War News: News The Enemies Within Hate To Print
~Snooper~
Getting back to posting on the plethora of successes our Troops have accomplished in the Global War On Terror, I am constantly amazed how good our fighting men and women are. Those that have never served yet say that they support the Troops is indeed admirable but only those that have served in The Suck truly know...others can only imagine...
Screaming Eagles Teach Iraqi Army Soldiers to Drive
By Spc. Rick RzepkaService Members ‘trot’ for GWOT
1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA)
TIKRIT, Iraq – A long line of armored vehicles screams down the highway, weaving in and out of traffic like a drunken serpent. Behind the wheel of most of these vehicles are young Iraqi army soldiers, most of whom have never properly learned to drive.
A danger to themselves, other drivers and civilians, these road warriors need professional help.
Soldiers from 426th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA) know what safe driving looks like and have teamed up with the IA to provide a driver’s training course. The “Taskmaster” battalion has driven more than 90,000 miles on long stretches of road in the Salah ad Din province keeping the “Bastogne” team in the fight.
As the Iraqi army matures and begins to assume a larger role in securing the people of the province, they are looking more and more to their coalition partners as mentors and teachers. [...] read the rest...photos
By Sgt. 1st Class Antony M. C. JosephCitizens Lead Soldiers to Three Caches
Combined Joint Task Force - 101
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Drum beats and music resonated in the dusty Afghan air as men and women gathered under the morning sun. The sounds of the 101st Airborne Division Band became increasingly muffled as thunders of ‘whooshing’ sounds grew nearer. The sand lifted into a whirlwind as an Apache, Blackhawk and Chinook helicopter simultaneously passed overhead – a signal that meant ‘go.’ With that, the men and women bolted off and began their 10 kilometer stretch toward the finish line.
More than 700 service members participated in the ‘GWOT Trot,’ an 101st Combat Aviation Brigade-sponsored race held, May 17.
Runs are not new to service members, nor are commemorative races. However, what made the GWOT Trot unique was service members and contract workers here and from task forces in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Salerno and many other forward operating bases undertook the race together – separate locations with one overlying theme. [...] read the rest...photos
By Sgt. Kevin StabinskyVice Chief Reenlists BSB Soldier
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Once a haven for insurgents to conduct operations and store weapons, the community of Maderiyah lived in fear. Now, citizens have turned against insurgents and are providing intelligence to secure their community, leading to the recovery of numerous weapons caches.
On, May 16, citizens led Soldiers from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, to three separate caches.
“Local Iraqis are tired of the violence and fighting … and have come to see the benefits of assisting the coalition and (Iraqi army’s) efforts in their community,” said Lt. Col. R.J. Lillibridge, commander of 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, attached to 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. “The benefits of assisting the coalition and government of Iraq clearly outweigh any benefit to supporting or tolerating the insurgency.”
The first cache consisted of four rocket propelled grenades, six RPG warheads and six RPG boosters. [...] read the rest
By Cpt. Georginia BradshawPiledriver Comes to an End, Projects Continue
4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division
FORWARE OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan - The U.S. Army vice chief of staff, Gen. Richard A. Cody reenlisted a Bravo Company, 801st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Soldier and presented a few combat patches to Soldiers during his farewell tour, May 12.
Reenlisted was Sgt. James W. Kehoe, Jr, a Bravo Company, 801st BSB, 4th BCT mechanic from Cleveland.
“I am excited because I served with General Cody when he was the 101st commander,” said Kehoe, who has been in the Army 12 years and reenlisted for five more.
Kehoe shared fond memories of the general.
“At General Cody’s chain of command, we had a pass and review with the division. It was the most amazing situation because he had told the entire division to rush him at the podium,” said Kehoe. “Everyone was screaming and yelling. It was an awesome experience and extremely moving because that was the last time the entire division was at Fort Campbell, (Ky.).”
Though he expressed a sincere congratulation, Kehoe also felt mixed emotions when he learned the visit was the general’s farewell tour. [...] read the rest...photo
By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa HardyAviation Unit Flies 200th Air Assault Mission in Iraq
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – Operation Marne Piledriver kicked off in earnest April 15 with an Iraqi army-led air assault and clearing operations in the Mahmudiyah area, about 26 kilometers south of Baghdad.
Although the IA has led air assaults in the past, this particular mission showcased its abilities.
“This … showed that Iraqis are securing the area, ridding it of the last bastion of (al-Qaida in Iraq) and simultaneously injected projects, both US- and Iraqi-funded, such as clean water, agricultural and other business opportunities and (aimed) to grow the trust in Iraqi security forces,” said Col. Dominic Caraccilo, commander of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
Piledriver is the first major operation initiated by Task Force Marne that targeted capacity building throughout the Mahmudiyah Qada.
From refurbishing schools, clinics and water treatment facilities to rejuvenating the poultry and fish industries, the operation has yielded several projects to improve quality of life for Iraqis on many fronts. [...] read the rest...photos
By Sgt. 1st Class Thomas MillsSayafiyah Celebrates Change
3rd Combat Aviation Brigade
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – As grand accomplishments go, Task Force Marne’s Combat Aviation Brigade’s 200th combat air assault mission during their current deployment to Iraq went off with as little fanfare as possible.
An uneventful mission is just fine with the pilots of 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, the CAB, 3rd Infantry Division’s air assault unit.
“For us it went exactly as planned,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nigel Huebscher, the mission’s flight lead. “We hit the ‘time on target,’ spot on the (landing zone) and performed the mission as close to flawlessly as we can.”
The first 12 months of the 3rd CAB’s 15-month deployment in Multi-National Division – Center has seen many records knocked down; total flight hours of 100,000 and fuel pumped of more than 10 million gallons, to name a couple. Most of these records are based on the operational tempo of the 3rd CAB, meaning the amount of missions flown every day and night.
During the unit’s deployment to Iraq in 2005, the 4-3rd Avn. Regt. executed more than 110 air assault missions in their first 12 months, said Capt. Conor Stilwell, assistant operations officer. [...] read the rest...photos
By Sgt. Kevin StabinskySoI, Shaykh Tip Lead Rakkasans to Huge Cache
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – After nearly three months of reconstruction, Sayafiyah residents celebrated the simultaneous openings of the Sayafiyah Governance Center, Veterinary Clinic and Health Clinic on May 20.
“This is their day,” said Capt. Joe Johnson, commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, currently attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
All three of the projects were a result of teamwork between Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the civilian population.
“They are great people down here who want to help themselves,” said Sgt. Jeremy Johnson, a medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-187th Inf. Regt. “They put a lot of hard work into this,” he said, pointing to the restored health center. “Before, it was just rubble.” [...] read the rest...photos
By Multi-National Division - CenterWidowmakers Fight Off Militant Attack While Searching for Cache Near Shulla
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq – A local shaykh, informed by a Sons of Iraq member, gave a tip to coalition forces leading them to a huge munitions cache approximately 13 kilometers south of Baghdad, May 21.
Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, retrieved the cache containing 268 57 mm mortar rounds, two 82 mm mortars and four 107 mm rocket casings.
None of the rounds were serviceable, but they could have been alternately used as improvised explosive devices.
The munitions were turned over to Iraqi army personnel at a nearby compound. [END]
By Sgt. James HunterBastogne Physical Therapists Keep Soldiers on Their Feet
2nd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 101st Airborne Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad
BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division–Baghdad Soldiers from Troop B, 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), received a tip of a possible weapons cache just on the outskirts of Shulla in western Baghdad May 16.
The scene going into the area was almost unreal. Animal carcasses littered the fields surrounding Shulla. The creek running to Shulla’s south filled the air with an awful odor. As the Soldiers pushed into the area, an improvised explosive device immediately detonated. Fortunately, it did not strike any of the troops. The IED attached was immediately followed by three rocket-propelled grenades.
For nearly the next two hours, the Soldiers continued to search the area for the possible cache while under attack by indirect mortar and RPG fire. The Soldier’s fought back against the violent extremists, firing 5.56mm and .50-caliber rounds into the enemy forces’ positions. [...] read the rest...photos
By Spc. Rick RzepkaRakkasans Distribute Supplies to Iraqi Schools
1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (AA)
COMBAT OPERATIONS BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – It’s not a game, it’s combat. Yet many of the physical tolls that professional athletes face are mirrored in professional Soldiers. Pulled muscles, back pains and sprains are just a few injuries that Soldiers face while conducting day to day operations in Iraq.
Enter the Army physical therapist. A mobile, hands-on medical professional, who works with Soldiers to alleviate Soldier’s neuromusculoskeletal problems in the thick of the fight.
“We see our guys on the line as professional athletes,” said Capt. Christine Iverson, a physical therapist with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. Iverson, who has been an Army physical therapist since April of 2006, earned a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Baylor University and has been helping Screaming Eagle Soldiers reach their peak performance ever since. She and her mobile physical therapy team have helped more than 2,500 Soldiers get back on their feet since being deployed here in Sept. 2007. [...] read the rest...photos
By Pvt. Christopher McKennaUthman Feed Mill Renovations Complete
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Public Afffairs Office
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – Rakkasan Soldiers distributed school supplies to the Saad and al-Zuwaiti Schools, about 11 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, May 21.
The Soldiers, with Troop A, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), distributed a total of nine boxes filled with pens, pencils, erasers, paper, folders and other supplies.
“Basically, anything you would send your child to school with back home was included,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Wade, native of Auburn, Mass., section sergeant for Troop A.
Schoolchildren and generous people of Fairfield, Pa., donated everything distributed on that day.
“Tammy Kurtz, mother of one of our Soldiers, a teacher’s aide in Fairfield, contacted us and wanted to do something with the students as a civic’s lesson,” Wade said.
Various stores and shops in the Fairfield area took interest and also contributed to the donation of items. [...] read the rest...photos
By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa HardyGovernment Officials, U.S. Work to Heal, Unite
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – After months of planning and hard work, the Uthman Feed Mill celebrated its completion of refurbishments in Mahmudiyah, about 26 kilometers south of Baghdad, on May 21.
The finished feed mill now boasts a sound-proof generator and increased ability to provide pelletized feed for the re-energized poultry and fish industries.
“My feed mill shows the continued commitment of American forces to the area,” said Uthman Daheesh, the owner. “Without their assistance this would not be possible.”
The feed mill also now has the dyes it previously lacked to pelletize feed. [...] read the rest...photos
By Capt. Drew SandstrumSpeicher-based Unit Wins Top Quartermaster Award
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)
PATROL BASE KEMPLE, Iraq – For the first time in recent history, the government of Iraq came to the aid of local residents requiring medical care in al-Betra and Owesat, about 25 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, on May 20.
Assisted by Soldiers of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), GoI officials and Iraqi doctors flew to a school in the remote community of al-Betra to provide medical care and discuss the extension of government services to the area.
The adjoining communities of al-Betra and Owesat sit on the western shores of the Euphrates River. The area falls under the jurisdiction of Anbar province and Ameriyah-Fallujah Nahia, despite being more than 30 kilometers from the nahia government and more than 40 kilometers from Fallujah, the seat of provincial government.
This natural isolation has led to a lack of essential services. In recent months, however, the tribal leaders of al-Betra and Owesat have reached out to GoI officials with the assistance of coalition forces. This mission marks a turning point in the effort to integrate the communities into government operations. [...] read the rest...photos
By Spc. Rick RzepkaCoalition Forces Care for Obeidi Tribe
COMBAT OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – “I am Quartermaster; my story is enfolded in the history of this nation, sustainer of Armies.”
The 426th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, has been selected by the 2008 Quartermaster Honors Panel as a Distinguished Unit of the Quartermaster Regiment. The 426th BSB is the only unit to have won the annual honor twice.
Since 1993, the award has recognized units with a Quartermaster lineage that have significantly contributed to the proud heritage of the Army and the Quartermaster corps.
The “Taskmaster” battalion’s history, longevity, campaign and battle streamers, and unit citations were all taken into consideration in determining this year’s winner.
“The 426th BSB is a proven winner,” said Col. Michael S. McBride, 1st BCT commander. “This battle-hardened unit deserves the honor as being named as the 2008 Distinguished Unit of the Quartermaster Regiment,” he said. [...] read the rest...photo
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – Members of the Obeidi tribe in Maderiyah, 25 kilometers south of Baghdad, have always relied on one another through difficult times.IA, Coalition MiTT Find Cache at Fish Farm
Now, thanks to successful implementation of the counterinsurgency policy, the tribe can also rely on Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, for help.
Soldiers from 1st Platoon, Battery B, 1-9th FA, met with an Obeidi woman May 21 to coordinate treatment options for burns she suffered during a mortar attack aimed at coalition forces. [...] read the rest...photos
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)IA, Rakkasans Find Cache in Lutifiyah
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – Iraqi army soldiers and a Rakkasan Military Transition Team found a weapons cache in the water of a fish farm in Shubayshen, about 30 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, May 24.
A tip led Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 25th Brigade, 6th IA Division and the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment MiTT, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), to the cache of six 120 mm mortar rounds.
The cache was turned over to the IA for later disposal by explosive ordnance disposal personnel. [END]
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)Balad Area Fighters Reconcile With Iraqi Government
CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – Iraqi and Rakkasan Soldiers uncovered a small cache west of Patrol Base Lutifiyah, about 40 kilometers south of Baghdad, May 23.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 25th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), found 18 82-mm mortar rounds and seven mortar fuses.
The items were taken to the Lutifiyah IA Compound for destruction at a later date. [END]
By Spc. Rick RzepkaDaughters of Iraq Begin Training
BALAD, Iraq – More than 140 fugitives in the Balad area have turned themselves in to Iraqi security forces here, May 22, and many more are expected to come into the fold during the next several days.
Iraqi nationals suspected of planning and carrying out attacks on Iraqi and coalition forces, initiated the process of reconciliation at the Joint Coordination Center in the city of Balad as a result of increased pressure on anti-Iraqi forces in the last several weeks.
Tribal leaders in the area have made an attempt to end the stand off with coalition and Iraqi forces by bringing the men under their influence into the governmental fold.
“Today’s reconciliation is an example of local leaders taking a broad step forward in the future security and in the legitimacy of the Iraqi legal process,” said U.S. Army Maj. Ramiro Salazar, operations officer for the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. Along with Iraqi security forces, the squadron is responsible for security in Balad. [...] read the rest...photo
By 1st Lt. Agustin Valerio NunezCJTF-101 Observes Memorial Day in Afghanistan
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division
BAGHDAD – The Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment found an ally in the Sons of Iraq (Abn al-Iraq) early on in their 15-month deployment.
As part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Task Force Rogue worked with the Sons of Iraq to thwart criminal activity in the Al Mansour District of northwest Baghdad for 13 months.
Now the plan is to add women to the ranks.
On, May 17, 31 women from the Adil and Jamia neighborhoods of northwest Baghdad began training to become part of the Daughters of Iraq.
The 10-day training program was held at the Joint Security Station in Adil. There Soldiers incorporated hands-on-instruction with classroom activities to teach women basic military skills. [...] read the rest...photo
By Pfc. Scott Davis
Combined Joint Task Force-101
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – A cool afternoon shower set a somber mood as Combined Joint Task Force-101 observed Memorial Day with a ceremony here today, paying tribute to those who have died in our nation’s service.
Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and CJTF-101 was the guest speaker for the ceremony.
“Like the brave veterans who served before us and now lay in final rest at our nation’s cemeteries, today’s Soldier, Sailor, Marine and Airman continues to prove that they are willing to risk everything, and to give up the comforts of life so that others, average American citizens, can go about their daily routines freely and without fear,” Schloesser said.
He ended his speech with a quote written on a memorial in Arlington National Cemetery.
“Nothing speaks higher to the memory of fallen Americans than these: ‘Not for fame or reward, not for place or rank, not lured by ambition or goaded by necessity, but in simple obedience to duty as they understood it, these men suffered all, sacrificed all, dared all, and died.” [...] read the rest...photos
Photo Gallery
Troops Patrol Northern Ghazaliyah
Strike Soldiers Patrol Western Baghdad
Widowmakers Set Up Concertina Wire Around Shulla
Troops Set Up Obstacles to Help Halt Enemy Movements In, Out of Shulla
No Respite for Unsung Heroes of No Slack Battalion
Medical Visit for Iraqi Man
A Day in the Life of a CG's Aide
101st Airborne Soldiers Honor Fallen
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