From the Front: 05/12/2008

News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.

In their own words:
One Marine's View: Living the Dream - So we got a break from the 110 temps. Last nighta kick in the butts and storm hit and visibility was slim. The enemy is frustrated and can't stand that every time they turn around there is a Marine there. We thwarted a complex ambush last week as we patrolled with the Iraqi's. They are getting stronger by the day and before you know it, they will ask us to leave. They have become so much stronger since my last deployment here it would truly astonish you. We had a young Marine get informed that he is now a dad. Proud and a bit different now that he knows he is a dad shows the true caliber of these studs overhear. They too should make you proud. They continue to put in long days, bear the difficult environment and continue to accomplish the mission. (READ MORE)

James Aalan Bernsen: Helicopters and things - It is a rare moment when there aren't helicopters flying overhead over here. If I'm outside for any more than five minutes, I'll see one. Since we're close to the Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), I see lots of transports taking off as well. Heck, I even saw an Iraqi Airways 737 the other day, complete with Iraqi flag on the tail. But mostly it's helicopters. So for today's blog, I'll give you a dose of all things aviation. These are just random aircraft that happened to be flying ahead on the rare days when I had my camera with me. There are many more great pictures I missed as these beauties buzzed literally at treetop level, pounding the air mercillessly with their rotor noise. (READ MORE)

Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal: The Montagues and the Capulets - Evenings spent at Sheik Stack-On-Me’s compound never fail to entertain. The old man, despite his questionable loyalties and general creepiness, has that fatalistic flair for melodrama many of his countrymen share. In addition to his Thighmaster fetish, his Sheikliness has a weakness for all things caramel, regales us with old soldier stories from the Iran-Iraq War in the eighties, and blames all violence in history on feminine wiles. (Normally, I’m all for sweeping misogynistic rants, but considering the Arab tradition of not allowing their women outside of the house, I don’t follow his logic. It’s not like war is crashing the party here in Mesopotamia, two hours after the keg got tapped.) Perhaps not so coincidentally, his place is a standard stop during the Gravediggers’ evening patrols of Anu al-Verona. (READ MORE)

LT Nixon: Iraq News (12 May) - The Good: Iraqi media is reporting that the Iraqi Army has killed one and detained 36 suspected terrorists in new operations in Mosul. The LA Times Mosul correspondent cites the inconvenience for the citizens due to the operations (the curfew and what not), but that Iraqis were tired of living with insecurity. Operations in Sadr City (Long War Journal has all the details) continue to construct the security barrier, which has been reported as 80% complete. This comes at a time when the Mahdi Army has backed off, but according to the WSJ, the decline in hostilities between the Mahdi Army and US/Iraqi forces was brokered by Iran last week! Shows the complexities of the US-Iraq-Iran tap dance. Kuwaiti officials have busted a drug smuggler coming from Iraq into Kuwait. Drug smuggling money is used to fund militia activity in southern Iraq (much like oil smuggling). The NY Times is reporting some significant progress in Basra as Iraqis are no longer intimidated by militia thugs. (READ MORE)

LT Nixon: That Part of the Deployment - Alas, the time has come for me to be "checked out" or in a state of "not caring". I've gotten a shiny medal, I mailed most of my crap to my mother's house, most of the Navy types I came in with to Iraq are long gone, and the new replacements have arrived. One of them is *gasp*, a lady! So much for my standard work practice of not wearing pants in the office. The new officers seem happy to be here and ready to take over, and I hope to explain to them the job beyond my own incoherent mumbling and mindlessly staring at the ceiling like a zombie (that's gonna be tough for me). The Army Captain says she wants to travel outside the wire to help out with women's rights issues (sister of Fallujah, Mother Teresa of Iraq, et. al.), but I didn't have the heart to say that the closest our particular cell goes to leaving the T-walls of the Green Zone is watching the helicopters take off when you walk to the PX. (READ MORE)

Fearless 1st Marines’ blog: Wisconsin family remembers their fallen Marine - HABBANIYAH, Iraq (May 8, 2008) – Funny, outgoing, crazy, loving, full of life – those are just a few of the many words that describe the late Cpl. Richard “Ricky” J. Nelson, a 23-year-old rifleman from Kenosha, Wis., who was killed by an improvised explosive device in the al Anbar Province of Iraq, Apr. 14. This was Nelson’s second deployment to Iraq with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, and upon his return, he was looking forward to starting a family with his wife and going to school to become an elementary school teacher. (READ MORE)

A Battlefield Tourist: Allies Take Control of Vital Bridge in Nuristan - More than 200 American paratroopers and their Afghan allies air assaulted into the mountains overlooking Gowardesh Bridge, Nuristan Province, firmly reclaiming full control of the area following nearly a year of fighting. The offensive to recapture the bridge began on April 22nd when paratroopers from 1/503 (173rd AB) and 1/91 Cavalry Regiment (AB) teamed up with Afghan National Army forces for a nighttime air assault onto three peaks overlooking the bridge. The bridge itself was secured April 26th. After the initial landings, Afghan Army soldiers and US combat engineers worked to build reinforced bunkers at the bridge itself, as well as three fortified observation points on the mountains overlooking the area. (READ MORE)

The Angry American: For the faint of heart - Man finally block leave started. For the next 30 days I don't really plan to do a whole lot. A little of it being because gas prices are so friggin expensive. We do have a little trip planned with some family friends but I think that will be about the high light of the leave. Well last weekend the sky diving fell through one guy dropped out and so we ended up nixing the whole trip. Maybe another time. We had an award ceremony and I have never quite seen one done the way this was. We all went to the theater and lined up according to rank and award. We moved to the stage and the BC and the CSM came by and clipped the award to our collars and as we exited the stage we had to return them to a little bag so they could be reused. We would later get the certificates on the same day we got our leave papers. Hooray! (READ MORE)

ToySoldier: And The Rockets Red Glare.... - The bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night.... So, as those of you who read Suspect's blog already know: we endured another indirect fire attack here on our FOB. Al Qaeda does not care that I'm going home soon, those insensitive bastards. Of course my friends and I all joke about it. What else do you do? You drive on, sure it's scary as all hell and as you hear the first whizz and whistle, followed by the boom, all you envision is it hitting your location. You vividly see the explosion, your reaction, your friends' injuries all in your mind. Again, screw you AQI, I hate you. Anyways, let's talk shop. No longer will I have to occupy that JCOP, it's done, handed over. (READ MORE)

Major John: Camp Renamed - One of the locations I work is a camp used by the Iraqi 14th Division HQ. It is called Mahmud Al Kasim (or as the British call it "Camp MAK"). Or rather, I should say it was called Mahmud Al Kasim. It has now been renamed after the commander of the 51st Brigade, S/BG Wassem, who died of injuries sustained in an IED attack in Basrah. Welcome, now, to Camp Al Shaheed Wessam ("The Martyr Wessam") or, Camp Wessam. (READ MORE)

IN-iraq: Checking in on the 'Sons' in the dark - FOB O’Ryan - They don’t have the cavernous dining facilities or fast food establishments of their gigantic neighbor- LSA Anaconda. Food is trucked in in plastic bins. At night they don’t even have outside lights, but what Alpha Battery of the 2/320th Field Artillery Regiment do have is good conversation. Inside the moving vehicle, the two Sergeants were from basically as far apart as could be imagined- "Doc" from rural Appalachia and "Smoke" from inner-city LA. The discussion jumped from religion to race to region. If I thought I understod the Army before, I was wrong. As they drove over sandy berms and under too-low wires the talk hinged around the negativity in rap music and the futility of reparations. Of the five inside, some tuned in, some tuned out, and some took off their headsets. Smoke led the dialogue and tried to entertain each point of view. (READ MORE)

IN-iraq: Joint patrol finds detonation switches, command wire - FOB O’Ryan - The joint patrol was the first to arrive at the site of an IED attack from the night before. With ruble still strewn over the road from the blast, the soldiers fanned out in search of other improvised explosives. On Tuesday morning soldiers of 2/320th Force Support Company joined with a platoon from the 17th Brigade, 4th Division of the Iraqi Army to help secure this dangerous stretch of road off of main supply route Tampa. Also, the Army was looking for the Iraqis to start taking over here. “To get I.A.s (Iraqi Army) familiar with Concerned Local Citizen checkpoints,” said Lt. Jeff Sowecke of Cleveland, OH. The idea is that once the Iraqis get familiar with the job of supporting these checkpoints, the I.A.s can do it better because they know their own culture, Sowecke said. (READ MORE)

1SG Patrick Treverton: Raise a Glass - Tonight the annual military ball will be held at the Connecticut Street Armory. It has been in the past a chance for this soldier to don his dress uniform and escort his beautiful wife to an evening of fine food and laughs with our military family. Tonight I will not be able to, for I am a member of the 2-101 Calvary and currently deployed in Afghanistan. This does not mean the Cav will be unrepresented. Within your ranks tonight will be the true heroes of the 2-101 Cav, our wives. These wives know, as does anyone who has served, that “families are deployed, not soldiers.” With my oath to serve this nation come the sacrifices shared by my whole family. My wife, Patti, will tonight take on the added responsibility of representing my unit and me. Even thought I know Patti will have a wonderful time with our friends, all these wives wish their soldiers were with them tonight for just one dance. (READ MORE)

Bill Roggio: Operations continue in Sadr City - US and Iraqi forces continue to strike at the Mahdi Army in Baghdad despite the agreement reached between the Iraqi government and the Mahdi Army late Friday. Seventeen Mahdi Army fighters were killed in northeastern Baghdad over the past 24 hours. Nine of the Mahdi Army fighters were killed in Sadr City: four Mahdi fighters were killed by an air weapons team as they planted an explosively formed penetrator roadside bomb; three were killed as they attacked the barrier emplacement teams along Qods Street; and two were killed as they fired rockets. Five more Mahdi Army fighters were killed by air weapons teams in New Baghdad as they grouped for an attack, and three more were killed as they conducted attacks in Adhamiyah. (READ MORE)

Bill Ardolino: Day Trip to Sadr City - I finally made it into Sadr City. Gaining entrance has been difficult, because Army public affairs embedded me with a unit (3-89 Cav) that operates only up to the Shia district's southwestern border. Traveling around Iraq is not as easy as telling military convoys where you'd like to go, and you still can't catch a cab without the (increasingly remote) chance of winding up the lead in a jihadi snuff video. On Thursday, I fortunately caught a ride with a Military Police unit that had plans to liaise with their personnel manning the Sadr City Joint Security Station (JSS), an Iraqi Police station in the southern part of the district. The southwestern edge of Sadr City is bordered by a major highway dubbed "Route Pluto" by the Americans. (READ MORE)



Back but still writing:
Yellowhammering Afghanistan: At a great crossroads - GHAZNI, Afghanistan -- When is a year both too long and not long enough? When you're deployed as a soldier - away from your wife, your children, your friends, your job, your life back home - a year can seem like an eternity. When you are trying to help the Afghan people solve some of their country's many problems, a year doesn't even seem like a start. But I can look back on the past 12 months and see many things in Afghanistan are better today than when I first arrived. That has nothing to do with me; it is what the Afghan people have accomplished in that time frame. Security remains a chief concern, and the bulk of my time was spent trying to improve the Afghan National Police in an effort to address that problem. In many ways, I feel like my team and I were just hitting our stride as our tour of duty ended and we had to leave. (READ MORE)

Yellowhammering Afghanistan: Ready at the guns - Now that I'm back home, I can start turning my attention to my new assignment in the Alabama Army National Guard. Thankfully, I know my new job is going to be dealing with field artillery again. As enjoyable as the embedded training team mission was, artillery will always be my first love. More specifically, fire support is where I began my military career and my new assignment is going to put me back into that game. I'm looking forward to it. One of the last things I did before leaving Afghanistan was an interview with CannonArtillery.com about my time and work in Afghanistan. That interview is now on their site and you can read it here if you would like. We covered everything from my thoughts on FA's modern mission to my role as a blogger to some personal questions. (READ MORE)

Yellowhammering Afghanistan: Traditionalists will slow progression - GHAZNI, Afghanistan - Ever since I wrote about one of our interpreter's arranged marriage back in August, many of you have wondered how Tamim and Nahida are doing. The answer really is reflective of how Afghanistan is doing. If you will recall when I first brought you the story in these pages of The News, Tamim had wished to marry someone else, but his father chose Nahida instead. (In the interest of the security for our interpreter, I am not using real names.) Tamim gave in to his father's wishes and married Nahida in a ceremony I was fortunate enough to attend. I read into your questions about the newlyweds a concern that Tamim may not be happy with the wife his father picked. That, however, is not the case. Tamim is very pleased with Nahida as his wife. In fact, the love he has for her is the least of his concerns. (READ MORE)

A Surgeon's Letters Home From Iraq: Iraqis helping Iraq - Johnny Waltz of Severus Worldwide let me know about the existence of Iraqi Health Now, a project out of Paw Paw, MI. On the site you can read about Haider, an Iraqi living in America. His nephew is one of the doctors working in Basra Teaching Hospital to try and improve the medical care available in Iraq to civilians. Since most of the people we treat at our hospital in Balad when I was there were civilian, that is a pretty important goal. On the site, Iraqi Health Now asks for assistance, including connections to pharmaceutical or medical supply companies who might be willing to donate materiel for their project. Here is the press release from Severus Worldwide after they met with the group: (READ MORE)

The Calm Before The Sand: I Cannot Follow - Colby Buzzell has been called back. Colby Buzzell, author of "My War," was perhaps one of the first well-known milbloggers. His writing is on a par with authors like Anthony Swofford, and I've always admired him enormously. Compared to him, I'm just a child playing with blocks. Three years after leaving active service, Colby has been called back for another tour. This development is made possible by his obligation to what is called the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). When a servicemember signs his enlistment contract, s/he is usually obligated to a tour of 3-4 years, minimum, to include an additional number of years in the IRR. Under this clause, the standard term of enlistment is pushed to eight years, and anyone who has served less time than that is subject to recall, pending "the needs of the Army." (READ MORE)

Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure: Readjustment And Trivia - The Army warns you about readjustment and "reintegration." Oddly enough, a lot of it is true. They warn about depression, or let-down. They warn about the family and things that happen normally as part of reintegration. A lot of it is true. I never felt overly "jacked-up" in Afghanistan. It all felt pretty normal to me, actually. There were a few times when I knew that I could easily be killed, and there were several times when I knew without a doubt that if the ACM had chosen to hit us at that moment that I was in a very very precarious position. (READ MORE)

Badger 6: The People You Meet - When I was at Fort McCoy I ran into one of the Badgers. He is on his way back with another reserve IED hunting unit. It was great to see him and catch up. I think I violated the Pentagon hugging rules though. The other young man I met was when I arrived at the Saint Louis airport. He was waiting for me at the end of the jetway, but had evidently just got off the same plane. He had seen me in uniform and was looking for direction to the "military place." He was in fact on his way to Basic Combat Training. We talked for a few minutes as we walked down the concourse. I explained I was returning from Iraq and he was excited to be on the way to becoming a Soldier. (READ MORE)



News from the Front:
Iraq:
Letter-writer is willing to battle for his combat patch - Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Minor has watched friends die on combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, including the teenage translator killed by a grenade tossed into a Kirkuk street. Minor gave his Purple Heart to her family. He was a college student in Ohio until recently, when he decided to return to Iraq, he said, so that a new father in his Reserve unit wouldn’t have to go. “I’d take a dozen of him for 20 of my soldiers,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Pumma, Minor’s former first sergeant with the 2100th Military Intelligence Group in Ohio. “He’s a super solider.” But Minor, 30, was recently threatened with legal action and with being kicked out of the Army by his new command in Iraq. (READ MORE)

Long-promised offensive catches Mosul off guard - Government officials had been talking about it for months. But when the offensive finally began Saturday to clear the northern city of Mosul of insurgents, residents were caught off guard. Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew as they went house to house, searching for weapons and fighters. "My main concern is that I did not buy any groceries since Thursday," said Safa Ahmed, a mother of four. "I don't know what to feed my children until the end of the operations." Musleh Abdul-Baqi, a high school teacher, was worried about his students, who are supposed to start their final exams soon. "I think the timing of the military operation is not right," he said. But he added, "The operation is a must because the situation in the city has become intolerable." (READ MORE)

A girl, a soldier, a dream - For months, Staff Sgt. Luis Falcon patrolled the downtrodden neighborhoods of Baqubah, where Sunni Muslim extremists had tried to create an Islamic caliphate. One day, he came upon a young girl sitting in an old, oversize wheelchair, blood crusting on the stumps where her legs had been. Her name was Shahad Abbas Aziz, and on Friday, she sat patiently in a clinic in Baghdad's Green Zone while doctors measured what remains of her legs. Later, they would make prosthetic limbs to replace the ones blown off seven months ago by a bomb. As she perched on the edge of the examination table, wearing a denim jumper and lime-green earrings, Falcon stood behind her and related the extraordinary events that brought them to this point and that have changed both of their lives. (READ MORE)

Basra comes back to life - CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – The security environment here has improved dramatically since the 1st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force fought their way into the city on April 1. Criminal elements had taken over parts of the city from local Iraqi Security Forces, and imposed their own rule on a city that had once been a cultural and commercial beacon for all of Iraq. “This city was being held hostage by a small group of criminal militias,” said Col. Robert F. Castellvi, 1st Iraqi Army (QRF) MiTT senior adviser. (READ MORE)

Coalition Soldiers find weapons cache (Maderiyah) - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Coalition forces discovered a weapons cache near Maderiyah May 9 on a joint mission with the Iraqi Army. A tip from an area citizen led Soldiers from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, to the home where two suspected weapons dealers were staying. The suspects were detained and informed Battery B and Iraqi Army Soldiers with Company C, 5th Battalion, 25th Brigade, 6th IA Division, of the location of four separate weapons caches during questioning. (READ MORE)

IP, CF detain 2 in Mussayib area off local tips - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Mussayib Iraqi Police and Multi-National Division – Center Soldiers detained two suspects May 6 in the Mussayibarea, south of Baghdad. “I have never felt more confident heading into a detainment operation than this,” said 1st Lt. Zachary Boes, a platoon leader with 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “We were sure that the targets were at their locations because we had informants keeping eyes on them until we got there.” (READ MORE)

Iraqi Special Operations Forces detain terrorist in Mosul - BAGHDAD – Iraqi Special Operations Forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces, detained a terrorist wanted for murder in Mosul May 11. ISOF conducted the operation to detain the suspect who is a mid-level leader for Islamic State of Iraq, a front organization for al-Qaeda in Iraq. The man is suspected of murdering four women and an Iraqi Police Brigadier General. He is also the group’s spokesperson and is reported to use his influence to spread terrorist propaganda and recruit for ISI. (READ MORE)

200 students graduate from Iskandariyah vo-tech - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Approximately 200 students from the Vocational-Technical School in the Iskandariyah Industrial Complex (IIC) graduated May 4 amongst friends and family members. “I’d like to say congratulations to the vo-tech director and his staff but most of all to the students of this graduating class,” said Lt. Col. Jeff McKone, Multi-National Division – Center Iskandariyah Industrial Complex liaison, Team Iskan officer in charge. “It is an honor to be a part of the success in the rebuilding of the Iskandariyah vo-tech.” (READ MORE)

Petraeus Praises Iraqi Police for Gains in Past Year - BAGHDAD — U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said the courage of the Iraqi police and the Iraqi Security Forces while working together helped drive down the level of violence and level of civilians deaths in Iraq in the last 15 months at the Baghdad Police Summit last week. Speaking before a Baghdad Police Summit, Petraeus, commander of the Multi-National Force-Iraq, told an audience of approximately 180 participants that “the decrease in violence has been very significant.” He noted the Iraqi Police had also made huge gains in manning, training and equipping their force, all of which will strengthen the police in the future. (READ MORE)

Iraqi Police Takes Greater Responsibility - FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — Iraqi Police in Wasit Province have made significant capacity gains in recent months to improve security for the citizens of Iraq. Their planning ability has greatly improved and their effectiveness increases daily, said Col. Peter Baker, commander of the 214th Fires Brigade. Much of the improvement is due to the actions of Maj. Gen. Hannin al-Ameer, the provincial director of police, appointed in September. (READ MORE)

ISF, SOI Presence Allows Families to Begin Moving Home - FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Two years ago, al-Qaeda destroyed the Chalabi village in the Sayafiyah region. A Shia tribe in a predominately Sunni area, the Chalabis fled to Mahmudiyah, Baghdad and other surrounding areas. About four months ago, Coalition forces entered the area and set up Sons of Iraq security and Iraqi Army checkpoints. Soon after, Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), discovered residents had returned to the area. (READ MORE)

Soldiers Prepare for Euphrates Patrols - CAMP STRIKER — Most Soldiers who join the Army can honestly say they would have never imagined patrolling the Euphrates River in a boat. Some Soldiers will soon be able to say they’ve done just that. Company A, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), is training to operate boats the unit received, May 2. “I’m pretty excited,” said Cpl. Tomas Montoya, Co. A, 3-187th Inf. Regt. “I never thought I’d have the opportunity to work on boats over here in Iraq.” (READ MORE)


Afghanistan:
Soldiers, Airmen lend helping hand, hone ANP Skills - The sound of idling humvees resonated in the air as the Parwan Police Mentoring Team commander briefed his team on mission-related convoy operations. Once orders were received and the brief concluded, the team mounted up and prepared to roll; their mission destination – Dandar, a small village in the Parwan province of Afghanistan. Army Capt. Mark Moeckli and his team rolled out of Bagram Air Field and embarked on a scenic and treacherous journey over winding mountain roads. (READ MORE)

Coalition forces provide medical care in Konar - BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Coalition medical personnel provided free medical care to local citizens in Ghaziabad District, Konar province, Sunday. A Coalition medical team conducted medical screenings and provided routine treatment to more than 100 local citizens including approximately 80 children. Working with local leaders in the village of Nishigam, the team set up a temporary treatment facility at the village center, while Coalition forces provided security. (READ MORE)

More than a dozen militants killed in Helmand province - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – 15 insurgents were killed Thursday during a Coalition Forces operation to disrupt Taliban facilitation operations in Helmand Province. Coalition Forces conducted a search of compounds in the Garmsir district targeting a Taliban insurgent associated with weapons facilitation operations including the procurement and smuggling of various types of small-arms, munitions, fuses and explosives. During their search, Coalition Forces were fired upon by an unknown number of insurgents from the compounds. (READ MORE)