Police Call on a Grander Scale

By 2nd Lt. Liz Lopez

Soldiers drive along the roads of Iraq everyday. As they go, their eyes search the roadsides for signs of anything out of the ordinary. And, with trash and vegetation littering the sides of the road, such indications can be almost impossible to spot.
It is for this reason that Army engineers embark on route sanitation missions. In these operations, the Soldiers participate in something akin to a police call, but on a much larger scale.
The two principle tools for this task are a bucket loader and a grader. These two vehicles clear the debris and cut out the vegetation along with the top layer of soil eliminating potential hiding spaces for roadside bombs.
On September 12, the Personal Security Detachment, or PSD, from the 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), was tasked with providing security for the 875th Engineer Battalion during this routine mission.
The day began without incident. Upon arriving at the site, the PSD set up an outer security cordon around the engineer assets blocking off all commercial traffic in the northbound lane of Route Tampa.
As the security team settled down to watch the roads, the engineers set to work advancing slowly north clearing the median as they went.
Barely a half hour into their mission, the grader began experiencing hydraulic problems and would not move. There was a sinking feeling as radio traffic confirmed that the vehicle would need to be recovered. Without an operational grader, the mission would not be able to continue.
Unfortunately, the site the engineers were clearing was approximately an hour’s drive from Camp Striker and its recovery assets. And, although they began spinning up as soon as the Soldiers put in the call, it would still take approximately two hours for the help to arrive.
Unable to move and unable to continue their mission, the Soldiers had no choice but to settle down and wait for the recovery team.
But, sitting motionless on a heavily trafficked road for hours is not anyone’s idea of a comfortable morning. Without hesitation, the security team executed one of the many tactics, techniques, and procedures they practice and review prior to every mission: setting up a tactical control point.
In minutes, the PSD Soldiers were done and set up again in their trucks to survey the roads for anything suspicious.
Almost exactly two hours later, the recovery team arrived from Striker and made quick work of loading the grader onto a Heavy Equipment Transporter for movement back to the camp.
Regrettably, the broken grader called a halt to the entire day’s mission. But, when situations arise against a mission, Soldiers never quit. They will repair their equipment and return to finish the job in a couple days.

Showing Support to the Mountain Top

By 2nd Lt. Liz Lopez

The 10th Mountain Division’s command team, Maj. Gen. Michael Oates and Command Sgt. Maj. James Redmore, spent the first week of September with the Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Iraq. While they toured the battlefield, the pair took the opportunity to meet with troops and gain knowledge from the expertise of these highly successful troops.
Each of the six battalions in the brigade was given the opportunity to host the command team, show them around their battle space, and discuss with them their operations over the last year. The 210th Brigade Support Battalion, “Commando Providers,” was fortunate enough to host the division command team twice.
The commanding general’s first visit was at the beginning of his stay. On September 5, the battalion had the chance to give Maj. Gen. Oates a quick overview of their many support operations in the past year prior to giving him a tour of the Supply Support Activity, or SSA, and motor pool.
During the brief, he was given a short introduction to the multitude of missions conducted by the battalion in order to supply, maintain, and care for the brigade. Under the leadership of Lt. Col. Brian Rogers and Command Sgt. Maj. Spenser Gray, the Providers have activity pushed all of their capabilities and assets to the brigade’s war fighters. In its effort to do so, the battalion has practiced some rather unconventional tactics and been responsible for spearheading many bright innovations.
After his introduction, the general and his sergeant major headed to the SSA where they were shown the vast storage and ordering capabilities. Although it appears less familiar to the untrained eye, the yard is the brigade’s Wal-Mart and Home Depot. If a Soldier needs something this is where he goes to find it. They may not have everything, but the SSA prides itself on customer service and what they do not have immediately they order.
As the general finished his tour of the SSA in their brand-new warehouse, he paused in order to preside over an awards ceremony. During the ceremony, he presented two Bronze Star Medals, 12 Combat Action Badges, and 14 coins to some of the battalion’s best Soldiers. As an added treat, he promoted Pvt. Brendon Caudill to the rank of private first class in a rarely seen battlefield promotion.
Following the ceremony, the general and sergeant major continued their tour in the Company B motor pool where they were introduced to the unit’s five shops. Each of these shops is actively engaged in maintaining the brigade. Four of the five are equipped to conduct prolonged missions forward in Mobile Maintenance Teams, which sends not only the Soldiers, but their equipment forward.
Although they do not participate in mobile maintenance, the automotive section keeps busy with an on-call recovery mission. With this mission, the Soldiers can be ready to roll out the gate in 40 minutes seven days a week.
As the general completed his tour of the motor pool, he headed to the Commando Café Dining Facility to eat dinner with the battalion’s senior leadership. During the meal, the general spoke to the men of his philosophies and gave them his impression of the battalion’s successes.
With the evening over, the men disbursed for the evening to ponder the general’s words.
On September 9, the Provider’s senior leadership was once again arrayed to greet Maj. Gen. Oates and Command Sgt. Maj. Redmore. This time, they met at the Commando Pickup Zone in order to show the division leadership some of their efforts in the brigade’s area of operations.
First on the agenda was Patrol Base Shanghai, a small company-sized base belonging to Company B, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment. This location has long been an example off which the Providers hope to model all their support.
Among the sites visited at the outpost was the aid station, run by Maj. Theodore Llanso, a doctor with Company C, 210th Brigade Support Battalion. Llanso has been at Shanghai for just over two months creating at the aid station what Rogers describes as a “basic platform.” With a doctor at the patrol base, the Soldiers there are less restricted by medical care.
Another crucial stop for the general at Shanghai was the tower. In one of the battalion’s ongoing projects, the welding shop in Company B has been upgrading the force protection on all of the towers in sector, adding shields to the windows, a pulley system to lower possible casualties, and an extra ladder to ensure safety when reaching the top.
After completing the rounds at Shanghai, the team once again boarded the helicopters for the short jump to Patrol Base Dragon.
At Dragon, the general was introduced to the members of Company F, one of the four Forward Support Companies attached to the brigade’s maneuver battalions. From their forward location, Company F provides 4-31 Inf. with distribution and maintenance assets at the battalion level.
Also at Dragon, the division command team had the opportunity to meet view the physical therapy and dental “Doc-in-a-Boxes.” This “DIABs” are mobile clinics allowing the physical therapist and the dentists to move to different locations in the brigade’s sector in order to treat Soldiers. Their presence has eliminated the need for Soldiers to be evacuated for routine care.
From the DIABs, the general made one final stop at Dragon’s aid station, which has been augmented with lab and x-ray capabilities to create a Level II(-). Like the DIABs, the additional medical assets ensure Soldiers are not evacuated for routine reasons by expanding the doctor’s capabilities to diagnose and treat from a forward location.
The aid station was the final stop on the general’s tour. From there he boarded the helicopter again for the flight back to Camp Striker.
Overall, Maj. Gen. Oates seemed impressed with the ingenuity and dedication of the battalion to support operations forward. But, it is the Provider’s philosophy that no mission is big if it supports the war fighters in the front.

Soldiers honor POW/MIAs; search for missing comrades continues

By Sgt. Chris McCann
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) Public Affairs

YUSUFIYAH — World War II left nearly 100,000 Soldiers missing in action, leaving families back home no evidence as to their fate.
It doesn’t happen so often anymore; less than 2,000 Soldiers were listed as missing in action after Vietnam, and only one, Capt. Scott Speicher, after the Persian Gulf War.
But four years into the war in Iraq, there are four Soldiers missing. They cannot be listed as “missing in action” until a year after the war is concluded, but their absence hangs heavily over their unit and all Soldiers in Iraq.
Until that time, they are listed as “missing/captured.”
Two of the Soldiers still listed as missing/captured are Spc. Ahmed al-Taie, 41, an Army Reserve Soldier who was kidnapped outside Baghdad’s Green Zone Oct. 23, 2006 and Staff. Sgt. Keith “Matt” Maupin who was part of a fuel convoy that was ambushed near Abu Ghraib April 9, 2004.
The two most recent Soldiers to go missing, Spc. Alex Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Mass., and Pvt. Byron Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich., were both infantrymen assigned to Company D, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y.
They, along with five other U.S. Soldiers and an Iraqi soldier of the 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, were attacked just before dawn May 12, near Qarghuli Village. They were guarding a section of Route Malibu, preventing terrorists from planting improvised explosive devices.
The terrorists – several of whom were captured in the following weeks – planted IEDs further down the road from the Soldiers’ position. Then, the terrorists ambushed the Soldiers with grenades and small arms fire. Soldiers at the base less than 800 meters away became worried at the lack of radio communication, and tried to respond, but were slowed by the IEDs that lay between them and their comrades.
Sgt. 1st Class James Connell, Sgt. Anthony Schober, and Pfc. Daniel Courneya, as well as the Iraqi soldier, died in the attack. Spc. Christopher Murphy got out, but his body was found not far away; the terrorists had shot him. Jimenez, Fouty and Pvt. Joseph Anzack Jr. simply disappeared.
The search began immediately; thousands of Soldiers encircled the area.
Route Malibu and Co. D’s area of operations lie in the rural southern part of Baghdad province; date palm groves, apple orchards, and even banana trees line the roads. Canals crisscross the territory, making the roads wind around them, and the reeds that grow near the water can grow twice a man’s height, reducing visibility.
Helicopters from the 3rd Infantry Division and the 1st Cavalry Division swarmed over the land, trying to see from the air what could not be seen from the ground.
“I don’t care about eating or sleeping,” said Capt. Chris Sanchez, an infantry officer with the 4-31 plans staff, in the days after the attack. “We just need to find these guys.”
Eleven days later, Anzack’s body was found in the Euphrates River south of the attack, near Musayyib. But despite the best work of intelligence analysts, search parties, interrogators and translators, Jimenez and Fouty remain missing.
Constant patrols continued for weeks; two Soldiers were killed in the efforts. Although after a few weeks, as it had to, the focus returned to combat operations, the Soldiers continue to look for their brothers-in-arms, goaded by occasional breakthroughs.
A month after the Soldiers disappeared, their personal effects, including identification cards and wallets, were found by Soldiers of another unit operating near Samarra when they searched an ad-hoc video production studio. The objects were shown in an al-Qaeda propaganda video.
Such finds bring hope.
“You don’t want to leave a buddy just out there,” says Pfc. Clayton Peterson, of Aiken, S.C., who has been in the same company as Fouty since basic training. “You feel like you left them behind.”
Every patrol searching for caches, every meeting with local sheikhs, every mission to distribute supplies to schoolchildren could be the one that puts Soldiers at the right place at the right time to find the missing men.
“The families back home need to know that we are not going to stop searching for the Soldiers until they are found,” said 2nd BCT commander Col. Michael Kershaw. “They (the families) need to know the Soldiers in this brigade are doing everything they can to find these Soldiers.”
Part of that effort is the constant search for further information about the men.
“After three months, the missing Soldiers remain our first priority,” said 2nd BCT intelligence noncommissioned officer in charge Master Sgt. Paul David Adkins, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “The desire for their recovery drives our operations across our area of responsibility.”
They may not officially be MIAs or POWs, but they are honored just the same.

Memories of Sept. 11, 2001 still recalled in Iraq

Sgt. Chris McCann
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division - Center

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — “These men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home….”
These words, spoken in a radio-broadcast prayer by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the eve of American forces’ entry into the European theater of WWII, were played loudly in the al-Faw Palace at Camp Victory, Iraq, in memory of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Hundreds of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines gathered in the rotunda of the palace built by Saddam Hussein to remember the events of that day and why they serve in Iraq.
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of Multi-National Corps – Iraq, spoke first during the ceremony.
“Certain events will remain fixed in our minds for the rest of our lives,” Odierno said. “Many people remember where they were when they heard that the Berlin Wall came down. Most people who were alive at the time remember what they were doing when President John F. Kennedy was shot. And I am sure there’s not a person here who doesn’t remember exactly what they were doing and where they were and what they thought when they saw the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the remains of United flight 93. The world would never again be the same.”
While Iraq wasn’t directly involved, the events of that day taught the United States a valuable lesson, said Odierno.
“On Sept. 11, we found we could not rest peacefully within our borders…Extremists declared open war on our way of life. Freedom is the most important thing – freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom to be yourself. The Iraqis want the same freedoms; they suffered first under a brutal dictator, and then under the dark cloud of al-Qaeda-allied terrorists. They want a better way of life.”
Spc. Travis Bishop of LaGrange, Kent., a personnel specialist with the 3rd Signal Brigade, III Corps, out of Fort Hood, Texas, played his guitar and sang “Have You Forgotten,” a country song memorializing the events of Sept. 11, 2001. He received a standing ovation. “They asked me to sing this song,” Bishop said with a laugh. “I was very nervous at first. But I couldn’t believe the standing ovation. People were yelling!”
The guest speaker at the event was Ch. (Maj. Gen.) Doug Carver, U.S. Army chief of chaplains, who extolled the outstanding character of Soldiers, calling them the new “Greatest Generation” – a name coined by Tom Brokaw for those who came of age during the Great Depression and fought in WWII.
“Your character is displayed against an enemy who observes no rules of engagement. We’ve done the right things. Our high moral standards enable Soldiers to endure three deployments, to endure 15-month deployments, to keep that young military police Soldier from retaliating against being drenched by a detainee with a cocktail of urine, semen and feces….You have shown yourselves to be men and women of extreme character.”
Lt. Todd Reighly, a firefighter, rang a large bell in memory of the fallen. In the days before hand-held radios, firefighters used telegraphs and bells to communicate over long distances. The “four fives” - five strikes, repeated four times – have been used to memorialize fallen firefighters since the 19th century.
Chaplain’s assistant Damien Mobley, a native of Columbus, Ga., who serves with the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., said he enjoyed the ceremony.
“The chaplain’s speech was the best,” said Mobley. “It was really heartfelt. The whole ceremony was beautiful, it was really nice.”
Capt. Jason Anderson commands a company with Task Force Vigilant, detached from the 2nd BCT to guard the Victory Base Complex.
“It’s nice to know that even at the tip of the spear, we’re still remembering our fallen, here in Iraq,” said Anderson, a native of West Lafayette, Ind. “It was beautiful and moving, and it really reminded me why we’re here.”

Support for Soldiers doesn’t go unnoticed, unappreciated

Sgt. Chris McCann
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division – Center


CAMP STRIKER, Iraq — Deployments can be long and difficult, but Soldiers across Iraq and Afghanistan have seen an incredible outpouring of support from people all over the United States, both in cards and letters and in packages of snacks and comfort items.
Especially for those in forward posts and battle positions, these have been a tremendous morale booster. AR 600-8-3 states that the “military postal program exists to move and deliver personal mail in the deployed force and on the battlefield, to contribute to the fighting will of soldiers.”
In any unit, when a Soldier gets a care package, the other troops gather around to see what’s inside. Soldiers always share – what they don’t want, they will gladly give to someone who does want it.
So many organizations have generously supported troops that it would be impossible to name them all, but a few stand out.
“Bear Hugs from Mom” was started by Sara Dutton, the mother of a Soldier in the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y. The 4-31 “Polar Bears” inspired the program’s name; Dutton and her family and friends make individual care packages for the Soldiers in Company C, 4-31.
“I joined the Adopt-a-Unit program, now the Adopt-a-Platoon program, after reading an article in the Fort Drum Blizzard,” said Dutton, mother of Sgt. Thomas Dutton, a rifleman and a native of Wadsworth, Ill., who is serving his second tour in Iraq. “We were visiting my son at Fort Drum during Memorial Day weekend of 2006 when I read about it. I e-mailed (former 2nd BCT commander) Mike Plummer and asked if I could adopt my son's platoon. I think he thought it was a little daunting for an individual, but I convinced him I could do it.”
The Adopt-a-Platoon program is usually joined by large organizations such as churches, businesses, and scouting groups, but Dutton took the bull by the horns and began contacting large corporations for donations. A friend of the Dutton family began passing a bucket at the bar he owns, she said, and she’s even gotten friends and neighbors involved.
Another group which has given unwavering support is Anysoldier.com – which allows people in the United States to send care packages to any Soldier without compromising security or having to have a specific name or address.
From new socks and boots to magazines, cookies, sunscreen and lip balm, Soldiers across our area of operations have felt the support of the American public.
Sherry McDonald, who has a daughter serving in the Army, sends packages not only to her daughter but to other Soldiers, including a platoon in the 2nd BCT.
“I have been taking care of the scout platoon in 4-31, which I really enjoy. I also have adopted the 514th Maintenance Company,” said McDonald, who joined the program “because of a deep dedication to and admiration of everyone that is currently serving in Iraq.”
In total, McDonald supports about 60 Soldiers, she said.
“I’ve sent ‘my’ platoons CD's, movies, T-shirts, snack items and other assorted goodies,” she said. “It is my greatest pleasure to be what I consider an ‘adoptive mother’ for the Soldiers, and what I am doing means a great deal to me. Every day I think of everyone, and am thankful for the opportunity to support them in any way I can.”
The Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd BCT family readiness group also goes out of their way to let the Soldiers know that they are loved – even the single Soldiers who don’t have family in the group.
For Christmas of 2006, the FRG sent a stocking stuffed with holiday goodies to every Soldier in HHC. The group, headed by Tanya Potter, wife of Capt. Chip Potter, the company commander, has also created banners and other items to boost morale, turning group meetings into a chance to write, draw or fingerpaint on a large sheet. The sheets are then sent to Camp Striker and hung on the outside of the building where most HHC Soldiers work.
“Over the course of the deployment, the FRG has made two banners for our Soldiers,” Potter said. “We wanted to express how much we appreciate their sacrifice and how much we miss everyone. It is always hard to put into words the magnitude of respect we have for our Soldiers, but we thought a few banners could help try and get that message across.”
The FRG tries especially to remember their Soldiers over the holidays.
“Being away for the holidays is not easy on anyone, so for Christmas, the FRG made stockings for the single Soldiers, and at our holiday party we made a video with family members sending a message to their Soldier,” said Potter. “For Valentine’s Day, we sent our Soldiers a small heart-shaped box of candy with a Valentine’s Day card.
“We just wanted to send some love to our Soldiers so they know they are always thought of. And now, we are preparing a wonderful welcome home for of all our Soldiers.”
From the earliest days of war, messages and notes of encouragement have kept Soldiers fighting, reminding them who they fight for.
It is a tradition well-represented – and well-executed – during the war on terrorism.

9-11 isn't a symbol

“The men on the plane decided to attack the hijackers. They learned what had happened in New York with the other hijacked planes; they figured their lives were lost already. They fought back. What it’s like to swallow your terror and act is beyond the imagination of most ordinary folks - but the point is, they were ordinary folks.” – James Lileks

James Lileks, a favorite author of mine, wrote prolifically in his blog – as he does anyway – in the days following Sept. 11. Observations posted in the heat and gloom of those moments have remained untouched on his Web site; the surprise at hearing an airplane overhead, the way usual office banter seemed nauseatingly trivial. It amazes me how much America has let those feelings pass, returned to the mindless everyday.
It couldn’t have lasted; everything ground to a halt for a few days as people, numb, went through the motions of work and school. But as a nation we spent very little time in shock. Americans – arguably some of the most adaptable people in the world – adapted to the seismic shift and moved on.
Even Soldiers.
Maybe we remember more than the average person; the song “Do You Remember” says “I’ve been there with the Soldiers who’ve gone away to war; you can bet that they remember just what they’re fighting for,” and I hope it’s true. We are in a battle of ideologies which will be to the death, whether we like it or not. Terrorists have shown us in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, England, Spain and Kenya that they are perfectly willing to die for their beliefs. Those of us who enlisted or were commissioned after that fateful day have also laid our lives on the line - but unlike the enemies we face, we’d prefer not to have to do it.
We see coworkers injured and killed regularly by Islamic fundamentalists and militias. We attend memorial ceremonies and wear engraved bracelets and search endlessly for Pfc. Byron Fouty and Spc. Alex Jimenez. We keep faith with Staff Sgt. Keith Maupin and Cpl. Ahmed al-Taiyye, and Lt. Cmdr. Scott Speicher, who ditched his crashing jet over Iraq in 1991. But as we live in detail, fighting on the ground for our buddies, do we forget to think in generalities and remember that our very culture and lifestyle hang in the balance? Or have we let that blur in the background, a memory of “Twin Towers, Afghanistan, Iraq, Bush administration, terrorism, and here I am sweating in a village named something I can’t pronounce”?
We cannot allow the memory of the terrorism being inflicted across the world to get too far from us, to let “9-11” become merely an emblem of something. It isn’t a symbol. Destruction of life and liberty in the name of Islam is an event that will almost certainly happen again.
In the Marine Corps’ Hymn, “the shores of Tripoli” are remembered. That was America’s first skirmish with Islamic terror.
In 1786, after years of paying tribute and ransom for hostages kept by North African countries of the Ottoman Empire, then-ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson and John Adams went to negotiate with Tripoli's envoy to London, Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdrahaman. They asked him by what right he extorted money and took slaves. Jefferson reported to Secretary of State John Jay, and to the Congress: “The ambassador answered us that [the right] was founded on the Laws of the Prophet (Mohammed), that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have answered their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners, and that every Muslim who should be slain in battle was sure to go to heaven.”
Congress did not take kindly to this, obviously.
The battle of Derne, in 1805, dealt a stiff blow to Tripoli, and the second Barbary War, in 1815, brought an end to Islamic piracy and hostage-taking. Derne was the first American battle fought on foreign soil, and the fledgling nation proved that it was every bit as capable of overseas operations as the mightiest in the world.
But the Barbary Wars were fought over a few hostages and money, an ocean away. Islamic militancy has struck our own shores – not once but several times – and the American people seem loath to acknowledge that it is truly a war of ideas, of lifestyles.
Initially, when the video of collapsing towers and the flaming Pentagon was everywhere, there was a steely resolve in Americans to fight back. Only six years later, there seems to be a ‘see no evil, hear no evil’ refusal to acknowledge the threat that looms to our way of life. The only exceptions are those who have served overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan and seen firsthand the alternative.
Soldiers in Iraq find torture houses and murder victims on a daily basis; people are killed with incredible brutality for the slightest dissent or difference in religious opinion.
People in the United States complain about the criminalization of actions that harm no one, such as a stiff fine for use of marijuana. In Iraq, people are beheaded for having beards that do not conform to Wahhabist standards. Their fingers are cut off for smoking because it is a “Western” habit. They are executed for complaining about criminalization.
There is a moral gap here; there are many shades of grey in morality, but there are also absolute goods and absolute evils. It is to maintain that distinction and to fight those evils – even to the death – that Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines have sworn.
The people on United Flight 93 were ordinary folks who took the reins, knowing that their lives were almost certainly forfeit. They fought – unsuccessfully, but by all accounts heroically – anyway.
We, too, are ordinary folks. By choice, we have signed a blank check for “up to and including my life,” payable to the people of the United States. Let us fight heroically.
We are on those planes, too.

Building Bonds Between Nations

By 2nd Lt. Liz Lopez

Nestled half inside and half outside the “wire” of the Victory Base Complex, the Civil Military Operations Center is a safe haven for the Iraqi people to come to gain information about someone who was detained, to settle claims against the military, or to receive free medical treatment from Iraqi medical personnel.
A short distance away, the Area Defense Operations Center, for Camp Striker is run by the Force Protection Platoon from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y. These Soldiers are responsible for safeguarding the installation’s inhabitants while they conduct operations.
Despite the relative distance between the CMOC from Camp Striker, the force protection platoon and the CMOC compound are unquestionably tied together. Ever since they arrived in Iraq a year ago, members of the platoon have been rotating through in order to provide security for the compound and its daily visitors.
The Soldiers love the opportunity to interact with the local population. Considering the majority of their other missions do not require them to leave Striker, it is a great change of pace from typical operations.
“CMOC is their favorite,” said 2nd Lt. Anton Frishberg, a native of the Bronx, N.Y., who serves as the force protection platoon leader.
The platoon may have fun working at the CMOC, but that does not mean that the mission less demanding or shorter than their other duties. In fact, the operation requires them to use infantry tactics not typically seen in a support battalion, whose primary missions keep them more in trucks than on foot.
Among their other duties, the force protection Soldiers are responsible for controlling the entry and exit of personnel into the CMOC. Although it is not physically demanding, ushering the local nationals onto the compound is still the most difficult task the platoon faces.
In spite of its admirable mission to assist the Iraqi people, the CMOC has its limitations. Although the platoon does their best, they can usually accommodate fewer than 100 Iraqis on a typical day.
“It is a helpless feeling,” said Frishberg. “These people look to you for help, but you can only help so many.”
Nevertheless, the CMOC operations are truly a success. Every day, the people come back. They have learned patience for the Americans who are giving them aid. Every Iraqi assisted at the compound builds trust between the military and the local national population. The 210th BSB force protection platoon is a big part of that.
The Soldiers enjoy their work with the Iraqi population. They hope this small gesture will contribute to the Army’s overall goal of returning such capabilities to the Iraqi people, but they understand mission success may still be a long way off.
Until then, the force protection Soldiers will continue to attend the CMOC everyday, and do their part to build bonds between nations.

Innovative initiatives, sending the flail mower forward

By 2nd Lt. Liz Lopez

To a casual observer, the Wednesday morning mission seemed no different than any other regularly scheduled combat logistics patrol. But this movement from Patrol Base Dragon from Camp Striker had one very important difference: prominent in the line of trucks was a five-ton truck with a flail mower mounted on it.
The flail mower began as an initiative of the 210th Brigade Support Battalion, “Commando Providers,” 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y. For the last two months, it, along with two others, was assembled and field tested by the welding section of Company B.
During the field tests, the mowers have already proved useful cutting down the tall reeds growing along canals and bordering the highly trafficked roads of the brigade’s battle space. The purpose behind this carefully manicured vegetation was to allow Soldiers’ eyes to penetrate beyond farther off the road beyond the reed wall to search for improvised explosive devices, caches, and insurgents.
On August 29, the flail mower in question was being transferred from its creators in Co. B to Co. F, the forward support company attached to 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment. The change will allow Co. F to cater future reed-removal operations to their maneuver battalion’s specific needs and requests.
“The only thing that’s constant is change,” said Capt. David Cyr, a native of Augusta, Maine, the commander for Co. A, and the platoon responsible for the movement.
Change is what the transfer of the flail mower represented to the Soldiers. And the mower forced change before it even left Striker when it was downloaded from its uploaded position on a contracted truck in order to be driven to Dragon.
The change occurred after seeing the mower mounted. Left on top of the lowboy, it would be too tall to traverse the low-hanging power lines along the route.
Dismounting the mower did not take long, and the convoy made it to its destination without incident.
Once the mower was safely delivered to Co. F, the second stage in its transfer began.
Accompanying the flail mower to Dragon that day was Spc. Brian Cagle, a native of Claremore, Okla., one of Co. B’s trained operators. His mission was to train Soldiers in Co. F on the use of the mower. At Dragon he got right to work.
With a little help, he assembled most of the maintenance section of Co. F and gave them a class on operating the flail mower.
“It’s like playing a big video game,” said Pfc. Timothy Souza, a native of Barstow, Calif.
As Souza implied, the controls to the mower are not challenging to learn, and the class was completed within an hour.
“If you know how to use a forklift, a flail mower is easy,” explained Cagle.
Despite the rapidity with which the skill of handling the flail mower can be learned, proficiency takes a little more time. So, after his class, Cagle left the Soldiers to master their techniques in preparation for their first mission to “cut the grass.”For the Commando Providers, the transfer of the flail mower is a big step in empowering the maneuver battalions with their support by pushing equipment and supplies and innovative ideas to the forward units. Every reed successfully cut down by the mower reflects on the creativity and originality of the battalion in their quest to support a brigade scattered across an expansive battle space.

Support for the Support

By 2nd Lt. Liz Lopez

We do not always think too much about them. Their presence fades into the background. They are accepted and expected parts of Soldiers’ everyday lives. But civilian contractors are not so easy to overlook. Without their support and the work they do, Soldiers would be unable to carry out some of their most critical missions in Iraq.
For the Soldiers in the Supply Support Activity, or SSA, of Company A, 210th Brigade Support Battalion, “Commando Providers,” 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), civilian contractors work beside them every day. With their help, the SSA has the capability to not only sustain prolonged re-supply operations, but remain available to assist in various other missions as needs dictate.
When the SSA deployed to Iraq little more than a year ago, they were just over 50 percent strength for personnel. Although they now have a full platoon of Soldiers, only 75 percent work fulltime in the SSA. The remaining 25 percent were pulled to fulfill other operational requirements within Company A and the battalion. With the additional burden of supplying two battalions from a neighboring unit, there are simply not enough Soldiers to sustain the fast pace of operations. But that is exactly why the SSA has contractors.
“What we are doing out here takes the weight off the Soldiers, and allows them to focus on other things,” said Mr. Phillip Lee, a native of Killeen, Texas, a civilian contractor with Blackhawk Management Corporation.
The Blackhawk Management Corporation partakes in a logistics civilian augmentation Program, or Log CAP. In the Provider SSA, there are six civilian contractors working side-by-side with the battalion’s supply specialists to receive, process, and distribute supplies and equipment to the Commando Brigade. Their presence fills the void left by the Soldiers reassigned to other duties, including combat logistics patrols, force protection, and logistics training for the Iraqi Army.
The civilians permeate every section of the SSA. Their presence helps to keep the flow of supplies and equipment moving seamlessly into and back out of the warehouse and adjoining supply yard.
They are there everyday. They have no other missions that take precedence. They are a constant when nothing else is.
“We are basically the permanent parties of these sections,” said Phillip Lee.
With such stability in a place where nothing else is stable, it is easy to see why the Soldiers give these men and women such respect.
“The civilians are great to us,” said Sgt. Lemarkisha Hill, a native of New York City, N.Y., the non-commissioned officer in charge of stock control operations. “We are very lucky to have them here.”
The respect and appreciation is mutual.
“I get full satisfaction out of my job,” said Phillip Lee. “It’s about relationships. Civilians and military, we are all one.”
In the SSA, as in the rest of the support battalion, every mission is focused on providing the brigade’s war fighters with anything they need to conduct operations from forward locations. The Log CAP contractors have adopted this mission as their own.
“It doesn’t matter how small or how big,” said Phillip Lee. “If it comes through this warehouse and it belongs to you, you’re going to get it.”
Deployment is hard, and the fast pace of operations can be challenging to maintain. It is nice to know that the supply specialists in the SSA have a little extra help when they need it.
“We’ll be here as long as the mission is here,” said Phillip Lee.
And, most will be there long after the Provider’s mission is gone.

The Weld Team at Dragon

By 2nd Lt. Liz Lopez

On a hot September afternoon, three sets of eyes were riveted upon a tower at Patrol Base Dragon. They were searching for issues. There are always issues.
“Let’s go see if there are any other interesting challenges,” said Spc. Travis Yaggy, a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, as he moved into the tower.
For the past couple of months, the welders in Company B, 210th Brigade Support Battalion, “Commando Providers,” 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), have been ranging the battle space, upgrading the force protection on the maneuver battalions’ many towers.
The enhancements include shields in the windows, ladder additions, and a pulley system which allows Soldiers to raise and lower heavy burdens into and out of the tower with ease.
With at least one tower at every patrol base and multiple towers at some of the larger forward operating bases in the area of operations, this task is mammoth.
On a good day, it takes the team between four to five hours to complete a single tower. On a bad day, they might be lucky just to finish one.
Although to an untrained eye, the towers look like standard structures, each tower is different. With this to contend with, the weld team has no choice but to custom-build all of the enhancements for each of the towers.
“Every last one is a different ‘uh-oh,’” explained Sgt. Benjamin Wormsby of Pittsburgh, Pa.
There is no cookie-cutter solution to completing the project. Every improvement must be built on site, fitted and perfected to the individual specifications of the structure.
“They are all pretty big projects,” said Spc. Juan Andino, a native of Houston, Texas.
The team has come a long way from their first tower, which took them days of work and multiple trips from Camp Striker to the site to complete.
The team has grown quite a bit more experienced since that first tower. Nevertheless, they still like to look at their mission as only one tower at a time.
“This one is going to be an adventure,” said Wormsby as he walked back to the truck after the tower survey.
It may be a challenge, but it is nothing the weld team cannot handle. When something needs to get done, they find a way.
They do not do it for themselves, but for the young war fighters who sit up in the towers everyday to provide protection for their comrades below. There is always a way to make these Soldiers’ lives better. In the end, that is the Providers only mission. It is a mission in which they’ve had many a success.

Troops detain 16 suspected Shia extremists

By Sgt. Ben Brody
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div.

MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq – In a predawn raid on a large apartment complex in Mahmudiyah, Coalition and Iraqi troops detained 16 suspected Shiite extremist members Sept. 1.
Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Fort Drum, N.Y., along with their Iraqi counterparts from 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, conducted the combined air assault and ground operation.
Mahmudiyah’s al-Qa Qaa apartment complex is about a square mile of three-story buildings housing thousands of residents, mainly lower-income Shiites.
After an Iraqi army company commander was killed by Shiite Extremist in Mahmudiyah Aug. 28, U.S. and Iraqi forces have worked together to bring the perpetrators to justice, raiding Shiite safe houses and homes.
Soldiers in UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters landed in the darkness and quickly surrounded the target buildings, ensuring no one fled the scene.
A few minutes later, U.S. and Iraqi troops arrived in Humvees and Badger armored troop carriers to search the buildings.
The force swept through the buildings, and brought all military-age males down to a central point for questioning as OH-58 Kiowa helicopters circled the area.
After the males were in military control and a cursory search had been conducted, Soldiers with bomb-sniffing dogs thoroughly cleared the apartments and put evidence into plastic bags marked with the apartment’s number.
Although the dogs did not sniff out any explosives, among the items confiscated were two Iraqi police pistols, 120 Iraqi-style gas masks and an AK-47 assault rifle.
“It was a well-executed mission – we quickly isolated the objective and surprised our targets,” said Capt. Nick Ziemba of Battery A, 2-15 FAR. “The Iraqi soldiers have made great progress acting professionally and getting the job done.”
Ziemba, from Wilbraham, Mass., said his unit has a good rapport with the Mahmudiyah soldiers and that they are growing together as a joint force.
“By operating alongside us, they pick up a lot of our tactics, while we pick up on their cultural knowledge,” he said. “They remind us that we’re not always dealing with the enemy – a lot of the people in Mahmudiyah are becoming familiar, friendly faces.”
After 16 suspected Shiite extremists were identified by informants and Iraqi troops, the rest of the men were released to their apartments.
“One of the guys we picked up today is wanted for multiple murders and forcing people from their homes,” said Capt. Dustin Walker, intelligence officer for 2-15 FAR. “Within two hours of the operation, I received five phone calls from Iraqis asking us not to release him. The people of Mahmudiyah do not support Shiite extremists and just want to live in peace.”
The 16 men detained were taken into Iraqi army custody for further questioning.

Soldiers help legitimize concerned citizens

Sgt. 1st Class Angela McKinzie
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division – Center

PATROL BASE WARRIOR KEEP, Iraq — Local police forces are vital to order and safety in Iraqi villages, but some communities have not seen a law enforcement presence for years.
Coalition troops are helping concerned citizens fill this gap, paving the way for them to become legitimate Iraqi police officers.
To assist in the process, Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, and 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, both from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Fort Drum, N.Y., tested Iraqi police recruits at Patrol Base Warrior Keep Sept. 4-6.
More than 700 Iraqi men from each of the seven tribes within Sadr al Yusufiyah showed up for the drive, but only 412 made the cut.
The recruits were selected from a group of concerned local citizens by Sheiks and other operational leaders to become official members of the Iraqi police.
Concerned citizens, who have been working with Soldiers for nearly three months, have not been allowed to act as an official part of the government before, but IP recruiting represents change within the 2nd BCT’s area of operations.
“Having the government recognize these concerned citizens will help to build grassroots security within the local populace,” said Lt. Col. John Valledor, of Weehawken, N.J., commander, 2-14th Inf. Regt. “Before, the concerned citizens had no real authority to enforce the law, but getting them legitimized will enable them to enforce the rule of law.”
Choosing the candidates did not come easy. Each candidate was selected based on physical fitness, age and basic literacy skills.
After candidates were screened at the local level, their names were submitted to the Iraqi government with the intent of manning the new IP station forming in Sadr al Yusufiyah.
“There has not been a local police station in Sadr al Yusufiyah in four years,” Valledor said. “But we are on the road to establishing governance within this area.”
The police station, which is scheduled for completion within a year, will be built on a piece of land donated from a private land owner and supported by a local sheik.
The new police station will house newly transitioned concerned citizens when they become official members of the Iraqi police.

Why I serve: Capt. Rich Thompson

Sgt. Chris McCann
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division – Center

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq — Soldiers serve for a number or reasons – out of patriotism, a desire to learn new skills, or to protect loved ones at home.
For Capt. Rich Thompson, a battle captain and soon-to-be commander in the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., it is a combination.
Thompson, a native of Londonderry, N.H., began contemplating a military career when he was just a child.
“I wanted to be in the Marine Corps when I was little,” he said. As he grew up, however, the Army began to exert a stronger pull.
“There were a lot of people who influenced me in my life, especially Army officers at school. I decided that the choices in the Army offered me more control over my future.”
Now, it’s not just the future he thinks of; it’s the friends he has made while serving in the U.S. Army.
“I like the people,” said Thompson. “There’s definitely more of a closeness with co-workers than in the civilian world. We spend a lot more time together, more hours at work, and we’re in more life-threatening situations than someone who works at, say, IBM.”
Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science, but said he thinks a degree in management might have been better in his work as an officer.
“There are a lot of interpersonal skills learned,” he said of management. “Dealing with senior noncommissioned officers who are old enough to be my father – it’s intimidating, especially as a new lieutenant, to be in charge. It can be overwhelming.”
As his skills have grown, however, he finds it less so.
“The Soldiers keep me motivated,” he said. “Growing up, my role models were mostly current or retired military. They instilled a lot of patriotism, which caught on.”
Thompson attended a military high school, which he credits with changing his life.
“That was the turning point,” he said, laughing, “that’s when I went from being a potential inmate to a contributing member of society.”
His parents have been pleased with his growth, he said.
“My parents and my girlfriend have been very supportive,” said Thompson. “Of course, they don’t want to see me get hurt, but they’re proud. I’m sure they’d rather I had a safer job, but I tell them I don’t get outside the wire much.”
People – at home or at Camp Striker, Iraq, with him – continue to keep him focused on his career as he prepares to take command of Company D, 2-14 upon the 2nd BCT’s redeployment to Fort Drum.
“The best part about this job (as a battle captain) is that I get to observe the field-grade officers on a daily basis, and see how the commanders of our five companies work – the different things they’ve done, what’s worked and what hasn’t. It’s given me plenty of time to contemplate how to work with my company when we return to Iraq in a year.”
Being in command, he said, will help him continue to hone his skills.
“As a commander, I’ll have a wonderful opportunity to influence Soldiers. It’s a job not many people are willing to do, and that not everyone is deemed capable of doing.”
And while each day is preparation for the next, Thompson tries to have fun.
“The people I’ve met, and the camaraderie I’ve developed with the Soldiers and the other officers – it’s definitely completely different from the civilian world.”

Vehicle-borne explosives fail to cause injury, damage

2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division – Center

BAGHDAD — A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near a traffic overpass southwest of Baghdad Sept. 4, but failed to cause any damage.
Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, were manning a security checkpoint near the overpass on a major Iraqi highway when the bomb-laden truck was spotted.
The vehicle exploded while still too distant to cause any harm.
Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, and 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Fort Drum, N.Y., responded and assessed the destroyed vehicle but could not determine whether or not the driver remained in the vehicle.
In addition to the explosives that detonated, the vehicle contained a 120mm and a 155mm mortar round that had not exploded. An explosive ordnance disposal team was summoned to destroy the remaining explosives.

Golden Dragons detain five suspected insurgents

2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division – Center

BAGHDAD — Coalition Forces detained and questioned men suspected of working with al-Qaeda-allied Sunni extremists Sept. 4 near al-Taraq, southwest of Baghdad.
Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Fort Drum, N.Y., detained five men after they were stopped by concerned local citizens on suspicion of being associated with local al-Qaeda terrorists.
The 2-14th Inf. Regt. “Golden Dragons” also discovered a cache further north, near Radwaniyah containing 40 60mm mortar rounds and two bags of homemade explosive.
The mortar rounds were destroyed in a controlled detonation.