and numerous mortar rounds hidden in a barrel buried in the courtyard.
The cache included 23 mortar rounds, four RPG rounds, three RPG launchers, one mortar tube, one AK-47 rifle, and numerous Ak-47 magazines and rounds. The munitions were destroyed in a controlled detonation at a nearby joint combat outpost.
Diyala’s Breadbasket Two Months Later: a Success Story
Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett, 4/2 SBCT
HIMBUS, Iraq – A lot can happen in a few months. Citizens of the northern Diyala River Valley area commonly referred to as the Breadbasket have seen a world of difference in just two months.
For several years, the Breadbasket – an area of roughly 100-square kilometers – had been an al-Qaida in Iraq stronghold and safe haven. There was very little Iraqi army presence and virtually no Iraqi police. AQI had enforced strict Sharia Law and were kidnapping and beheading those who did not comply with their explicit demands.
That all changed beginning Jan. 7 with the start of Operation Raider Harvest – the Diyala province portion of the theater-wide offensive Phantom Phoenix. Soldiers of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division cleared house-by-house, village-by-village throughout the Breadbasket.
Cache discovery highlights continuing successes in Baqouba
Multi-National Division – North PAO
BAQUBA, Iraq – Coalition forces discovered a large weapons cache in the Tahrir district of Baqouba, Iraq, March 15.
Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division discovered rocket-propelled grenade launchers on the roof of a home while on a routine patrol. The rooftop is connected to another home where the Soldiers found a mortar tube, additional RPG rounds and numerous mortar rounds hidden a barrel buried in the courtyard.
The cache included mortar rounds, RPG rounds, RPG launchers, a mortar tube, an AK-47 rifle, and numerous Ak-47 magazines and rounds. The munitions were destroyed in a controlled detonation at a nearby joint combat outpost.
The resident of the first house was detained by the Soldiers.
Fort Lewis sees growth, change
FORT LEWIS — Before bombs dropped on Baghdad in 2003, Fort Lewis already was on the forefront of change in the Army, developing and fielding a new, cutting-edge combat brigade.
And little around the installation has remained the same since.
Like other military posts, Fort Lewis has adjusted to the demands of fighting two protracted conflicts five years in Iraq and nearing seven in Afghanistan. Those demands include improving the care of wounded soldiers and increasing the number of services and programs available to families to help them through the stress of long periods of separation.
Some changes are unique to Fort Lewis, including an assessment program to ensure that any lingering effects from combat aren't ignored. The war has accelerated the development of the Stryker combat brigades; three of the Army's seven Stryker brigades are based at Fort Lewis.
[...]
Ex-Fort Lewis chief predicts tough spring for U.S. troops
Dubik was the top commander at Ft. Lewis until his recent assignment in Iraq.
FORT LEWIS, Pierce County — For three years, thousands of Army soldiers from this Western Washington post patrolled the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. More than 40 lost their lives.
With the security situation improved, the last of three Fort Lewis Stryker brigades withdrew in mid-2006, but during the past year, as U.S. forces clamped down on al-Qaida activities farther south, Mosul has once again emerged as a violent center of insurgent activities, a key U.S. commander said on Thursday.
The experience in Mosul offers a cautionary note as the U.S. military nears the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war amid a drawdown of American troops.
CPL Jose A. Paniagua-Morales
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Jose A. Paniagua-Morales, 22, of Bell Gardens, Calif., died March 7 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Samarra, Iraq, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers.
Related Articles:
Fort Lewis Stryker soldier dies from wounds in Iraq war - The News Tribune
Photos: 4/2 SBCT
Mike Gilbert of The News Tribune points us to an large album of photos featuring the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT.
Fort Lewis pays tribute to two Stryker corporals
By MICHAEL GILBERT, The News Tribune
Two fallen Stryker infantrymen were remembered Wednesday as all-action types who enjoyed their dangerous work almost as much as they loved their wives and their daughters. Fort Lewis paid its respects to Cpls. Chad D. Groepper and Luke S. Runyan, both 21, who were killed Feb. 17 by enemy small-arms fire near Abu Waih, in Diyala province, Iraq.
Fellow soldiers said the pair had recently re-enlisted and thrived under the pressures of combat as members of their battalion’s reconnaissance platoon. But they also showed pictures and spoke often of their little girls.
PEO Soldier: Modernization at Good Value
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 04, 2008) -- The Army is now modernizing what Soldiers wear, carry and fight with at a rate faster than at any time in history.
“Modernization is occurring at mach speed in the Soldier’s world,” said Brig. Gen. Robert M. Brown, Program Executive Officer, Soldier, and commanding general, U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center, during a session at the Association of the United States Army’s Institute of Land Warfare Winter Symposium and Exposition in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
IA, CF Go ‘Fox Hunting’ in Diyala
There are 11 related images to view if you follow the link below.
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
ABU KHAMIS, Iraq – The Iraqi army, with minimal help from coalition forces, is currently clearing al-Qaida in Iraq from one of their last remaining strongholds in “restive” Diyala province -- the area between Baghdad and Baqubah east of the Diyala River.
Operation Fox Hunting began Feb. 27 with elements of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division providing support as the Iraqi army cleared Al-Sayahi (the Tourist Road) and another north-south road father east that had both been closed for more than a year due to heavy seeding of improvised explosives by AQI.
Soldiers, Airmen Build Better Living Conditions in Iraq
ZAGINAYAH, Iraq – Take an abandoned schoolhouse, add some beds, guard towers, recreation area and chow hall … and what do you get? A combat outpost Soldiers operate to keep al-Qaida in Iraq operatives from reentering a former terrorist stronghold near Zaginayah, Iraq.
Leaders from Company C, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., have made major improvements during the past three months for the morale and welfare of their Soldiers who live at the COP Zaginayah fulltime.
The Desert Raider - March Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community.
Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - March 2008 Edition (PDF, 3.9 MB)
Baquba area Sons of Iraq agree to return to their duties
Multi-National Division – North PAO
DIYALA, Iraq – Abna al-Iraq or Sons of Iraq from Baquba agreed to return to their duties following a meeting Feb. 29 with the provincial government, Diyala Operations commander, and Coalition forces at the Diyala Governance Center.
“We discussed the situation in detail today and all parties agreed that the Sons of Iraq and their leaders would return to work,” said Lt. Col. John Steele, deputy commander for the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division.
Sunni Forces Losing Patience With U.S.
A Stryker commander is quoted in the following article.
By Sudarsan Raghavan and Amit R. Paley, Washington Post
BAGHDAD, Feb. 27 -- U.S.-backed Sunni volunteer forces, which have played a vital role in reducing violence in Iraq, are increasingly frustrated with the American military and the Iraqi government over what they see as a lack of recognition of their growing political clout and insufficient U.S. support.
Since Feb. 8, thousands of fighters in restive Diyala province have left their posts in order to pressure the government and its American backers to replace the province's Shiite police chief. On Wednesday, their leaders warned that they would disband completely if their demands were not met. In Babil province, south of Baghdad, fighters have refused to man their checkpoints after U.S. soldiers killed several comrades in mid-February in circumstances that remain in dispute.
Coalition forces kill 7 terrorists in firefight near Khan Bani Sa’ad
Multi-National Division – North
TIKRIT, Iraq – Multi-National Division – North Soldiers killed seven terrorists during a firefight east of Khan Bani Sa’ad, Iraq, in the early morning hours of Feb. 25.
Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., were ambushed while conducting an operation to capture a known al-Qaeda in Iraq operative. When the Soldiers closed within 30 feet of the target house, they came under attack by small arms fire and grenades. Three MND-N Soldiers were injured in the initial attack.
IA, CF Work Together to Clear Village Near Turki
BALAD RUZ, Iraq – Coalition force Soldiers recently worked with Iraqi army soldiers to coordinate and execute a mission near Balad Ruz, Iraq, Feb. 17.
Iraqi army soldiers from 4th Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division stationed at Turki Patrol Base were helped by Soldiers from Troop G, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, to conduct a reconnaissance mission to gather intelligence about the area and people wanted for questioning.
Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites work together, distrustfully
2-23 INF, 4/2 SBCT Commander quoted in the following article.
By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times
MUQDADIYA, IRAQ -- The room seethed with anger as Sunni Arab members of a neighborhood guard force brought in a freed captive, who stood mute amid the raised voices and swirling cigarette smoke.
Eyeing a visiting U.S. Army officer, the burly gunmen in camouflage coaxed the man to raise his arms and display the brown shoelaces that bound his wrists. The man, a fuel vendor, said he had been stopped by Shiite guards who demanded to know his sect. When he told them he was Sunni, he said, "they tied my hands, they slapped and kicked me. They stole fuel from me too."
SPC Luke S. Runyan
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Luke S. Runyan, 21, of Spring Grove, Pa., died Feb. 17 in Diyala Province, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms fire. Runyan was assigned to 2nd Battalion 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the loved ones he leaves behind.
SPC Chad D. Groepper
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Chad D. Groepper, 21, of Kingsley, Iowa, died Feb. 17 in Diyala Province, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms fire. Groepper was assigned to 2nd Battalion 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are wit his family, friends and fellow soldiers during this difficult time.
Life in Iraq: ‘Just doing my job’
By JESSE DUARTE, St. Helena Star
John Principe says he’s spent the last 10 months “just doing my job.”
But that job entails dodging bullets from al-Qaida members and evading suicide bombers.
A Ranger-qualified captain in the U.S. Army, Principe leads 35 soldiers in Iraq as part of a Stryker brigade combat team.
“We’re responsible for general security,” Principe said during a visit to his father Paul’s St. Helena home. “We check up on people’s quality of life and maintain a presence there to push out al-Qaida. Our mission is pretty much to save people’s lives and keep insurgents out.”
IA, CF Clear AQI Strongholds South of Baqubah
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
BAQUBAH, Iraq – The Iraqi army, supported by coalition partners, cleared two former al-Qaida in Iraq stronghold villages, south of Baqubah, Feb. 10-13.
Soldiers from the 3rd and 4th Battalions, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division with support from Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division cleared the villages of Arab Jabar and Hussein al Hamadi during Operations Lions Attack and Bandog Rodeo.
Thousands to make accelerated staff sergeant
Multiple Stryker soldiers are quoted in the following story.
By Jim Tice and Matthew Cox, Army Times
Pressed to increase the number of staff sergeants on active duty, the Army will automatically place several thousand additional sergeants on the servicewide E-6 selection list April 1.
The Army also will accelerate staff sergeant primary-zone promotion opportunities for soldiers who appear before local selection boards, and who compete for advancement to E-6 under the cutoff-score system.
The new system is targeted at sergeants who have not appeared before a local selection board but who have been on active duty for six years and 11 months or more, and who have spent at least 11 months in the grade of E-5.
Joint Operation Helps Displaced Families Return Home
Multi-National Division – North Public Affairs Office
BAQUBAH, Iraq – Families displaced from a town near Baqubah, Iraq, were escorted back to their homes by the Iraqi army and coalition force Soldiers, Feb. 13, during Operation Fierce Thrasher.
Soldiers from Company F, 52nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., helped 39 families dislocated due to fear of terrorist attacks return to their homes in the town of Durah, Iraq.
4-9 Manchus ‘Stryke’ Enemy
BAYJI, Iraq – Sand, dust and enemy scatter as the lethal, wheeled vehicles of 4-9 Infantry Battalion “Manchus” maneuver through the fluid terrain of northern Salah ad Din province in February with a few months left before their redeployment.
After serving with their parent brigade, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, the Manchus are now fighting extremists with the 1st Brigade Combat Team “Bastogne”, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
As part of Operation Iron Harvest, the Stryker vehicle battalion conducted a search of the vast desert areas of Salah ad Din province, using their futuristic Land Warrior System to maintain situational awareness.
Land Warrior Needs Work, Soldiers Say
By Christian Lowe, Military.com
CAMP ABLE X-RAY, Iraq --- It was billed as a revolutionary new tool that promised to give Soldiers an added edge in the fight, with a heads-up displayed map, a see-around-corners rifle sight and speed-of-light communications.
And on its first deployment to combat, the decades-old Land Warrior system did win over many of its detractors. But as the Soldiers carrying Land Warrior's burdensome boxes and wires on their backs labored into their seventh month of deployment, some are beginning to question whether this version of a system the Army worked so hard to get to the field is worth the price.
DoD News Briefing with Maj. Gen. Hertling
Maj. Gen. Hertling briefed reporters (view full transcript) on the situation in Iraq. Diyala was cited specifically. Excerpt:
About six weeks ago, I informed all of you in the press room that we had started Operation Iron Harvest in Diyala province and the rest of our three provinces here in the north, and that's part of the MNC-I Operation Phantom Phoenix -- don't mean to confuse you on that, but two different names for operations that are ongoing. I've been asked to give you an update on that, as well as answer your questions on what is going on in the four northern provinces of Diyala, Salahuddin, Nineveh and Kirkuk. And when I talked to this group last month, we were in the early stages of the campaign throughout the province. To date, coalition forces and Iraqi security forces have had successful operations throughout the north, but especially in Diyala. Diyala is much safer today than it was a month ago. Citizens are less afraid to go out on the street, and markets are opening. Al Qaeda has gone to ground. We are hunting them out, where they have gone to ground, or they have dispersed and we are pursuing them to new areas. But there is still much work to be done to bring normalcy to Diyala province.
Operation Rock Thrasher Clears Al-Saiyid, Windiyah
Follow the link for a handful of related images.
BAQUBAH, Iraq – The early morning mission conducted by Iraqi army and coalition forces on Feb. 8 brought them into an area that was believed to be a former al-Qaida in Iraq stronghold to look for weapon caches and to kill or capture any remaining AQI.
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., working side-by-side with Iraqi army soldiers cleared the towns of Big and Small Windiyah along with al-Saiyid, Iraq, a village to the south.
Coalition, Iraqi Commanders Discuss Successes in Diyala
By Pfc. Kirby Rider, 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs
BAQUBAH — A joint press conference with a Coalition and Iraqi Army (IA) officer was held recently at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, to discuss the success of Iraqi security forces (ISF) in Diyala province. Lt. Col. Marshall Dougherty, commander of 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., and Gen. Rasheed Abed al-Kareem Abed al-Qader, executive officer of the 5th Iraqi Army Division, started with comments on the reopening of a key road linking Baqubah with Baghdad.
The road had been closed for 16 months due to be it being heavily planted with improvised explosive devices (IED) by al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI).
“The highway is now open for travel,” Dougherty said. “After the operation was over, Iraqi and U.S. engineers worked to repair the highway that was damaged by roadside bombs.”
Standoff in an Iraqi province
By Garrett Therolf, Los Angeles Times
BAGHDAD -- A potential security crisis loomed Saturday in troubled Diyala province as significant numbers of a U.S.-funded force of Sunni fighters left their posts, demanding the ouster of the provincial police chief.
"You can imagine what danger will face the region in the next days," said Abu Talib, commander of 2,000 to 3,000 so-called Sons of Iraq fighters. His men, many of them former insurgents, turned against the militant group Al Qaeda in Iraq last year under the Awakening banner.
Operation Phantom Phoenix
Multi-National Division – North PAO
TIKRIT, Iraq – The Iraqi Army found two kidnap victims and Coalition Forces killed three al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives and detained seven suspected AQI during Operation Blackhawk Thrasher near Qubah, approximately four miles northeast of Zaganiyah, Iraq, Feb. 7. This is part of the countrywide Operation Phantom Phoenix.
During the joint operation, which involved the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police and Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, Coalition Forces detained seven suspected AQI during village clearing operations. One AQI was killed by an Air Weapons Team and two more were killed in a firefight with CF in palm groves directly west of Qubah.
Two ton explosives cache found in Salah ad Din province
Multi-National Division – North PAO
BAYJI, Iraq – Iraqi Police, Sons of Iraq and Coalition Forces discovered a 4,400 pound cache of explosives, in Salah ad Din province during a joint operation, Feb. 6.
Iraqi Police and SOI noticed freshly disturbed dirt off an unimproved road. Coalition Forces investigated the site with IP and SOI assistance. Buried under a hidden tarp were 40 bags filled with a mixture of ammonia nitrate and cocoa powder, each weighing approximately 110 pounds or 50 kilograms. This mixture is commonly used as a homemade explosive commonly used by al-Qaeda in Iraq.
“The Iraqi Police and the Sons of Iraq are committed to bringing stability to their country,” said Lt. Col. William W. Prior, commander of the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment. “They prove this on a daily basis. Today they were able to make a significant impact in securing their country, their homes and their families.”
Additionally, IP, SOI and CF consisting of 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment and 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment cleared several villages in the area.
Mobile Gun System brings the heat in Iraq
Here's another article regarding the new MGS Stryker variant. See previous article as well.
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq — The Stryker Mobile Gun System’s automatic loader clinks and clanks as it feeds a high-explosive shell into the breech.
A few seconds later, the menacing cannon fires with a thunderous crack, sending a 105mm round downrange, where it blows a big hole in a dirt berm.
The new direct-fire weapon arrived in Iraq for the first time when the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, deployed 10 months ago. The MGS is one of 10 variants of the Stryker series of wheeled and armored vehicle.
Militants stake claim on Diyala River valley
Strykers are mentioned near the end of this article - it's unclear which unit the reporter is referring to, however.
By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times
DIYALA RIVER VALLEY, IRAQ -- They first appeared about 18 months ago: masked gunmen in speeding cars and scooters that kick up the mud along the canals weaving through lonely villages here.
The invaders pinned notices on the walls of mosques informing residents that they now lived in the Islamic State of Iraq.
On patrol with the US army in Iraq
With the 1-38 INF, 4/2 SBCT in Diyala. Follow the link for video clips as well.
Until recently Baquba, the provincial capital of Diyala, was held by the Sunni militant group al-Qaeda in Iraq.
The US military have broken their hold and are now clearing houses of arms caches and supporting both the Iraqi army and the Sunni militia - known to the US military as Concerned Local Citizens - in their attempts to hold the city.
The Desert Raider - February Edition
Update: Fixed the link.
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community.
Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - February 2008 Edition (PDF, 4.3 MB)
U.S. troops exposed to chlorine gas
By Richard Tomkins, The Washington Times
BAQOUBA, Iraq — Two dozen U.S. soldiers and their interpreters were rushed to a hospital by helicopter this week from Diyala province's "bread basket" after being exposed to chlorine gas while destroying an al Qaeda explosives cache.
Military sources said all but four of the 26 persons were quickly returned to duty. The remainder stayed longer at the U.S. military hospital at Ballad, northeast of Baghdad, for additional observation.
New Stryker Faring Poorly in Field
A not-so-flattering article regarding the Mobile Gun System variant first fielded by the 4/2 SBCT in Iraq.
By Christian Lowe, Military.com
BAQUBAH, Iraq - The newest version of the Army's popular Stryker combat vehicle is garnering poor reviews here from Soldiers assigned to man its tank-like hull.
The General Dynamics Corp.-built Mobile Gun System looks like a typical eight-wheeled Stryker, except for a massive 105mm gun mounted on its roof. The gun fires three different types of projectiles, including explosive rounds, tank-busters and a "canister round" that ejects hundreds of steel pellets similar to a shotgun shell.
Model planes earn their stripes in war
By Richard Tomkins, The Washington Times
FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, Iraq — Flying model airplanes might not seem like fit work for grown men, especially soldiers.
But the use of "unmanned aerial vehicles," or UAVs, is transforming the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing U.S. commanders with real-time reconnaissance, surveillance and target-acquisition data that was never available before.
Thirty al Qaeda in Iraq killed in Diyala
The Long War Journal has a brief update on recent coalition operations in Diyala, where the 4/2 SBCT and elements of the 2nd Stryker Cav. Regiment are based. Excerpt:
Iraqi and Coalition forces continue to press the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq in the northeastern province of Diyala, where the terror group maintains small pockets. In the latest series of raids as part of Operation Raider Harvest, Iraqi and US forces killed 30 al Qaeda operatives and captured 21, including a senior al Qaeda leader, during raids and operations.
Fort Lewis mourns Cpl. Jason Lemke
By Melissa Santos, The News Tribune
Fellow soldiers remembered Cpl. Jason Lemke as a dedicated father and source of comedic relief during a memorial service for the fallen infantryman Wednesday at Fort Lewis.
Lemke, 30, died Jan. 5 after his vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Ibrahim Al Adham, Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division – the Stryker brigade that has lost 34 soldiers since deploying in April.
Operation Raider Harvest Reaps the Breadbasket
BAQUBAH, Iraq – Coalition and Iraqi army soldiers are focusing their combat strength on clearing al-Qaida from Diyala province, Iraq, in support of Operation Raider Harvest. The operation is a part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, an Iraq wide offensive to destroy AQI and provide stability to the Iraqi government.
Operation Raider Harvest, executed by the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., is a complex mission with many moving parts and several phases.
“Deny, hold and build,” said 4-2 SBCT Commander Col. Jon Lehr. “We must deny safe haven to al-Qaida and other insurgents throughout our area of responsibility wherever they hope to find it. We must set the conditions for Iraqi security forces to hold these hard fought areas so they don’t slip back into the enemy’s hands. And we must assist the government of Iraq to build the economic, governance and essential services infrastructures in these areas.”
Coalition disrupts al-Qaeda in Iraq operating in Diyala
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed 15 terrorists Tuesday and today during operations targeting al-Qaeda networks north of Baqubah.
During an operation Tuesday, Coalition forces conducted an operation targeting an alleged leader for the al-Qaeda in Iraq network operating in the Diyala province. The targeted individual is believed to be an improvised explosive device specialist involved in coordinating IED and suicide-vest attacks in the region. Reports also indicate the targeted individual has ties to several al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders.
As Coalition forces arrived in the target area, they observed several individuals reach for their weapons. Coalition forces fired warning shots in an attempt to get the men to cease their actions, but they did not comply. Perceiving hostile intent from the armed men, Coalition forces engaged, killing two terrorists, to include the wanted individual.
Operation Gratitude Gives Jeep to Soldier in Iraq
Clarification: The vehicle was donated by the Jeep brand of Chrysler LLC.
BAQUBAH, Iraq – Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends care packages to deployed service members, surprised an unknowing Soldier with a 2008 Jeep Liberty at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Iraq, Jan. 22. The free car was in celebration of meeting their goal of 300,000 packages sent to Soldiers.
Spc. Michael Gallagher from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., was the recipient of Operation Gratitude’s special care package.
MND-North Soldiers liberate 2 from al Qaeda prison
Multi-National Division – North PAO
BAQUBA, Iraq – Coalition forces liberated two Iraqi males with signs of torture from an al-Qaeda prison near Arab Jabar, south of Baquba in the early morning hours of Jan. 20.
Soldiers of 2-1 Cavalry, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., discovered the building, which was closed off by a heavy, deadbolt-locked door. The Soldiers were clearing the area of AQI in support of Operation Raider Harvest, the Diyala province portion of Operation Phantom Phoenix – a country-wide offensive to rid Iraq of extremists.
“We could hear voices inside the room,” said Spc. Christopher Nollenberg, a cavalry scout with 2-1 CAV., who was one of the first to enter the chamber. “They called out for help and told us they were prisoners.”
Photos: Strykers in Action
DVIDS has a number of new photo albums featuring all three Stryker Brigades in Iraq right now. Start here and work your way back through the archives.
US-Iraqi troops sweep Al Qaeda village haven
Link via FOB Tacoma.
By Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor
Hussein Al-Hamadi, Iraq - The first sign of the presence of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) looms out of the frozen darkness on the edge of this remote village. A white car is found hidden under a canopy of trees. It's not rigged to explode, but it was used by the insurgents. Inside, they've left behind a list of expenses on a yellow notepad.
For the month of November, the ledger notes that AQI paid snipers 273,000 Iraqi dinars ($230). Roadside bombers got twice that amount. The largest single expense: $3,000 paid to "martyrs" and their families.
The document is topped with an obscure name for the militant cell, and signed simply: "The Management."
MND-North Soldiers capture Baquba extremist cell leader
Multi-National Division – North PAO
BAQUBA, Iraq – Multi-National Division – North Soldiers detained a suspected IED and suicide-bomb cell leader during a targeted raid in Baquba Jan. 16.
The suspect is linked to an extremist network spanning from Baquba to Samarra and his cell is allegedly responsible for recent IED activity in the Baquba market, Amin School, and the Jan. 9 house-borne improvised explosive device that resulted in the death of six U.S. Soldiers.
The suspect is also believed to be linked to a Syrian suicide-bombing facilitator and recent intelligence reports indicate he has requested suicide bombers from Mosul.
Soldiers from Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division captured the suspect with an AK-47 and extended magazine.
“(The suspect) is tied into the suicide-vest cell in old Baquba that we have been targeting, and this capture should lead to the arrest of several more members of this suicide cell,” said Capt. Andy Padden, 2-12 Field Artillery. “Taking him off the streets will likely lower the amount of IEDs in all of Diyala province.”
Update: Operation Phantom Phoenix
The Long War Journal has an extensive update on the progress of Operation Phantom Phoenix, which is ongoing.
Lufkin soldier in stable condition
Here's an update on a 4/2 SBCT soldier who was recently wounded in Iraq.
By NICK WADE, The Lufkin Daily News
LUFKIN — A soldier from Lufkin was in stable condition Monday after sustaining serious injuries while on duty in Iraq.
Specialist David Daniel Corley was on patrol Thursday near Baquba, Iraq, when he was struck by enemy fire. The bullet shattered Corley's left jaw and passed into his neck, causing two fractured cervical vertebrae. The impact caused Corley to fall and injure his right shoulder, and fracture his right ankle.
‘Operation Raider Harvest’ Provides Humanitarian Aid
Story by Spc. John Crosby, 115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
MANSURIYAH — Operation Raider Harvest, a large scale operation in the Northern Diyala River Valley involving more than 4,000 troops from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., is shifting focus from a clearing operation to a rebuilding operation.
The changes are showing in the streets. Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets of Mansuriyah, Jan. 13, some to observe their new Iraqi Army and Coalition Force neighbors, others to collect bags full of rice and flour during a humanitarian aid (HA) drop conducted by Soldiers of Troop G, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR).
“We are working to establish projects to improve life support and improve the infrastructure,” said Capt. Robert Green, Grim Troop Commander, 2-3 ACR.
Combat engineers help take back the ”Bread Basket”
Click through for photos as well.
By Spc. John Crosby, 4/2 SBCT PAO
MANSURIYAH, Iraq – On Jan. 10, in one of the most dangerous places in Iraq, the combat engineers of 1st Platoon, 38th Engineer Company formed a circle, putting their arms around each other with their hands in the middle. They proudly exclaimed their platoon motto as they raised their hands in unison. They then slowly bowed their heads in prayer, asking for guidance before embarking into the Diyala province area known as the “Bread Basket.”
Since May, the men of the 38th Engineer Company have put their lives on the line on an almost daily basis, searching for improvised explosive devices along some of the most dangerous roads in the world. The day’s mission, however, is especially dangerous, as the engineers must clear routes into the northern Diyala River Valley, an area al-Qaida in Iraq has called home for several years.
Operation Raider Harvest Transitions Focus From Enemy to the People
MANSURIYAH, Iraq – Operation Raider Harvest, a large scale operation in the Northern Diyala River Valley involving more than 4,000 troops from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., is shifting focus from a clearing operation, to a rebuilding operation.
The streets are showing changes. Hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets of Mansuriyah, Iraq, Jan. 13, some to observe their new Iraqi army and coalition forces neighbors, others to collect bags full of rice and flour during a humanitarian aid drop conducted by Soldiers of Troop G, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.
“We are working to establish projects to improve life support and improve the infrastructure,” said Capt. Robert Green, Grim Troop Commander, 2-3 ACR.
Diyala Provincial Governor Visits Muqdadiyah Officials
MUQDADIYAH, Iraq – Diyala Provincial Governor Ra’ad Rasheed Hameed Al Mullah visited local representatives of qa’da (county) governments located in and around Muqdadiyah at Forward Operating Base Normandy, Iraq, Jan. 14.
The intent was to bring the director generals or the technocrats of all the key essential services including water, electricity, health, education, municipalities and oil here to link them up with their counterparts at the qa’da level, said the Reconciliations Engagement Officer Maj. Nicholas Difiore of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash.
Middle East Times reporter hurt by IED
Here's more on a story we posted yesterday.
By RICHARD TOMKINS, Middle East Times
The improvised explosive device, or IED, is al-Qaida's weapon of choice in the war in Iraq. Encountering one, whether soldier or civilian, is simply a matter of chance or fate, unless you are a U.S, military combat engineer. Then it is a question of "when" rather than "if."
Combat engineers in any country's military are the unsung heroes of war. They are upfront, ahead of the so-called "tip of the spear" infantry. They destroy obstacles and construct bridges and paths the foot soldier must pass through to reach their objective. In Iraq, they also seek out the IEDs terrorists and insurgents use to great effect.
I accompanied one such unit last week and learned firsthand the difference between imagining what it's like to be blown up by an IED and actually experiencing it.
U.S. finishing al Qaeda sweep in Diyala
Another link via FOB Tacoma.
By Richard Tomkins, The Washington Times
FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, Iraq — U.S. military forces say they have largely completed combat operations and are working to consolidate their gains after a six-day push into the so-called "Bread Basket" area of Diyala province.
Clearing operations still are under way in the area, military authorities said, but day-to-day security will be handed over increasingly to Iraqi army and police units. A network of Concerned Local Citizens groups — an armed neighborhood-watch organization — also will be buttressed and expanded.
"Although decisive, the combat operations will likely not have as great of an effect as the next phases," said Lt. Col. James Brown, executive officer of 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the Army's 2nd Infantry Division.
Iraq offensive: Clear out militants – and stay
Link via FOB Tacoma.
By Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor
BAQUBAH, Iraq - US forces are solidifying control over some of the most persistent militant strongholds of Al Qaeda in Iraq northeast of Baghdad, drawing on a new counterinsurgency model that has already seen some success in troubled Diyala Province.
The newly established US military control over what officers call the "breadbasket" – the lush Diyala River Valley 70 miles northeast of the capital – is only the first part of a multiprong strategy to boost numbers of Iraqi Army and police in the area and re-connect beleaguered local authorities to the provincial government and Baghdad.
"We [and] the Iraqi forces and government are committing ourselves to staying in this area, which has previously not happened," says Lt. Col. James Brown, executive officer of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. "It's been go in, find Al Qaeda in Iraq, kill them, and then leave. Big surprise, they come right back."
Operation Raider Harvest holding phase begins
Multi-National Division – North PAO
TIKRIT, Iraq – Raider Harvest, an operation designed to clear al-Qaeda in Iraq from the northern Diyala River Valley, and keep them out, will soon switch into the holding phase as part of Operation Phantom Phoenix.
During the clearing phase, which began Jan. 8 and is currently ongoing, Coalition Forces killed four enemy fighters, wounded another four and detained 24 individuals.
In addition, CF also discovered and cleared 13 improvised explosive devices, 10 vehicleborn IEDs, four house-born IEDs and 15 weapon caches.
`A hideous accident'
By Wendy Thomas Russell, Press-Telegram
LONG BEACH - For five months last year, Long Beach resident Leon Ayers was among the tens of thousands of American fathers wishing for the safe return of their sons from the war in Iraq.
In September, Ayers got his wish - but it wasn't the homecoming he had imagined.
Timothy Ayers, then 20, was sent back to the United States after accidentally shooting and killing his Army platoon sergeant while stationed outside Baghdad Sept. 5. The Army since has accused the young soldier of negligently discharging his weapon under Article 118 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Update: Operation Phantom Phoenix
The Long War Journal has a detailed update on the progress of Operation Phantom Phoenix. Excerpt:
Further north, Iraqi and Coalition forces are pressing the attack in Miqdadiyah as part of Operation Iron Harvest. Miqdadiyah is a known al Qaeda haven.US and Iraqi forces liberated six villages from al Qaeda control in the region near Miqdadiyah, Iraqi army Major General Abdul Karim al Rubaie, the director of operations in central Diyala province told AFP.
"The villages have been under the control of al-Qaeda for a long time," Rubaie. "We have taken them back and al-Qaeda has been chased out." Ten al Qaeda were reported killed and 20 captured during the operation.
Battling in the Bread Basket
Riding with the 2-23 INF, 4/2 SBCT in Diyala.
By Lennox Samuels, Newsweek Web Exclusive
Operation Iron Harvest began in the dark of night, as Blackfoot Company soldiers marched across the bridge leading from their K-Wal combat outpost in Shakarat and headed toward the village of Sinsil some 500 yards away. It could have been another nighttime mission, but in fact was the opening maneuver in a determined U.S. military operation to drive Al Qaeda in Iraq out of Diyala province. In the next few hours the Americans would narrowly escape an IED attack, face sniper fire and establish a beachhead for the expected final onslaught on Al Qaeda.
Hounded from Anbar province and other hiding places, the insurgents have descended on their longtime stronghold of Diyala to wage a murderous stealth effort built around IED detonations and high-profile suicide and bombing attacks. But the U.S. forces believe they are slowly beating them back and have deployed some 24,000 U.S. troops and 50,000 Iraqi Army soldiers to take part in the four-province operation. "We want to put a stake in [them] and be done with it," says Brig. Gen. James Boozer, assistant commander in chief of Multinational Division-North, in a briefing before the launch.
The Desert Raider - January Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community.
Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - January 2008 Edition (PDF, 3.53 MB)
U.S. Offensive Targets al Qaeda in Northern Iraq
Click through for a photo of a 4/2 SBCT soldier clearing a house with a military working dog.
WASHINGTON (AFPS Jan. 10, 2008) - American military forces in northern Iraq launched an offensive this week targeting al Qaeda elements operating in the region.
Code-named "Iron Harvest," the operation dovetails with Operation Phantom Phoenix, a countrywide anti-insurgent offensive announced Tuesday by Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, senior officers told reporters during a Baghdad news conference.
New Iraq offensive: 9 U.S. deaths in 2 days
Hal Bernton of The Seattle Times contributed to this report originally published by The New York Times.
By STEPHEN FARRELL and RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr., The New York Times
ARAB HAMADAH, Iraq — In one of the deadliest stretches for U.S. troops in months, militants killed nine soldiers in the volatile Sunni Arab heartlands north of Baghdad as the military launched its third offensive in a year to dislodge Sunni guerrillas from sanctuaries deep within the lush farmlands and palm groves of Diyala province.
Six of the U.S. soldiers were killed Wednesday at an unspecified location in Diyala in part of the offensive when insurgents detonated a large bomb hidden inside a house. Four other soldiers were wounded, and an Iraqi interpreter was killed.
The military did not release further information, but in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, house bombs have long been a staple weapon for Sunni fighters who try to lure soldiers inside booby-trapped buildings. [...]
Nine U.S. soldiers killed
Michael Gilbert of The News Tribune contributed to the following report originally published by The Washington Post.
AMIT R. PALEY AND JOSHUA PARTLOW; The Washington Post
FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, Iraq – A house booby-trapped with explosives killed six American soldiers on Wednesday during an offensive against Sunni insurgents in Diyala province.
The blast, which also killed an Iraqi translator and injured four U.S. soldiers, took place on the second day of an unusually large campaign in Diyala against the insurgent group al-Qaida in Iraq. On Tuesday, three American troops were shot to death in the neighboring northern province of Salahuddin.
Fort Lewis officials said Wednesday that they hadn’t been notified of any new casualties. The post’s 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division has hundreds of soldiers in the thick of the Diyala offensive.
Photos: Recent Stryker Operations
Provided below are links to photo albums featuring recent operations by Stryker soldiers.
- Diayla Raid (6 photos) - Alongside the 4/2 SBCT during Operation Iron Harvest
- Operation Raider Harvest Sweeps Diyala Province (4 photos) - Alongside the 4/2 SBCT during Operation Iron Harvest
- Warrior Strykers Start Rolling in Iraq (9 photos) - 2/25 SBCT arrives in Taji
MND-North Soldiers kill 4 extremists, destroy HBIED
Multi-National Division – North PAO
BAQUBA, Iraq – Multi-National Division – North Soldiers killed four extremists and destroyed a house-borne improvised explosive device near Khan Bani Sa’ad, Iraq, with air strikes Jan. 6.
Soldiers of Troop B, 2nd Battalion, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team operating at Patrol Base Key West spotted four individuals with RPGs and AK-47s operating in and around a nearby building.
The Soldiers watched them unroll wire around the building, possibly setting it up to be a HBIED.
The ground commander called in an air strike, and a Coalition Forces’ helicopter fired a hellfire missile at the building. Minutes later, Coalition Forces’ aircraft dropped two bombs on the structure.
After the second bomb, large secondary explosions and different kinds of smoke were observed at the site by the MND-N Soldiers. Exploitation of the site revealed wire around the building, confirming that the building was rigged as a HBIED.
Stryker soldiers lead new offensive
SINSIL, Iraq – The U.S. military launched a major offensive early Tuesday – with Fort Lewis Stryker troops at the forefront – against one of the largest known redoubts of al-Qaida in Iraq.
About 4,000 U.S. and Iraqi forces, backed by war planes and attack helicopters, swept into the northern Diyala River Valley overnight in the opening salvo of the latest effort to flush the Sunni Arab militant network and its affiliates out of their havens, the U.S. military said.
The effort is led by troops from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis and from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, a unit previously based at Fort Lewis, according to news reports.
Operation Iron Harvest clears al-Qaeda from northern Iraq
Apparently the 4/2 SBCT portion of Operation Phantom Phoenix is called Operation Iron Harvest.
Multi-National Division – North PAO
BAQUBA, Iraq – Multi-National Division – North Soldiers began Operation Iron Harvest to pursue al-Qaeda in Iraq and extremist elements from the region.
The operation, which looks to expand on the successes of Operation Iron Reaper, also focuses on disrupting funding sources and vehicle-borne improvised explosive device networks and denying enemy safe havens in northern Iraq.
“We are pressuring al-Qaeda wherever they go,” said Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, commanding general of Coalition Forces in the north. “Working together, Iraqi and Coalition Forces will rid the north of extremist violence and will pave the way for a secure and safe northern Iraq.”
Operation Iron Harvest is a part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, an overarching operation to defeat extremism throughout all of Iraq.
Iron Harvest operations began with the 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division and the 5th Iraqi Army Division clearing the Diyala Province of enemy fighters to end insurgent attacks. Operations are now being concentrated in Muqdadiyah.
“The strength of the ISF and CF partnership ultimately provides a benefit for the Iraqi people to move forward,” said Brig. Gen. James Boozer, deputy commanding general for operations, Multi-national Division – North.
U.S. Attack in Iraq Is No Surprise to Many Insurgents
Here's more on Operation Phantom Phoenix from the NYT. Elements of the 2nd Stryker CR are also involved.
By STEPHEN FARRELL, The New York Times
ESAIWID, Iraq — With extraordinary secrecy, and even an information blackout aimed at most of their Iraqi Army comrades, American troops launched a major offensive on Tuesday to drive Sunni insurgents from strongholds in Diyala Province. But many insurgents still managed to flee the first villages the Americans went into, showing just how difficult it is to trap the elusive militants.
Because at least half the insurgents escaped before a previous offensive last June, American planners deliberately kept most Iraqi units in the dark before this one was launched, a tactic that suggests they cannot fully trust the allies who are supposed to pick up more of the fighting as American troops scale back their presence later this year.
The militants may have been tipped by leaks or by the visible movements of troops and machinery that precede any operation.
Operation Phantom Phoenix
The Long War Journal outlines this major coalition operation, which just kicked off. One of the primary targets will no doubt be the Diyala Province, which is the area of operations for the 4/2 SBCT (see previous article in LA Times). Excerpt:
Despite the recent success in reducing the violence in Iraq, the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq and the Shia extremist terror groups is not over. Coalition and Iraqi forces have launched Operation Phantom Phoenix, a new operation targeting the terror groups throughout Iraq.The scope of Phantom Phoenix is nationwide. The operation is "a series of joint Iraqi and Coalition division- and brigade-level operations to pursue and neutralize remaining al-Qaeda in Iraq and other extremist elements," Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, the commander of Multinational Corps – Iraq stated. "Phantom Phoenix will synchronize lethal and non-lethal effects to exploit recent security gains and disrupt terrorist support zones and enemy command and control."
The specific geographical locations targeted during Phantom Phoenix were not identified. Iraqi and Coalition forces will "pursue al-Qaeda and other extremists wherever they attempt to take sanctuary," Odierno said.
The region northeast of Miqdadiyah will be a primary focus of the operation. Al Qaeda in Iraq has established a "haven" in the region, and has used this base to funnel attacks against Awakening and Concerned Local Citizens groups attempting to establish in the Baqubah region.
The bulk of the recent uptick in violence in Baghdad is also believed to be staged from Diyala province, a senior military officer who asked not to be named told The Long War Journal. Al Qaeda in Iraq killed the leader of the Adhamiyah Awakening in Baghdad on January 7, while suicide and small arms attacks against Awakening groups has risen since al Qaeda's leadership called for a campaign against the anti-al Qaeda forces.
U.S. troops raid Diyala River Valley
By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times
SENSIL, Iraq -- Under cover of darkness early today, U.S. soldiers crept across a bridge where just days before insurgents had left a chilling warning: a severed human head with a message identifying the victim as a U.S. collaborator scrawled across the forehead with a black marker.
About 4,000 U.S. and Iraqi forces, backed by war planes and attack helicopters, swept into the northern Diyala River Valley overnight Monday in pursuit of insurgents who have made the region one of the most violent in Iraq.
It was the latest in a series of operations in the last year to flush the Sunni militant network Al Qaeda in Iraq and its affiliates out of their havens in Diyala, a province the size of Maryland with more than 1.6 million people.
PFC Jason F. Lemke
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Jason F. Lemke, 30, of West Allis, Wis., died Jan. 5 in Ibrahim Al Adham, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
The Strykernews family sends our condolences to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers. View related articles below.
Priest awarded Purple Heart
Profile of 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT soldier.
By: BARBARA L. PARSONS, The Post-Searchlight
U.S. Army Spc. Danny Priest of Bainbridge was recently awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained while serving in northern Baghdad, Iraq, on May 26, 2007.
Priest, a 2003 Bainbridge High School graduate and former co-captain of the varsity football team, was presented the medal Friday, Jan. 4, during an awards dinner held the night before the Army All-American bowl in San Antonio, Texas, by Secretary of the Army Pete Geren.
In spite of severe injuries to his right arm, for which he is still receiving physical therapy, he said he is "fighting for a chance to get re-assigned to Iraq" as soon as he is released from medical treatment.
IA, CF Soldiers kill, capture al-Qaeda operatives
Multi-National Division – North PAO
BAQUBAH, Iraq – Coalition Forces and Iraqi Army Soldiers detained nine individuals and killed one enemy combatant during a joint operation in Abu Tamur Jan. 3.
One of the detainees is a known al-Qaeda in Iraq operative wanted by the Iraqi Army for stealing weapons.
Soldiers of Company B and Company C, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., were clearing the village when they were engaged with small arms fire by enemy forces. One U.S. Soldier was wounded. The troops returned fire, killing one enemy combatant.
Miqdadiyah
The Long War Journal has another lengthy analysis of recent coalition operations in the Diyala Province titled, "Seven al Qaeda killed in Miqdadiyah". Excerpt:
The Long War Journal recently identified Diyala province as one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq. Miqdadiyah was singled out as a "haven" for al Qaeda in Iraq. The situation in Diyala has deteriorated so badly that an indefinite provincial-wide curfew has been imposed. "Owing to the bad security situation in Diyala province, the Diyala operations command will impose an indefinite vehicle curfew on Friday all over the province from the morning," provincial military operations chief Brigadier General Raghib al Omeiri announced in a statement late today, AFP reported.Brigadier General James Boozer, the Deputy Commander of Multinational Division North, stated that Miqdadiyah, Baqubah, and Mosul are the most dangerous cities in Iraq, and 60 percent of the violence occurs in the North. "Diyala is a crucial line of communication that the enemy wants to keep and that they were using to go to Baghdad," said Boozer. "That line is now pretty sealed." But the violence continues in Diyala as al Qaeda in Iraq attempts to destroy the Awakening and related Concerned Local Citizens movements fighting the terror groups.
Stryker Brigade Soldiers kill, capture members of a known IED cell
TIKRIT, Iraq – Stryker Brigade Soldiers killed two and detained seven individuals during an operation in Baquba Jan. 1.
Three of the detainees are known members of an improvised explosive device cell operating in the Baquba area.
Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., conducted the raid in the Baquba suburb of Burhitz.
“It was a successful operation in that we captured seven detainees, and when we were engaged by anti-Coalition Forces, our Soldiers returned fire and were able to ward off the attack, killing two of the enemy,” said Capt. Philip Mundweil, commander of HHC, 1-38th Inf. “The Soldiers performed spectacularly in accordance with their training, and the information we gain from the detainees will undoubtedly lead to follow on information that allows us to kill or capture more al-Qaeda in Iraq in the future.”
No Coalition Forces were injured during the raid.
Iraqi man detained in killing of Iraqi police officer
Multi-National Division – North PAO
TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi Army Soldiers detained an Iraqi man for questioning Dec. 31 for the murder of an off-duty Iraqi Police officer shot in Baquba. Iraqi Police officer Muhammad Salih Muhammad was killed in the Dec. 28 shooting.
First Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, reported that the alleged murderer was detained by the Iraqi Army and positively identified by a local witness.
Coalition targets al-Qaeda networks in Diyala, Samarra
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 11 suspects Tuesday and Wednesday during operations targeting al-Qaeda in central and northern Iraq.
In continued efforts to disrupt terrorist operations in the northeast Diyala River Valley region, Coalition forces conducted an operation north of Muqdadiyah Tuesday targeting associates of the network operating in the area. Intelligence reports indicate a group of individuals executed a man earlier in the day and were later observed in the target area. Coalition forces detained four suspected terrorists during the operation for their alleged involvement in the network.
Al Qaeda in Diyala
Bill Roggio at The Long War Journal has a long analysis of the current situation in Diyala titled, "Al Qaeda establishes 'a haven in Diyala'". Since the 4/2 SBCT is in charge of the province this is well worth reading in full. Excerpt:
With al Qaeda in Iraq's bases of operations dismantled in the central Baghdad regions, Diyala province has emerged as the primary battleground between Iraqi and Coalition forces and the terror group. As the concurrent combat operations against al Qaeda in Baghdad and the Belts regions peaked during the summer and fall, al Qaeda in Iraq attempted to re-establish its bases in the northern provinces of Salahadin, Ninewa, Tamin, and Diyala. In the region northeast of Miqdadiyah, al Qaeda in Iraq has gains some traction. [...]But Diyala province has emerged as one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq, Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, the director of communications for Multinational Forces Iraq said today in a press briefing in Baghdad. Al Qaeda in Iraq has "found a haven in Diyala," Smith noted. The Concerned Local Citizen and Awakening movements, the tribal groups and former insurgents that have banded together to fight al Qaeda in Iraq, will be a primary force against al Qaeda in Iraq in Diyala province.
Soldiers Provide Humanitarian Aid for Iraqis in Need
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – The Soldiers of 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., have seen their share of combat since deploying to Iraq in April. Raids, clearing operations and air assaults are what these combat Soldiers have prepared for and are executing daily in their new area of operation, Diyala province, Iraq.
But the Soldiers of 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment played a different role, Dec. 11, at Forward Operating Base Warhorse during a humanitarian aid mission to assist the citizens of northern Hashmiyat.
“This was the first humanitarian mission my platoon has run,” said Sgt. 1st Class Keith Sekishiro, 2nd Platoon sergeant, Troop C, 2-1 Cav. “We have been doing a lot of missions lately with the Iraqi army and Iraqi Police; not necessarily humanitarian missions, but assisting them in providing their own security in their towns and villages.”
Operation Raider Reaper Concludes With Tribal Reconciliation
BAQUBAH, Iraq – A reconciliation meeting between the tribal leaders of Khalis and Hibhib in Diyala province was held at the Governance Center in Baqubah, Iraq, Dec. 27.
The meeting marked the end of Operation Raider Reaper, a month-long campaign conducted by the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and several companies of the Iraqi army 5th Division. The operation’s focus was to clear al-Qaida and insurgents from Diyala province. The meeting focused on keeping the peace post Raider Reaper, ending sectarian violence and finding a means to bring displaced families back to their homes.
Operation Raider Reaper Clears Iron Triangle
HIBHIB, Iraq – Operation Black Hawk Reaper was a part of several operations that were conducted simultaneously. It was designed to clear an area of three villages, Hibhib, Al Hudayd and Khalis, known as the “Iron Triangle.” The operation included the Concerned Local Citizens program, an Iraqi police emergency reaction force and three companies of Iraqi army working with 2-1 Cavalry, 1-38 Infantry and Special Forces elements. This joint effort was dubbed Raider Reaper. Objectives were to clear the Iron Triangle of AQI presence, weapons caches and improvised explosive devices and leave the Iraqi police and the Concerned Local Citizens program in control of the area.
Helmets fixed with night vision devices roving left and right are silhouetted against the glow of night through the circular windows of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The high pitched screams of engines are heard over the rhythmic beating of the rotors, vibrating and shaking the helicopter during flight.
Operation Rock Reaper Clears Al-Qaida Strongholds
Story by Pfc. Kirby Rider
HADID, Iraq – A dim blue light pierced the darkness as someone yelled “one-minute out,” but the voice was drowned out by noise from the rotating blades of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
The helicopter, carrying Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, approached its landing zone near the town of Hadid, 65 miles northwest of Baghdad.
3 bodies discovered near Baquba, more suspected
4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Responding to a tip from an Iraqi citizen, Coalition Forces discovered a body buried approximately eight miles northwest of Baquba Dec. 28. Several days before, Iraqis had dug up two skeletons at the same location.
The body discovered by CF was shot in the head, and his hands were tied in front of him. It appeared that he had been in the ground at least a month.
The Iraqi citizen reported the site contained approximately 20 bodies.
U.S. Defends Soldiers' Actions in Killing
Apparently soldiers from the 4/2 SBCT were involved in this incident. The official press release from the military is linked at the end of this article.
By Joshua Partlow, Washington Post
BAGHDAD, Dec. 26 -- Two Iraqi men killed by American soldiers north of Baghdad on Tuesday, including a member of a U.S.-backed security force, were shot after one of them fired on the soldiers and the other then attempted to pick up a weapon, according to an account of the incident provided by U.S. military officials on Wednesday.
Military officials also said the soldiers, after shooting the men, placed their hands in plastic cuffs to prevent them from setting off explosives in a possible suicide attack.
The killings have angered many residents of Baqubah, the capital of Diyala province, and threatened to sour relations between U.S. soldiers and the Sunni force of volunteers they have worked with to combat the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Soldiers share best possible gift
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — They are separated by a 30-minute helicopter ride but in this war-torn country it might as well be a continent away.
But Sgt. 1st Class Francisco Ramirez and his son, Spc. Donald Ramirez, were given a special Christmas gift — time with each other at dad’s place.
On Wednesday Sgt. 1st Class Francisco aRamirez, 11th Signal Brigade, and his son, Spc. Donald Ramirez, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, talk about their experiences of being deployed in Iraq. Spc. Ramirez, who is stationed at Baquba, Iraq, arranged to come to Camp Victory to visit with his father for a few days. Suzanne Cronn•Herald/Review
“He called me a day before (Christmas Eve) saying he was coming to visit,” said the 45-year-old father.
Donald, 21, said “It was my unit who was sending people on four-day passes.” Most headed to Qatar, but the younger soldier used the time to be with his dad.
Coalition forces target terrorists in Diyala, Tarmiyah
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed four terrorists and detained one suspect today, during operations targeting al-Qaeda in central Iraq.
In continued efforts to disrupt terrorist activities in the Diyala River Valley, Coalition forces conducted two coordinated operations north of Muqdadiyah targeting associates of the al-Qaeda network in the region. Intelligence reports indicate the individuals are associated with the group that was involved in several fire fights with Coalition forces during operations on Dec. 12 and 13.
During one of the operations, the ground force called for occupants to come out of the target area, but they did not comply. Coalition forces then approached the target area and were engaged by enemy fire. The ground force pulled back to a safe position and called for supporting aircraft to engage. Coalition forces assessed that two terrorists were killed from the strike.
Prayers go out to troops
By Stephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star
Each day, Bob Vielledent wakes before dawn, walks his dogs and then goes to Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church to light a candle for his son, 1st Lt. Marc Vielledent.
Vielledent has performed the same ritual for 260 days straight. He began the week before his son left for Iraq. [...]
Sergeant gets extra time with son
UPDATE 12/26: Good news - his leave was extended and his son is doing better.
CHICAGO – In what was either a Christmas Eve gift – or else the result of a logistical error – an Army unit in Iraq said Monday it had decided to extend the personal leave of a Fort Lewis sergeant whose son is in neonatal intensive care in Indiana.
Sgt. Chris Williams, 24, who has five months to go on his second tour in Iraq with 2nd squadron, 1st Cavalry regiment, part of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He now has until Friday to report for duty, and after that he will be shipped back to his unit in Diyala province near Baghdad.
He had made sure his 18-day leave to Crown Point, Ind., coincided with the due date of his son, Gabriel. But days after Gabriel was born Dec. 18, the 10-pound infant got a lung infection that requires a respirator and constant care. A hospital spokeswoman Munster Community Hospital in Munster, Ind., said it was unclear when the boy would go home.
Far away, but close at heart
Families of 4/2 SBCT soldiers are featured in the following story.
BILL HUTCHENS; The News Tribune
[...] Eva Hart is taking care of her 10-year-old granddaughter, Arianna Hart, while Arianna’s dad (and Eva’s son), Staff Sgt. Ben Hart, a Stryker soldier, is serving in Iraq.
Ben Hart is with the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division and isn’t as easy to get in touch with as Jim DeLapp. Eva and Arianna have gone as long as a month without hearing from him, but Eva said he is generally able to get through about once every two weeks.
“It’s very sporadic,” Eva said. “He pays a friend to use his cell phone. As long as he can, he talks to his daughter. When he’s able to call, he tries to call her to wake her up in the morning and tell her to have a good day.”
Coalition forces target al-Qaeda networks in Diyala, 12 suspects detained
I would assume 4/2 SBCT soldiers were involved in this operation, although there is no confirmation of that in the following press release.
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces detained 12 suspected terrorists today during operations targeting al-Qaeda networks in the Diyala River Valley region and northern Iraq.
Coalition forces conducted a series of coordinated operations north of Muqdadiyah targeting alleged associates of the network operating in the northeast Diyala River Valley region. One of the targeted individuals is believed to be involved in terrorist media and propaganda operations and a direct associate of senior leadership in the network.
J.M. Simpson Dispatch
Simpson has a brief dispatch from FOB Warhorse. Excerpt:
The other day at FOB Warhorse, a five-ton truck pulled into the compound outside of 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment’s tactical operations center. Inside the truck were literally hundreds of boxes and letters to be distributed.A couple of soldiers climbed up into the truck; others formed a chain; and the unloading of the truck began. Mail for HHC, Alpha Company, Bravo Company and Charlie Company began to stack up into small hills of boxes, many wrapped in Christmas paper.
You could feel the excitement; it was a little bit like the excitement of Christmas morning.
“Isn’t this great,” commented CSM Richard Leirdhal as he watched. “Not only do families and loved one send these guys mail, but ordinary Americans who don’t know a single one of these kids pack a box up, address it to ‘Any Soldier’ and send it here. I think that is just great,” he added.
US Army deploys 'non-lethal' Stryker in Iraq
The following is an article excerpt - you need to be a subscriber to get the full text.
The US Army has deployed a unique version of the Stryker armoured vehicle outfitted with an array of non-lethal technologies, Jane's has learned.
Don Jarosz, a spokesman for the service's TACOM (tank-automotive) Life Cycle Management Command, confirmed that the service sent three Full Spectrum Effects Platform (FSEP) vehicles to Iraq in October. The new vehicles are operated by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division - a Stryker-based unit.
Fielding FSEP paves the way for future integration of non-lethal technology on combat vehicles. Among other things, FSEP is equipped with floodlights, laser dazzlers and a loudspeaker system. It is supposed to provide an alternative to lethal armament in 'escalation-of-force' scenarios around checkpoints and traffic control points. Jarosz said the FSEP would enable soldiers to accomplish their mission "without resorting to deadly force".
The US military has struggled to reduce civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, particularly around roadblocks and near convoys. Earlier in 2007, the Center for Army Lessons Learned at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, issued a new handbook on the application of graduated force at checkpoints. The service has also revised training procedures at places such as the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.
Soldiers Provide Humanitarian Aid in Diyala
BAGHDAD — The Soldiers of 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., have seen their share of combat since deploying to Iraq in April. Raids, clearing operations and air assaults are what these combat Soldiers have prepared for and are executing daily in their new area of operation, Diyala province.
But the Soldiers of 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment played a different role recently at Forward Operating Base Warhorse during a humanitarian aid mission to assist the citizens of Northern al Hashmiyat.
Photos: 4/2 SBCT
Blog-Ah! has a few new photos sent by J.M. Simpson, who is currently embedded with the 4/2 SBCT for the holidays.
Photos & Videos: Strykers in Action
News seems to be slow lately, but there are plenty of new photos and videos featuring Stryker soldiers at the DVIDS website. Just follow the links and work your way backwards through the search results.
Simpson in Iraq
Thanks to generous funding by Coinforce.com, J.M. Simpson of the Ft. Lewis Ranger newspaper has arrived in Iraq to begin his holiday embed with the 4/2 SBCT.
New crackdown planned in Diyala province
The 4/2 SBCT recently assumed control of the Diyala province.
By Lori Hinnant - The Associated Press
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s defense minister promised on Sunday to wage a new crackdown northeast of Baghdad in a volatile province where militants have been driven by the influx of U.S. troops to the capital.
Suicide attacks have killed more than 20 people in the last three days in Diyala province, a tribal patchwork of Sunni Arabs, Shiites and Kurds that stretches from Baghdad to the border with Iran.
Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi told The Associated Press that preparations had begun for a fresh military operation in the provincial capital Baqubah, about 35 miles from Baghdad.
“If we succeed in controlling areas of Diyala close to Baghdad, the rate of incidents in Baghdad decreases by 95 percent,” al-Obeidi told The Associated Press.
[...]
Commanders Tell Gates Iraq Policy Working, Urge Vigilance
The Commander of the 4/2 SBCT is quoted at the end of the following article.
By Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD - Field commanders deployed throughout Iraq gathered here today to tell Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates firsthand that the U.S. strategy in Iraq is working and to urge vigilance in seeing it through.
Gates called the commanders to Camp Victory, home of the Multi-National Force-Iraq headquarters, during his visit to hear about their operations. "I think he wanted to hear from us what we are experiencing out here, and I think each one of us told him we're having success in our individual areas," said Marine Col. Richard Simcock, commander of Regimental Combat Team 6. [...]
Stryker soldier faces murder charge in shooting of leader
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
A Fort Lewis soldier has been charged with murder in the September shooting death of his platoon sergeant in Iraq, officials said today.
Cpl. Timothy Ayers, 21, is accused with killing Sgt. 1st Class David A. Cooper, Jr., a 36-year-old tanker and longtime Fort Lewis soldier who died Sept. 5 in Baghdad.
A Fort Lewis spokesman said Cooper’s death was the result of “a suspected negligent discharge.” At the time it was announced, the Department of Defense said Cooper died of a non-combat injury that was under investigation.
N.D. grad serving in line of danger
Robin Jack of West Fargo knows her son, Spc. Scott Coleman, is in an Army infantry unit in Iraq. But she suspects he doesn’t tell her some of the details about what he’s doing because he doesn’t want to worry her.
What she discovered the other day while searching military Web sites on the Internet might, however, make her worry a little more.
She came across photos of Coleman and members of his squad clearing apartments in Mujema, Iraq, searching for weapons caches and items used to make improvised explosive devices.
Stryker dad comes home to a big surprise
By Michelle Esteban, KOMO 4 News
LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- At first she couldn't get the furniture she paid for, but now, thanks to a call to the Problem Solvers, she has a living room full of new furniture and even more.
KOMO 4 News was there as a local military wife got a welcome home surprise for her soldier husband who's on leave from Iraq. It's the perfect surprise for his aching back.
Friday was delivery day at Alycia Anderson's home. A big mattress and box spring arrived. And the best part -- it was free. Anderson greeted the delivery with a huge smile.
The Desert Raider - December Edition
CORRECTION: The link we originally posted was to last month's edition. We corrected the link, which now points to December's.
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community.
Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - December 2007 Edition (PDF, 3.47 MB)
A deceptively long pause, then three more soldiers lost
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
Eight weeks had passed since the last time Fort Lewis gathered for a memorial ceremony, but that didn't make it any less painful today when the post community paused to remember three soldiers killed in Iraq.
An overflow crowd filled the Evergreen Chapel to mourn Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker and Cpl. Peter W. Schmidt -- all three from the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, and all killed by bombs earlier this month in Mukhisa, in Diyala Province.
"Someone told me this gets less difficult with time," said Capt. Andrew Marsh, the commander of the rear detachment of the three soldiers' battalion, the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment.
Strykers Featured in Wired Magazine
(Via FOB Tacoma)
Last summer Noah Shachtman of Wired magazine spent some time embedded with the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT in Iraq. The result of that trip is a lengthy article just published titled, "How Technology Almost Lost the War". We're excerpting a long section related to the Strykers below, but be sure to read the entire piece.
For additional reading you can see the article he wrote for Popular Mechanics last spring regarding the Land Warrior System. Finally, be sure to watch the video we just posted featuring the 4-9 INF.
Tarmiyah, located about 20 miles north of Baghdad, is an ugly town — traced with rivulets of sewage, patrolled by stray dogs, and strewn with rubble and garbage. Insurgents fleeing US military crackdowns in Baghdad and, farther north, in Baqubah, have flooded the city. The local police quit en masse almost a year ago, leaving the security of Tarmiyah's 50,000 residents to 150 men from the US Army's Fourth Battalion, Ninth Infantry Regiment — known since an early-1900s tour of duty in China as the Manchus.Typically, soldiers spend hours of every day at war just trying to figure out where their comrades are, and how to maneuver together. But hand out GPS receivers and put everyone's signals on a map, and those tasks become a whole lot simpler. Luckily for the Manchus, the 4/9 is arguably the most wired unit in the Army. Select troops wear an experimental electronics package, including a helmet-mounted monocle that displays a digital map of Tarmiyah with icons for each of their vehicles and troops. The unit's commander, William Prior, rides an upgraded Stryker armored vehicle that shows the same info on one of many screens. It's packed with battle command stations, advanced radios, remote-controlled weapons turrets, and satellite network terminals. No commander at his level has ever been able to see so many of his men so easily.
"It increases the unit's combat power, no question," Prior says. Trim and dark-eyed, the lieutenant colonel knows his tech. He has a master's in physics and taught science at West Point in the late 1990s. [...]
Today, every three-man team in the Manchus is an icon on every other team's monocles. Network-centric doctrine says that these plugged-in soldiers should be able to cover a bigger swath of the battlefield and take on more enemies. And, yes, the gear does let them clear neighborhoods more efficiently and respond to enemy attacks more quickly. But a handful of soldiers still can't secure a town of more than 50,000. Half a dozen Manchus have been killed or wounded by snipers during their five months in Tarmiyah. Prior has handed out 25 Purple Hearts to the 150-man Comanche Company guarding Tarmiyah. It's even worse outside town, where the equally small Blowtorch Company was trying to keep the peace in an area three times the size of Manhattan, until the higher-ups ordered the company onto other missions.
"A well-informed but geographically dispersed force," Garstka and Cebrowski wrote in 1998, should be able to triumph over any foe, regardless of "mission, force size and composition, and geography." But neither Cebrowski nor Garstka was thinking about the kind of combat where foes blend into the populace and seed any stretch of road with bombs. Lawless towns like this can be pacified only by flooding them with troops — collecting tips and knocking heads. That's what Prior needs, not more gadgets. "They're just tools," he says in his flat Iowa accent.
Video: Land Warrior Update
The folks with Program Executive Officer (PEO) Soldier at Ft. Belvoir sent us a link to a video featuring the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT in Iraq. It highlights the battalion's use of the Land Warrior system.
I had a bit of trouble playing the video in my browser, so I uploaded the file to YouTube, which I've embedded below. If you'd like to grab the original video you can do so at the PEO Soldier website.
Simpson to Iraq
John Simpson of the Ft. Lewis Ranger newspaper is heading back to Iraq to spend the holidays with the 4/2 SBCT. We can expect to see new stories and photos beginning in the middle of December.
Departing commander's legacy: closer ties between tribes
Found this article via FOB Tacoma. It talks about the situation in Diyala soon to be inherited by the 4/2 SBCT.
By Robert W. Gee, Austin American Statesman
MUQDADIYAH, Iraq — The sheiks finished arguing and posturing, and Col. David Sutherland, who had been scowling for an hour, stood and spoke.
"I agree that there is much suspicion in Diyala. That suspicion creates anxiety and violence," Sutherland said, his words translated by an Army interpreter at a recent meeting of two feuding tribes in Diyala, a religiously and ethnically mixed province northeast of Baghdad.
He urged the Tamimis, who are predominantly Shiites, and the Jabouris, who are Sunnis, to patch up their differences.
Troops in Diyala to rise even as brigade goes
By Kim Gamel - The Associated Press
BAGHDAD — U.S. military officials said Saturday that the overall number of American troops in Iraq will be reduced by about 5,000 with the withdrawal of a combat brigade from Diyala province. But the number of soldiers in the volatile province will actually increase, they said.
The U.S. command in Baghdad announced earlier this month that the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division had begun heading home to Fort Hood, Texas, and that its area would be taken by another brigade already operating in Iraq.
Col. David Sutherland, commander of the 3rd Brigade, acknowledged concerns that the withdrawal of U.S. troops could lead to a reversal of a decline in violence but said the transfer of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, will actually result in more troops in the province.
Stryker Brigades: Where Are They Now?
Mike Gilbert of The News Tribune has a nice summary of where each Stryker Brigade is right now (deployed/dwelling), and when each might be called on again to head overseas.
Baqubah Update
Michael Yon spent Thanksgiving in Baqubah and has a brief update on the situation there. Excerpt:
But I came across something today that might make veterans of the fighting in Baqubah proud. Back in May, just before operation Arrowhead Ripper, there were about 60 violent acts per day. Now there are about 6. The markets are opening and the streets are again filled with people. I thought the veterans of Baqubah might like to know that their efforts have made a tremendous difference for the people here. You fought hard. This writer saw it. Your sacrifices truly meant something.
CPL Christopher J. Nelson
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson, 22, Rochester, Wash., died Nov. 18 when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol in Baquabah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
To his family and friends - please know that we are all keeping you in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
CPL Jason T. Lee
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Jason T. Lee, 26, of Fruitport, Mich., died Nov. 18 when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol in Baquabah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the Lee family, as well as his friends and comrades.
PFC Marius L. Ferrero
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero, 23, of Miami, Fla., died Nov. 18 when an improvised explosive device detonated during a mounted patrol in Baquabah, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
All of us here are deeply saddened by the loss of another Stryker soldier.
Soldier Re-enlists Hours After IED Injury
Click through for photos.
By Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett, 4th SBCT, 2nd ID PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – A U.S. Soldier re-enlisted in the Army just hours after being seriously wounded in an improvised explosive attack near Zaganiyah, Iraq, Nov. 13.
Spc. Christopher Hoyt, an infantryman with 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., suffered severe laceration to his legs and torso when an IED went off near him while conducting a dismounted patrol. Two of his fellow Soldiers were killed in the attack.
Styker Brigade Shows Appreciation for Dragon Fires
By Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – As people in the U.S. prepare to give thanks during Thanksgiving Day celebrations later this month, senior leaders from the 4th Stryker “Raider” Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, showed their appreciation in a different way and a little earlier in November with a visit to see their fellow Soldiers in the 1st “Dragon” Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment of the 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
Dover, Pa., native, Col. Jon Lehr, commander, 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div., Command Sgt. Maj. John Troxtell, the 4th Stryker Brigade’s senior non-commissioned officer, along with some of the brigade’s staff took the time, Nov. 13, to recognize the 1-82 Dragons for their firing of field artillery in support of the Raider Brigade’s Soldiers, many of whom were once based out of Camp Taji with the majority now at Camp Warhorse.
Iraqi Stryker Training
TAJI, Iraq – “There will be no walking on my site,” said Sgt. 1st Class Tyroid Weston, a truck driver in the 202nd Brigade Support Battalion, to the new platoon of Iraqi army soldiers, Nov. 6, at Camp Taji, Iraq. “You are Strykers, you are swift and lethal, do you understand?”
Weston and his team of four other non-commissioned officers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., graduate a new platoon of Iraqi army soldiers every 10 days from the Iraqi Army Stryker Training Course in Taji. The course is designed to get IA soldiers ready to conduct missions with coalition forces in Iraq.
“By the time you complete this course you will be ready to fight, ready to accomplish all you put your mind to and more,” Weston said to the class.
SGT Kenneth R. Booker
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Kenneth R. Booker, 25, of Vevay, Ind., died Nov. 14, in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Everyone here would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his loved ones and comrades in arms.
Stryker Brigade expands into all of Diyala province
By 4th Stryker BCT, 2nd ID PAO
BAQOUBA, Iraq - The 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., is in the process of expanding its area of responsibility to include all of Diyala province, Iraq.
The brigade is now taking over the area of operations currently held by 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, which has begun redeploying back to its home station at Fort Hood, Texas. 4-2 will continue to control much of its current battle space, which includes northern Baghdad province and western Diyala province.
"Because the security situation here (northern Baghdad province) and in Diyala province has improved, we are effectively able to expand our area of influence from Baghdad up through Diyala," explained Col. Jon Lehr, 4-2 commander.
SPC Peter W. Schmidt
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Peter W. Schmidt, 30, of Eureka, Calif., died Nov. 13 in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during dismounted combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the loved ones he leaves behind.
SGT Christopher R. Kruse
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, 23, of Emporia, Kan., died Nov. 13 in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during dismounted combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers.
Suburban father, son serving in Iraq
Former West Chicago resident Joe Baker's grandson, Liam Baker, is serving in Iraq, but he didn't expect his son to be sent there, too.
His son, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Baker III, had been retired from the military 12 years when the Army called him back into service at the age of 49.
"Couldn't believe it," Baker said.
Ultra Magnus clears al-Qaeda from stronghold
By Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
HUSSEIN HAMADI, Iraq – Partnering with the Iraqi Army, Coalition Forces killed five al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives, wounded three and detained seven individuals during Operation Ultra Magnus in and around Hussein Hamadi village, Iraq, Oct. 28-30.
Soldiers from Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment along with Iraqi soldiers from 3rd Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division swept through the town in southern Diyala province which had previously been an AQI stronghold.
“AQI used the area as a headquarters,” said Capt. Al Bangor, Troop C, 2-1 Cav. Commander. “They stored their weapons there, lived on the fringes of the town and from there, they would push their fighters out to conduct attacks. (The local people) have lost contact with the Iraqi government for the last two years due to AQI sealing off the area.”
Scio Soldier Trains Iraqi Army on His Second Deployment
KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq—For Sgt. Mike Austin of Scio, cruising the dusty roads of Diyala province in Iraq and training Iraqi soldiers is just another day on the job.
Austin, 25, a dismounted team leader in the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, Wash., is currently serving on his second 15-month tour in Iraq. He recently took part in a major clearing operation in Khan bani sa’ad, about 10 miles north of Baghdad, to remove insurgents, buried explosives and weapons caches from an embattled neighborhood of that town. It was the first time the Iraqis planned and executed their own mission, with only logistical support from the Americans.
Milton-Freewater Soldier in Iraq Says Kids Are the Future
KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq — Cautiously stepping from his Stryker vehicle into the dusty village road after a clearing operation, Staff Sgt. Thomas “T.J.” Edwards was greeted by a crowd of Iraqi children. They circled about him, tugged at his pants and asked for candy. Then one of them introduced himself, shook Edwards’ hand and gave him a kiss on the cheek, a gesture of greeting in Iraq.
“That was kind of special,” said Edwards, a section sergeant and truck commander in the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based in Fort Lewis, Wash. “It reminded me of my own kids.”
Edwards, 32, and a native of Milton-Freewater, is currently serving on his second 15-month deployment in Iraq. He works out of a joint U.S.-Iraqi army compound in the city of Khan bani sa’ad, or KBS, about 10 miles north of Baghdad, conducting joint missions and training Iraqi security forces. Much of his work involves providing security for the residents of KBS.
‘Historic’ Meeting Stresses Reconciliation in Rashidiyah
Click through for photos as well.
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
BAGHDAD, Iraq – In its broadest sense, the word reconciliation means to bring into agreement or harmony, or to win over to friendliness. In Iraq, the word has come to symbolize the path to peace and security for the country.
On Oct. 22, a reconciliatory meeting took place in Baghdad, as a prominent Sunni sheik and Shia sheik from the city of Rashidiyah promised to set their differences aside for the good of the community.
Col. Jon Lehr, commander, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, who facilitated and helped moderate the meeting, described it as historic.
The Desert Raider - November Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community.
Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - November 2007 Edition (PDF, 2.98 MB)
Pressure on AQIZ
Follow the link for photos as well.
By 1st Lt. Richard Ybarra, 115th MPAD
BAQUBA, Iraq - In a ten-day span, the 5th Iraqi Army Division, partnering with 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division put the squeeze on al-Qaida in Iraq in back-to-back operations on Oct. 5 and 15, in Diyala province, Iraq.
The operations, titled “Rock Drill” and “Rock Bone Breaker” netted big cache finds for both the IA and the 1- 38 Inf. Regt. The IA scored the first heavy blow against al-Qaida in Iraq when they found a large weapons cache in a cemetery north of Muradiyah during Operation Rock Drill.
The cache was discovered by 4th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 5th IA Division, acting on information given by Concerned Local Citizens. It consisted of six automatic weapons, four two-way radios, two rocket propelled grenades, two anti-tank mines, two rifles, large quantities of ammunition and both electronic and print al-Qaida in Iraq propaganda. In addition, two improvised explosive devices were discovered nearby the cemetery.
Photos & Videos
We haven't linked to any photo albums or videos at DVIDS recently featuring Stryker soldiers. You can view complete search results for photos and videos and work your way backwards to catch up with everything we've missed.
CLC Tip Leads to Massive EFP, Explosives Cache
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq – Working off a tip from a concerned local citizen, coalition forces discovered a massive weapons cache, Oct. 23, during the raid of a home in Sa’ada village, Iraq. The cache marks the largest discovery of explosively formed penetrators ever found in Iraq at one location.
The cache included 124 fully-assembled EFPs, 159 copper disks of four different sizes used in making EFPS (including 12-inch disks – one of the largest ever discovered in Iraq), 600-plus pounds of C4 and other explosive materials, 100 mortar rounds of various caliber, 31 107 mm rockets, two mortar tubes and 20 claymore-type mines.
Soldiers of Troop B, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Lewis, Wash., detained the cache owner in the raid.
NW Guardian
The NW Guardian is the official newspaper of the Ft. Lewis community, and they have consistent coverage of the various Stryker Brigades. We haven't done a very good job of featuring their stories, but we'll try and correct that in the future. Right now they have a number of stories online regarding 3/2 SBCT homecoming activities. Stop by their website, spend a few minutes browsing their content, and bookmark it for future reference.
Concerned Citizen’s Tip Leads to Massive Mortar Cache
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
“Finding this cache was 100 percent a result of the tip,” Mills said. “We would never have found it if not for the assistance and information of the Concerned Local Citizen (Program). If this was a patrol anywhere else in our (area of operations), we would have walked right by it.”
Acting on tips provided by a local citizen, Soldiers from Company F, 52nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division discovered 474 81mm mortar rounds, in the village of 50 Dar. 22 of the rounds contained homemade explosives.
Tips Lead to Al-Qaida Leader’s Capture
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
TARMIYAH, Iraq – Coalition forces, acting swiftly on tips from concerned local citizens, captured a key al-Qaida in Iraq leader during a raid in Tarmiyah, Iraq, Oct. 11.
“There’s a direct cause and effect here,” said Lt. Col. Bill Prior, commander, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. “(The concerned local citizen) doesn’t have to worry about Sa’dun terrorizing him anymore. Sa’dun was influencing and intimidating the local people, and they lived in fear for so long, but they don’t have to deal with that intimidation anymore.”
Fu’ad Sa’dun, an al-Qaida emir, is suspected to have coordinated the kidnapping and murder of local citizens, rocket and small -rms attacks against coalition and Iraqi forces and locals, and improvised explosive device emplacement, before being captured by Soldiers from 4-9th Inf., 4-2 SBCT.
Lehr Discussion
Mike Gilbert at FOB Tacoma has the details on a recent conference call with Col. Jon Lehr, commander of the 4/2 SBCT. He talks about the Brigade's recent operations and the announcement that the 4/2 SBCT will assume operational control of Diyala Province.
Iraqi Police, U.S. Soldiers Reopen Road to Mansuriyah
Here's the official story from SGT Patrick Lair. We linked to his blog entry about this earlier. Click through for photos as well.
Story and Photos by Sgt. Patrick Lair, 115th MPAD
MANSURIYAH, Iraq—Six weeks since buried improvised explosive devices and sectarian violence made a road between the villages of Qasarin and Mansuriyah impassable, Iraqi police and U.S. Army Soldiers cooperated to reestablish security in the area during Operation Patriots.
In what played out like a small liberation celebration, Soldiers entered Mansuriyah to the fanfare of cheering crowds. Iraqi police then handed out humanitarian aid and began constructing security checkpoints along the embattled road.
Stryker Troops Deliver School Supplies, Smiles to Iraqi Children
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett
BOOB AL SHAM, Iraq – Macavoy’s frustration and the children’s fear was quickly replaced with smiles and laughter, as the kids — cautiously at first, but then with exuberance — came out from their homes. The Soldiers handed them pencils, pens, notebooks, crayons, markers and other school supplies. Soon, more than 50 children were running up from all directions, and it was all the Soldiers could do to keep the kids in line.
Frustration showed clearly on Sgt. 1st Class Kristopher Macavoy’s face as he tried to give school supplies to an Iraqi mother and her three small children ,Oct. 11, near Boob Al Sham, Iraq.
The children peered fearfully out from behind a door at the U.S. Soldiers who had just pulled up in front of their home. The engineer troops of 3rd Platoon, 38th Engineer Company, with their full body armor, weapons and Stryker combat vehicles, likely looked very foreign and scary to the young children as they clung to their mother.
Diyala Drawdown
The 4/2 SBCT is mentioned in the following AP story.
By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON — Commanders in Iraq have decided to begin the drawdown of U.S. forces in volatile Diyala province, marking a turning point in the U.S. military mission, The Associated Press has learned.
Instead of replacing the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division, which is returning to its home base at Fort Hood, Texas, in December, soldiers from another brigade in Salahuddin province next door will expand into Diyala, thereby broadening its area of responsibility, several officials said Tuesday.
[...]
Diyala province is a battered landscape of warring tribes, fertile valleys and pockets of al-Qaida fighters. The sectarian and tribal chasms are wide. Commanders cited signs of substantial progress in the months since thousands of U.S. and Iraqi forces stormed the provincial capital of Baqouba in June.
The unit leaving in December, the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cavalry, has been in Iraq since October 2006. When it leaves, the 4th Stryker Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division, now in Salahuddin province, will add Diyala to its area of responsibility.
[...]
Mansuriyah
Patrick Lair, who is serving with the 115th MPAD, accompanied a group of 4/2 SBCT soldiers during an operation in Mansuriyah. He details the operation on his blog. Excerpt:
In addition to the attacks, AQIZ had also buried numerous explosives in the town’s one road connecting them to the rest of the valley, essentially cutting them off from the rest of the country. When insurgents blew up the town’s water pumps and generators, they were left in quite a bad position.For an entire day, American and Iraqi security forces slowly rolled up the dirt road to Mansuriyah, finding and detonating buried explosives and searching the surrounding farms and homes for illegal weapons and insurgent activity. As we neared Mansuriyah, people gave us reports that we would meet a large crowd once we got to town.
I was riding in a Stryker vehicle at the time, which, from inside its steel belly, provides no glimpse of daylight to its passengers. So it was quite a shock when the vehicle came to a halt and the rear ramp dropped to a scene of more than 1,000 men and boys, crowding in together in downtown Mansuriyah.
2-23 INF Change of Command
According to Mike Gilbert of The News Tribune, 2-23 INF, 4/2 SBCT has transitioned to new leadership while deployed in Iraq. The battalion is now commanded by Lt. Col. Mark Landes, who replaces Lt. Col. Alfredo Mycue.
Parents worried following injuries
The parents of a soldier are profiled in the following article.
By JOHN GOODALL Tribune Chronicle
Discomfort and danger make time grind slowly for a Valley soldier stationed in Iraq.
But if there’s anyone to whom the remaining year of Army 1st Lt. Jim Freeze’s deployment seems longer, it’s his parents. Geri Freeze, his mother, is an 8th-grade teacher at Niles Middle School and his father, Ed, is a WCI Steel employee.
“I worry about his emotional and mental stress that goes along with being in a war,” Geri Freeze said recently of her son. “Above all else, I worry about his physical safety.”
Schools for military children respect their unique lives
FORT LEWIS -- In "Mr. T's" kindergarten class at Evergreen Elementary, 5-year-old Annika and her classmates are scribbling lines in their journals. The assignment is a daily question, and today's seeks a few thoughts about their favorite "math stations" exercise.
Annika, however, is more focused than most upon filling her page.
When her teacher, Jeff Thompson, reaches Annika and asks her to translate what she has busily used her pencil to create, Annika tells him about her favorite math station.
Then she reads for him about a more significant part of her life:
"My daddy, I'm missing him so much because he's in Iraq," she says, running her finger over penciled lines as she interprets them for her teacher.
Man Seeks Accomplishment by Serving in U.S. Army
By Spc. John Crosby, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
TAJI, Iraq – The men and women of the U.S. Army often sacrifice a lot to serve their nation. Many leave behind a great deal, whether it be a family, a job or a dream house.
A Ford sales representative turned combat arms leader, 1st Lt. Tyson Kampenhout followed his ambitions to accomplish something in his life that he can look back on someday and be proud of. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Kampenhout began to feel blessed that he is an American when he participated in a humanitarian mission to the former Soviet Union in 1991 and 1992. He and another American distributed food and water to the people of that country.
The Desert Raider - October Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, feature articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community.
Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - October 2007 Edition (PDF, 2.5 MB)
In pursuit of al-Qaida
By Mary Madewell, The Paris News
A Paris native deployed in Iraq heads a squadron charged with ridding one of the world’s “Cradles of Civilization” of al-Qaida insurgents and assisting Iraqis with regional security and reconstruction.
Lt. Col. Marshall Dougherty of the U.S. Army commands the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, deployed with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division near Khan Bani Sa’ad, Iraq.
Iraqi, Coalition forces continue to pound enemy fighters
If you follow the link you will see a photo of a 1-38 INF, 4/2 SBCT soldier (incorrectly identified in the caption, however).
BAGHDAD — Coalition and Iraqi forces continued taking the fight to the enemy in a variety of recent operations.
Coalition forces killed two terrorists and detained 21 suspected terrorists yesterday and today during operations to disrupt al Qaeda in Iraq networks in the Tigris River Valley.
In a village southwest of Samarra, Coalition forces conducted several coordinated operations today targeting individuals believed to be close associates of an al-Qaeda in Iraq senior leader. As Coalition forces approached, an armed man emerged and maneuvered toward a nearby palm grove. Coalition forces engaged the terrorist, killing him.
‘National treasures,’ lost
MIKE ARCHBOLD; The News Tribune
Six helmets, six rifles, six pairs of buff-colored combat boots, six framed photographs. They proclaimed the memory of six locally based soldiers who died last month in Iraq. All were members of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division – the only Fort Lewis infantry unit that remains in Iraq after its sister brigade returned home in recent weeks.
All of the men were in their 20s. Five were from the same battalion. Three were killed in the same explosion.
Family, friends, fellow soldiers and other members of the Fort Lewis family came together to honor the six Wednesday afternoon at the Main Post Chapel.
Iraqi, Coalition Forces detain six extremists in Tha’Alba raid
Multi-National Division – North PAO
THA’ALBA, Iraq – Iraqi and Coalition Forces captured six enemy targets during the early morning hours of Sept. 25 in Tha’Alba, Iraq, during Operation “Viking Squeeze II.”
U.S. Army Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., and Soldiers from the 5th Iraqi Army Brigade detained 10 individuals – six of which are suspected of facilitating and executing attacks against innocent civilians, ISF and CF.
The Desert Raider - September Edition
The Desert Raider magazine is a monthly publication distributed by the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT) public affairs office. It features photos, feature articles and other items of interest to the 4/2 SBCT community. Some of the items have been posted here previously, but it is nice to have everything in one document that can also be downloaded and archived on your own computer.
They asked if we would be willing to make a copy available for download by our visitors, which we are more than happy to do. Provided below is a link to the most recent edition. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document, but it is available for free if you need it.
- The Desert Raider - September 2007 Edition (PDF, 2.5 MB)
Tarmiyah Opens Its Eyes to a New Awakening
TARMIYAH, Iraq – The Iraqi word sahwah means to wake up from sleep or to have a psychological awakening, and a sahwah or awakening of minds is currently taking place in Tarmiyah, Iraq, where tribal leaders and local residents have made the decision to stand up and fight terrorism.
Earlier this month, Iraqi army soldiers and Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., began a joint effort to clear the city of al-Qaida.
Formerly a violent city and terrorist haven, Tarmiyah is now quickly becoming a place of peace and prosperity.
From Sudan to Iraq
TAJI, Iraq – The men and women of today’s all-volunteer force have many different reasons and motivations for joining. Whether it’s money for college, patriotism, or adventure, each individual’s choice is unique.
Spc. Anderia Mayom, a linguist attached to the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., has always dreamed of becoming an American Soldier. To achieve this goal however, he had to confront many personal challenges.
Iraqi, Coalition Forces Detain Six Anti-Coalition Shiite Militia Members
THA’ALBA, Iraq – Iraqi and coalition forces captured six enemy targets during the early morning hours of Sept. 25 in Tha’Alba, Iraq, during Operation “Viking Squeeze II.”
U.S. Army Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., and Soldiers from the Iraqi 5th Special Troops Company detained 10 individuals – six of which are suspected of facilitating and executing attacks against innocent civilians, Iraqi security forces and coalition forces.
IA, Police Take Lead in Village Clearing Operation
By Sgt. Patrick Lair, 115th MPAD
KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq — A year since insurgents evicted them from their homes, more than 100 families are set to return to the neighborhood of Al-Askari, with funds supplied by the Iraqi federal government.
Thanks to a recent clearing operation in the embattled suburb of Khan Bani Sa’ad, about 10 miles north of Baghdad, insurgents and buried explosives have been removed from the streets, Iraqi security checkpoints established along the main roads and several thousand pounds of humanitarian aid have been delivered to local residents.
It was the first time Iraqi security forces planned, lead and executed their own mission in the area, with only logistical and secondary support from the U.S. Army’s 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
Soldier of the Future Goes to War
Noah Schactman of Wired magazine files another embedded dispatch with the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT that focuses on the Land Warrior concept. Excert:
I've just spent a week with Prior and the 4/9 (known as the "Manchus" since their assaults on China in 1901). And much to my surprise, a bunch of the soldiers in the unit are warming up to Land Warrior, especially now that the gizmo ensemble has been pared down and made more tactically relevant. So now the question is: can this once-doomed soldier-of-the-future ensemble spring back to life?Over the last decade, the military has connected nearly all its command posts and all its vehicles into a kind of internet for battle. That allowed them to, at the very least, see each other's locations and better coordinate attacks.
Individual soldiers, however, still remain largely off the grid -- only now, more than four years into the Iraq war, are many troop teams getting radios of their own. That's a problem because counterinsurgency fights, like the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq, are almost wholly dependent on small groups of soldiers like these. Land Warrior was supposed to be the way to plug them in.
SPC David L. Watson
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. David L. Watson, 29, of Newport, Ark., died Sept. 22 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related accident. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers during this difficult time.
Related Articles:
Soldier’s death makes 27 for unit from Fort Lewis
Watson to be laid to rest Saturday - Newport Independent
Hundreds Show Up To Honor Fallen Soldier - KAIT News
‘National treasures,’ lost - The News Tribune
Iraq suicide bomber kills 25 at Shiite-Sunni meeting
If you follow the link to the full article you will see a photo of 1-38 INF, 4/2 SBCT soldiers providing security following the bombing.
By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times
BAGHDAD -- As top Shiite and Sunni Muslim leaders broke their fast together in a symbolic show of unity Monday, a suicide bomber struck in their midst, killing as many as 25 people and injuring 40 in the turbulent city of Baqubah.
The attack apparently targeted Diyala provincial and tribal leaders who are part of U.S. efforts to forge an alliance against Sunni extremists, who once controlled large parts of the city 35 miles northeast of the capital.
Gov. Raad Tamimi was injured in the blast, which killed the Baqubah police chief, Brig. Gen. Ali Dilayyan, and other senior officials, Iraqi security officials said.
No Americans were killed, but two soldiers were wounded, said Lt. Col. Michael Donnelly, a military spokesman based in Tikrit. They were treated and returned to duty. Donnelly could not confirm casualty figures provided by Iraqi police.
The U.S. military has sought to replicate its progress in Anbar province, where violence decreased after an alliance of Sunni tribal leaders revolted last year against the Sunni militant group Al Qaeda in Iraq.
[...]
More tips lead to weapons supplier
Multi-National Division – North PAO
ARAB JABAR, Iraq – A suspected al-Qaeda weapons supplier was captured by Coalition Forces near Sheik Hammad Village, Iraq, in Baghdad province, Sept. 20.
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, detained four additional men, along with the weapons supplier, during Operation “Viking Snatch,” following tips received by local citizens.
The supplier was providing machine guns, ammunition and improvised explosive devices to insurgents in northern Baghdad province.
“The capture of these weapons suppliers, financiers and accomplices degrades al-Qaeda’s ability to coordinate and sustain attacks against Iraqi Security and Coalition Forces,” said Maj. Mike Garcia, spokesperson for 4th SBCT. “The removal of these weapons and explosives saves potentially dozens of lives.”
A cache was also discovered containing two AK-47s, four magazines and two pistols with two magazines.
PFC Luigi Marciante Jr.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Luigi Marciante Jr., 25, of Elizabeth, N.J., died Sept. 20 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Lewis, Wash.
All of us here at Strykernews would like to offer our sincere condolences to his loved ones and comrades.
CPL Graham M. McMahon
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Cpl. Graham M. McMahon, 22, of Corvallis, Ore., died Sept. 19 in Balad, Iraq, from a non-combat related illness. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers during this difficult time.
SPC Donald E. Valentine III
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Donald E. Valentine III, 21, of Orange Park, Fla., died Sept. 18 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.
We wish to extend our condolences to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
SPC Nicholas P. Olson
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Nicholas P. Olson, 22, of Novato, Calif., died Sept. 18 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.
We offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
SPC Joseph N. Landry III
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Joseph N. Landry III, 23, of Pensacola, Fla., died Sept. 18 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
The Stink of Tarmiyah
Noah Schachtman of Wired magazine is beginning a week-long embed with the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT. His first dispatch is titled The Stink of Tarmiyah. Excerpt:
We’re in an ugly, overgrown village called Tarmiyah, about 25 kilometers north of Baghdad. It is an extremely bad place. A professional-grade sniper has been terrorizing the town, killing two members of the 4-9th Infantry Regiment stationed here, and wounding seven more. 4-9’s Comanche company, primarily responsible for holding the town, has handed out 25 Purple Hearts in just five months. That’s about a fifth of the men in the company.To keep from handing out more Purple Hearts, the soldiers here go out as little as possible during the day. They do their work at night. And they sometimes take over local houses to crash out, in between missions. (Especially during times like these, when an extra company has poured into Tarmiyah, and all the cots at the local patrol base are full.) In the next room of this slapped-together building of concrete and brick, a dozen G.I.s are draped over couches, t-shirts covering their faces to keep the flies away. At least there’s satellite TV, so they can zone out to the X-Files before their next mission. Not so bad, then. Better than the platoon down the road, which has taken over a smaller house; several of the soldiers have to sleep outside under the laser-like sun.
Photos: Operation Rock Hammer
The DoD has another new photo album featuring the 1-38 INF, 4/2 SBCT conducting Operation Rock Hammer.
Patrolling Kahn Bani Sa'ad
The DoD has published a new album of photos featuring the 2-1 CAV, 4/2 SBCT on patrol.
From Laughter to Intensity
By Spc. John Crosby, 4/2 SBCT Public Affairs
KHAN BANI SA’AD, Iraq – The Iraqi children were full of smiles as they competed for the attention of the cavalry scout Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, Aug. 29, in Kahn Bani Sa’ad, Iraq. Their laughter rang clear as they traded, passed and inspected the toys the Soldiers handed out to them during a patrol of the village.
The smiles and laughter would be short lived, however, as the mission quickly intensified.
Arrow Troop, 2-1 Cav., of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., has patrolled the streets of this city for more than a month now, living at Joint Combat Outpost Key West.
J.M. Simpson Dispatch
Simpson has published a new dispatch with the 1-38 INF, 4/2 SBCT. Excerpt:
1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment is currently attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Warhorse, which is about 60 miles north and east of Baghdad.The FOB sits near the Tigris River, which divides the city of Baqubah. Its population is about 200,000. Shias comprise 15 percent of the population; Sunnis comprise 83 percent of the population; Kurds and “others” comprise the final 2 percent.
The battalion’s area of operations is the western half of the city. In the month that it has been here, the battalion has made significant progress in the area.
SFC David A. Cooper Jr.
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class David A. Cooper Jr., 36, of State College, Penn., died Sept. 5 in Baghdad, Iraq, from a non-combat related injury. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fellow soldiers.
J.M. Simpson Dispatches
Simpson has posted a few new dispatches from his time with the 4/2 SBCT over at Blog-Ah!
J.M. Simpson Dispatch
Simpson has published a brief teaser for an article to be featured in the upcoming edition of the Ft. Lewis Ranger newspaper.
Bond of Breedens: Brothers Meet After Six Years of Separation
By SSG Jon Cupp, 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Two deployed brothers - Staff Sgt. Eric Breeden, a weapons squad leader from Company A, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division and Sgt. Charlie Breeden, a medic for the 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division - have two very busy military careers that have taken them all over the world.
But thanks to various deployments and overseas assignments, the siblings have been unable to see each other face to face for more than six years. That is until now. Ironically enough, they said, it would take a deployment to Iraq and Charlie’s promotion ceremony from corporal to sergeant, Sept. 1, to bring them back together.
J.M. Simpson Dispatch
Simpson has published a new dispatch with the 4/2 SBCT at Blog-Ah!, along with some very good photos. Excerpt:
This past Saturday, I went out with a platoon of engineers from the 38th Engineer Company. Our mission was to clear a number of area roads of IEDs. Needless to say, it is hot and dangerous work.As a huge machine called the Buffalo checked out where IEDs may be, the rest of the platoon dismounted from their Strykers and patrolled down both sides of the road. This was hard work; the ground is uneven, the grass is taller than you are, the heat is suffocating.
It is very tedious, hard and slow work.
But it paid off this past Saturday.
Stryker Soldiers capture three suspected AQI terrorists
Stryker Soldiers capture three suspected AQI terrorists
TAJI, Iraq – Coalition Forces conducted a raid near the village of Ramadan and detained six suspects including three suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives, Aug. 31.
Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 9 Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, captured three suspected members of an AQI terrorist cell, believed to be responsible for several coalition deaths. Three other individuals were also detained, one of whom is also suspected in attacks against coalition forces.
Ground and air assets were used during the raid to prevent the AQI suspects from escaping during the operation.
Soldiers found several assault rifles and ammunition during the raid.
SFC Daniel E. Scheibner
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. 1st Class Daniel E. Scheibner, 40, of Muskegon, Mich., died Aug. 30 in Al Noor, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.He was assigned to the 2d Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2d Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
The Strykernews family offers our condolences to his family, friends, and fellow soldiers.
An Afternoon with Col. Jon Lehr
J.M. Simpson has another embedded dispatch with the 4/2 SBCT. Excerpt:
The Blackhawk touched down with a bump as clouds of dust engulfed it. Col. Lehr, commander, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 2nd Infantry Division, turned, pointed at me and motioned toward the door.We both headed out into the rotor wash created dust storm and away from the helicopter. As I ran, I could see Lehr to my left in my peripheral vision.
In a few moments, the Blackhawk lifted off, and the dust … a lot of it … began to settle.
Welcome to Key West, a little hole-in-the-wall that sits hard on the outskirts of Al Rasoul, a town comprised of Sunnis and Shias.
JSS Mushada with the Manchus
Wesley Morgan has published another dispatch with the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT. Excerpt:
After a few hours of rest and writing, I rejoined 1st Lt. Lowe's third platoon, A/4-9 Infantry for their rotation to the joint security station just outside Mushada, a major overwatch point for protecting Main Supply Route Tampa from Sunni IED teams based in the Tarmiya area. We rolled out sometime after midnight and arrived at the JSS not long afterward, with time to spare, after moving supplies and gear in from the Strykers and posting watch in the rooftop fighting positions, for sleep.Most soldiers seem to hate combat outposts (COPs) and Joint Security Stations (JSSs) with all their hearts (understandably). They hate them because the living conditions are often like something out of World War II – dust, fleas, cold food, cramped quarters – but mostly, I think, they hate them because they are mind-numbingly boring. At a given time a small patrol may be out, which breaks the tedium, but for the most part, the soldiers at the Mushada JSS spend their time either manning the sandbagged machine gun bunkers on the roof, being frustrated by the insurgent-riddled Iraqi Police detachment living with them, or doing absolutely nothing. On FOBs, there are things to do: internet and phone centers, movies, and gyms are all available to the soldiers there, in addition to the endless menial tasks required to maintain a unit’s equipment and readiness. Not so at most JSSs (although some of the nicer ones, I have heard, do have computers) – the platoon’s job, for the three, four, or five days that it spends at the outpost, is simply to be there, showing a presence. Some soldiers – Sgt. Wojo, for example – seem to deal with this by sleeping through every unoccupied hour, but that’s more sleep than most have in them, even after a few exhausting days of patrolling, so they have to find other ways to pass the time.
Hope and Despair in Divided Iraq
Via FOB Tacoma we found the following article from Ullrich Fichtner in Der Spiegel. This long article from his recent trip to Iraq includes a visit with the 2-23 INF, 4/2 SBCT, which begins on page four. Excerpt:
This danger is palpable, visible and audible to anyone visiting the south of Baghdad, neighborhoods like Doura and Rasheed, traveling with Lieutenant Colonel Alfredo Mycue and his "Stryker" Battalion. Mycue, standing in the commander's porthole on the front, left-hand side of his "Stryker" light armored vehicle, yells "Tomahawks."It is shortly after noon on July 9. The muezzins are calling the faithful to prayer from the minarets, and on Highway 5, which passes through Doura and which the Americans have dubbed "Route Senators" on their maps, the enemy has just detonated another car bomb.
Patrolling with the Manchus
Another report from Wesley Morgan.
After a couple hours of much-needed sleep, I got up at 0530 to link up with the patrol I was accompanying. On Haifa Street with the 1-14, I'd mostly focused on the battalion/squadron and company/troop echelons, so for this embed, which was shorter, I decided it would be better to latch onto a platoon –- after all, if things go as planned, a platoon is what I'll be leading as a lieutenant a bit more than three years from now. So in the early morning darkness, I made my way over to the barracks of 3rd platoon, Alpha Company, 4-9 Infantry (the Manchus) and introduced myself to the platoon leader, 1st Lt. Daniel Lowe.
Wesley Morgan Dispatch
Morgan has published his latest dispatch, and this time he is embedded with the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT. Excerpt:
In one incident last week, Charlie Company of 4-9, which runs the Tarmiya JSS, took fire from a mosque on the edge of town; in the resulting firefight a soldier was killed and an Apache was eventually called in to take out the al-Qaeda fighting position with a Hellfire missile. In the Mushada area, down the road from Tarmiya in Alpha Company’s area, armed fighters aren’t as much of a problem as IEDs are: MSR Tampa, the country’s main north-south highway, runs right through the place, so the stretches of road entering and exiting Mushada are actually the two most heavily bombed roads in all of Iraq. That’s where I was going.
Stryker Brigade Soldiers convene with Iraqi Army, Police and tribal leaders
Multi-National Division – North PAO
RASHIDIYA, Iraq – Leaders from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division met with leaders of the Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army and local tribal leaders to promote peace and stability in the brigade’s area of operations Aug. 24. The meeting, which included an elaborate meal of both American and Iraqi food, was held at Sheik Mohan Sajer Fahd Al-Fayahd’s home in Rashidiya, Iraq.
“This meeting really means a lot to me,” Al-Fayahd said through a translator. “We are here to promote friendship and brotherhood. I hope in the future that Iraq is secure enough to where you guys can come and visit me as a civilian. I want to show people that if we work together, we can improve the security situation.”
Lt. Col. John Drago, commander, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, was one of approximately 40 Soldiers who attended the luncheon. Drago praised Al-Fayahd’s stand against sectarian violence.
Casualty Notice Correction
This morning we posted a casualty notification for Cpl. Willard M. Powell based on information provided in this press rele