Insurgents Attack Iraqi Civilians

BlackAnthem Military News
Insurgents Attack Iraqi Civilians
Multi-National Force - Iraq
2nd BCT, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs
June 22, 2007

Blackanthem Military News, BAGHDAD, Iraq — Five Iraqi citizens were killed when a 122MM rocket struck a building causing it to collapse in the Al Mansour
district of Baghdad June 19.

Both Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces responded to the scene of the attack after a rocket struck the building in the neighborhood of Yarmouk, causing it to collapse and kill five Iraqi citizens and wound six others. The Yarmouk hospital confirmed the casualties

U.S. Forces confirmed that the rocket was fired from north of the city approximately 10 miles away.

The 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, was the first U.S. Force on site of the attack.

“This attack was not aimed at any specific targets. It is most likely a way to incite sectarian violence,” said Capt. Aquila Knopf, an intelligence officer for 2-32 FA.

Knopf went on to explain that the attack most likely originated from Jaysh Al-Mahdi militants and was directed at the Sunnis region of Al-Mansour.

Iraq Operations Kill, Capture Scores of Terrorists

Iraq Operations Kill, Capture Scores of Terrorists:

"In other Iraq news, five Iraqis were killed and six injured June 19 when a 122 mm rocket struck a building in the Al Mansour district of Baghdad. Both Iraqi and U.S. military forces responded to the scene of the attack. U.S. officials confirmed that the rocket was fired from north of the city, about 10 miles away. The 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, was the first American unit to arrive at the attack site."

Hope & frustration: The view from there

Hope & frustration: The view from there
Lancaster Online
By JANE HOLAHAN
Jun 21, 2007

The war in Iraq is often the top news story of the day, and mostly the news is tough to hear.

More than 3,500 American soldiers have been killed, and the Pentagon reports that more than 24,000 Americans have been wounded in action.

According to most major polls, about three quarters of the American people say the war is going badly and about 60 percent want a timetable for troops to begin withdrawing.

But what about the guys over there who are fighting the war? How are they feeling these days?

The New Era asked two men from Lancaster County serving in Iraq to talk about their experiences.

First Lt. Neal Rice, 27, executive officer of Alpha Battery, 2—32 Field Artillery, 1st Infantry Division, is stationed in Baghdad and does daily mounted and foot patrols. He answered questions via e-mail.

"Pressure is a way of life here," he explains. "The threat of roadside bombs, rocket and small-arms attack is constant."

Spc. Jonathan Webster, 23, of the Pennsylvania National Guard, is stationed at Camp Anaconda, at the Balad Airbase in Northern Iraq, working as a pay specialist, making sure soldiers are paid properly. He was on a three-day leave when he spoke by phone.

"My days are like the movie 'Groundhog Day.' That's what I consider my life here," Webster says, referring to the Bill Murray movie in which the same day is repeated over and over.

"Everyone says Anaconda is a safe zone, but we do get mortared almost every day," he says. "It's hit or miss, here and there. But it's basically safe."

While their experiences have been different, both men still hold out hope that victory will be achieved, both are frustrated by what they see as lack of support back home, and they both believe that the good things happening in Iraq don't get heard.

But they also talk about the stress this long war — four years and counting — is having on troops, about changing attitudes and, like soldiers from time immemorial, about how they are eager to come home.

***

"Some of the soldiers think it's time to come home, some think we should stay a decade if that's what it takes," writes Rice. "But their commitment to each other and to the mission in front of them is always strong."

Rice grew up in East Lampeter, graduating from Conestoga Valley High School in 1998 and Shippensburg University in 2002, with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and Spanish.

He joined the Army in 2004.

"As I watched the early stages of the Iraq War progress on the news, I felt a strong pull to serve the country in support of the war effort," he writes. "The more I watched, the more strongly I felt an obligation to serve."

Rice, who is single, was deployed to Baghdad about four months ago as part of the troop "surge" effort.

Webster, a 2002 graduate of Ephrata High School, joined the Pennsylvania National Guard when he was still in high school, mainly to help pay for college.

In 2005, Webster was sent to New Orleans to help with relief work after Hurricane Katrina. It was an incredible experience, he says.

Married and the father of three small children, Webster has been in Iraq since August, 2006 and is in an 18-month deployment.

"I think we are working toward finding victory, but it still needs to be given time," Webster says. "I would like to see us pull out, but I don't think we can just pack up."

Webster says there are mixed feelings about staying in Iraq among his fellow soldiers.

"Some are for us staying and fighting, some think that's a completely wrong idea," Webster says. "I have mixed feelings. When I first got here, I thought it was a good thing, but I'm not so sure."

"We try to stick together, to keep morale up high," he adds. "There are times when you don't want to be here..."

Webster's base houses between 30,000 and 35,000 people, including cooks, mechanics, contractors, construction workers and infantrymen.

He has a pretty straight-forward routine.

"I get up around 4:30 or 5 a.m., go to the gym, then report to work at 8:30. I get out around 5:30 or 6 p.m., go to chow, then hang out in my room, maybe watch TV, play my Nintendo, and I hit the sack around 11."

The chow is pretty good.

"I've gained 35 pounds," he says with a laugh.

Webster says soldiers are stressed out by the length of the war and especially deployment extensions.

"On the regular-Army side, once they found out that most of the units were extended, that really busted morale," says Webster. "Me, I just can't wait to leave and reunite with my wife and three kids."

Rice writes that morale is "pretty strong" among his soldiers.

"The level of morale fluctuates in response to several factors, including how long we go without any meaningful break, what the news media is saying, if a soldier gets care packages or not, and, especially, if our soldiers get injured."

The toughest setback came when his battalion commander was seriously injured when his truck was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) about six weeks ago.

"The doctor was able to save his life by amputating one of his legs," Rice writes. We're very thankful he will live, but it is tough when your leader, the man you look to for inspiration, goes down."

Rice is frustrated by the media's coverage of Iraq.

"Violence and destruction sell newspapers and get people to tune in their TVs. I understand the economics of it," he writes. "I wish they could see the progress too. My troops work tirelessly to make progress here. The improvement in schools, business, health clinics and neighborhoods is steady and significant."

Rice explains that the days all run together, but that the pace is fast and draining.

"Generally, we patrol six days a week, reserving one day to maintain and repair our vehicles, weapons and equipment," he says. "The pressure is so pervasive that it's not really stress anymore, it's simply normal."

Engaging with Iraqis is a big part of the mission.

"The only way to make progress is to hit the streets every day, talking with the people and helping them to understand what we're trying to do," he writes. "Iraqis are receptive and friendly towards us most of the time."

Rice believes the surge can work if it's given time.

"We are working incredibly hard to live among the people here, to show them we care and to humanize our presence," Rice writes. "For too long, the Iraqi people's perception of us was that we're closed up in our HMMWVs and Bradleys, that we don't talk to them and don't care about them.

"The new approach gives us an opportunity to engage the people more and to show them we're here to help. We get many tips and more cooperation in general because we're on the street level with the people. It exposes us to more attacks, but it will be worth it so long as we keep building rapport with the people."

Ultimately, though, Rice writes that it's up to the Iraqis.

"I'm convinced if the war is lost it won't be because we didn't work hard enough or believe in it enough."

Both Rice and Webster say they know American support for the war is waning. Do they tie that to support for them?

"Yes, I take it personally," says Webster. "Losing support back home is a morale breaker. We do get the feeling that people don't support us when we hear the news and politics back home."

Rice has complicated feelings about the situation. In an initial e-mail, he says it is not possible to differentiate support for the troops and support for the war.

But in a subsequent note, he explains that his earlier response was "a little rash."

"I was thinking more along the lines of politicians because at the time there was such a debate about the funding bill in Congress and whether or not troop withdrawals should be tied to it," he writes.

"After thinking about it further, it is possible (to support the troops but not the war). Among all the people who are kind enough to support me while I'm here, I'm not sure all of them support the war itself. Yet they support me in care packages, encouraging notes, e-mails and prayers."

The two men agree that support from friends and family is incredibly important.

"Luckily for me and my men, we have an outstanding group of people who have personally sponsored each of my soldiers by sending them care packages and letters every month," Rice writes. "Most of them are from Lancaster. That has helped greatly in keeping our morale high."

Iraqi Army, Coalition forces discover weapons cache in Yarmouk

Operation Iraqi Freedom:
Official Website of Multi-National Force - Iraq:
Freedom Journal, Iraq
Iraqi Army, Coalition forces discover weapons cache in Yarmouk
by 1st Lt. Brian Cooke, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment PAO
Monday, 18 June 2007

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Army Troops and Multi-National Division–Baghdad Soldiers, uncovered a large cache of explosives and bomb-making materials in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Yarmouk Wednesday.

Iraqi troops from 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division initially discovered a weapons cache while on patrol in the Yarmouk neighborhood. The cache contained 113 land mines, 63 grenades, three rockets, three mortars, two gas masks, five washing machine timers, more than 2000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and seven boxes of various electronics and other assorted explosives.

It is the largest weapons cache discovery by either Iraqi or Coalition forces to date in the Yarmouk area. The Iraqi troops quickly notified their liaison officer at Joint Security Station Torch, where Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition forces live and work together.

“This is just more proof to us that having the JSS and being out in the community is what’s allowing us to work so effectively with the Iraqi Army,” said U.S. Army Major Jim MacGregor, executive officer of 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment.

The 2-32nd Field Artillery Regt. received the report and sent a patrol to the site of the cache to assist the Iraqi troops. Upon arrival the U.S. patrol leader, U.S. Army 1st Lt. Nick Bell, received an update from the Iraqi battalion commander, Iraqi Army Col. Ali Al-Obaydi.

Ali told the lieutenant that a gardener was trimming the bushes of an empty house he was caretaking and noticed several bags hidden behind the shrubs. Upon closer inspection, the gardener identified what he believed to be hand grenades and promptly called the Iraqi Army for help. Ali responded to the call and then sent word for U.S. assistance to dispose of the explosives.

This tip coming from a local resident is another sign of progress in Yarmouk, McGregor said.

“The people of Yarmouk are showing us that they are ready to stand up against violence and make their neighborhood’s better places to live,” he said.

Bell and Ali’s troops set up a joint cordon of the area to secure the cache and ensure the safety of local residents. Once the area was secure, an explosive ordnance disposal team was called in to destroy the munitions.

U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Patrick Henson, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides
Dagger Brigade Combat Team Official Site
Week: June 11 - June 17
Slides: 30, 31, 32

Golf Company Soldiers Reenlist

CPT Bandy
SSG Santos
SPC Bell
1LT Lowry
PFC Day
SGT Shultze

Assumption of Command Ceremony

CSM Huffin
LTC Lawson

Golf Company Soldiers Use VTC, Talk To Families

SPC Pechin
1SG Ruiz
SSG Brickner
PFC Quick

US, Iraqi troops uncover large weapons cache in Yarmouk neighborhood

Black Anthem Military News:
US, Iraqi troops uncover large weapons cache in Yarmouk neighborhood
By 1st Lt. Brian Cooke, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment
Jun 15, 2007

Blackanthem Military News, BAGHDAD, Iraq - Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers, working in conjunction with Iraq Army troops, uncovered a large cache of explosives and bomb-making materials in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Yarmouk June 13.

Iraqi troops from 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division initially discovered a weapons cache while on patrol in the Yarmouk neighborhood. The cache contained 113 land mines, 63 grenades, three rockets, three mortars, two gas masks, five washing machine timers, more than 2000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and seven boxes of various electronics and other assorted explosives.

It is the largest weapons cache discovery by either U.S. or Iraqi forces to date in the Yarmouk area. The Iraqi troops quickly notified their liaison officer at the Joint Security Station Torch, where both Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces work and live together.

"This is just more proof to us that having the JSS and being out in the community is what's allowing us to work so effectively with the Iraqi Army," said Major Jim MacGregor, executive officer of 2-32nd FA.

The 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment received the report and sent a patrol to the site of the cache to assist the Iraqi troops. Upon arrival the U.S. patrol leader, 1st Lt. Nick Bell, received an update from the Iraqi battalion commander, Col. Ali Al-Obaydi.

Ali told the lieutenant that a gardener was trimming the bushes of an empty house for which he was the caretaker, and noticed several bags hidden behind the shrubs. Upon closer inspection, the gardener identified what he believed to be hand grenades and promptly called the Iraqi Army for help. Col. Ali responded to the call and then sent word for U.S. assistance to dispose of the explosives.

McGregor pointed to the tip coming from a resident as another sign of progress in Yarmouk.

"The people of Yarmouk are showing us that they are ready to stand up against violence and make their neighborhood's better places to live," he said.

Bell and Ali's troops set up a joint cordon of the area to secure the cache and ensure the safety of local residents. Once the area was secure, an explosive ordnance disposal team was called in to destroy the munitions.

US Army photos by 1LT Patrick Henson, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment

'Patriots' uncover cache, capture suspected terrorist in western Baghdad

'Patriots' uncover cache, capture suspected terrorist in western Baghdad
BlackAnthem Military News
By 1st Lt. Brian Cooke, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery
Jun 12, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Multi-National Division- Baghdad Soldiers, in cooperation with Iraqi Security Forces, conducted a raid in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Hateen June 10, uncovering a cache of bomb-making materials and capturing a terrorist suspect believed to be linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq.

“We’ve been looking for this guy for some time,” said 1st Lt. Kevin Mills, a tactical intelligence officer with 2-32nd FA. Mills said the operation’s success can be attributed to the cooperation and shared intelligence between U.S. and Iraqi Security Forces.

Soldiers from the 2nd “Patriot” Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, acted on a tip and apprehended the alleged al-Qaeda member. The troops also found approximately 500 boxes of toilet bowl cleaner and 20 boxes of circuit breaker covers, which can be used to build improvised chemical weapons.

Mills said the planning and coordination for this operation took place at Joint Security Station Torch in the Yarmouk neighborhood, near the site of the raid. The raid was a product of coordination and cooperation between the Patriot Battalion and members of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army and the Yarmouk Iraqi Police.

West Baghdad Market Thrives During Troop Surge

West Bagdad Market Thrives During Troop Surge
Digital Video and Imagery Distribustion System
BlackAnthem Military News
Defend America
Official Website of the MNF-Iraq
By 1st Lt. Brian Cooke2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment
June 11, 2007

BAGHDAD—Adjusted security measures have resulted in a resurgence of economic growth in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Hateen. A local market has seen a resurgence of activity as Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers and Iraqi Security Forces give way to shopkeepers, and fear gives way to progress.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, have teamed up with members of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army to find a way to stimulate business in the Hateen Market while still maintaining security. As a result, economic activity in the market has increased, fostering better relations between local merchants and the Iraqi Army.

The market, located in the southeastern Mansour neighborhood of Hateen, is the economic center of the area and its activity is directly tied to the economic prosperity of the residents.

Markets in Baghdad have long been a favorite target of suicide bombers, and the previous Iraqi Army unit in Hateen worried that the market there might be next in the long line of attacks committed by insurgents. With its three blocks of grocery stores, butcher shops, cafes, and vegetable stands, the Hateen Market presented a security problem for 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Infantry Division.

In response to this problem, the Iraqi battalion blocked the roads leading into the market with concertina wire and concrete and sand-filled barriers. The concertina wire and concrete kept suicide bombers at bay, but it also limited pedestrian access to the market. As a result, sales plummeted and a large number of proprietors closed their shops.

The local merchants were distraught by the decline in customers, and requested that the Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces find a way to secure their market without limiting pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

The new Iraqi Army battalion commander, Col. Ali Al-Obaydi, made fixing the situation in the Hateen Market his top priority. On May 21, Col. Ali toured the market, along with Maj. Jim MacGregor, 2-32 FA’s executive officer, and Capt. Brian McCall, commander of Battery A, 2-32 FA.

Together, the three leaders engaged local merchants about the status of commerce in the market and asked the shop owners what could be done to stimulate business. Most of the owners agreed that the Iraqi srmy needed to remove the concertina wire and abandon its blocking position to allow local residents easier access to the market.

They also asked that coalition forces conduct regular combined patrols of the market with Iraqi army units. Within one week, the blocking position was unmanned and the concertina wire was removed. Business in the market immediately picked up. Soldiers from 2-32 FA regularly patrol through the market with Iraqi Army troops, and local merchants greet both forces with smiles and, many times, an offer of a cold drink or snacks.

“It was unbelievable,” remarked McCall, following a patrol of the market a week after his tour with Col. Ali. “Just a week ago, half of these stores were closed, and the ones that were open had owners who only wanted to complain to Col. Ali and I. Today, a week later, I felt like I was walking through a completely different market. The shops were all open. The merchants seemed happy, and best of all, there were customers everywhere.”

McCall added that his unit, in conjunction with 2-5-6th IA, will continue to evaluate economic activity in the market. He said they are currently planning an advertising campaign that will use billboards to highlight the security of the market.

photos by photo by Capt. Brian McCall and 1st Lt. Neil Rice, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides
Dagger Brigade Combat Team Official Site
Week: June 4 - June 10
Slides: 22, 23, 24

S6 Building MWR Computers

SGT Stevens
SGT Dosch

ACES Safety and Stand-Down Day

SSG Tutman
SSG Richards
SSG Brunson
SGT Ellis

Getting to Know the Local Populace in Yarmouk

SGT Tucker
CH Parson

Local Iraqi government leaders focused on essential services in Baghdad

Local Iraqi government leaders focused on essential services in Baghdad
Multi-National Force - Iraq
RELEASE No. 20070604-03
Monday, 04 June 2007

BAGHDAD — Local Iraqi government leaders are working together to
improve the quality of life in western Baghdad by providing essential services in
the Sunni neighborhoods of Yarmouk and Hateen.

The Mansour District deputy director general and his assistant for
Yarmouk met with Coalition Forces and the Hateen and Yarmouk neighborhood
advisory council (NAC) chairmen May 28 in an attempt to coordinate resources
to improve essential services in those neighborhoods.

Adil Kathim, the deputy director general for the Mansour District, toured
the Hateen and Yarmouk neighborhoods with the NAC chairmen in order to point
out areas most in need of civil service projects. Sections of roads throughout the
neighborhoods contain standing water that collects sewage run-off, many areas
cannot sustain power and residents are unable to solve these problems on their
own.

Before the tour began, Kathim provided the NAC Chairmen with the
necessary contact information for the engineer responsible for the power stations
which powers both neighborhoods.

One of the main difficulties is getting these agencies to
communicate and work together. The bureaucratic process has slowed much of
the progress in western Baghdad adding significance to the meeting with the
district’s deputy director.

Kathim, in an attempt to improve district services, requested
notification of Coalition Force projects in the area, helping him commit Beladiya
resources in a coordinated effort.

Maj. James MacGregor, the executive officer of 2nd Battalion, 32nd
Field Artillery Regiment, whose unit operates in the Hateen and Yarmouk
neighborhoods, emphasized to the district deputy director that Coalition Forces
will work closely with the district.

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides
Dagger Brigade Combat Team Official Site
Week: May 28 - June 3
Slides: 34, 35

HHB/2-32 Promotes New NCOs

SGT Craig Carroll
SGT Oscar Salazar
SGT Troy Wozniak

Bravo Battery Assists With New Recruit Training at Yarmouk IP Station

Baghdad: Embedded Provisional Reconstruction Teams

Baghdad: Embedded Provisional Reconstruction Teams
Counterterrorism Blog
By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
May 31, 2007

A few days ago, I spoke with a U.S. official working for one of the new embedded provisional reconstruction teams (EPRTs) in Iraq. Last year ten provisional reconstruction teams (PRTs) were created throughout the country to operate parallel to the military. Each PRT was headed up by a foreign service officer; had a deputy from the U.S. Army; had at least one member from USAID; and had a bilingual, bicultural advisor (fluent in Arabic with a background that allows him to understand the Middle East). Typically there would be about ten people total working for a PRT. The PRTs were designed to further the U.S. mission in Iraq by helping to advance the political process of reconstruction in a variety of ways. Top-down change was characteristic of the PRTs: they would work with such political entities as city councils and the policymaking portion of a city's department of public works.

The EPRTs are different. Rather than operating separately from and parallel to the military, they are embedded within the military structure. Six EPRTs operate in Baghdad, three in Anbar, and one in Babil. Their structure is similar to that of the PRTs (run by a foreign service officer, featuring a U.S. Army deputy, a USAID member, a bicultural advisor, and other staffers) but rather than functioning in the top-down manner of the PRTs, the EPRTs are designed to make more of a difference at what the official called the "granular" level. That is, the EPRTs are integrated into the military's tactical operations, and are designed to advance reconstruction efforts on a street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood basis. I previously noted that the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery (with which I was embedded) has four lines of operation in the districts it patrols: security, governance, economy, and essential services. It is at this tactical level -- the level of how these lines of operation can be furthered -- that the EPRT is supposed to have an impact in helping to set the course for the units with which it works. The EPRTs help set this course all the way down to the platoon level.

The source working with the EPRT said that their job is as much "problem avoidance" as anything else. Moreover, because the EPRTs have only been active in Iraq for about six weeks, it's too early at this point to assess their effectiveness. However, I'll be interested to check in with people working with the new EPRTs several months down the line to see how this intriguing idea is working in practice.

Thanks to Public Multimedia Inc. for its assistance in organizing my embedded reporting from Iraq. You can support my embed and independent reporting through donations to the Counterterrorism Foundation.

Service Support… It Ain’t as Easy as it Looks

Service Support… It Ain’t as Easy as it Looks
2BT Newsletter: Daggers Edge V1, Iss14
1st Lt. Chris Lowry
May 30, 2007

Flashback: So there we were, southern California at the National Training Center (NTC). This was supposed to be the ultimate test of our platoon. It was supposed to be the culmination of all of our training as a Forward Support Company (FSC). We were wellrehearsed and trained to standard in all aspects of Service Support, everything from vehicle load plans to Combat Logistic Patrol (CLP) battle drills. According to NTC standards we did exceptionally well. We were ready for deployment… Or were we?

Fast-forward to present day. As you may have already guessed, things did not turn out the way we had planned. Instead of running CLP, we were instructed to do something that none of us had ever done before. We were told that we were to be one of the battalion’s infantry platoons.

I know what you are thinking, “what does a service support platoon know about operating in the combat arms world?” Well, to be quite honest, we did not know much at the time. We had been training for the past year and a half doing nothing but combat logistic patrols. We had to cram a year of training into a little less than 10 days, because we were to augment an infantry company as it conducted route reconnaissance and observation missions for Arrowhead Strike IX. Since we were only operating at night, it was mandatory that we work only in blackout conditions. Luckily, we were already well trained in night operations from conducting our CLPs, so we incorporated that experience into our new mission of dismounted patrols. We went straight from the crawl phase to the run phase and were expected to function as a fully-trained infantry platoon. The standards were set forth by the infantry company Commander we were to operate under, all we had to do was meet them.

On the first night of operations, I could tell the guys were a little nervous and to be quiet honest, I was nervous myself. I had butterflies the size of a 10K generator flying around in my stomach. It felt like the night of the big game, and for us it was the big game. This was the time to show all those people who think the service support branches should be “in the rear, with the gear” that we could hang with the big dogs. And you know what? That is exactly what we did. We ran with the big dogs and not only met the standard, but exceeded it on multiple occasions.

First Platoon / G Company is now a full-time maneuver element, conducting the full spectrum of “combat arms” missions. We do everything the combat arms guys do with not only less training, but different equipment and a variety of different MOSs. We all have different types of backgrounds and schooling within the platoon. We have communications specialists, truck drivers, mechanics, and cooks, as well as fuel, wrecker, and crane operators. Some might look at that as a disadvantage, but I look at it as a major advantage. We are a wide assortment of Soldiers put into an extraordinary situation, but we have risen to the challenge and exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Featured Report from Iraq: A look at the surge from Baghdad (The Fourth Rail)

Featured Report from Iraq: A look at the surge from Baghdad
The Fourth Rail
By: Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
May 29, 2007

Journalist Daveed Gartenstein-Ross was embedded with Pat's group --

U.S. strategy is not just military in nature. Rather, it is designed to eliminate some of the underlying conditions that sap the average Iraqi’s faith in the country’s civil society. For example, in the districts that 2-32 patrols -- Yarmouk and Hateen -- there are four lines of operation: security, governance, economy, and essential services. According to Major Brynt Parmeter, who works at the brigade level, the overall goals are to reduce sectarian fighting, increase the Iraqi security forces’ capabilities, and improve local government to empower it to provide the services that Iraqis need. The Iraqis lack a number of essential services. Right now the U.S. focus is on food centers, financial institutions, fuel, and medical needs—but the Iraqis are also lacking in trash collection, reliable sewers, electricity, and other services. The effect of the lack of essential services on Iraqis should not be underestimated. Gas cost 5 cents a liter under Saddam Hussein; now the official price has skyrocketed to about 70 cents a liter. But in practice it is far higher than that: according to Lieutenant Patrick Henson, there is only one government-run gas station in the Yarmouk district. When the long lines around the station are coupled with security concerns, it should come as no surprise that many Iraqis buy their gas from the black market, where prices can reach $2 a liter. In other words, Iraqis may be paying more for their gas than Americans -- and the average Iraqi income is substantially lower than the average American income.

Featured Report from Iraq: A look at the surge from Baghdad (The Fourth Rail)

Baghdad: Patrolling Yarmouk (part1)

Baghdad: Patrolling Yarmouk
Counterterrorism Blog
By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
May 25, 2007

On May 23 and 24, I went on a couple of evening patrols in Baghdad's Yarmouk administrative district. I went with a platoon from the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, with which I am embedded; they are working with the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division while in Iraq. The battalion of which 2-32 is a part is responsible for a large section of northwest Baghdad, which includes a couple of districts that have been hot lately, Kadamiyah and Mansour. But the districts that 2-32 patrols -- Yarmouk and Hateen -- are relatively quiet. The most dangerous aspect of patrols in those districts is the drive to reach them.

In a briefing earlier this week, I learned that 2-32 has four lines of operation: security, governance, economy, and essential services. During Wednesday night's patrol, the main objective was for the soldiers to introduce themselves to Iraqis on a couple of blocks and get the residents to fill out security surveys with basic information about themselves. The troops would also speak with the Iraqis, with the help of a translator, asking about their basic needs as well as follow-up questions geared to ferreting out a possible insurgent presence in the neighborhood.

On Wednesday's patrol I caught my first glimpse of Baghdad outside the wire in the daylight. The fact that a war is raging in this city is apparent at first glance, yet life goes on. Some of the areas we passed were composed of abandoned ruins and burned-out shells of buildings -- areas where nobody should want to set foot, not even in the daylight. Other areas were residential, with large handsome estates right next door to bombed-out buildings that must have been equally handsome years ago, before the American invasion. Some Iraqis walked down the streets casually, some were standing and conversing. Some -- particularly those with kids -- waved at the American Humvees as they passed, while others glared with manifest anger. All of the women I saw on the streets wore either burkas or heavy hijabs, and had male escorts. Although the roads themselves were relatively clean (almost certainly to reduce the chance of an IED attack), the sides of the roads were littered with trash.

I was told that there are subtle signs of whether a neighborhood is safe. One of the signs of a safe neighborhood is the presence of kids, and there were a large number of kids running around in the first neighborhood we visited. Some of the soldiers secured the street to make sure we didn't get ambushed, while the platoon leader, the translator, and a few soldiers went into houses to speak with the residents. While having a bunch of heavily armed American soldiers show up at your door unannounced must be a shock, the translator (who identified himself only as "Mo") did a good job of explaining what was going on to the residents. In every instance, the troops were invited in without incident.

At the first house we visited, the Iraqi men immediately said in English: "This is good neighborhood! It is safe neighborhood!" Lieutenant Kevin Mills of 2-32 would later tell me that this is the first thing Iraqis always tell them, "even if they're right next door to a couple of bombed-out buildings." He noted that for many, claiming the neighborhood is safe is a matter of honor: often it's only in the second or third line of questioning that you get a better read on the actual security situation, such as the fact that they heard mortar fire nearby or that a lot of strange men have been going in and out of a neighboring house at odd hours.

But this really did seem to be a safe neighborhood. The kids came right up and spoke to us with the raw enthusiasm that small children can have. When they realized that I spoke some Arabic, a throng of about five kids surrounded me. We made basic conversation, but mainly they asked me to give them things. The first thing they wanted was a football; when they realized I didn't have one, they decided they could settle for a lesser ball, and asked for a baseball. They then asked for money, for my helmet, for my anti-ballistic goggles.

The people in both of the neighborhoods we visited Wednesday were friendly. The neighborhoods were cosmopolitan, with a mix of Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds. A couple of men we encountered claimed to have been generals in the old Iraqi army. ("We run into a lot of former generals," one U.S. soldier told me. "They must have had a lot more generals than our military does.") I particularly enjoyed watching one of the servicemen, Specialist Rene Hernandez, interacting with the Iraqis. One of the other soldiers explained that Hernandez was on his third tour in the Middle East and could speak enough Arabic to joke around with Iraqis. When I drew a bit closer to investigate, I found Hernandez speaking a mix of Arabic, English, occasional Spanish, and often just plain gibberish -- at one point impersonating a donkey, which drew raucous laughter from the young men he was speaking with.

(continued..)

Baghdad: Patrolling Yarmouk (part2)

Baghdad: Patrolling Yarmouk
Counterterrorism Blog
By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
May 25, 2007

The residents had a standard battery of complaints in both neighborhoods we visited. Trash wasn't being picked up; the residents weren't receiving electricity from the city and had to rely on private generators; the price of gasoline was skyrocketing (it was 5 cents a liter under Saddam Hussein, and is now up to 70 cents a liter). I asked one of the platoon's senior men what they would do about these complaints, and he said that they would probably contract out things like trash collection and other services. Consistent with their goal of growing the country's economy, their preference is to contract these jobs out to Iraqis wherever possible.

The soldiers were proud of the difference they had made in the areas they were patrolling. Sergeant Vince Passero said that if I had been here when they first arrived in February, I would see how pronounced the change was: when they first arrived, there were more IEDs, more attacks, and the areas were less safe.

That first day of patrol, of course, does not represent the full picture of Iraq. According to recent opinion polls, about 60% of Iraqis think it's okay to kill U.S. troops. The second day of patrol provided a bit more of a glimpse of that other side of Iraq, as we were targeted by small arms fire a couple of times. The shots were far off the mark the first time; the second time, hours later, a bullet fired at us near the JSS ricocheted off a concrete barrier about eight feet away from our Humvee.

The people we encountered on the second patrol were also more distressed than the Iraqis we ran into the first night. One man, a white-haired gentleman who looked to be in his mid-fifties, had just lost his brother. "Iraq has no government, no government," he said emphatically. "In two years we are all dead. Nobody will protect us." Others spoke of the deteriorating security situation -- a point that was underscored when the soldiers tried to get information about a recent mortar attack that seemingly originated nearby. Most of the residents could provide nothing useful, explaining with a shrug that they hear mortars fired all the time.

At one point that night, we heard the sudden crackle of gun shots a few blocks away. Heavy gunfire continued for a short time, at least 20 to 30 seconds. After a quick effort to assess whether we were being attacked, the soldiers quickly determined that it was the Iraqi army firing their guns. "If they see something they don't like, they usually just fire their guns straight up in the air, sometimes for a very long time," one of the soldiers told me. "We've tried to get them to do it differently, but they haven’t listened to our tactical advice."

In a briefing on Thursday, Ambassador John Bennett told me that while many larger factors will determine the future of Iraq, patrols occur at a granular level. Wednesday and Thursday were a chance for me to step back from the big picture and get a better look at that granular level.

Thanks to Public Multimedia Inc. for its assistance in organizing my embedded reporting from Iraq. You can support my embed and independent reporting through donations to the Counterterrorism Foundation.

The Back-Street Front Lines

The Back-Street Front Lines
US News and World Report
By Linda Robinson
Posted 5/20/07

BAGHDAD-Since the Baghdad security plan began on a rolling start in February, many neighborhoods have been cleared of insurgents by U.S. soldiers in armored Stryker vehicles. The second, "control" phase is underway in many areas. "We are very good at clearing areas," says Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, commander of the division carrying out the plan, "but that does not count for anything unless you hold it afterward. This time we have forces in place to stay."

Most of the 37 combat outposts and 29 joint security stations (JSS) planned for Baghdad have been set up. Concrete barriers are being erected in markets and seven neighborhoods, along with other traffic and population control measures. Fil's deputy, Brig. Gen. John Campbell, choppers around the city monitoring progress daily. "Everyone agrees that the top priority is to get the violence down," he says.

The picture remains mixed. Sectarian deaths are down by half, but areas of the city remain violent, and the car bomb plague continues. Officials are debating where to put the fifth and final U.S. brigade when it arrives next month. If it is diverted to trouble spots outside Baghdad, some fear that will leave the capital-the declared main focus-with too few U.S. troops.

Sewage problems. A tour of several outposts found some well advanced and others still warding off attacks. A month-long clearing operation in West Baghdad has enabled soldiers to establish JSS Yarmouk in relative tranquillity. In northeast Baghdad, soldiers from 2d Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division arrived at JSS Sulakh in February. Two platoons of artillerymen rotate into the compound every four or five days. One platoon guards the blue-and-white police station while the other patrols with Iraqi soldiers and policemen. Capt. Andrew Artis and his men have finished sandbag defenses, but they have not yet figured out an answer for the stinking sewage system.

U.S. soldiers man an MK-19 grenade launcher on the roof at all times, but Artis credits frequent foot patrols with deterring the sniper who had targeted the police station. Many Iraqis are horrified that the Americans are working with the local police, who are widely mistrusted. But since the Americans moved into JSS Sulakh, a trickle of residents now approach the front gate to report problems.

Farther south, in Adhamiya, Lt. Col. Eric Schacht's 1-26 Infantry Task Force has had a much rougher time in this longtime haven for Sunni insurgents. In early March, Schacht's men set up JSS Adhamiya in the police station a few blocks from Baghdad's main Sunni mosque. A platoon rotates in every 24 hours. For three weeks the soldiers came under intense attack from grenades, molotov cocktails, mortars, and gunfire. They still receive fire daily, but an extra perimeter of concertina wire staves off grenades. With Shiite militias moving in, Schacht's battalion has suffered heavy losses since last August: 17 killed and 71 wounded out of 800 men.

Schacht tries hard to win over Adhamiyans. He meets regularly with the local District Advisory Council, but two of its past four chairmen have been killed, and a third was jailed for killing his successor. Schacht has also reached out to the senior imam at the mosque. But the Shiite-dominated Baghdad government refuses to pick up trash in the area, as evidenced by the garbage-strewn streets. Government rations of rice, beans, and coffee are not reaching Adhamiya. By contrast, across the Tigris River in the Shiite neighborhood of Kadamiya, streets are being paved, gardens planted, and sewage lines fixed.

The battalion will continue its daily patrols and meetings and small-scale fixer-upper projects such as repairing schools and clinics. But its grass-roots effort alone will not turn the tide. Schacht, who has served a total of 33 months here, offers a sobering assessment: "If reconciliation doesn't occur at the government-of-Iraq level, and resources aren't cut loose to help this part of the city, we will end up with the status quo." And that status quo, the inexorable asphyxiation of this Sunni enclave, might be the fate of Iraq writ large.

This story appears in the May 28, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides
Dagger Brigade Combat Team Official Site
Week: May 14 - May 20
Slides: 24, 25

2-32 FA Soldiers Train Their Iraqi Counterparts

Alpha Battery

CPL Vaughn Welcomes Addition to Family on R&R

Iraqi, MND-B troops discover abandoned house used for violence

BlackAnthem Military News
Iraqi, MND-B troops discover abandoned house used for violence
1st Lt Charles Bloomfield, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment
May 19, 2007

Blackanthem Military News, BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces and Soldiers from the Multi-National Division – Baghdad discovered a “torture house” in the Yarmouk neighborhood of the Iraqi capital May 16. The house was one of two sites found that day containing evidence of criminal activity in the western Baghdad Mansour District.

U.S. Soldiers from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, along with Iraqi troops from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, investigated a site where U.S. forces had previously discovered a weapons cache containing nitric acid, as well as other bomb making materials.

The troops revisited the site in hopes of another discovery and found some human skeletal remains in the yard outside of the house. Inside the house, the Soldiers found other disturbing signs as they continued their search.

An upstairs room had the tools and layout of an interrogation room. Two metal mattress springs were laid against the wall near bare electrical wires, a table with odd markings from fire and chemical burns and triangle racks were hung from the ceiling. This evidence, and knowledge of the area’s history of extrajudicial killings, led the patrol leader, 1st Lt. Patrick Henson, of Orlando, Florida, and his Soldiers to conclude that the house had been used for illegal detentions, and possibly for the abuse or interrogation of kidnapped victims.

Expanding his investigation, Henson questioned the neighbors and learned that Coalition Forces had raided the house earlier this year, killing two men, but unusual activity had continued until the surge of forces into the Mansour District enabled security forces to clear many of the buildings in the vicinity.

While searching the suspected torture house, the Soldiers received a tip from a local Iraqi leading to another weapons cache nearby. At this second location, the troops discovered a weapons cache concealed in an air duct behind a picture hung on the wall. The cache consisted of 10 AK-47 magazines, more than 300 rounds of ammunition, three AK-47 assault rifles, an improvised grenade, a large roll of detonation cord, a camcorder, seven washing machine timers, three cell phones and numerous 9-volt batteries. Iraqi Army troops recovered one bag of ammonium nitrate and two propane tanks from the yard, as well.

Taking explosives, weapons and munitions out of the hands of extremists relies heavily on the support of each local community, said Capt. David Levasseur, public affairs officer for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division.“

The Iraqi people are the key to our success,” he said. “Only their resolve and determination to help us by talking to security forces will allow us to deny anti-Iraqi forces places to hide.”

Levasseur added that the assistance provided to Coalition Forces in this predominately Sunni neighborhood demonstrates that its residents recognize their role and are committed to helping restore peace to their community.

U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Patrick Henson, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment

The Patriot Call: Iraq Edition, Vol 1, Issue 4

The Patriot Call: Iraq Edition
Volume 1, Issue 4
May 16, 2007

Includes:

'Coach Gadson' by MAJ James MacGregor

'LTC Gadson, Calling the Plays'

'In The Shadow of His Wings' by CH Troy Parson

'Becoming a Platoon Leader' by 1LT Ryan Stidum

'A Finely Orchestrated Few' by 1LT John Nguyen

'Tip of the Spear' by Adam Wojcik

'Support From Home' by 1SG Frederick Johnson

'Keys to Retention' by SSG Danelle Magalit

'Service Support' by 1LT Christopher Lowry