I got word this afternoon that some couples from the 3rd Brigade’s 3-1CAV battalion will be renewing their vows at the Fort Benning Chapel this evening.
News 3 reporter Megan Bradley is going to be checking it out tonight. Watch News 3 at 11pm ET, 10pm CT for the story.
If you miss it, or don’t live in the area, check back tomorrow. I’ll post the video.
When the soldiers of Fort Benning’s 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division step foot in Iraq in the next few weeks, it will be hard to say they’re under-trained.
The soldiers of the 3rd Brigade, also known as the Sledgehammer Brigade, are spending their last few days before deployment training.
Tuesday at Fort Benning’s Booker Range, the soldiers were polishing their MOUT skills. That’s Movement Over Urban Terrain for those civilian readers out there. The Army has an acronym for everything.
Over and over, soldiers were seen kicking open doors and storming into buildings. On the other side of those doors “anything’s possible,” said Sergeant Cliff Wallace of the 3rd Brigade’s 2-69 Armor battalion.
It’s a situation they’ll no doubt encounter in Iraq.
Originally slated to deploy to Iraq in the middle of this year, the soldiers of the Sledgehammer Brigade are now part of President George W. Bush’s troop increase strategy in Iraq.
Now, the Sledgehammer Brigade is expected to be in Kuwait by the middle of March, and in Iraq only a few weeks later. The soldiers are expected to be serving in southern Baghdad, where they would fall under the command of the 3rd Infantry Division.
Non-Commissioned Officers who have been to Iraq before say Tuesday’s training exercise is a valuable opportunity to pass along lessons learned to younger, less experienced soldiers. “I just don’t want them to mess up when they’re in Iraq. It’s their life they’re working with,” Wallace said.
This will be Wallace’s third tour in Iraq. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” he said with a face of contradiction, his eyes serious and stern, his mouth turned up on one corner, a slight smile.
“As long as they know how to get in, establish a foothold in a room or building and clear it all correctly without shooting their buddy or getting shot by the enemy, then that’s all I’m here for,” Wallace said, explaining the lessons he’s trying to pass along to his younger comrades.
The skills practiced Tuesday are nothing new for Sledgehammer soldiers. They’ve been training for months and are fresh off a rotation at the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California only a few weeks ago.
While the skills are not new, soldiers say training right up to deployment keeps the mind and the body sharp. Their movements through buildings and urban terrain have become instinct. “They’ve gotten some very good training, good leadership. So, I think these guys are pretty much ready to go,” Wallace said of the young soldiers.
Fort Benning officials announced today that the Secretary of the Army, Francis Harvey, will be visiting Fort Benning Friday.
Harvey is expected to meet with soldiers who are preparing to deploy to Iraq.
About fifty soldiers from Fort Benning’s 3rd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division are leading the way to an early deployment back to Iraq.
(article)
Last week, on February 13th, I wrote about Congress’ Resolution on Iraq. I was looking for some response from you, the people closest to the conflict.
This morning when I got to work, the HammerSlogger got it’s first comment on Resolution (link to the comment). The response came from Some Soldier’s Mom, who runs her own blog (link). SSM offers an interesting perspective and some provocative writing.
I’d also like to open this blog to you, the soldiers, the wives, the moms and dads. Send me your writings or links to your blogs. We’ll publish them here. Just click the link to my e-mail address on the right.
And then there’s this interesting development…
While soldiers from Fort Benning and Fort Stewart are preparing to “surge” INTO Iraq, British soldiers may be “surging” OUT of Iraq. Here’s the AP Video Report and the article.
This while Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss is standing by President Bush. This report from the Associated Press:
Chambliss, visiting Ga. Capitol, supports war strategy
(AP) Senator Saxby Chambliss said today that he will only give up on the new Bush administration strategy in Iraq when General David Petraeus does.
In only a matter of weeks, soldiers from Fort Benning’s 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division will be bound for the Middle East. The deployment comes some two months earlier than originally expected.
Monday, the commander of the brigade, Colonel Wayne Grigsby, spoke with reporters. He asserted the soldiers in his unit are ready for their deployment to Iraq.
The unit is expected to be in the Central Command Area of Responsibility by mid-March. According to the Brigade’s spokesman, Major Joe Sowers, the brigade will likely be in Kuwait by March 15th, preparing to move into Iraq.
Monday, Grigsby said the 3rd Brigade, will likely be operating under the command of 3rd Infantry Division commander, Major General Rick Lynch.
“Right now it looks like we’re going to be in Southeast Baghdad, which would fall under the 3rd Infantry Division,” Grigsby said Monday.
The Sledgehammer Brigade is fresh off a training rotation at the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. Grigsby said his soldiers will continue to train for their deployment to Iraq over the next few weeks. He also said family time will be among the top priorities for his soldiers in the weeks leading up to deployment.
“Families are the foundation of the Sledgehammer Brigade,” Grigsby said. “Support of family members and loved ones add greatly to our morale and capability to complete such demanding missions we have been ordered to conduct. We will make every effort to balance family time with the myriad of tasks we must accomplish prior to our deployment in March.”
Grigsby said most 3rd Brigade soldiers are being offered long weekends and adjusted working hours to accomodate family time.
FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP) - The commanding general of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and his headquarters of one-thousand troops will deploy to Iraq next month to take command of U.S. forces in southern Baghdad.
I spoke with the 3rd Brigade’s PAO, Major Joe Sowers Friday afternoon. He told me the soldiers of the Sledgehammer Brigade will be in the CENTCOM (Central Command) AOR (Area of Operations) by March 15th. The Brigade will likely be in Kuwait at that time, preparing to move into Iraq.
A few weeks ago (January 27, 2007), while embedded with soldiers from the Sledgehammer Brigade at the Army’s National Training Center, I caught up with Major General Lynch. Here’s what he had to say then…
The Phenix City Campus of Troy University is scheduling appointments for military families to create 10 minute DVDs to send to deployed troops.
There will be no charge for the DVD production or shipping to the soldier.
Tapings will be on the Phenix City Campus of Troy University on Monday, March 12th and Wednesday, March 14th. Please contact Tessa Brown to make an appointment.
If you are interested in sending a DVD to a soldier or would like to refer someone for this project please contact:
Tessa Brown
(334) 448-5111
The resolution Congress is debating this week is only two sentences long and non-binding. But, Congress is devoting nearly an entire week to its debate.
One sentence is in support of the military. The other sentence disapproves of President George W. Bush’s decision to increase the number of troops in Iraq by more than 20,000.
Soldiers from Fort Benning will be among those 20,000. What do you think of this non-binding resolution?
This website came up in our morning meeting.
Army Wife Talk Radio is a web-only radio station devoted entirely to the challenges and unique circumstances faced by Army wives.
As the war in Iraq continues, it is becoming more and more difficult to understand the roots of the violence.
For many of us in the United States, understanding Muslim religion and culture can be very difficult.
This week, National Public Radio is looking into the differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims. The series is called The Partisans of Ali, and is definitely interesting reading.
This report comes from News 3’s Heather Jensen…
The cookie wrap session was made possible by God Bless Fort Benning.
To learn more about the organization, upcoming events, or how you can help, log on the God Bless Fort Benning website.
HammerSlogger is an online account of the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division’s training and deployment to Iraq. At the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 the Sledgehammer Brigade helped lead U.S. forces into Baghdad. The soldiers of the 3rd Brigade deployed to Iraq again in 2005. Now, the unit is in its third deployment to Iraq.
The articles and pictures published here are written and produced by the soldier-writers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
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David Spunt 706-324-6397 |