Friday, April 25, 2008

3rd HBCT Celebrates The U.S. Army Reserve’s 100th Birthday

Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., from Prince George’s County, Md., commander of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, cuts a cake celebrating the U.S. Army Reserve’s 100th anniversary with reservists currently attached to the 3rd HBCT, at the Hammer Dining Facility, April 23.

Grigsby praised the reservists and their contributions to the 3rd HBCT’s success in the Mada’in Qada. “For the last 100 years, the U.S. Army Reserve has been an important part of our organization,” he said. “In the last five years, it has become a vital part of our mission.

All of you have been an invaluable part of our team and our mission … We cannot thank you enough for your service and your patriotism.”

Leaders Meet at FOB Hammer to Discuss Security

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Leaders from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team met with the 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police Division; the 35th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division; Iraqi Police and civic leaders from the Mada’in Qada at FOB Hammer to discuss ways to improve the security of the qada.

In the month prior to the meeting, Soldiers from the 3rd HBCT and Iraqi Security Forces seized several large caches and detained numerous criminals
. “We have worked very hard to maintain the security gains we made here,” said Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., from Prince George’s County, Md., commander of the 3rd HBCT, addressing his ISF partners. “You are able to get better information than we ever could, and that has made a huge difference in tracking down these extremists.”

Grigsby discussed the transition between the 3rd HBCT and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armor Division, from Smith Barracks, Germany. The 3rd HBCT will transfer authority over to the 2nd BCT in May.

“We have worked very hard to ensure a smooth transition,” Grigsby said. “I am confident that all of the great leaders in this room will give the incoming unit the same support we received during our stay here in the Mada’in Qada.”

Grigsby emphasized that, during the 3rd HBCT’s time in the area, he always encouraged his Iraqi partners to determine what was best for the qada.
“The Coalition force solution is not the solution,” he said to his fellow leaders.

“Your solutions are what are important. I have always tried to support your decisions to help make this area better. So far, we have been very successful because of your guidance and insight.”

The 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

Coalition Forces Aid Fish Farms, Hatcheries

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Members of the U.S. Agency for International Development are developing a plan to provide equipment and supplies to fish farms and hatcheries in the Mada’in Qada.

According to Michael Torreano, USAID representative to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team, USAID will hold a meeting with leaders of the 3rd HBCT to discuss the community stability project. The project will provide items such as fish, feed and equipment to these businesses.

Torreano, from Iron Mountain, Mich., and Lt. Col. Todd Ratliff, from Holland, Ohio, commander of the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, visited a fish hatchery in the town of Gorzia to assess the owners’ needs.

The hatchery is fairly small with a number of growing ponds nearby. The building had two spawning tanks and equipment for handling the eggs and tiny spawn, he said. The primary type of fish in the hatchery is carp.

The owners of the hatchery said their biggest need is carp pituitary hormone.

Torreano explained the hormones increase fertility of the female resulting in the production of more eggs therefore increasing chances to spawn.

At the hatcheries, fish are bred then the eggs are taken out to hatch, Torreano said. When the eggs hatch they are taken to a pond to grow into fingerlings.
Fish farmers buy the fingerlings and, after they grow into adult carp, are sold at markets.

“In this area fish farming is not a thriving industry,” Torreano said. “Fish are in high demand and they also help the health of the locals as a good source of protein.”

Torreano said fish farming and hatcheries are also economically viable. The work can be done with existing technology, and related businesses like feed mills and delivery companies can profit from thriving farms.

The 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Soldiers Receive Awards At COP Cashe

Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., from Prince George’s County, Md., commander of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, awards Capt. Troy Thomas, from Litchfield, Minn., commander of Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, a Bronze Star Medal for his service during Operation Iraqi Freedom, at Combat Outpost Cashe, Iraq, April

3rd HBCT Honors Troop B, 3-1st Cav. Regt

Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., from Prince George’s County, Md., commander of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, praises the Soldiers of Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, for their performance during the unit’s current deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, at Combat Outpost Salie, April 22. “You have done everything we have asked of you in a professional manner,” said Grigsby. Troop B, currently attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery, was awarded a framed certificate of appreciation by Grigsby after he spoke with them.

IA Commander Visits FOB Hammer

An Iraqi Army commander visited here April 22 to thank the commander of 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team for his support in bringing peace to the Mada’in Qada.

Maj. Gen. Qassim, commander of the 9th IA Division (Mech) expressed his gratitude to Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, a native of Prince George’s County, Md., for the Hammer Brigade’s hard work.

“I thank you and your brigade for all the support and efforts you brought with you to the Mada’in,” Qassim said.
Grigsby said neither group could have achieved security alone. “Our Soldiers did this together.”

Grigsby invited Qassim to attend the 3rd HBCT’s transfer of authority ceremony, as the brigade is nearing the end of its tour.
“I would like to formally thank you and your division at the ceremony for all the hard work, our strong relationship and allowing us to support you here in the Mada’in,” Grigsby said.

Qassim accepted the invitation, expressing his desire to welcome the incoming commander and build a new relationship with him.
The 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga., has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

3rd HBCT Soldiers Remember Fallen Comrade

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers and leaders of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team gathered to remember their fallen comrade in a memorial service held April 16 at FOB Hammer.

Staff Sgt. Jeffery L. Hartley was born in Eagle Lake, Texas, Feb. 17, 1983. He was killed while on patrol east of Baghdad April 8 when a road side bomb struck his vehicle.

The 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery command security detachment platoon sergeant was leading his platoon back to Combat Outpost Salie following a memorial service at FOB Rustimaya.

“Everywhere I went, he went,” said Lt. Col. Mark Sullivan, commander of the 1-10 FA. “Staff Sergeant Hartley was out front leading with unwavering commitment to protecting those that he served.”

There were three 1-10 FA Soldiers in the vehicle the night of the attack. Sullivan said Hartley’s actions before the convoy rolled out of the gate saved the lives of two other Soldiers.

“Only through the grace of God and Staff Sergeant Hartley’s actions, will we be able to take them home,” Sullivan said. “I am forever in his family’s debt for the sacrifice he has made on our behalf.”

Hartley served three deployments with the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment before joining the 1-10 FA and deploying twice more in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the “Rock Support” battalion.

“He simply was one of the finest leaders I have ever known,” said Capt. Drew Staples, commander of Headquarters Battery. “He combined a sense of mission with a human touch that will be hard-pressed to ever be duplicated.”

In his speech, Staples spoke of a few fond memories he had of the fallen noncommissioned officer.

“It’s hard to limit this to only a few memories, as I have many great ones of Staff Sergeant Hartley,” he told the crowd. “Everything about this young man was special and I feel very lucky to have been able to share this time on Earth with him.”

Two of Hartley’s closest friends introduced him to those who may not have known him well, and remembered him with those who did.

“Some saw him as a goofball, which he was at times,” said Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Wing, “but when it was time for business you knew you could count on him to accomplish any task. He was a no-nonsense professional, focused and mission oriented.”

“As a friend, Staff Sergeant Hartley was definitely one person I knew I could rely and depend on,” said Sgt. Brian Loza. “If there was ever a time or place that either one of us had to be there for one another, there was never any doubt in either of our minds that we would be there for each other.”

At the service, Sullivan had final words for the NCO he considered a “confidant.”

“You can stand down, son,” he said. “Your mission is complete. Rest in peace.”

Hartley is survived by his father, David; mother, Carol; brother, David; and sister, Lisa Ann Willever.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

3rd HBCT Leaders Award Units And Soldiers

Spc. Benjamin Hamel, from Bangor, Maine, Troop C, 3-1st Cav. Regt., is awarded an Army Commendation Medal by Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., from Prince George’s County, Md., commander of the 3rd HBCT, April 15 at Combat Outpost Cashe, Iraq. Hamel is responsible for leading fellow Soldiers while digging up weapons during the excavation of a cache found April 14 in Tameem.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Sons of Iraq lead Coalition Forces To Weapons Cache

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

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Sons of Iraq led Soldiers from Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, and Policemen with 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police Division to a large weapons cache in Tameem, a town east of Baghdad, April 14.

The cache was buried approximately 500 meters from the NP headquarters in Tameem.

“The cache had been in the ground a long time,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Ellison, from Coleman, Ala., a squad leader in Troop C. “EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) Soldiers estimated that the munitions had been buried for over a year based on their condition.”

The cache contained 389 82 mm mortar rounds, 96 125 mm tank rounds, 172 57 mm anti-aircraft rounds, 38 60 mm mortar rounds, 30 130 mm artillery rounds, 17 122 mm mortar rounds, 15 100 mm rockets, seven 155 artillery rounds, five 100 kg aircraft bombs and four 120 mm mortar rounds.

“When we first found it, we weren’t expecting it to be that large,” Ellison said. “We started digging and we started finding mortars at three feet deep. We actually hit the water table before we found the bottom of the cache. When we finished digging we had a hole about seven feet deep.”

Ellison said the SoI and NP were key parts of the operation.

“The sheikh in charge of the Sons of Iraq actually brought a front-end loader to help us dig up the cache,” Ellison said. “It was a big help. Of course, if it wasn’t for his informant, we would have never known about the cache. The Policemen provided security while they brought a truck so we could transport the cache back to (Combat Outpost Cashe).

After we had finished transporting the cache, they stood guard over it the whole night. They were extremely helpful.”
Soldiers of Troop C, Ellison said, are happy to remove the threat of munitions to harm citizens or Coalition forces.

“Even though many of the munitions were badly degraded, they could have still been used to make IEDs (improvised explosive devices),” he said. “We are extremely happy to help interdict these accelerants here.”

The 3-1st 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. The 789th Ordnance Company (EOD) is from Ft. Benning, Ga., and is currently assigned to the 3rd HBCT.

Sons of Iraq lead MND-C Soldiers to weapons cache

BAGHDAD – Sons of Iraq led Multi-National Division – Center Soldiers from Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, and Iraqi Policemen with 3rd Brigade, 1st National Police Division to a large weapons cache in Tameem, a town east of Baghdad, April 14.
The cache was buried approximately 500 meters from the NP headquarters in Tameem.
“The cache had been in the ground a long time,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Ellison, from Coleman, Ala., a squad leader in Troop C. “EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) Soldiers estimated that the munitions had been buried for over a year based on their condition.”
The cache contained 389 82 mm mortar rounds, 96 125 mm tank rounds, 172 57 mm anti-aircraft rounds, 38 60 mm mortar rounds, 30 130 mm artillery rounds, 17 122 mm mortar rounds, 15 100 mm rockets, seven 155 artillery rounds, five 100 kg aircraft bombs and four 120 mm mortar rounds.
“Even though many of the munitions were badly degraded, they could have still been used to make IEDs (improvised explosive devices),” Ellison said. “We are extremely happy to help interdict these accelerants here.”
The 3-1st 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. The 789th Ordnance Company (EOD) is from Ft. Benning, Ga., and is currently assigned to the 3rd HBCT.

203rd BSB Takes On Eagle’s Challenge

By Sgt. 1st Class Scott Maynard, 3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – At 5:30 a.m. on April 6, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team Soldiers throughout the brigade’s area of operations were working hard to do their part in the war on terror.

At FOB Hammer, Soldiers from 203rd Brigade Support Battalion were busy building the team through a series of physical and mental tests known as the “Eagle Challenge.”

The challenge tested physical endurance with a one-mile run with their rifles; a four- and a half-mile foot-march, which included stops to test their general Soldiering knowledge and unit history; a 30-minute physical fitness and agility session; and four testing stations which evaluated Soldiers’ ability to treat a casualty; disassemble and assemble a rifle, perform a functions check then load; and fill a radio to make a radio check.

“It’s not all Soldiers’ common task training in the challenge,” said 1st Lt. Natassia Fay, from Youngstown, Ohio, the battalion logistician. “There are rules that must be followed as well.”

The rules stipulated that contestants could compete as individuals or teams, there was no use of rank during the challenge, no disputes with the cadre and a positive attitude must be maintained.

The entire 203rd BSB could not participate due to mission tempo, but 48 out of 250 available Soldiers prequalified and took on the team building event.
Lt. Col. Kelly J. Lawler, from Monticello, N.Y., commander of the 203rd BSB, addressed the 48 203rd Soldiers, known as “Crows”, prior to the start.

“Thank you for participating in the Eagle Challenge,’ Lawler said. “Right now you are a ‘Crow’ but by the end of the day some of you will be ‘Eagles’. You are the reason for this battalion’s success and for that I thank you … I have my buckle. I want you to have yours.”

The sign of an “Eagle” is a brass belt buckle with the head of an eagle wrapped in the words, “203rd Brigade Support Battalion, Eagle Challenge, Support and Defend, 3rd Infantry Division.”

“You will be proud to wear your belt buckle after today’s challenge,” Lawler said. “Other Soldiers will ask where you earned it, and you can tell them FOB Hammer, Iraq.”

The Crows were herded off to have their rucksacks inventoried and the challenge began.

“Hurry up crows, get those rucks emptied out,” barked Capt. Fenicia L. Jackson, from Hartsville, S.C., the battalion operations officer. “Crows! You are not moving fast enough, front-leaning rest position, move!”

After the Soldiers warmed up for the one-mile run with Jackson, she inventoried the gear, had them load it up in the truck and moved them to the starting line.
Lawler was there waiting for the group.

“Are you warmed up, Crows?” Lawler asked. “Maybe another warm-up exercise will get you ready! The side straddle hop, ready, exercise one, two, three!”
After the exhausted Soldiers finished the exercises, Lawler sent them running into the sun. Some left with smiles, some with frowns and many with a set jaw and determined look.

Once the run was complete the contestants put on their rucksacks and moved on to the foot march. Sgt. Michael Decker, from Columbus, Ga., was in the lead with Spc. Clinton Biddle, from Paris, Ky., close behind. They were followed by team “Wolfpack,” which consisted of Sgt. Paul Zadzura, from Sturges, Pa.; Spc. Mark Shaheer, from Chicago; and Spc. Louis Pinault, from Fitchburg, Massachusetts.

After the march, the leader board remained the same. Decker stayed out in front, Biddle a close second and Staff Sgt. Willie Farris, of Pinebluff, Ark., in third place for the singles competition. Team Wolfpack led in the team category; the leader board remained the same for the rest of the events.

The march was followed by a mandatory rest period at the home station.
However no one got any rest.

Behind the break area lurked a giant water truck. They were soon both drenched and covered in mud.

“I didn’t see that coming,” said Sgt. 1st Class Perry Flournoy, of Columbus, Ga. “It felt good at first. I was hot and sweaty after moving out with that ruck on. Next thing I know, we were covered in mud.”

The 30-minute ‘mandatory break’ turned into an exercise in discipline, dedication and motivation where Soldiers had to demonstrate low- and high-crawl techniques.

“At that point we were half way through. I have never been a quitter - I wasn’t going to start then,” Flournoy said who was elected the event’s Most Valuable Player by the cadre. “By the time the break was over, I needed a break. My eye-pro was covered in mud, which meant I was covered in mud.”
After the break, contestants were released to the testing stations according to the time they came in to home station.
Wet and dripping with mud, the Crows took their score sheets and were directed from station to station by the cadre.
At each station, they dried out a little more, until they finished the challenge.
“I knew this team had what it takes to win,” said Zadzura, whose team, Wolfpack finished in 1st place. “We pushed each other hard ... We won together.”
The day capped off with a banquet to award the Soldiers their belt buckles and recognize the winners with Army Achievement Medals.
The event started with 48 Crows and finished with 48 Eagles earning their right of passage - an Eagle Challenge belt buckle.
The day was best described by Capt. Emanuel Velez, from Quebradillas, Puerto Rico, and the commander of Company A.
“For a few moments today; I forgot I was in Iraq, he said.
The 203rd BSB 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.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

789th Ordnance Company (EOD) Detonates Cache

Soldiers of the 789th Ordnance Company (EOD), from Fort Benning, Ga., prepare a cache of landmines, mortars and 107 mm rockets to be disposed of by a high explosives charge April 13 at the Besmaya Range Complex southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. The cache was found nearby earlier the same day by Soldiers from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, and Policemen with the 1st National Police Division.

Soldiers Aid Business Owners In Al-Bawi

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers of the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion provided financial aid to local business owners in al-Bawi, Iraq, to boost entrepreneurship April 5.

The civil affairs team, currently attached to 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, visited three business owners and provided them with $500 each to facilitate improvements to their stores.

The team visited the row of stores in al-Bawi earlier in the week and chose the three stores they designated for the grants.

The stores chosen were a snack and drink shop, an air conditioning repair shop and a construction supply store that also sells swamp cooler filters and tubing.
The owners already have plans for their money. Air conditioners and fans, refrigerators, shelving units and trade-specific tools will be purchased in the near future, according to the shop owners.

During the business stimulus operation, Soldiers were accompanied by Selam Nassif Jassim, the local Sons of Iraq leader. Jassim verified the identity of each store owner and talked to the businessmen to ensure the money will be spent to meet the intent of the small business program.

“This small amount of money goes a long way towards re-energizing the shops in al-Bawi,” said Maj. John Wolfe, from Scottsboro, A
la., a 489th CA team leader.

Coalition forces and SoI members will visit the shops in the future for inspections to make certain the financial aid is being used appropriately.
The 489th CA Battalion, from Knoxville, Tenn., and the 1-15th Inf. Regt. are attached to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga. The 3rd HBCT has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.

3rd HBCT Leaders Give MND-C Commander Farewell Dinner

Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., from Prince George’s County, Md., commander of 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team; Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, from Hamilton, Ohio, commander of Multi-National Division – Center; and 3rd HBCT Command Sgt. Maj. James M. Pearson, from Philadelphia, bow their heads in prayer during an invocation April 11 at Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq. Grigsby hosted a farewell dinner for Lynch.

Government Of Iraq Leaders Meet with Mada’in Qada Officials

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Key Iraqi governmental officials from Baghdad met with tribal and civic leaders of the Mada’in Qada during the Narhwan Development Conference held at a health clinic there, April 12.

An assistant to the governor of Baghdad; the director general of agriculture; the Mada’in Qada director of education; the director general of rural planning; and the mayor of the Mada’in Qada talked with local leaders about improving essential services in the area.

“A lot of coordination went into planning this meeting by the Narhwan council,” said Capt. Josh Beard, from Opelika, Ala., the civil military operations officer for 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery.

“They set this opportunity up and both groups acted on it. The representatives sent up a list of concerns to the proper officials ahead of time, so they could be prepared to discuss the issues.”

Beard explained that the conference was crucial for Narhwan residents.

“The lack of essential services has caused a lot of frustration here,” he said. “The officials from Baghdad did a good job of listening and explaining what is happening on their side. Being able to discuss things face to face cleared up a lot of issues.”

Beard said the meeting allowed officials to see the progress Narhwan has made in the last year.

“This was a good opportunity for the people of Narhwan to show the people from Baghdad where the money the Government of Iraq has provided has gone,” he said.

“The officials could actually see the projects that have improved the area. Of course, there are still areas that need improvement, but Narhwan has come a long way from where it was a year ago.”

The area’s stability is a key reason that Maj. James Carlisle, from West Palm Beach, Fla., the civil affairs officer for 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, believes the GoI will invest more in the region.

“Select areas of Baghdad are seeing an increase in violence,” he said. “The leadership in Narhwan has kept violence away from this area. The provincial-level leaders got to see that today. I believe they know they can afford to invest more in the area to reinforce the success of the area.”

Beard agrees with Carlisle’s assessment and believes that the area’s security will help lead to more meetings between the two groups.

“This meeting was an enormous step in the right direction,” he said. “It is great that officials were willing to come out here today. I think that them being able to see the security situation here will make them more willing to continue dialogue in the future and continue to come back.”

The 1-10 FA 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.