Saturday, January 26, 2008

Concerned Local Citizens work to rid their areas of IEDs

By Spc. Ben Hutto, 3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Concerned Local Citizens in Sabbah Nissan, a village southeast of Baghdad, led Soldiers from Battery A, 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery to a weapons cache near the group’s headquarters Jan. 15.
Soldiers from the 789th Ordnance Company (EOD), from Ft. Benning, Ga., were called out to destroy the munitions along with remnants of an earlier cache turned in by the CLCs.
Since last November, CLCs frequently take the lead in uncovering insurgent caches in the areas around FOB Hammer and reporting them to Battery A for disposal.
“It’s great to see the citizens of Iraq stepping up and taking charge,” said 1st Sgt. Michael Parker, from Geriee, Ind., first sergeant of Battery A.
The effectiveness of the CLCs in Sabbah Nissan has allowed Battery A more opportunities to provide water, food and school supplies to the 11 villages that the group represents and protects.
The cooperation between CLCs and Battery A is one of the reasons the area around FOB Hammer is secure, said Capt. Chas Cannon, from Moultrie, Ga., commander of Battery A.
“The Concerned Local Citizens provide us the ability to rid the roads of IEDs,” Cannon said. “The Concerned Local Citizens have expert knowledge on their neighborhoods and have prevented munitions from falling into the hands of extremist.”
The 1-10th FA is assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

MI Company bids farewell to outgoing commander

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers from Company A, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, bid farewell to their outgoing company commander in a ceremony Jan. 19 at Forward Operating Base Hammer.
Capt. Lee Gerber, from Miami, Fla., passed the company guidon to Capt. Joan Hollein after serving 20 months as commander of Company A.
Before the ceremony, Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., from Prince George’s County, Md., commander of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, spoke to Gerber and his company.
“Capt. Gerber established this company and he did an exceptional job,” Grigsby said. “This is a quiet and humble organization and you are doing a great job. Capt. Gerber gets a pat on the back for doing an outstanding job and because of what you as a company have done.”
During his tenure, Gerber led his company through the National Training Center rotation in Fort Irwin, Calif. He also deployed his troops and conducted combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom V.
“I have truly learned something everyday from the outstanding Soldiers and noncommissioned officers of Alpha Company,” Gerber said. “I would like to believe that the company is better now than when I took command.
Prior to taking command of the company, Gerber spent 27 months as the intelligence officer for 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, during which time he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III.
Gerber’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Air Assault Badge.

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Although Gerber is leaving Company A to serve with the Georgian Army Liaison team at Combat Outpost Cleary, his wife Melissa will continue her service as the Company A, 3rd BSTB Family Readiness Group leader until the 3rd HBCT redeploys to Fort Benning, Ga.
During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Todd Ratliff, Holland, Ohio, commander of the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, gave a speech wishing well to the outgoing commander and welcoming the incoming.
“Even though she has been with the brigade less than two months, Capt. Hollian is a perfect fit for this company,” Ratliff said. “Alpha Company, I will tell you that your new commander is up for the challenge of day-to-day operations here in Iraq as well as on Kelley Hill. Here is an officer that will continue to set and achieve the highest standards. Joan, I am delighted to have you on board and a part of the Buffalo battalion.”
The 3rd BSTB is assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

3-1 Cav. Regt. medics help heal communities

By Spc. Ben Hutto, 3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Ahmed’s whole body shook as Capt. Sayed Ali, from Long Island, N.Y., the surgeon assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, examined him. Ahmed, a 24-year-old cab driver, was driving his cab when an insurgent roadside bomb destroyed his vehicle and left him injured, forcing his father to bring him to Patrol Base Assassin for help.
Ali asked the cab driver to perform a series of movements to determine the severity of his injuries. As the young man strained, his father and the medics of Troop A looked on. Obviously in pain, Ahmed weakly strained to push his head against Ali’s palm.
Ali asked his medics to prepare medication for Ahmed to take home and gave the young man a new cane for better support.
Consultations like these, between Ali and local citizens living around Patrol Base Assassin, are frequent. Medics working for Ali estimate he sees one or two local citizens at the patrol base aid station every day.
“We’ve done everything from treating a common cold to amputated limb rehabilitation,” said Spc. Clifford Overton, from Nashville, Tenn., a combat medic in Troop A. “In many cases, there is only so much we can do because of our supplies here, but we do what we can. The people here need more quality doctors. A lot of patients come to us because they have no other options. They look to us for hope.”
Overton explained that many of the aid station’s patients come because they have no money, they trust that American doctors have more expertise or they have been treated by local doctors with little success.
Whatever the reason, Ali and his medics never turn anyone away.
“Captain Ali is awesome,” said Spc. Rafik Brooks, Jr., from Keysport, Pa., a combat medic in Troop A. “His morals are so high that he sees everyone that comes. He will schedule appointments with people outside. He takes referrals from Civil Affairs. He finds people at our medops (medical operations) and has them come back here for follow-ups.”
Although many at the patrol base believe Ali goes out of his way to help the local populace, he doesn’t view his actions as anything special.
“I don’t like it or dislike doing it,” Ali said. “My main priority is to get all of these guys (Troop A Soldiers) back to their families. I can’t tell them not to go out or keep them here at the base, but if I can indirectly protect them from an IED (improvised explosive device) or a VBIED (vehicle borne improvised explosive device), it’s a good thing.”
Overton agrees with Ali.
“One act of kindness can save a world of hurt when it comes to IEDs and things like that,” he said. “An act of kindness can show the people here that we are here to help and prompt them to report things like IEDs. What we are doing here has a big effect on what’s going on out there.”
Ali said Troop A has been receptive to the needs of the people around them since their arrival.
“I think from day one we were open to people coming here,” Ali said. “People here were initially scared of an American patrol base but, as you can see, it has gotten better as word has gotten out. People are now showing up without me having to ask them to come.”
Ali’s willingness and Patrol Base Assassin’s location near the Four Corners market area make it easier for Iraqis to come see him.
“The tactical position of the patrol base is a big factor,” Brooks said. “Everyone knows where we are and that we are reaching out to help them.”
Brooks acknowledges that many of the patients have unreasonable expectations when they arrive.
“A lot of them get a reality check when they come here,” he said. “They see what medicine should be like rather than what a lot of them place emphasis on. The people here place a lot of value on creams and salves and there are a lot of conditions where that isn’t applicable.”
Brooks also said that his station is limited as far as supplies, so many medical treatments that people need can not be provided at the clinic.
Ali uses a web of contacts to help alleviate the constraints of the clinic. He works with surgeons, a civilian prosthetic specialist, a physical therapist with the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, a hearing aide specialist and a handful of Iraqi doctors throughout Iraq to try and help his patients receive the best treatment for their conditions.
“It has taken me six months to build this network,” he said. “It has grown as needs have arisen. I really credit Major Majerske (Maj. Cynthia Majerske, the 3rd HBCT’s surgeon) for everything. Every project I’ve run by her, she’s helped and not shut it down. The support from the top has been great.”
Ali is also quick to point out that his medics deserve the lion’s share of the credit for the good work that is happening.
“I’ve told every general that has visited here that I’m just the face of this operation,” he said. “The medics do all the work. They run the physical therapy sessions. They put in the IVs and chest tubes. They go out on the patrols and bring a lot of situations to my attention. Out here, it’s a Soldier’s life. I think they have always outdone themselves. They are constantly training and learning on top of all of their other responsibilities.”
The medics are proud of their accomplishments.
“It’s been the experience of a lifetime,” Overton said. “Being in a line unit is different. There is a huge difference between going out every day and being in an aide station behind walls. We can explain it to people all day, but only those of us that have been out here will understand everything we’ve done. It has been a real learning experience. It will be something I’ll always be proud of.”
Even though the experience can’t fully be put into words, Overton explained working with the people of Iraq has been a special experience for him.
“When you are working on an American casualty you feel a lot of pain and anger,” he said. “When you do something, like helping the people here, it makes you feel good. Our job is to help casualties of war, not just the American Soldier. We aren’t the only victims of this war. There are a lot of innocent bystanders.”
Ali believes the Soldiers he works with are outstanding examples of everything that is right with the Army.
“I think in addition to being the world’s greatest army, we are the world’s most compassionate army,” he said. “You see these huge massive Soldiers and you put them in front of little kids and they become little kids themselves. They look at these children and they see the sons and daughters they haven’t seen in 15 months. All of these guys have very tough exteriors, but also have very big hearts.”
Ali said care packages sent from America have been a big help to the medics.
People have mailed Ali pain relievers, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bandages and anti-acids to assist the citizens he treats on a daily basis.
“Since we’ve been here, the American people have been very generous,” he said. “We receive two to 10 packages every two weeks. Everyone back in America has been amazingly supportive. To be honest, I don’t even know who they are. They have just heard about us and lent their support.”
As more and more people come, Ali and his medics will continue to help them with the hope it will help keep American Soldiers safe.
“I’d rather be working on an Iraqi patient than a U.S. Soldier,” Ali said. “Not that one life is more important than another, but these are my boys. I’m very protective of them and my main goal is to get them all back home to their families. My heart goes out to all these young Soldiers out here. I have so much admiration for everything they do. I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night and pull guard or do details like these kids do every day. All of them go out. Hopefully by helping these people, it will mean that everyone of them will come back safely.”
The 3-1 Cav. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

3-1 Cav. Regt. Finds Two Caches In Two Days

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers of Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, found two separate caches tallying 75 120 mm mortar rounds, one bag of mortar propellant and one bag of mortar fuses Jan. 17 and 18 near Jisr Diyala, south of Baghdad.

Company D Soldiers responded to two similar reports from Concerned Local Citizens, according to 1st Lt. Daniel Bell, from San Antonio, Texas, executive officer for Company D.

Bell explained local citizens found the caches and reported them to the Concerned Local Citizens, who in turn informed Company D.

“This is definitely a step in the right direction,” Bell said. “We have good people in the area that are very proactive in finding things that they know need to be cleared out of their communities. They are not just doing it for themselves. They are doing it for the betterment of their country.”

Company D, 1-15 Inf. Regt. is attached to the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment and is assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Ga. The unit has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

Troop A Soldiers Do The Heavy Lifting At Patrol Base Assassin

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Using heavy chains, humvees and a makeshift weight set purchased with their own money, four noncommissioned officers assigned to Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, are proving that “Army Strong” is not just a catchy motto to attract new recruits.

Day in and day out, members of the Combat Outpost Assassin power-lifting team make the time to go to the gym they constructed from the ground up.
“We’ve had to come in here at three or four in the morning to work out because of our mission schedules,” said Sgt. Brandon Sayles, from Hilo, Hawaii, a squad leader in Troop A.

“We wake each other up to make sure we get our work out in. It has become an important part of what we do out here and nobody has a problem with it.”

Lack of sleep is just one of the obstacles that the group overcame to become, in their minds, the strongest Soldiers in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team.
During the summer, 1st platoon, Troop A constructed a weight room to accommodate Soldiers, including the team.

“They needed a place to work out because it was getting hot during the summer so we built this place,” said Sgt. 1st Class Lockett, from Huntsville, Ala., the platoon sergeant for 1st platoon, Troop A. “We bought the air conditioner and the heater for it with our own money … Soldiers bought a lot of the weights back at (Fort) Benning and had them shipped out here. They built their own squat rack.

A lot of these weights we scavenged from various places. When you add the cost of the mirror and the stereo in here, we’ve spent about 1,500 dollars to have this place.”

Despite the cost, members of team still feel they need more. Sayles pointed out that in many cases they are limited in what they can do because they only have a certain number of plates.

“We don’t have the nice weight room and all the equipment they have back at (FOB) Hammer,” said Staff Sgt. Jay Doran, from Orlando, Fla., the mortar section sergeant for 2nd platoon. “So we have to use other things to get strong.”

Some of the unorthodox training methods the team employs to train include lifting towing chains to work out their back and shoulders, pushing up-armored Humvees to strengthen their legs and picking up the ATVs used by the mechanics to strengthen their back and legs.

“It’s all a competition,” Doran said. “It’s friendly competition between all of us. We try and hang with one another and out do the guy that lifts before us. We know all the Soldiers back at Hammer have nice equipment and a better diet, so we have to work twice as hard to stay with them.”

The team competed in FOB Hammer’s strongman competition last November and finished first, besting the other teams competing against them in bench press, farmer’s carry, dead-lift and Humvee-pushing events.

“We don’t get to compete in a lot of events like this due to missions,” Doran said. “When we hear about a dead lift competition and we can’t compete, it’s frustrating. We found out what the winning weight was and the next day all of us dead-lifted it just to prove that we all could have won that.”
The club has been responsible for helping motivate the Soldiers of Troop A, said Lockett.

“These guys have implemented a workout plan for 60 percent of the Troop,” he said. “I would say that 60 guys out of our 80-man troop work out because of the example these guys set. They are real motivators.”

The Soldiers in the club have other reasons to continue working out at odd hours in the morning.

“It’s a stress reliever,” said Staff Sgt. Jimmy Cameron, from Rayford, N.C., a section sergeant for 2nd platoon. “There are days that I come in here to work out after a ten-hour mission. It’s just a way to get through the day. You get to a point where you need it to relax.”
Doran agreed with Cameron’s assessment.

“If one of us is having a bad day, we can always come here and work out with one another,” he said. “We pick each other up. When we start working out, we feed off one another.”

Sayles said that the make-shift gym has become a refuge for him.

“I really don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have it,” he said. “The deployment would go by so slow if I couldn’t work out. This place is a motivator. It gives Soldiers something to do. A lot of young guys get hung up on the internet and the phones and really just make themselves miserable because they wind up missing home so much. This place gives them something to do and helps them better themselves.”

For Doran, the club was a bonding experience for him. Having just transfered from the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, the club was a way for him to meet Soldiers with similar interest.

“Working out with guys like these builds camaraderie,” he said. “I’ve only known these guys about three months, but I’m as close with them as anyone. Working out with them goes way beyond work; it has become a friendship.”

The 3-1 Cav. Regt. and 1-15 Inf. Regt. are assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

3-1 Cav. Regt. Attends Pump Station Opening

http://www.gulfeast.com/images/uploads/20080118-01_3HBCT_06_(PUMP_STATION)_thumb.JPG

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers and leaders of 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment attended the grand opening of a water pump station Jan. 15 in the Umm Al-Bid village, near Jisr Diyala.

Water production from the new pump station will provide 10 times more water to the Jisr Diyala and Nahrwan areas than before, according to Sgt. 1st Class Daniel McInnis, a 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team staff noncommissioned officer.

“Before the pump station, people would get five to six hours of water per week,” said McInnis, from Binghamton, N.Y. “Now people get 20 hours of water per day on average.”

McInnis said Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces had conducted very few security operations in Umm Al-bid and security threats made it difficult to complete projects to strengthen the village’s economy.

“We identified the project when we first got to the area in April (2007),” said Maj. Andrew Koloski, from Juneau, Alaska, executive officer for the 3-1 Cav. Regt. “We were only working on it for the past 90 days, but it took a while for the planning and to achieve the security necessary to begin construction.”

Since the arrival of the 3rd HBCT to the Mada’in Qada, the brigade’s area of operation, insurgent activity has significantly decreased, Koloski said. Since establishing a Concerned Local Citizens group in October, violence has dropped, resulting in the completion of the project.

Koloski said the project was primarily Iraqi-run. The Mada’in Qada and Jisr Diyala leaders made significant contributions to the project.

“The horizontal pump station represents a culmination of a lot of effort on the part of the Government of Iraq, Coalition Forces and Iraqi citizens,” Koloski said. “Water is the life blood of any society; especially in the desert. This pump station greatly enhances the availability of irrigation in the area.”

The 3-1 Cav. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

3rd HBCT engineers in the running for two Dept. of the Army awards

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Their job is one of the most dangerous in the Army. They call themselves “bomb hunters”, and that’s exactly what they do. Other Soldiers rely on them to keep the roads safe for combat patrols throughout the Mada’in Qada, the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s area of operation.
Soldiers of Company E, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Division, one of the 3rd HBCT’s engineering companies, are in the running for two prestigious engineering awards, the Sturgis and the Itschner.
Leaders of the 3rd HBCT nominated Company E and the company’s senior noncommissioned officer for the awards.
The Sturgis Award, named in honor of Lt. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis, a former Chief of Engineers, is awarded annually to engineer noncommissioned officers, sergeant through sergeant first class, in each Army component (active, reserve, and National Guard), selected in recognition of outstanding contributions to military engineering by demonstrated technical and leadership ability for the award year.
This year, Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Gan, from Crawford, Mich., senior noncommissioned officer in charge of Company E, was nominated for the award.
“It’s an honor,” Gan said. “It’s tough to win.”
The Itschner award, named in honor of Lt. Gen. Emerson C. Itschner, is presented annually to the engineer company in each Army component selected as most outstanding in their respective component for the award year.
Capt. Rick Barnes, from Chelsea, Mich., commander of Company E, said that he is very pleased with his company.
“It’s been a phenomenal year for the company,” Barnes said. “Very few units do almost everything well. The Soldiers are good at what they do and the success rate is unbelievable.”

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The company’s job is dangerous and their duties range from route clearance to demolition. Some jobs require them to send individual Soldiers with different companies to fulfill their engineering needs. But most of the time, they are together, out on the roads, searching for explosive devices.
“They spend a lot of time together,” Barnes said. “They work hard. Their morale is high for having one the most dangerous jobs in theater.”
Despite the dangers involved in their job, Barnes takes pride that Company E has exceeded their 2007-2008 reenlistment goals.
Gan said a lot of the success of the team is due to how well-rounded the Soldiers are.
“We try to mix the jobs up,” he said. “We want to make sure almost every Soldier is able to do every job.”
Barnes submitted packets on Gan and Company E, that included their deployment accomplishments. The packets were chosen by the 3rd Infantry Division to forward to Multi-National Division - Corps. If passed all the way through the division and corps, they will be sent to Fort Leonard Wood for the final evaluation.
Even if the company does not win the final evaluation, Barnes describes it as a great experience and said the packet will serve as a historical document of the company’s achievements for the deployment.
“If nothing else, this will serve as a “yearbook” for the Soldiers,” he said. “It’s recognition for the outstanding job they have done this past year.”
The divisional nomination for both Gan and Company E comes as no surprise for Capt Nancy Preston, from El Paso, Texas, 3rd HBCT engineer.
“Throughout the area of operation, they have done the most with the least amount of assets in such a large area,” she said. “Of the combined improvised explosive device finds for the entire brigade, this one company has found over 40 percent of them.”
Company E, 1-15th Inf. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf. Div., from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

3-1 Cav. Regt. Detains One Suspect In Early Morning Search Operation

Story and photos by Spc. Ben Hutto, 3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Scouts assigned to Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment detained one suspect and confiscated a small amount of contraband during an early morning search Jan. 17 in Jurf Al Nadjaf which cleared 22 buildings.

The Soldiers took a small handgun, AK-47 magazines, part of a rocket-propelled grenade and insurgent propaganda back to Combat Outpost Cashe for further examination.

“The reason for the mission was to search for insurgents,” said 1st Lt. Timothy Smith, from Gaithersburg, Md., fire support officer for Troop C. “We caught two insurgents who lived there last week and wanted to come back and do a follow-up.

We didn’t find any explosives or IEDs (improvised explosive devices), but we let the insurgents working in the area know we were there.”

Smith explained that the people in the area are much more comfortable working with them since the arrest of the two insurgents last week.
“It was important that we got out and talked to them to let them know we are there to keep the area safe,” Smith said.

Sgt. Kenneth Storts, from Corning, Ohio, a scout in Troop C, agrees with the assessment and believes last week’s arrest will lead to even more cooperation with the residents of Jurf Al Nadjaf.

“The people here were very scared of those two guys,” he said. “We know they were responsible for planting two IEDs along the main route here. The people here aren’t as scared now and I think they’ll start cooperating with us even more now.”

The 3-1 Cav. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

CLC Kill Two Insurgents, Detain One At Checkpoint

Story by Sgt. Natalie Rostek
Photos courtesy of Company B, 1-15 Inf. Regt.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Concerned Local Citizens manning a checkpoint in the village of Al Quali, outside of Combat Outpost Cahill, killed two insurgents and detained one after being attacked during a routine vehicle search Jan. 16.

According to 1st Lt. Matt Barwick, from Lanham, Md., fire support officer for Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, approximately five CLCs stopped a white truck, with three individuals inside, at a checkpoint.

After searching the vehicle, the team discovered improvised explosive device materials in the bed of the truck. The CLCs were attempting to detain all three suspects when one of the men pulled a grenade out of his pocket and threw it at the CLCs, Barwick explained.

The CLCs retaliated with small-arms fire, Barwick said. Approximately 35 CLCs from surrounding checkpoints heard the incident and ran to help. Two of the three insurgents from the truck were killed.

The CLCs detained the remaining insurgent and brought him to COP Cahill where they described the attack to leaders of Company B. Three of the CLCs were treated by 1-15th Inf. Regt. medical personnel for minor injuries obtained during the attack.

Soldiers from 1st platoon, Company B, went to the site to assess the report. They called in the 789th Ordnance Company (Explosives Ordnance Disposal) which removed the explosives from the truck bed and destroyed them.

Barwick said the event is significant because the CLCs took complete charge of the situation. Since the CLC group was established in the area, they would call Company B and identify insurgent activity, but would not directly approach suspects.

“It wasn’t until (now) that the CLCs volunteered to detain insurgents in their own village,” Barwick said. “The fact that Coalition Forces reacted so quickly shows the CLCs they have the support to continue to protect their communities.”

Barwick said the event also sends a message to insurgents.

“It shows that the CLCs aren’t afraid to police their own villages,” he said. “Every time they get someone, they are more motivated to clear out the bad people in their communities.”

Company B later confirmed that the two killed insurgents and one detainee were involved in emplacing an IED and destroying a guard tower at a CLC checkpoint.

The 1-15th Inf. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Iraqi Police Help Secure Homes of Displaced Citizens

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Members of the Narhwan emergency response team, specially trained police officers from Narhwan and Al-Ma’amil, cleared homes in the abandoned town of Sha Buu’t Jan. 3.

Scouts from Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery, provided security for the operation. Iraqi Policemen, accompanied by the 59th Military Police Company, from Fort Carson, Colo., searched the houses for insurgents and weapons caches.

Lt. Col. Mark Sullivan, from Huntsville, Ala., commander of the 1-10th FA estimated more than 1,500 citizens in small villages around Narhwan have been displaced by insurgents operating in the area.

“They are all very anxious to return to their homes,” Sullivan said. “Five hundred people were displaced from Sha Buu’t and about 1,000 more were displaced from Khazaliyah, a short distance from here. We are going to help them return, but it will be a very deliberate process. We are going to make sure it is done right and everything is secure for them to return.”

Sheik Hussein, the Concerned Local Citizens Leader for Khazaliyah, was on hand with his CLCs to witness the operation and receive building supplies to construct checkpoints.

“Today was an operation to clear this entire area and eliminate any caches so the Concerned Local Citizens can set up their checkpoints,” said 1st Lt. Darrell Jones, from Allen, Texas, a platoon leader in the 59th MP Co. “The Concerned Local Citizens will occupy and hold these areas after we sweep them.”

Rob Rumfeilt, from Lake County, Calif., one of the international police advisors helping train Iraqi Policemen in the area, was happy with the team’s performance. Rumfeilt and other advisors have been training the team since September.

Just prior to this event, he and his police advisors gave the ERT special training focusing on skills needed for room and building clearing and reporting procedures.

“We put them through a four-day course taught by myself and the 59th MP,” Rumfeilt said. “We focused on responding to critical instances, close quarters battles and weapons handling.

“They are all business,” Jones said. “We don’t give them a lot of information about future missions, but they are always ready to go.”

The Concerned Local Citizens in the area should be standing up in about a week said Capt. Jared Albright, from Lancaster, Pa., the commander of Troop B.

“The fact that local people are doing it instills pride and trust in the local populace,” Albright said. “

Their presence frees up a lot of my combat power. I can send them out on more missions because they do not have to worry about guarding routes. Their presence will also be a nice buffer for the National Police.”

Albright said that the displaced citizens are anxious to return to their homes.

“They are very excited about it,” he said. “It will be good to get them back in their homes and provide them with security.”

One of the displaced sheiks was on hand to speak with Sullivan and Albright and expressed his gratitude for his imminent return. He explained that Sha Buu’t was a 53-year-old settlement and he had missed his home terribly.

Sullivan explained that he and his Soldiers would do everything in their power to get him and his fellow residents back in their homes as quickly as possible.

“The Concerned Local Citizens will be the start,” Albright said. “We will help them patrol and secure the area. We are going to do what we can to get these people back on their feet.”

The 1-10th FA and 3-1st Cav. Regt. are assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

Soldiers, NP Secure Town For CLCs in Jama Taha

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – U.S. Soldiers conducted a cordon and search with Iraqi Policemen from the 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police Division in Jama Taha, a small village outside Jisr Diyala, Jan. 8.

The Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, currently attached to the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, also assisted the area’s Local Citizens by setting up four checkpoints around the village.

“We’ve been there a few times in the last month to get the know the area,” said 1st Lt. Erik Miller, from Franklinville, N.J., platoon leader for 2nd platoon, Company D. “The intent of today’s mission was to set up checkpoints and make sure the locals understood why we were here. We searched houses to make sure the area was clear of any caches.”

Miller and his Soldiers were happy with the way the searches went and felt the citizens understood why they were there.

“The people were very cooperative when we asked to search their homes,” said Spc. Aaron Cardinal, from Mill Creek, W.Va., a tanker in 2nd platoon. “When we asked to see the weapons they had in the house, everyone took us right to them. (Every family in Iraq is allowed to keep one AK-47 in their home for protection.) I was really surprised how friendly everyone was.”

Soldiers in Company D’s scout platoon help set up Hesco barriers along the four routes that lead into the village. The Concerned Local Citizens will begin using the barriers to help provide security for the town.

“My guys really enjoy dismounted patrols and getting in there with the people,” Miller said. “They enjoy interacting with the locals and talking with the kids.”
The 3-1 Cav. Regt and 1-15 Inf. Regt. are assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.