Daily Interaction With Baghdad Residents Making a Difference

Daily Interaction With Baghdad Residents Making a Difference
Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System
1st Armored Division
Posted on April 9, 2007
1st Lt. Charles Bloomfield

BAGHDAD – For some, daily missions have been described as ‘Groundhog Day,’ where nothing ever seems to change and each day mirrors the last. But 1st Lt. Matthew Offiler, of Hyannis, Vt., a member of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, sees things differently.

“On many of the streets we noticed there were work crews cleaning up trash, planting trees, and generally cleaning up the area,” he said after a recent patrol.

“Everything is good and there aren’t any real problems,” a local shop owner told the officer during the same patrol.

Offiler and his platoon, the ‘Black Sheep,’ have contributed to the community by providing security and interacting with residents.

While patrolling through the streets of the capital city, platoon members are often given information which range from sites where kidnap victims are being held to where militia members live.

The ‘Proud Americans’ of 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, have maintained their area of operations for more than three weeks now, and the local citizens are responding positively to the patrols. All these tips about insurgent forces help immensely, and push the neighborhoods toward greater security.

“We talked to the local civilians, who again stated that they wanted our help in restoring power to their neighborhood,” said 1st Lt. Patrick Henson, from Orlando, Fla., and assigned to Battery B. “They also helped our teams hand out small pieces of candy, soccer balls, and ‘I Love Iraq’ stickers to children.”

Henson said a spirit of cooperation is being built with Iraqi citizens and coalition forces, which over time helps improve the security situation.

It also helps to make every day different – and better.

Iraqi Army works to secure, clean up Baghdad’s Yarmouk neighborhood

Iraqi Army works to secure, clean up Baghdad’s Yarmouk neighborhood BlackAntehm Military News
By 1st Lt. Charles Bloomfield, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment
Apr 9, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq — In an effort to improve security in the Yarmouk district of the nation’s capital city, Iraqi Army soldiers have been clearing homes and businesses throughout the neighborhood.

The 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, working in coordination with 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, see this as an important step to improving security in the community.

Early each morning this week, Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces have linked up to prepare for the daily operations. Soldiers have discovered weapons caches within the area and confiscated them in order to eliminate the potential threat these weapons pose.

The Iraqi Army soldiers also cleared the area of trash piles and abandoned vehicles which had allowed terrorists to place and hide IEDs. Other large piles of trash, used to block crossroads and keep insurgents out of the neighborhood, are currently being replaced by concrete barriers.

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

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides
Dagger Brigade Combat Team Official Site
Week: April 2 - April 8
Slides: 16, 17

Bravo Drinks Tea, Builds Relationships

1LT Ryan Stidum
CPT Jayson Morgan

US & IA Soldiers Hand Out School Supplies and Toys

14 Detained at cache site

14 Detained at cache site
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
1st Lt. Charles Bloomfield
2nd Bn, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment
April 7, 2007

BAGHDAD — A large weapons cache was found in the Yarmouok neighborhood on Apr. 3, as security operations continue in western Baghdad.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army, and Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, conducted a joint operations raid that discovered a stockpile of weapons in the nation’s capital.

Among the items confiscated were, explosives, IED making materials, 9mm handguns, 60mm mortars, 82mm mortars, and 57mm projectiles as well as numerous AK-47s and other contraband.

Fourteen men were detained during the operation and are being held for further questioning.

US, Iraqi Troops Work to Secure Baghdad

US, Iraqi Troops Work to Secure Baghdad
Voice of America News
By Margaret Besheer
03 April 2007

In February, U.S. and Iraqi troops began new security operations in Baghdad to bring spiraling sectarian violence under control. VOA's Margaret Besheer reports that in one district of the capital, joint U.S. and Iraqi efforts are slowly having an effect.

Western Baghdad's Mansour district was once home to Iraq's elite. Today, many residents have fled the near-daily car bombings, kidnappings, executions and other violence plaguing the capital, leaving behind impressive villas standing neglected behind high walls covered in flowering vines and concertina wire.

Last month, as part of President Bush's troop surge, the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery arrived in this area to work with Iraqi security forces to clear and secure the Mansour neighborhoods of Yarmouk, Hateen and Qadissiya. Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Gadson is the Battalion commander.

"We are doing this in a couple of ways, with our physical presence in terms of combat patrols," he explained. "But the way ahead in the future is our working with the Iraqi Security Forces; primarily the Iraqi Army, but also with the Iraqi Police. The simple leadership by example, interacting with them on a daily basis, is one part of that."

The Americans are working closely with their Iraqi counterparts, and on one recent foot patrol in the mainly Sunni neighborhood of Yarmouk, an Iraqi police lieutenant joins the American troops as they walk the streets talking to residents.

Police Lieutenant Assad says some of the people trust the police, but others do not because they are worried they are infiltrated by insurgents and militias.

Iraq's security forces are Shiite-led, and have come under widespread criticism for being infiltrated by Shiite militias.

It is early evening as the patrol enters the local square; men are sitting smoking water pipes, children are playing, and the vegetable vendor is doing a brisk business. People seem at ease and happy to see the American soldiers.

Nuzha, the vegetable vendor, says he feels relatively secure in his neighborhood, but he worries more about the lack of electricity and clean water.

As in many parts of Baghdad, public services are the next biggest problem after security. In Mansour, trash filled streets present not only a public health risk, but a security one as well, giving insurgents easy hiding places for bombs. The Americans are working with the Iraqis to get the streets cleaned up.

But there are signs Iraqis are feeling more secure. During one morning rush hour in Yarmouk, a little boy carrying his books walks alone to school, while on another street a group of young girls walk unchaperoned.

By 7:30 a.m., traffic is heavy and congestion develops near the frequent Iraqi police and army checkpoints. At the traffic circles, men and women wait for mini buses to take them to work.

But in the afternoon, the local police station comes under small arms fire, and a short while later a bomb explodes on a Yarmouk street, hitting an armored private security vehicle. No one is injured, but the vehicle is badly damaged. Iraqi police say it is the first roadside bomb in the area in 25 days.

In the late afternoon, an American patrol stops in Hateen, a small, Shi'ite enclave in Mansour. Children are playing in a dusty lot and residents gather quickly when they see the American humvees arrive. Older men in red and white check headscarves and traditional robes offer the soldiers sodas and pose for pictures with them.

The men tell the soldiers that their area is quiet, but they are worried because the neighborhoods around them still have security problems. The American lieutenant in charge of the platoon tries to reassure them. He passes out cards that have a local phone number for residents to call to report any problems or pass on tips about insurgents in their areas.

The soldiers walk up and down Hateen's streets for about an hour talking to the residents and joking with the children, until the daily overnight 8:00 p.m. vehicle curfew begins.

Then they toss a couple of footballs to the dozens of kids who have gathered, and jump in their vehicles to continue their security patrol.

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides
Dagger Brigade Combat Team Official Site
Week: March 26 - April 1
Slides: 15, 16

Bravo Battery Hands Out Soccer Balls

SFC Davies

Patriots Receive Religious Support

SSG Santos' Baptism

The Patriot Call: Iraq Edition, Vol 1, Issue 2

The Patriot Call: Iraq Edition
Vol 1, Issue 2
March 30, 2007

Includes:

'Hope and Sacrifice' by LTC Gregory D Gadson

'For The Troops' by CSM William R Huffin

'Construction Operations' by Adam Wojick

'1st Platoon's First Patrol' by 1LT Brian E Cook

'Bulldawgs Transition to "Infantillery"' by 1LT Patrick Henson

'Gladiators: Mission Ready' by 1LT Kimberlynn Hunter

'Emotional Memory' by Chaplain Troy Parson

'Hellraisers Move Forward' by CPT Jose Henderson

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides
Dagger Brigade Combat Team Official Site
Week: March 19 - March 26
Slides: 16, 17

Alpha CDR Coordinates with Iraqi Army

CPT Brian McCall

1/B/2-32 FA Routinely Interacts with Local Residents

1st Platoon, Bravo Battery

U.S., Iraqis clearing once-upscale area overcome by violence

U.S., Iraqis clearing once-upscale area overcome by violence
Stars and Stripes
Joseph Giordono
March 23, 2007

More than 1,600 American and Iraqi troops have launched “clearing operations” in a formerly upscale district of Mansour that had become notorious for murders and kidnappings.

The operation, dubbed Arrowhead Strike Nine, is aimed at ridding the area of al-Qaida in Iraq operatives and militias. It follows similar operations begun in the southern Baghdad districts of Ghazliya and Ameriya.

“Iraqi security forces partnered with coalition soldiers conducted precision raids this morning against multiple known terrorist targets and then quickly transitioned to clearing neighborhoods house by house, looking for terrorist support zones and illegal weapons caches,” a military news release read.

Soldiers “spoke with the local citizens to hear their concerns and gather information to better support the continuing Baghdad security operation known as Operation Fardh Al Qanoon.”

So far, troops have arrested 11 suspected insurgents and recovered two weapons caches that included nitric acid and chlorine, chemicals that have been used in recent insurgent attacks.

The 500 Iraqi troops included members of the 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division; 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division; 4th Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division; and 5th Battalion, 2nd National Police Brigade.

Some 1,100 U.S troops from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division and the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division also were involved in the operation.

The operation is part of the larger Baghdad security effort known as the “surge” that involves sending at least 17,500 additional American troops into the capital.

For many years, Mansour was known as one of Baghdad’s most upscale neighborhoods and had some of its most popular shopping areas.

As the insurgency worsened and sectarian battles boiled over, it became one of the epicenters for violent attacks in Baghdad.

Fresh troops assume battle space in Baghdad

Fresh troops assume battle space in Baghdad
Multi-National Force - Iraq
1st Lt Charles Bloomfield
March 19, 2007

BAGHADAD — Fresh troops have arrived in western Baghdad and have assumed control in their area of operations.

2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, the ‘Proud Americans,’ officially assumed responsibility for operations March 15, during a transfer of authority ceremony held on Camp Liberty, Iraq.

This is the first time the Proud Americans uncased their colors in a combat zone since the unit departed Vietnam in 1971.

Lt. Col. Gregory Gadson, Commander of 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, gave a motivational speech during the ceremony. He touched upon the progress the unit has made since receiving a change of mission from its traditional field artillery role, to mounted and dismounted infantry operations in western Baghdad.

“I am truly amazed at the transformation the Proud Americans have made over the past four months,” he said. “As recently as October, 2006, we were manning our howitzers and providing fires for the Dragon Brigade; now we are poised for a new mission in west Baghdad and we are honored to serve with the Dagger Brigade, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.”

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides
Dagger Brigade Combat Team Official Site
Week: March 12 - March 18
Slides: 23, 24

Bravo Battery Joint Patrol with 1/2/6 IA and A 1/5 CAV

LT Pat Henson
SFC Brown

Patriots Assume Battlespace

LTC Gadson
CSM Huffin

‘Patriots’ Go for a Right Seat Ride

Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System
‘Patriots’ Go for a Right Seat Ride
by 1st Lt. Charles Bloomfield
March 15, 2007

BAGHDAD – The “Patriots” of 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery started completing their “Right Seat Ride” with 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, on March 11.

This opportunity allows Soldiers from 2-32 FA, to go on patrols through the streets of Baghdad with the experienced Soldiers of 1-5 Cav. It has been a quick week for the Patriot Soldiers and there was a lot to learn.

Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, began the week by riding in vehicles with 1-5 Cav., and by the end of the week, they were taking their own vehicles out on the patrol.

“It helped me learn about our part of Baghdad and the tactics that the units are using to combat the enemy,” said 1st Lt. Matt Offiler, from Battery B, 2nd Bn, 32nd Field Artillery. “It has been interesting, because we have had contact with the enemy every time we go out.”

They took control of their area after a Transfer of Authority ceremony held on Camp Liberty, March 15.

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides

Dagger Brigade Weekly Slides
Dagger Brigade Combat Team Official Site
Week: March 5 - March 11
Slides: 8, 9, 10, 11

Patriots Display Their Carpentry Skills

2-32 Field Artillery Prepares For Combat

Proud Americans Get Promoted

Mailroom Construction

Adapting to Infantry Life - Big Red One artillery troops learn urban warfare skills in Kuwait

Adapting to Infantry Life - Big Red One artillery troops learn urban warfare skills in Kuwait BlackAnthem Military News
By Pfc. Nathan Smith, 4th BCT, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs
Mar 8, 2007

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - Less than a century ago, the U.S. Army engaged in trench warfare. Soldiers have adapted to different forms of combat over the years, and the battle in Iraq is no exception. Today, the Army must adjust to the rigors of urban combat.

Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment not only had to train up on their Military Operations in Urban Terrain skills, but they also had to make the transition from functioning as artillery to infantry for their deployment to Iraq.

To facilitate this transition, the Soldiers of Battery B, 2-32nd FA conducted close-quarters marksmanship training at the MOUT Range here, Feb. 17.

1st Lt. Jeff Christy, the platoon leader of second platoon, Battery B, said his Soldiers have accepted this challenge and are performing admirably.

"They're absolute sponges," Christy said. "Each time we train, a new dynamic is introduced into this training. They've really absorbed it, and they're doing a fantastic job."

Christy said the unit has made great progress from the beginning of their close-quarters marksmanship training in October to now.

Sgt. 1st Class George Allen, the platoon sergeant of 2nd Platoon, Battery B, said the training is more intense than when the training began during the unit's rotation at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.

"Here, we have subject matter experts who help assist not only myself and the platoon leader," Allen said, "as well as those lower enlisted to grasp what it's like to maneuver and engage on a target. Not only is this training intense, but it prepares us for our next step headed toward Iraq."

Allen said his Soldiers are accepting their tasks enthusiastically.

"I can honestly say I wouldn't want to deploy with another group of Soldiers," he said. "The Soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Battery B, are very highly motivated, eager to train, and eager to learn.

"They're focused on the mission at hand."

photo by Spc. Ben Washburn, 4th BCT, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs