Troops Celebrate Christmas With Dinner, Candlelight Service

Troops Celebrate Christmas With Dinner, Candlelight Service
DVIDSHUB
Photographer: Spc. Charles Gill
Date Taken: December 25th, 2007

Christmas in Yarmuck

• Sgt. Vincent Passero and 2nd Lt. Patrick Henson from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) discuss strategies while playing a game of Risk at the battery's Christmas party at Joint Security Station Torch in Yarmouk, Iraq, Dec. 25.
• Soldiers from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team show some holiday sprit and love at the Battery's Christmas party at Joint Security Station Torch in Yarmouk, Iraq, Dec. 25.
• Soldiers from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), prepare snacks at the Battery's Christmas party at Joint Security Station Torch in Yarmouk, Iraq, Dec. 25.
• Soldiers from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), enjoy a special holiday meal brought out to the Battery's Christmas party at Joint Security Station Torch in Yarmouk, Iraq, Dec. 25.
• Staff Sgt. Valentin Pena, Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Staff Sgt. Valentin Pena, Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), serves a special holiday meal brought out to the Battery's Christmas party at Joint Security Station Torch in Yarmouk, Iraq, Dec. 25.
• Soldiers from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), take part in a candlelight ceremony at the Battery's Christmas party at Joint Security Station Torch in Yarmouk, Iraq, Dec. 25.
• Chaplain (Capt.) Troy Parson, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), leads Soldiers in a prayer at a candlelight ceremony at the B Battery's Christmas party at Joint Security Station Torch in Yarmouk, Iraq, Dec. 25.

Field Artillery Troops Train Volunteers

Field Artillery Troops Train Volunteers
DVIDSHUB
By Sgt. James P. Hunter
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs
12.26.2007

Field Artillery Troops Train Volunteers 20071226

When one thinks of a police force, he may think of a two-man team, patrolling through a neighborhood in their white-Chevy Monte Carlo, with blue and red lights, and the word “police” written on the side.

They move throughout talking with local citizens at the diner, coffee shop, or on the streets corners. No matter what community, country or religious sect, policemen are there to “protect and serve.”

Take away the type of vehicle, re-write it in Arabic, from right to left, and an average policemen in Iraq is no different.

One of the biggest areas of focus in northwest Baghdad, which has been seen widespread, is the volunteers stepping up throughout the various muhallahs, giving way to freedom and democracy.

In Ameriyah, Kahdra, Jamia, and Adil, men are volunteering their efforts. Now, in Hateen, there are Iraqi police auxiliary forces, focused on maintaining a stable, secure neighborhood.

In the Strike area of operations alone, units have been very successful with establishing volunteer forces, said Capt. Brian McCall, commander and native of Junction City, Kan., with Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regt. If they apply and adapt too what they have learned from other units in dealing with volunteers, they too will be successful.

Just two weeks ago, U.S. troops with both Battery A and B of the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, began volunteer recruitment drives in the Hateen and Yarmouk muhallahs, the Mansour District of Baghdad.

From 300 men, they were able to, through background checks and various means of investigation, narrow the field to 150 volunteers.

At the Operation Ace Academy in Hateen, the Iraqi police auxiliary began their training, Dec. 17. Twenty-five volunteers will train over a four-day period for the next four weeks, until all volunteers are trained. Also, in Yarmouk, Battery B troops are training auxiliary forces.

These men will patrol their homelands, almost acting as a neighborhood watch, until called up to begin training at the Baghdad police academy where they will officially become Iraqi policemen.

In the meantime, troops with Battery A, 2nd Bn., 32nd FA, are training these men on basic military and policing skills, said Sgt. Anthony Williams, instructor and native of Fresno, Calif., with 2nd Platoon, Battery A, 2nd Bn., 32nd FA. They are training on everything from weapons and countering-improvised explosive devices, to proper police ethics and values training.

For every two Soldiers there were seven Iraqis at the training grounds in Hateen.
Through interpreters they were able to convey their message of training and the importance of their role.

Their goal, during the course, is to ensure these men are fully capable of patrolling and maintaining ethics policemen live by, said Williams.

“We are trying to instill certain core values…” said 1st Lt. Douglas McDonough, platoon leader and native of Bonham, Texas, with 2nd Platoon, Battery A. They are tailoring their training to the Iraqi society, but ensuring they instill the basic skills and situational awareness each policeman must be keen on.

Even Iraqi army commanders in the area came to talk with these men on their importance; for their job is important to the future of Hateen and the future of Iraq.

Everyone knows military forces are used for aggressive actions against a known enemy force. Pushing police forces out into the muhallahs allows Iraqi military troops the opportunity to focus on training and military operations.

It also gives the Hateen IPA a sense of ownership for their homeland, said McCall. These men want to help their neighborhood, and in doing so, it puts more jobs into the community and gives them a sense of pride for security in their neighborhood.

“(Being a volunteer) is very important to these people,” said Williams. “These guys want to save their neighborhoods.”

With their will to save their neighborhoods, they should have an immediate impact in the area.

“I think initially the people will see friendly faces in their neighborhood – guys they have known all their lives there working to protect them,” McCall said. “… if a guy they know and trust is patrolling the streets in front of their house (should) make them feel a lot better.”

In the area, with a population of 30,000 Iraqis, McCall is eager to see how the good initiative of the Iraqi volunteers will play out.

“I think it can be a turning point for this community,” he said.

Bush Thanks Servicemembers, Military Families for Sacrifices

Bush Thanks Servicemembers, Military Families for Sacrifices
DefenseLink News Article
Melinda Larson
Dec 23, 2007

President Bush used his weekly radio address yesterday to thank America’s servicemembers who will spend Christmas far away from their homes and loved ones.

“America is blessed to have men and women willing to step forward to defend our freedoms and keep us safe from our enemies. We are thankful for their courage and their dedication to duty,” Bush said.

Families of the nation’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen serve their country too, Bush said.

“America is also blessed to have military families willing to sacrifice for our country. And this Christmas, many will sit down to dinner thinking of their loved ones half a world away,” the president said.

Bush also praised the families of wounded warriors who help their loved ones recover from injuries suffered in combat. “Through their encouragement and devotion, they help heal the body and spirit, and they remind our wounded warriors that our nation stands behind them,” he said.

For the military families who have lost loved ones in battle, Bush commended them for turning their grief into acts of compassion and love.

“One such inspiring example is the family of Army Spec. Michael Rodriguez, of Knoxville, Tenn. During his deployment in Iraq, Michael often wrote home to his family about the children he met on patrol. In April, Michael was killed by a suicide bomber,” Bush said.

Bush added that Rodriguez’s family honors his memory by helping to collect school supplies for students at an Iraqi school for girls. “At this time of year, we acknowledge that love and sacrifice can transform our world,” he said.

While thousands of military families are apart this holiday season, Bush expressed his hope for all of America’s families to tighten their familial bonds.

“As Christmas approaches, Laura and I extend to all Americans our best wishes, and we hope every family is brought closer together during this season of reflection and rejoicing,” the president concluded.