News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
In their own words:
Mike T @ Bouhammer: You know when you’ve been at war to long when… - Put together by the guys from my team who are spread out across the countryside! You know when you've been at war to long when: 10. Indirect fire hits right outside the camp walls and your only reaction is "damn it, I heard they are out of chicken wings!" 9. Every disgusting foul remark can be made towards each other and nothing will be thought of it...except for some FNG* standing behind you listening in horror. 8. You get exicted that the air conditioner works but your radios just went down and all hell is breaking loose. 7. You can PMCS** your truck without the manual. (READ MORE)
Cheese's Milblog: Welcome to Camp Phoenix, where morale and intitiative go to die... - Well it's finally happened. They've broken me. We've been waiting around for the other shoe to drop for some time now, and the official word came today. Soon, my company will be taking over towers and the front gate. Let me repeat that...the company that has set the standard since mobilization training began has been assigned to GATES and TOWERS! Not only that, but we're getting 32 of our people back from all over the country and are completely reorganizing our platoons to include them. This means that we will have platoon sergeants who have never even seen Kabul...running operations here. So, why is all of this happening? (READ MORE)
Cheese's Milblog: day off? - Well, for the first time since we first hit Bragg, my platoon had the day off today. We're talking no interference from sun-up to sundown. I know...I couldn't believe it either. Needless to say, we all wasted it, foregoing well needed haircuts and trips to the laundry for rack-out time and video games. Nice. I actually did clean my room today, which was way past due. It's funny how you can lose all motivation to clean, despite the best of intentions, after you get off mission. I've been putting off going to the gym all day because I know that when I do, I'm gonna have to look at where our parking lot used to be. Let me explain... We used to have a parking lot that actually helped our combat effectiveness. It was a central location with each platoon having a certain section. It was near the RRF shack and the weapon lockers, and it was a loop, allowing us to respond pretty quickly when the RRF needed to get supported. (READ MORE)
Collabman Thoughts: Eagle Eyes... - Evening... Another weekend gone as we press on towards September...as Tom would say, "another day closer to having them home." The info hounds were out hunting today but not a whole lot to share. Bill Murray, who writes for the The Long War Journal, has an excellent article on the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment and their work in the Diyala province - US Army creates non-lethal platoon to handle reconstruction as violence subsides. Other than that article and the photos of Eagle Company, 2nd SCR on patrol in Baquba, Iraq...it was a fairly quiet news day. To those of you who have recently wrote to my lovely wife and I, thank you so much. This has and never will be about us...it is about Chris and the 2nd SCR. Your comments, words of encouragement, thoughts and prayers help us know we are not alone on this long journey. (READ MORE)
Fobbits need ice cream too: Day off - En route to the truck today, I was stopped by the convoy commander (and my squad leader) and told our mission was canceled. I'm not sure why missions randomly get canceled; we're not that high in the food chain. I'm glad to not go, the pilgrimage to Karbala is going on right now and the other night while coming back south, we passed thousands of cars packed full of people from Iran. We usually deal with maybe 10 cars a night normally. These guys were coming at us across all 6 lanes and since they're from Iran, they have no idea how we run the show on the road. Pretty crazy stuff. We recently got issued the new Army Combat Shirt (ACS, more acronyms) which is like underarmour, except with ACU colored sleeves, a turtleneck and a solid green torso that has ARMY STRONG printed on the upper chest. (READ MORE)
Afghanistan Unfiltered: Putting down time to positive use - When I was at the police academy, one of the lessons that they always came back to was preparation. Always be prepared. As an officer working the night shift in a pretty friendly town, we often have down time during a shift. The instructors advised us to use this time to mentally prepare for difficult situations.  For example, while I am doing night checks on the local banks and businesses of Huntley, I an thinking about how I would approach the building if there were a burglary in progress. Where would be the best location to get eyes on the building.  This is a great practice for soldiers to participate in as well. Yesterday while I was in the chow line, I began thinking about Afghanistan. I pictured myself in the back of a HMMWV during a convoy. I imagined that as we were driving an IED detonated, damaging the vehicle in front of mine. (READ MORE)
Sgt B: The Last Day… - Well, sports fans, this was the last full day… Tomorrow, at zero dark thirty, Mom’s car will transport her, (Not So) Little Bear, the Kat, and the Kat’s Friend from my beloved Rockford to the drill hall in Moses Lake, where we shall enjoy the festivities of The Last Day. So, what do you do on the last day before the beginning of The Grand Adventure? Well, first, you go to church… And try to make peace with your God, (being a sheepdog, and having rolled in something foul smelling, and chewing His favorite slippers, there’s work to be done…) and reassure your church family that you will be okay… (READ MORE)
IraqPundit: Iraq's Next Big Hurdle - Pretty much everyone now accepts that the surge worked. Everyone but Juan Cole, of course. Most agree that "Violence in Iraq has declined sharply over the past year following a U.S. troop buildup, a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq and a Shiite militia cease-fire." Nevertheless, Cole proudly quotes Agence France Presse: "AFP also reports that in Baghdad's Jadid district, Iraqi forces arrested the head of an Awakening Council for involvement in terrorism and conducted a raid on guerrillas so that 250 displaced persons could return to the neighborhood." With all due respect to the land of cheese (and I mean that in the best way), since when was AFP a serious source? (READ MORE)
Bill Murray: US Army creates non-lethal platoon to handle reconstruction as violence subsides - DIYALA, IRAQ: When the U.S. Army creates a “non-lethal platoon” in a conflict zone, it can mean one of two things: either the battle is going well enough that soldiers can focus on reconstruction over security – or the Army has secretly reestablished its early 19th-Century policy of alcohol rations for the troops. With violence at down in Iraq, and a complete ban on alcohol use among Coalition troops to boot, the former thesis holds the most weight. US troop deaths reached a five-year low in July, giving Army units opportunities to embrace a reconstruction effort that just over a year ago seemed all but lost. The 3rd Squadron of the 2nd Stryker Calvary Regiment, located in the Diyala province north of Baghdad, has created a “non-lethal” platoon whose sole job is to help the local governments and tribal councils register voters... (READ MORE)
IN-iraq: The old colonialism of reconstruction - I know I'm a naive American. But the Iraq reconstruction provides all manner of eye-opening observations on how raw economics and power really work. Private contractors handle everything in Iraq from smorgasbord super cafeterias to security for diplomats and USAID workers who aren't embedded with the military. One hears about shady practices of U.S. contractors paid millions in U.S. dollars who then subcontract to get third-country nationals to work here at third-world pay. Some call it war profiteering, some call it simply capitalism. Then there's the foreign contractors who aren't bound by any pretenses of worker rights. The ones who do the worse jobs in a war torn country have the fewest choices in their home countries. (READ MORE)
Navy Gal: Starting to See the Light - R&R is over and I'm back at the daily grind. I'm starting to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel with this deployment. We had to fill out some information today for our redeployment which made all of us very happy. We don't care if you ask us to jump up and down and shit eggs we will do it if it means we are going home soon. Of course, we still have a little bit to go before we will really be short with this tour, but that time is quickly approaching. I got stung by jellyfish on R&R and no, no one peed on me! HA!! It was sooo hot down in Qatar and the humidity was disgusting. I felt like I needed a shower right after I took one. Now I know what the dry heat is everyone talks about. (READ MORE)
John @ Argghhh!: It's good to be the Sheik... - The men titled “Sheik” here are interesting mix of hereditary clan leaders, influential locals and rich businessmen who have some say in their districts. It’s actually somewhat democratic, because the power is based on influence or “wasta.” So the son of a powerful clan leader can lose his position if he doesn’t help his people as much as a guy that made his fortune since 2003. They’re kind of a cross between city selectmen, medieval barons, and mob bosses. Our team sometimes attends the district council for each section of Ramadi. We send representatives to talk governance, and I go when I need to get information out to the people about a program or am looking for projects. (READ MORE)
Playing in the Sandbox: Echoes - Nights here often yield some of the clearest, darkest skies I've ever seen, and it's not hard to see why. Electricity anywhere outside the larger cities is limited at best, just barely enough for a few flickering fluorescent bulbs and maybe a small TV. So light pollution really isn’t a factor. Combine that with the blackout conditions on the base and there is precious little artificial light obstructing the sky's true glow. I try to take a moment of my time each night to look up. Not only am I greeted by the million bright ambassadors of evening, but it reminds me of the predictably striking contrast between the beauty of the sky and the ugliness of the earth. (READ MORE)
David Botti: A Young Commander's Uneasy Assurances - When the Iraq war started, Brian McDonald, then a sophomore in college, sat in his grandparents’ living room watching television footage of the invasion, and knew he would someday end up in the war then unfolding before his eyes. Earlier this month, a little more than five years later, the now Lieutenant McDonald sat with a local school teacher in the Iraqi village his infantry company arrived at by helicopter just days before. The purpose of 25-year-old McDonald’s visit was to both gather intelligence on enemy activity in a rural area of the Diyala province, and survey what essential services the U.S. Army could provide to this village of mud brick and aging concrete homes. For McDonald, balancing these priorities could only be achieved through meetings such as this late-afternoon gathering that began as his platoon entered the school teacher’s home, searched it, and positioned themselves in a defensive perimeter outside. (READ MORE)
Welcome Home:
ManryMission: Ft Benning, Georgia - Dale arrived at Fort Benning, turned in his gear, bought a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup and a Coke, and is now sitting in front of a T.V. watching the Olympics. He will arrive back in Virginia tomorrow. They will tell him his flight time in the morning. (READ MORE)
Armed and Curious: Coming home and helping those who helped us - I have finally sat down at my computer after a remarkable two weeks that has taken me from 18 hour work days in Baghdad all the way to my living room in Virginia. I am still sort of shaking off the shock of the transition. It is always so strange coming home from combat even though my combat is hardly the dangerous kind it once was. It is a disconcerting feeling as you reinsert yourself into the lives of your family. There is a dance you do as you sort of watch how things are flowing...what are the new rules...what are the issues your wife is wrestling with...what are the hot buttons that need resolution and then try to put yourself back into the flow. (READ MORE)
Back and still writing:
Angry American: Moving on and Moving Out - Well I've made it to my next duty station and, well haven't really settled into my new job. My last days at Riley were spent getting ready to move here. Though the day before I left I was honored to be able to escort Sgt. Joel Murray's family around the post for the change of command ceremony, and the dedication of Victory Park. It was quite the honor spending time with his father who I had heard so much about. Joel had to go on emergency leave when we were in Iraq because his father had slipped into a coma after an ATV accident. When Joel came back he had told us of his efforts to get his father to wake up and it had worked. It felt good to spend time with Mr. Murray because his son, and him share the same sense of humor and mannerisms (Murrayism's) and in some ways it felt like he was right there with us. I finally got a chance to chat with his wife and we finally talked more than we had ever before... (READ MORE)
News from the Front:
Iraq:
Amid war, a prophet's shrine survives - Here on the plains of the Tigris River lies the shrine of Ezra, the Jewish prophet, who returned to Jerusalem at the end of the Babylonian exile. According to biblical scholars, Ezra died years later back in the Mesopotamia at age 120 in what is now called Uzair. Locals believe Ezra passed away while roaming through the area with his donkey. His shrine still exists in this predominantly Shiite district of Amarah province filled with supporters of young cleric Muqtada's Sadr late father, a grand ayatollah assassinated in 1999. (READ MORE)
MND-B Soldiers detain known criminals in Rashid - BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers detained three known criminals Aug. 17 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. At approximately 3:30 a.m. in the Aamel community, Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B, detained two key criminals during search operations. (READ MORE)
Coalition operations target al-Qaeda liaisons - BAGHDAD – Coalition forces detained 11 suspected terrorists, including three wanted men, during operations Sunday and Monday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq networks in central and northern Iraq. A precision operation in Baghdad Monday netted a suspect assessed to be a liaison between extremist groups aligned with AQI and terrorist cells in the Southern Belt around the capital. (READ MORE)
Kirkuk Police Academy trains females in northeastern Iraq - Kirkuk, Iraq – Thirty-seven females attended the first day of a four-week course at the Kirkuk Police Academy outside of Kirkuk city, Iraq, Aug. 16. It’s been a year since the academy has seen any Iraqi females in blue and never a class of this size. “We need these females badly,” said Lt. Col. Muid, a cadre at the academy. “It is our religious custom not to touch our women, so we cannot search females. (READ MORE)
IA, MND-C Soldiers locate large weapons cache - BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army and Multi-National Division – Center Soldiers discovered a large weapons cache near the border town of Amarah Aug. 16. Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 38th IA Brigade accompanied by MND-C Soldiers, found 250 explosively formed projectile plates, 125 107 mm rockets, two rocket launchers, 15 120 mm mortars, one mortar tube and two sniper rifles. (READ MORE)
ISF find weapons caches in Rashid - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers reported the discovery of two weapons cache finds by Iraqi Security Forces in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad Aug. 16. At approximately 2 p.m. in the Saydiyah community, Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, reported soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, discovered a 60 mm mortar round. (READ MORE)
IA, MND-B Soldiers seize numerous weapons, munitions caches across Baghdad - BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers confiscated weapons and munitions caches throughout Baghdad Aug. 16. Based on a tip from a local resident, soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 22nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, located a cache in Kadhamiyah at approximately 11:15 a.m. The cache consisted of a rocket propelled grenade launcher, two SPG-9 rounds, two RPG propellants, four magazines for sniper rifles, a silencer, two license plates, a registration card and various bomb-making materials. (READ MORE)
Military Police, Civilian Donate Wheelchairs to Iraqi Children - JOINT BASE BALAD — Military police sponsors, a chaplain and one huge-hearted civilian reached out to help the local community in Balad, Iraq, by giving two handicapped Iraqi children wheelchairs recently. Members of the 164th Military Police Company based out of Fort Richardson, Alaska, and currently commanded by 18th Military Police Brigade; go in sector on a daily basis, patrolling surrounding areas and helping to improve the capabilities at Iraqi Police checkpoints. (READ MORE)
Marine Corps Leader Visits Camp Fallujah, Speaks About Progress - CAMP FALLUJAH — Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, visited service members and toured the local battlefield shared by Marine units of Regimental Combat Team 1 on Aug. 16. During his visit, the commandant spoke with Col. Lewis A. Craparotta, commanding officer, RCT-1, and surveyed progress service members are making in Fallujah and the surrounding regions. (READ MORE)
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