Thursday, October 18, 2007
Joint Mission Introduces Unit To New Area Of Operation
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – In preparation to hand over responsibility for a portion of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division’s area of operations, Soldiers from Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, and Battery A, 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, conducted a joint cordon and search at the Al-Ma’amil Brick Factory, east of Nahrwan, Oct. 12.
The 3-1 Cav. Regt., whose primary mission is disrupting the flow of weapons and insurgents into Baghdad from the east, transferred responsibility for a large swath of land just south of the Diyala-Baghdad provincial border to one of its sister battalions, the 1-10 FA. The change took effect Oct. 15.
Prior to 1-10 FA’s assumption of authority, the 3-1 Cav. Regiment’s leaders shared knowledge and insight gained from missions in the northern portion of the Mada’in Qada. The Mada’in Qada is the governmental seat for the area east of the Diyala River and encompasses an area roughly the size of Rhode Island with approximately 1.2 million residents.
During the mission Oct. 12, Troop B, 3-1 Cav. Regt., assisted by Battery A, 1-10 FA, cleared 23 buildings and gained knowledge necessary to successfully conduct their new mission. “The mission was very successful,” said Command Sgt. Maj. James Benedict, from Chesterton, Ind., the command sergeant major of 1-10 FA. “All of our Soldiers handled themselves very professionally and were very friendly.” Benedict felt this mission was significant for his battalion.
“This mission was definitely a confidence builder,” Benedict said. “You go out with an attitude of ‘What’s next?’ Everyone I saw was vigilant and communicating with one another. We really look forward to going into Nahrwan, Sabah Nissan and places like that, to help build communities and be a part of the team building process.”
As excited as Benedict is about helping these areas, he is still mindful of the danger his troops face whenever they leave the FOB. He explained how his Soldiers need to maintain what he calls “warrior spirit”, meaning his Soldiers will remain vigilant, professional, disciplined, and ready.
“Whenever we go out, we will be ready,” Benedict said. “I tell all my Soldiers to maintain their discipline and treat the citizens we come across the way they would like to be treated. If we do that, I think we will be fine.”
Though no weapons caches or insurgents were found during the mission, Benedict believes the mission bolstered confidence in his Soldiers and they are ready to patrol the area. The 1-10 FA. and the 3-1 Cav. Regt. are assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf. Div., from Fort Benning, Ga., and have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March.
