I am not embedded with the Sledgehammer Brigade, but NPR’s John Burnett was recently embedded with the soldiers from Fort Benning.
He filed this report:
U.S. Troops Target Insurgent Havens Near Baghdad
U.S. troops are in the midst of Operation Marne Torch, a summer offensive concentrated south of Baghdad aimed at stabilizing the capital.
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Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sergeant Major of the Army visits COP Cleary
Story and photos by Sgt. Natalie Rostek
3rd HBCT Public Affairs
COMBAT OUTPOST CLEARY, Iraq - Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston made a visit to the Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment July 16, at COP Cleary, Iraq.
Preston said he visits the small outposts like COP Cleary because it is important for him to have a feel for concerns the Soldiers and leaders might have. He said he doesn’t truly get a feel for what’s on their minds until he talks to Soldiers and leaders directly, like those from 1-15 Inf.
Before Preston arrived at COP Cleary, a reenlistment ceremony was held in the “Dragon Inn” dining area. Nine 1-15 Inf. Soldiers raised their right hand together and committed themselves to extending their military service.
“You are speaking through your actions,” Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Moore, 37, Ellerslie, Ga., senior noncommissioned officer for the 1-15 Inf. addressed the reenlisting Soldiers. “This country is asking a lot from us and you are out there doing it. Thank you.”
“We are a family, a brotherhood, a sisterhood,” said Lt. Col. Jack Marr, 39, Minneapolis, Minn., commander of the 1-15 Inf. “As long as you are in, you are an active member of this family.”
Following the reenlistment ceremony, 1-15 Inf. Soldiers were recognized for outstanding service to their unit. Three bronze stars and eight army commendation medals were awarded to the “Dragon” heroes.
“Just like we can talk down to you, we can talk up to you,” said Sgt. Maj. Cedric Burns, 40, Savannah, Ga., operations sergeant major for the 1-15 Inf., commenting on leadership within the unit. “You are doing great things for God and your country. You are doing a great job and we are proud of you.”
When Preston arrived, his visit kicked off with a brief tour of COP Cleary. He toured the sleep tents, security tower, entry and exit gate, and the dining area. After the tour he spoke to Soldiers of the 1-15 Inf. about concerns they may have.
Preston’s speech began with a clarification of the deployment extension affecting the 3rd HBCT, making their 12 month tour now 15 months. He explained the deployment will not exceed 15 months, ending any rumors of an even longer extension.
Preston then opened the floor for questions and provided the opportunity for clarification of any rumors spreading throughout the unit. One Soldier brought up the pay issue on extended tours and Preston explained each Soldier will be paid an extra $1000 for every month past 12.
Preston also spoke about military school opportunities after deployment. He also incorporated recruiting and retention into his motivating lecture.
He said he attributes the Army leadership to retention success.
He attributes retention success to the experience and appreciation the Soldiers receive during the Global War on Terrorism.
“Soldiers are out there doing a real world mission,” Preston said. “You don’t really see the effects until you work on the ground.
It’s the Soldiers here on the ground, interacting with the people, with the Iraqi Army, the Iraqi Police, and the National Police who will know if progress is being made. Soldiers believe in the mission they are doing and are being appreciated when they come home.”
Preston challenged every Soldier to spread the Army story when they return to the states. He is concerned that not everyone knows the truth and only believes the Army to be what they see on television.
In closing, Preston said he was proud of what the Soldiers of 1-15 are doing, what they did in the past, what they continue to do, and what they will do in the future.
Preston said he is very proud of the Soldiers and their families for their commitment to the Global War on Terrorism and the sacrifices they make.
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Lt. Col. Jack Marr, 39, Minneapolis, Minn., commander of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, reenlists nine 1-15 Inf. Soldiers together July 16, at Combat Outpost Cleary, Iraq.
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Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Moore, 37, Ellerslie, Ga., senior noncommissioned officer for the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment shakes hands with reenlistees July 16, at Combat Outpost Cleary, Iraq.
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Lt. Col. Jack Marr, 39, Minneapolis, Minn., commander of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, pins a bronze star on the chest of Staff Sgt. Shon Holtz, 27, Columbus, Ga. during a ceremony held July 16, at Combat Outpost Cleary, Iraq.
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Lt. Col. Jack Marr, 39, Minneapolis, Minn., commander of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, pins an Army commendation medal on the chest of Sgt. James Ryan, 21, Hillsboro, N.H. during a ceremony held July 16, at Combat Outpost Cleary, Iraq.
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Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, congratulate awardees during a ceremony held July 16, at Combat Outpost Cleary, Iraq.
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Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston speaks to Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment July 16, at Combat Outpost Cleary, Iraq.
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Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3-1 Cavalry conducts humanitarian mission
Story by Staff Sgt. Sean Riley | 3rd HBCT Public Affairs
Photos by Air Force Staff Sgt. Shawn Weismiller | 1st Combat Camera
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq — Soldiers of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, conducted a humanitarian mission to bring medical care and assistance to Iraqi citizens in need in the city of Hollandia on Monday.
Soldiers unloaded a truckload of medical supplies for the mission. The troopers, along with Iraqi Security Forces, patrolled along the city streets and set up five triage stations. The Soldiers also established dental, x-ray and pharmacy stations.
Army medics and civil affairs medical personnel, Iraqi pharmacy technicians and three Iraqi doctors, worked alongside Army doctors from the 3rd HBCT to screen and treat injuries and ailments of more than 180 Hollandia citizens.
“This is a good example of the local government and American Soldiers working together to provide medical aid to the populace,” said Maj. Dan Laseria, a civil affairs company commander, 36, Fort Bragg, NC. “We had local medical officials, Iraqi Army doctors and US medical personnel working alongside each other, learning from each other. This provided a learning and sharing environment for medical professionals, whether Iraqi or American.”
The 3-1 Cavalry is assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
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An Iraqi Army medic guides patients through an access control point at a combined medical operation triage site in Hollandia, July 16.
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Citizens of Hollandia, Iraq, wait in line to be seen at a combined medical operation supported by the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team July 16.
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rockets aimed at FOB Hammer found, neutralized
Multi-National Division – Center PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq — After several rockets hit FOB Hammer on July 11, the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team maneuvered to find the source of the attack.
Early on July 12, the 3rd HBCT’s unmanned aerial vehicle located 46 rocket launchers in the northern section of Besmaya Range Complex aimed at FOB Hammer. Thirty-four of the launchers were armed with Iranian 107mm rockets. The Besmaya Range Complex is adjacent to the Coalition Force base.
Soldiers of the 789th Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, currently attached to the 3rd HBCT, immediately responded to the site.
According to Capt. Justin Gerken, from Red Wing, Minn., commander of the 789th EOD team, 12 of the 46 rockets had already been used to attack FOB Hammer the day prior. EOD Soldiers were able to determine that the rockets originated from Iran after analyzing the unexploded ordnance.
The 789th EOD team was successful in neutralizing the remaining rockets.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of one soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Allen A. Greka, 29, of Alpena, Michigan, died July 13 of wounds sustained from a land mine detonation during a dismounted patrol in Jisr Diyala, Iraq. He was assigned to the 3d Battalion, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 3d Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Georgia.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Courtney T. Johnson, 26, of Garner, N.C., died July 11 in Besmaya, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire. He was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.
Multi-National Division - Center
Media Release
HQ, MND-Center
Baghdad, Iraq
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Armor, Infantry join forces to treat patients
Spc. Chris McCann
2nd BCT, 10th Mountain Division (LI) PAO
PATROL BASE BATAAN, Iraq – One of the many benefits of Gen. David Petraeus’ “hugging” strategy – living close to the Iraqi people – is that U.S. and Iraqi troops can help care for the civilians in their areas.
Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., treated more than 90 residents of a small village outside Patrol Base Bataan, Iraq, southwest of Baghdad July 11. They were aided by Company B, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division out of Fort Benning, Ga., and the 478th Civil Affairs Company out of Miami.
The combined medical engagement began at 8 a.m. and brought many residents suffering from ailments ranging from gastrointestinal to respiratory problems.
About a third of the patients were military-aged males, said Capt. Chris Sanchez, a native of Los Angeles and the battalion’s civil-military operations officer.
The reason many residents reported upset stomachs was probably related to the water, medics said. The village is in a very rural area, where most people depend on irrigation canals for their water.
Sanchez said he hopes to be able to bring portable water filters into the village until water treatment facilities can be repaired.
About half of the patients were children, as parents brought them in to be seen for fevers, colds and other maladies.
Although many people have chronic illnesses that can’t be treated by the traveling clinics – which medics find frustrating – they were able to significantly help one elderly Iraqi man.
“We gave him a wheelchair,” said Sanchez. “Previously, he had to be carried almost everywhere. I think we made his day with that.”
At the end of the operation Sanchez said the engagement was a success.
“Overall, it was a good day for the Iraqis in need of basic medical care,” Sanchez said. “It was a smaller area, with no real access to health care. This combined medical engagement made a big impact.”
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Multi-National Division - Center
Media Release
HQ, MND-Center
Baghdad, Iraq
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3-1 Cav. Soldiers wounded in IED strike
Story by Sgt. Natalie Rostek
3rd HBCT Public Affairs
Photos by 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment Soldiers
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Five Soldiers from 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were injured in an improvised explosive device strike near Tuwaitha July 5.
Soldiers encountered a complex attack while conducting a combat patrol. Insurgents detonated the IED on an M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle and engaged the patrol with small arms fire and a rocket propelled grenade.
As reinforcement came to assist the casualties, they were hit with a secondary IED. No injuries resulted from the second explosion.
According to Sgt. 1st Class Choate Smith, of Houston, Texas, operations noncommissioned officer for the 789th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment, extremists who place the IEDs will change their tactics when they are unable to kill Coalition Force Soldiers.
Although Smith, who volunteered for the troop surge into Iraq, is concerned with insurgent tactics, he speaks highly of the Army training and equipment used to combat explosions like this.
“The battle drills and training also kept these Soldiers alive,” Smith said.
One Soldier was evacuated from the scene by Army helicopters and taken to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. The Soldier is currently being treated at the Landstuhl Hospital in Germany and is in stable condition. The other four wounded Soldiers were evacuated to the 28th CSH for precautionary reasons.
In the car this morning, I heard a really interesting interview on NPR’s Morning Edition.
While, it is not directly related to the Sledgehammer Brigade, I thought you alll might enjoy hearing it. There’s a link to the audio in the articled I’m linking to below.
Army Ranks See Imbalance in Iraq War Sacrifice
Army Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, Commander of the 1st Armored Division, which is soon to deploy to Iraq, has two sons who are Army officers and have served in Iraq. Hertling says many in the military are recognizing, if not resenting, a growing imbalance of sacrifice in the war in Iraq.
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Three insurgents killed, four detained in attack
Multi-National Division - Center PAO
BAGHDAD - An air weapons team killed three insurgents July 7 in Jisr Diyala, Iraq.
Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 1st Cavalry Regiment and 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment were securing a youth center for a medical assistance operation when they received small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. An air weapons team responded to the attack engaging insurgents and a vehicle containing a mortar tube.
Four individuals were detained in the attack. One insurgent was wounded and treated.
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3-1 Cavalry pushes into the night
Story and photos by Spc. Ben Hutto
3rd HBCT Public Affairs
Multi-National Division - Center PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq - Soldiers of Company B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, listened intently as 1st Lt. James Self, of Mobile, Ala., the platoon leader of 1st platoon, gave his mission brief in the glow of humvee headlights.
Company B would be going to the small town of Hollandia to kill or capture an individual believed to be involved with an improvised explosive device network operating in the area.
This was not their first night mission since arriving at FOB Hammer three months ago, but every face was a picture of concentration and focus. Within moments, the brief would be over and the Soldiers would go to their separate vehicles.
One by one Soldiers killed the lights on their humvees as they drove outside the wire. The Soldiers’ night vision goggles turned the landscape into a green world that can be seen clearly.
“They are doing well (on night missions),” said Self. “They continually get excited when they hear we have one coming up. I’d say we are more comfortable doing them, to be honest.”
Capt. David Smith, of Grand Rapids, Mich., commander of Company B, agreed with Self’s assessment.
“That’s how we train,” he explains. “At the NTC (National Training Center) and Hammer Focus we got our guys used to using the (night vision goggles) in the blackest of conditions. It’s like second nature to them now. They are all comfortable using them.”
As the convoy moved toward Hollandia, Smith gave his views on Hollandia.
“I like this town,” he said. “The kids here are awesome. When we come out here during the day, they are all over the place.”
If it sounds like the relationship between Hollandia and 3-1 Cavalry is good, it is because of the work that Smith and his team have put into that relationship.
Smith explained, “When we first arrived there, the locals’ reaction to us was cold; neutral at best. Now they are very friendly. We’ve arrested a few bad guys out here. We’ve started a few projects in the area. The people here have faith that we are going to do what we say we will. They know we are going to capture the bad guys. They have no problem telling us when someone who isn’t supposed to be in the town is there.”
The convoy rolled into the town around 11:30 p.m. The men in the town came out and began talking with the Soldiers through interpreters.
Soldiers began spreading out and looking for their target.
“A scout’s motto is that we own the night,” said Spc. Aaron Quitugah, from Irvine, Calif., a scout with Company B. “On a mission like this, we can scout around the town and see in places where people think they can hide. We have the advantage, definitely.”
After several hours of searching, the Soldiers were unable to find their target. Leaders of Company B don’t view that as a bad thing, however.
“We try to be a friendly presence out here,” said Self. “We got good information tonight even though our target wasn’t there. It’s important that the people here see us and know we are out there at night looking out for them. They are comfortable with us. When we stop people at night now, they don’t seem nervous. They feel comfortable that we are out here. They talk to us. That gets us good information so we can do our job better.”
As silently as they came into the town, they move out.
“We think there are caches out there,” said Smith. “That mission will help us later. We will continue to use our relationships we are making out there to find them. The local populations help is critical.”
Quitugah agrees with his commander’s assessment and remains ready to deal with the slow nights as well as the busy ones.
“This last mission went okay,” he said. “When we first got here, we thought trouble would push our way from Baghdad and it hasn’t happened yet. A lot of us feel like something big will happen and we are ready for it. We are staying on our toes because some big cells will be pushed out of Baghdad to the smaller places like this. They won’t be farmers or shoemakers; they will be the professionally trained fighters. We will be ready for them.”
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3-1 Cav. Soldiers complete Operation Safe Teach
Multi-National Division – Center PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq — Task Force Marne Soldiers teamed with Iraqi Security Forces to provide security for Iraqi school children during Operation Safe Teach July 7 in Jisr Diyala.
Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, currently attached to 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, coordinated with the Iraqis to provide security for local students during national high school testing. The test is conducted annually to certify students’ technical proficiency and their suitability for advancement to the university level.
“The ability to safely test allows progress in the community,” said Capt. Tavares Tukes, from Savannah, Ga., a staff officer with 3-1 Cav. “Students were able to safely participate in the testing.”
Thirty-six students attended the testing. According to 3-1 Cav. leaders, their participation is evidence of the relationship growing between Coalition Forces and the local populace.
“Operation Safe Teach provided an opportunity for the students of Jisr Diyala to participate in end-of-year testing,” Tukes said. “It also afforded Coalition Forces the opportunity to demonstrate our willingness and interest to improve the Iraqi quality of life and education system.”
The 3-1 Cav is part of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Ga.
Here’s the latest edition of the Hammer Times.
Click Here (PDF).
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Multi-National Division - Center
Media Release
HQ, MND-Center
Baghdad, Iraq
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3-1 Cav. finds four weapons caches, detains five
Story by Sgt. Natalie Rostek
3rd HBCT Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers of 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, and Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, detained five suspected insurgents and found four weapons caches July 5 near Jisr Diyala.
The operation resulted in the largest cache seizure for the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team since beginning operations southeast of Baghdad in late March.
Unit leaders said Soldiers conducted the five-phase operation to deny enemy sanctuaries and seize caches. Soldiers from 3-1 Cav. and Company D, currently attached to 3-1 Cav., secured and searched four target locations simultaneously during the operation.
Each cache found and destroyed decreases the munitions and improvised explosive device making materials available for insurgents to use against the populace and Coalition Forces, said Capt. Jimmy Hathaway, from Columbus, Ga., commander of Headquarters Co., 3-1 Cav.
“Ultimately, this mission was a step in the right direction towards making Iraq a more secure and safe region,” Hathaway said.
“The mission established the standard that Coalition Forces are not going to stand for anti-Coalition Force activity,” said 1ST Lt. Donovan Duke, from New Cumberland, Pa., a platoon leader with Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, from Fort Benning, Ga. “We are here to establish a safe environment in cooperation with the Iraqi Security Forces for the Iraqi citizens.”
The following was seized from the four caches: 8 fuses, four artillery rounds, three rockets, nine hand grenades, 56 mortars, 10 rocket propelled grenades, more than 15 pounds of C4 explosives and miscellaneous bomb-making materials and unidentified explosives.
The 3-1 Cav. is assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga.
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Multi-National Division - Center
Media Release
HQ, MND-Center
Baghdad, Iraq
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EOD blows up insurgent’s plans
Story and photos by Spc. Ben Hutto, 3rd HBCT Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Sgt. 1st Class Ed Allbaugh, 35, Newark, Ohio, a platoon sergeant for the 789th Explosive Ordnance Company, cradles the phone between his shoulder and cheek, grabs a pen and paper and goes to work.
“Ok, what was that grid coordinate?” he asks.
As he gets the details of an Improvised Explosive Device explosion in the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment’s area of operation, Sgt. 1st Class Choate Smith, 37, Houston, walks into the room and listens.
Both non-commissioned officers are all ready formulating a plan before the phone call is finished.
When Allbaugh hangs up, they quickly coordinate.
“This one mine?” asks Allbaugh.
“Yeah, take the two that got back last night and go,” says Smith.
As Allbaugh gears up and walks out the door, Smith smiles.
“Just another day,” he says with a shrug.
The 789th Explosive Ordnance has been at FOB Hammer for two months, but they have already been involved in 95 incidents involving explosives. They have destroyed or neutralized IEDs, unexploded ordnance, enemy caches, remnants of war, and munitions.
“We’ve averaged about one or two incidents a day,” says Smith. “I normally wake up, go the brigade and check intelligence. After that, we are on the go trying to stop the bad guys.”
Capt. Justin Gerken, 33, Red Wing, Minn., the commander of the 789th, is thankful for the Soldiers he has.
“These guys are, by far, the most intelligent people in the Army, in my opinion,” he said.
“They have to have a 110 GT score just to get in this MOS. After that, their training has a 60 percent attrition rate. We like to think we have the best minds in the Army. They never deal with the same situation twice. They are very adaptable and think on their feet well. These guys also have a high level of maturity and responsibility. We have staff sergeants rolling up on a site and they have on-scene command.”
The group’s experience is a big asset in handling the stressful scenarios they come across.
“Just between the senior leadership, we have over 60 years combined experience,” explained Allbaugh. “We’ve taught most of the guys under us at AIT. We are in a small field. We all know one another in some way. I might not know a person, but I probably know someone they work with. It helps that we are so small. Everyone does their job and looks out for one another. It definitely builds a bond within this unit.”
The challenge of the job is what draws Smith and Allbaugh to it.
“It is always something different,” explained Allbaugh. “Very rarely do we do the same thing twice in one day.”
Smith concurs with Allbaugh’s assessment.
“It can be a challenge trying to figure out how to defeat (insurgents),” says Smith. “It can be a mental chess game with the bomb-maker, sometimes. What we are trying to do is defeat him by keeping him from killing 3rd (Infantry Division) Soldiers, disrupting his activities and ultimately, catching him. That’s the key, we have to catch the bomb-makers or they will just keep on doing what they are doing.”
Allbaugh understands that the bomb-makers that he is trying to combat are not uneducated hooligans.
“A lot of bomb-makers are college educated engineers,” he explained. “They know what they are doing and adjust quickly. We have to constantly switch up what we do out here. In this area, they are getting more sophisticated. The better we get at our jobs, the better they have to get to have a chance to defeat us.”
When asked if the bomb-makers ever target him and his Soldiers, Allbaugh responded quickly.
“Yes, without a doubt they do,” he said. “They put out secondaries to try and kill our first responders, people like us and the medics. You have to remember, they will watch us a few times to see how we respond and then try to use that to hurt us.”
Despite the danger, Allbaugh is excited about the job he and his Soldiers are doing.
“We blew a cache two weeks ago that had 60 ordnance items,” he explained. “We got the bomb-maker and confiscated some devices. That was a good day.”
As various Soldiers run in and out of the EOD office getting ready to go out, Gerken takes a moment to reflect about what makes his group special.
“It is really an honor to command a group of Soldiers like this,” he said. “These Soldiers volunteered to go out to live IED sites and help prevent them from hurting people. It sounds cool that they get to play with explosives, but really they are about saving people’s lives.”
Smith, who has been neutralizing explosives for the last 11 years, understands how important his job is.
“If we make a mistake, we can damage property, equipment, the local infrastructure and, most importantly lives.”
Smith also offers any advice to Soldiers who happen to be at an IED site when he is working.
“If you see me running, you better catch up,” he says with a smile.
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 |