News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
In their own words:
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd): Marines melt through problem; weld solution - AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq (July 25, 2008)- For two Marine welders with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), creative thinking had a significant, positive impact on security measures here and could continue to benefit both the Corps and the welders in the future. Sergeant Jason Walsh and Cpl. John James, metal workers with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, put their heads together and modeled a bracket piece needed to mount security equipment on perimeter tower buildings aboard the air base. The bracket solved a problem security forces ran into when they attempted to mount cameras, satellites and other security equipment on the rooftops of the towers. The tower tops were made of a thin metal which gave way when heavy equipment was mounted on it. (READ MORE)
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd): San Francisco goes retro; MWSS-172 completes retrograde mission at RRPv - REPAIR AND REPLENISHMENT POINT SAN FRANSISCO, Iraq (July 28, 2008)- Early in the morning before the moon settled and the sun rose above Al Asad Air Base, Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 began a convoy to the northern area of Iraq to start the retrograde process of a repair and replenishment point. The squadron, belonging to 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward), traveled more than 100 miles through the sandy terrain, arriving at RRP San Francisco in the Al Jazirah desert of Iraq, July 23. For more than five days the Marines worked countless hours to load up vehicles, generators, food, water and other supplies and other gear, effectively dismantling the RRP they had built four weeks prior. (READ MORE)
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd): Ceremony marks significant step toward independent operations for Iraqi Army 7th Infantry Division - CAMP MEJID, Iraq (July 24, 2008)- The Camp Mejid-based Location Command of the Iraqi Army’s 7th Infantry Division held a ribbon cutting ceremony July 24 to officially open the doors to new facilities here. The ceremony consisted of speeches by unit commanders and an Iraqi Army salute, also known as the janoud creed. The official opening of the facilities represents a significant milestone in the process to establish an infrastructure from which the Location Command can provide logistical support. “Four buildings on Camp Mejid have been completed. This is the first of many more buildings to be turned over to the IA,” said Staff Col. Esahel Hatem Abdel Haleem Elaannie. Civilian construction crews began construction on the facilites in November 2007. (READ MORE)
Fobbits need ice cream too: The Evil Empire reigns - Just got in around 0400. Did some personals, then crashed around 0700. Got informed we now need to do PT daily (duh?) and keep a logbook; I already do this so not a big deal, whatever. Knock on the door at 1300: formation in 5 minutes, PTs are ok but get up there comes the call from another team leader in another squad. The three of us roll over and get ready (fourth man is on leave). As we make our way up to the Company TOC, we are passed by droves of sweaty guys in PTs yelling: "Don't go up there in PTs! We got smoked! Change into ACUs!" Whatever. We turn around and change. Upon arrival to the TOC, we see the 1SG yelling at people about wasting his time; this is going to go well. We form up and we are presented with a carepackage letter he found on the ground: someone sent some items and wrote "enjoy the sunscreen" which someone crossed out and wrote "enjoy the breastmilk." (READ MORE)
Brad's Excellent Adventure: More Surprise Recognition - Monday 4 August 2008 2200 - I saw a saying posted on someone’s workstation the other day that said “Doing a good job around here is like wetting your pants in a dark suit – you get a warm feeling but nobody notices.” There are certainly times when it has felt like that, but I guess some people have noticed after all. Today was the DPW Installation Planning Board (IPB), a biweekly session where we go stand in front of a facilities engineering board and make presentations to get construction projects approved. This will be the last session I attend, and I took my NCOIC to introduce him because he’ll be going from now on. Before we started discussing our proposed project, the Navy Captain (equivalent to an Army Colonel) in charge of the board got up and congratulated me on a job well done and presented me with a Seabee coin. (READ MORE)
Paul Fanning: Men and women in the arena - It is terrific to know that while 1,700 of us from the New York National Guard are serving here in Afghanistan, our recruiting numbers back home continue to go up. The New York Army National Guard is closing on its goal of 10,500 assigned Soldiers. One would think that nearly seven years following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, record service for homeland defense and deployments to Iraq and now Afghanistan that New York's Citizen Soldiers would be more than feeling the strain (which we certainly are). But the news is that many are remaining in the Guard and we are attracting more to our ranks. How can this be? It is money for college? Is it because they are unemployed? Are they just adventurers or worse - "war mongers?" After 30 years of Guard service and now more than 115 days of "boots on the ground" here in Afghanistan, I think I can sum it up with a high degree of accuracy. They get it - America is at war. (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: More than 375 suspected al Qaeda fighters detained in Diyala operation - More than 375 insurgents and al Qaeda operatives have been captured during the first week of Operation Omens of Prosperity in Diyala province. Six senior al Qaeda in Iraqi leaders in the province have been captured during the province-wide operation. The Iraqi military announced it captured 265 suspected al Qaeda fighters during operations from July 29 through Aug. 2. Five members of al Qaeda's provincial shura, or executive council, were captured during this timeframe. Iraqi troops captured Qussai Ali Khalaf, the leader of al Qaeda's Islamic State in Iraq in Diyala province; Adnan Gumer Mohammed, the provincial "judge"; Ahmed Quasim Jabbar the provincial military commander; Abu Anas al Baghdadi, "a top al-Qaeda operative in Diyala"; Basem al Safaah, who led sectarian attacks against Shia; and Antisar Khudair a woman who recruited female suicide bombers. (READ MORE)
IN-iraq: "You grow up fast in the Army" - TIKRIT, Iraq - Capt. John Gabriel walks into the Tikrit City Council among a group of U.S. civil affairs soldiers. When he takes off his helmet, Gabriel's boyish face looks out of place in a room full of chain-smoking, turban-wearing men. At the end of the meeting, Gabriel approaches the council president, introduces himself and informs him in Arabic that he will be taking over as company commander of the Special Troops Battalion responsible for security of the provincial capital. (READ MORE)
Matel-in-Iraq: Anbar Sheep Culture - Below is from a report by our Ag-Advisor Dennis Neffendorf. It is more interesting than anything I have going on today, so I am posting it. Our overall goal is to make the sheep herds healthier, more productive and smaller. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we estimate that there are at least 1/3 more sheep on the range than the land's sustainable carrying capacity. Ironically, low productivity, poverty and inefficiency tend to create a lot more destruction than prosperity. Poor people tend to be bad stewards of the land because they need to take more desperate measures, like grazing too many low quality sheep, so we think that improving productivity and bringing shepherds more into the market economy is a win for the people, for the counter insurgency and for the environment. QRF finds an Excellent Process to Train and Assist Sheep Herders in Western Anbar for Wool and Herd Management. (READ MORE)
Something on the staff: The Donut of Misery - Soldiers speculate on their redeployment date. The day we get back to our families, flushing toilettes and beer is a happy one, so we want to know when it is! But, the date fluctuates (shifts to the left or right), much to our consternation. When will the new unit arrive? How long must we wait for a flight to Kuwait, then to the States? Will there be an…extension? Extensions are bad. Very bad. Back in 2004, we’d handed over our mission to the new unit, sent an advanced team to Kuwait, had the vehicles packed and lined up ready to go. Then the phone rang. The redeployment stopped, and we went south to fight Muqtada al Sadr and his merry band of jerk offs throughout central Iraq. After the 365th day came and went, we lost hope of ever going home. We just drove from city to city, stomping Jaysh Al Mahdi into paste and waiting for the next phone call. We stomped them a little too hard, as JAM turned to Iran for training and equipment, but that’s a different matter. (READ MORE)
Big Tobacco: I Read You Lickin' Chickin - Surprisingly enough, I didn't smoke while writing this. So I'm at the MWR center debating on editing my last post to include more softcore pornography when I stumble upon a post at http://www.soldiersperspective.us . The post was regarding a change in holiday policy at the Shelbyville Tennessee Tyson Foods processing plant. Apparently, this plant has a number of Muslim workers who would like the day off for Eid. Guys, I got news for you. America will always be a Christian nation. And thank goodness, or else my father's toy factory would probably go out of business... The full text is here and my response to the author is below: (READ MORE)
Paul McLeary: Sons of Iraq - In a recent bloggers conference call with Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll, Deputy Chief, Multi Nation Force-Iraq’s Strategic Communications Division, I asked a question about the Sons of Iraq movement; specifically, what is the endgame here? With over 100,000 armed, American-funded private citizens patrolling the streets of Iraq, how is the U.S. military planning on eventually moving them off the streets and into other lines of work? Even with all the talk lately about the success of the “Surge” and the back and forth between John McCain and Barack Obama about who—or what—is responsible for the security improvements in Iraq, I hadn’t heard much about the program recently, which pays Iraqis about $300 a month to provide security in their own neighborhoods. (READ MORE)
Back and still writing:
The Usual Suspect: Back In Gray - A couple hundred dudes who all had their own identities just a few days ago showed up to work in uniform to be in-ranks inspected and jawjack while waiting in tidy ACU uniforms and berets. After a month of not giving a single bleeding shit about anything, of boozing and partying and golfing or fishing, swimming, bowling, cruising, doing nothing or doing it all, we're back to the beginning. Except its different now. We got that Iraq thing out of the way. Guess we were stupid enough to think that when that was over, it would all be over, even though we knew better, we probably just didn't want to accept it. So now all there is to do is go about it the same way you always did: not putting too much thought into it, going along to get along. Choke on your complaints, choke em down and swallow hard. Smile through teeth gritted so hard that they crack. (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
MND-B Soldiers seize cache, discover UXO - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers, acting on credible tips from concerned citizens, seized a weapons cache and removed unexploded ordnance from a local community in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad Aug. 4. (READ MORE)
IPs kill one Special Groups criminal, wound 2 others in self defense - BAGHDAD – Iraqi Police reported a drive-by shooting in the Sheikh Umar neighborhood, in the eastern Baghdad district of Rusafa at approximately 12:45 p.m. Aug. 4. Three Special Groups criminals opened fire on the New Baghdad Police Station from a passing civilian sedan. The vehicle was engaged by the IPs with precision fire and flipped over, resulting in one SG criminal killed and two wounded. (READ MORE)
Precision operation detains suspected Samarra AQI leader - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces captured four wanted men and detained 11 additional suspects during operations in central and northern Iraq Tuesday targeting al-Qaeda leaders and their liaisons. Coalition forces conducted a precision operation and captured a wanted man near Samarra. The man is believed to oversee attacks in the area and reportedly replaced another AQI suspect who was detained during an operation Jul. 22. (READ MORE)
ISF, MND-B Soldiers seize weapons caches in Baghdad - BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers uncovered multiple weapons caches in the Baghdad area Aug. 4-5. At approximately 10:30 a.m. Aug 4, the 2nd Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraq Army Division, found two Iranian-made 107 mm rockets and four 82 mm Iraqi mortars north of Baghdad. (READ MORE)
ISOF detain suspected AQI financier, four others in Diyala - BALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Special Operations Forces detained five suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists in Khalis, approximately 13 km north of Baqubah, Aug. 4. The ISOF conducted the operation pursuant to a Ministry of Interior warrant to detain the cell leader, who is allegedly a financier and intelligence manager for AQI. (READ MORE)
Officials Open Water Distribution Site, Fill BWA Trucks for Delivery - FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY — More than 500,000 Iraqi residents have purified water headed to their neighborhoods as Baghdad Water Authority officials, along with Iraqi leaders and leaders from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, opened a water distribution site at Joint Security Station Al Khansa in eastern Baghdad, Aug. 3 (READ MORE)
Baghdad Elementary School Reopens - BAGHDAD — The Harat Elementary School in southern Baghdad’s Rashid district reopened July 31 after two months of refurbishment. More than 1,000 Iraqi boys and girls from 7 to 12 years old and 60 teachers will start school in the refurbished building in September. (READ MORE)
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