Lieutenant colonel Greg Gadson is Giants' inspirational co-captain

Lieutenant colonel Greg Gadson is Giants' inspirational co-captain
NY Daily News
Mike Lupica
January 22nd 2008

His name is Lt. Col. Greg Gadson and he used to wear No. 98 for the Army football team and was with the Second Battalion and 32nd Field Artillery, on his way back from a memorial service for two soldiers from his brigade when he lost both his legs to a roadside bomb in Bahgdad. It was the night of May 7, 2007, and Lt. Col. Gadson didn't know it at the time because he couldn't possibly have known, but it was the beginning of a journey that brought him to Lambeau Field Sunday night.

He was there as an honorary co-captain of the Giants, there on the sideline at Lambeau because this Giants' season has become his season now and he wasn't going to watch from some box. This is a Giant at the Super Bowl worth knowing about, as much as any of them.

"Me being a part of this team," Gadson was saying Monday night from his home in Virginia, having made it back there from Green Bay, "really starts with the team I played on at West Point."

He played at West Point between 1985 and 1988, and one of his teammates was Mike Sullivan, who played cornerback and some safety and is now one of Tom Coughlin's assistants with the Giants. When Sullivan and so many other of Gadson's teammates found out what had happened on the night of May 7, found that Gadson had first lost his left leg to arterial infections and then his right, it brought that old Army team back together.

"My injury turned out to be a catalyst event," Gadson said. "These were guys who hadn't talked in years, but now were rallying around me, and my family. Some of us had stayed in contact, but not to any great degree. But now an incident in a war reminded us that we were still brothers."

Sullivan visited Gadson at Walter Reed, came back in June, this time with a No. 98 Giants jersey, Gadson's own name on the back, signed by several Giants players. When Sullivan left that day in June, he said to Gadson, "What else can we do?"

Greg Gadson said he'd love to take his family to a Giants game.

It was the Giants-Redskins game, in Washington, third Sunday of the season, Giants 0-2 by then. The tickets were arranged and then the Friday before the game Mike Sullivan called and asked if Gadson would be interested in addressing the team on Saturday night.

Gadson's wife Kim drove him to the Giants' hotel. Lt. Col. Greg Gadson, Second Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, old outside linebacker from Army, spoke to the Giants. And just as no one knew that the Giants would begin a 10-game road winning streak the next day, just as no one knew this could ever become a Super Bowl season, no one in that room including Gadson himself knew that the soldier in the wheelchair was joining the season that night.

"I just spoke from the heart, as a soldier and as a former football player," he said, "for about 10 or 15 minutes. I talked to them about appreciating the opportunities in their lives, how special and privileged they were, how everybody needs to understand what they truly have. And I talked to them about the power of sports in people's lives, especially soldiers' lives, how many times I'd watched soldiers get up in the middle of the night after a 12-hour shift if there is a chance to watch a game, or how soldiers would do anything to watch a game before they went on that kind of shift.

"I told them that of course after all the exteriors had been stripped away, they played the game for themselves. But that they had to play the game for each other. Then I talked about myself, how my old teammates came to my need, and how I was reminded again the power of a team, the emotional commitment teammates have for each other, that when a team finds a way to do things greater than they thought they could do, that they couldn't have done individually, that a bond is formed that can live forever.

"I told them that truly great teams usually form that bond by going through something together, and how whatever they were going through at that point in the season that no success ever came easy. And finally I reminded them that nothing is promised to anybody in this life, starting with tomorrow."

The Giants won the next day against the Redskins, and began a six-game winning streak, and began that road winning streak that now takes them on the road to Super Bowl XLII. It began Greg Gadson's road to Lambeau, and being wheeled out by his 13-year old son Jaelen as an honorary co-captain of the Giants along with the great Harry Carson.

"I can't even remember the last time I was actually out on the field," he said. "Maybe when I played."

Gadson had been on the sidelines when the Giants won their first playoff game against the Bucs. The team wanted him in Dallas, but he was having more surgery, on what is left of his right leg, and his right arm, which had also been damaged by the IED. But he was well enough to travel to Green Bay, and strong enough to spend the whole game on the sideline with his son, the players calling him what they have all along:

Sir.

"I wouldn't say I was warm," he said. "But I was comfortable enough not to be hugging one of those heaters all day."

He watched from the sidelines at Lambeau as the team he met at 0-2 played the way it played against the Packers and played itself to the Super Bowl, watched as the Giants came back from that missed field goal at the end of regulation, finally saw Lawrence Tynes kick it through from 47 yards out.

"When the ball went through, you could feel the elation on our sidelines, and hear the stadium go quiet at the same time," Gadson said. "It was like the air being let out of a whole state's soul. And then the next thing I saw was my son jumping in the air and running on that field."

The boy ran for both of them.

Al Qaeda in Iraq's shrinking area of operations

Al Qaeda in Iraq's shrinking area of operations
The Long War Journal
Bill Roggio
January 17, 2008

Nearly one year to the day of the announcement of the "surge" of US forces to Iraq and the change in counterinsurgency plan, Iraqi and Coalition forces have shrunk al Qaeda's ability to conduct operations inside Iraq, a senior US commander said
...

Article with excellent maps, detailing progress in Baghdad and throughout Iraq, through the past year.

Video: Iraqi Police Screening

Video: Iraqi Police Screening
DVIDS
Date Taken: 01-17-2008

DVIDS Video Summary
Direct Link to Video

B-roll of U.S. Army Soldiers, along with Iraqi army and police, screening 175 applicants applying for positions in the Police Auxiliary in Hateen, Iraq. Scenes include Iraqis applicants waiting to be screened, filling out personal information and taking part in health and physical tests. Produced by Spc. Charles W. Gill.

Video: U.S. Army Soldiers Conduct a Traffic Control Point Inspection and Patrol

Video: U.S. Army Soldiers Conduct a Traffic Control Point Inspection and Patrol DVIDS
Date Taken: 11-09-2007

DVIDS Video Summary Page
Direct Link to Video

B-roll of U.S. Army Soldiers conducting a traffic control point inspection and patrol in Hateen, Iraq. Scenes include Soldiers searching cars, speaking with local market owners and playing with Iraqi children. Produced by Spc. Sharhonda R. McCoy.

Activities at Yarmuk Hospital

Activities at Yarmuk Hospital
DVIDS
Date Taken: December 30th, 2007

Activities at Yarmouk Hospital

Troops Visit Yarmouk Hospital

Troops Visit Yarmouk Hospital DVIDS
Date Taken: December 30th, 2007

Troops Visit Yarmouk Hospital

Dismounted Patrol

Dismounted Patrol
DVIDSHUB
Joint Combat Camera Center
Date Taken: November 28th, 2007

dismounted patrol 01042008

• U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kevin Hudson and Pfc. Wesley Bass, Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, and Iraqi soldiers search vehicles at a traffic control point in a market area of Hateen, Iraq, Nov. 29, 2007.
• U.S. Army Sgt. Thomas Ciurro, Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, provides security outside a market shop during a dismounted patrol in Hateen, Iraq, Nov. 29, 2007.

Video: Controlled Burn

Video: Controlled Burn
DVIDSHUB
Joint Combat Camera Center
Date Taken: 10-26-2007

DVIDSHUB Video Page
Direct Link to Video

B-roll of U.S. Army Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery supervising a controlled burn led by the Iraqi Fire Department. Scenes include starting the fire and placing barriers around the blaze.

Giants name Honorary Captains

Giants name Honorary Captains
Giants.com
By Michael Eisen
Jan 17, 2008

Harry Carson and Lt. Col. Greg Gadson Named Giants Honorary Captains for NFC Championship Game.

Lt. Col. Greg Gadson has been inspiration to the Giants.

One of the men is very well known to the Giants and their fans: Harry Carson, the Hall of Fame linebacker who played for the team from 1976-88. Carson remains a frequent and valued presence around the Giants.

The other honorary captain has become a special figure to the players and coaches this season, but is unknown outside the immediate team family: U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Greg Gadson, who lost both of his legs in May when an IED (improvised explosive device) detonated while he was serving in Iraq. Gadson spoke to the Giants prior to their victory in Washington in September and he attended their Wild Card victory at Tampa Bay two weeks ago.

Coach Tom Coughlin selected Carson and Gadson as the honorary captains for their leadership abilities and the respect they command from the players and coaches.

�I�ve always been a very strong advocate of Harry in terms of what he accomplished on the field and the quality of person he is,� Coughlin said. �Harry Carson, to me, represents the Hall of Fame, the New York Giants and New York Giants pride, and I think this is another excellent opportunity for us to express our gratification to Harry for the great player that he was and the quality of person that he is.

�Lt. Colonel Greg Gadson � is a real hero. There is a real man. His sacrifice, what he has done in his young life so that we all are able to sleep under the blanket of freedom is an incredible testimony to the quality of man that he is and his belief in the values that we all aspire to believe in.

"We just thought that this was a natural at this point in time. Since John Mara met Greg way back when, John has wanted him to be with us on the sideline as much as he can. The only reason he wasn't in Dallas was because he had surgery. It's a tremendous opportunity for us to thank him, first of all. His son will be with him, and this opportunity means as much to us as it does to Greg and his family. And I think it's good for America. The NFL is an extremely, extremely popular game and we are in the final four, one step from the Super Bowl. And really what's important is that we honor someone like Lt. Colonel Greg Gadson. Every player on this team is touched by that guy."

Carson and Gadson haven't met, but they sound as if they're mimicking each other each other when they speak about leaders, teamwork and their opportunity to stand in the center of Lambeau Field for the coin toss on Sunday.

"I was really surprised and really honored, much like when George Young passed away and at his funeral service I was the only player asked to speak," Carson said. "Another example is when we went to the Super Bowl in '86 and (Bill) Parcells sent me out for the coin toss as the lone captain. It's an honor and I don't take it lightly. It made me feel good."

As it did Gadson.

"It's overwhelming and I'm completely honored that they felt that way about me," Gadson said. "I certainly feel that way about them. It's really been a unique experience. Eight months ago I never would have imagined that my life would have been turned upside down and I'd have these things happen to me. I'm just fighting to get it back together again. Here I am now going out as an honorary captain for the New York Giants. I don't know that you ever have dreams like that. So I'm really very honored and very flattered. And to be out there with Harry Carson, who was one of my heroes growing up, makes it even more special."

Both Carson and Gadson are leadership specialists. Carson was a team captain (either with others or solo) for most of his last decade with the Giants. To the Giants of the 1980s, and particularly the 1986 team that won Super Bowl XXI, Carson is still the team�s leader.

That point was driven home to Coughlin in May, when he was honored as the 2007 Man of the Year by MAN (Minority Athletes Networking) Inc., a non-profit organization co-founded by former Giants Ron Johnson and George Martin and a group that Carson is intimately involved with. MAN Inc. is dedicated to positively influencing the lives of disadvantaged youth in the tri-state area.

Approximately 15 members of the 1986 Giants attended the MAN dinner. Coughlin was impressed with the deep bond that still exists among the players, one that is constantly fostered by Carson.

"I could just sense the tremendous respect and admiration they all had for each other and they had fun being back together," Coughlin said. "It's hard to separate anybody out, but right in the middle was Harry."

That's where Carson has been since he first wore a Giants uniform almost 32 years ago.

"Tom looked at the relationships that we have as players after all these years," Carson said. "The guys still call me their captain. When Pepper Johnson sends me an email he says, 'My captain.' You have those bonds, you have those relationships. As you prepare for battle and you're going to war - but in a different way - you go to war with the guys that are around you. And you hold those guys up with the utmost respect. Those guys - Carl Banks, Jim Burt, Pepper Johnson - they still refer to me as their captain.

"I'm happy that the organization looks at me in the same way. I'm almost 20 years out of football, but I still have a relationship with the organization, and I'm very honored to have been asked to be an honorary captain for this game.

Gadson, 41, was in a war - a real one - and it cost him his legs. He also suffered less severe injuries. Gadsen had surgery on his arm last week - "For the first time in eight months I'm able to touch my nose and eat with my right hand," he said yesterday - and he is learning to use prosthetic legs. But as much as he's looking forward to Sunday, he would return to the battlefield in a heartbeat if he could.

"The opposite side of the coin is I could be in Iraq leading my soldiers," Gadson said. "Honestly, as special as this is, that's where I want to be first. I could also be dead, because I almost died. But I'm thankful I'm alive and having a chance to participate in this."

Gadson was introduced to the Giants by wide receivers coach Mike Sullivan, his teammate and fellow member of the Class of 1989 at West Point. Gadson was a three-year starter at linebacker. The two men have remained close friends. Sullivan visited Gadson at Walter Reed Army Hospital just outside of Washington in June. He was taken by Gadson's upbeat attitude and determination in the face of tremendous adversity. Sullivan told Gadson he wanted him to attend the game when the Giants visited the Redskins.

As the game approached, Sullivan told Coughlin about Gadson. The coach arranged for Gadson to speak to the then 0-2 team the night before they played the Redskins. Gadson talked for 15 minutes and received a standing ovation when he was finished.

"His message and the lessons that he spoke of in terms of team - the seriousness of his team and how he prepared his team and the thoughts that he had about the people that served under him in Iraq were just tremendous lessons," Coughlin said. "I told our players that it's not often in our lives that we meet an individual who can have a profound influence on our lives just simply by the value of the character of the man and what he stands for. This guy is something very special."

The day after Gadson spoke to the team, Plaxico Burress scored a touchdown and immediately presented the ball to Gadson, who was sitting in his wheelchair on the sideline. The Giants trailed at halftime, 17-3, but rallied for a 24-17 victory that turned around their season.

When the Giants arrived in Tampa, Gadson, to the surprise of everyone but Coughlin and Sullivan, was waiting for them in the hotel. He was greeted warmly by everyone.

"I'm honored that the players and I have developed a bond in the short time that we have," Gadson said. "They're a special group of men that is playing well as a team. They got it. It's a team sport. Their accomplishments are greater as a team than they are as individuals."

Carson believes that teamwork is the key to the Giants' success.

"I'm very happy for the team," Carson said. "I'm not overly surprised. I always felt that this was a team that if it played smart, and regardless of what happens, keeps playing as hard as you can play, good things can happen. This is a team that Tom has put together and has done a good job of instilling the concept of team in these guys. It's about playing for one another. It's not about the individual, it's not about stats - it's about winning. Whenever guys are called on, it's about stepping up and making a play."

The Giants will need to make many plays on Sunday if they are to win the conference title and advance to Super Bowl XLII. Carson and Gadson hope they can use their position as honorary captains to help inspire the team to greatness.

"Plaxico tells the story of his first year with the Giants when he got hurt in a game," Carson said. "He looked over on the sideline and saw me and one or two other (former) players. He said the look that we gave him, he knew, "I better get back into the game." We sort of laugh about that.

"But when you have guys that have been there, guys that have won it all, guys who know what it takes, perhaps that can help inspire some of the younger guys. I hope that I can be an inspiration for them."

Gadson will be accompanied on the field by his 13-year-old son, Jaelen.

"When I was in Tampa, it was the first time I saw everybody since Washington," Gadson said. "I felt that I was as special to them as they are to me. I was in the team hotel when they filed in and I had my prosthetic legs on. The eye contact we made with each other as the players came in, I felt then that I was part of the team."

He's correct. And on Sunday, Gadson and Carson will be with the Giants on the field for the NFC Championship Game.

Combat team provides barrier security in Iraq

Combat team provides barrier security in Iraq
The Leave Chronicle
By 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs
January 14, 2008

Since arriving in theater, Company A, 526th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, has been providing barrier movement and emplacement support throughout the greater Baghdad area.

Recently, the company was tasked with another mission of significant importance. The new task also involved concrete barriers; however, these barriers are not your ordinary highway dividers found on roads in the United States.

The barriers used in Iraq are a lot bigger. In fact, there are several types of barriers, all with different heights, lengths, widths and even shapes. Some barriers have the capability of interlocking with each other. These interlocking barriers are used to secure roads leading into a neighborhood or to divert vehicles through a checkpoint controlled by Iraqi security forces.

During the most recent barrier mission, Company A was tasked to support the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment. By supporting the artillerymen, they are helping them improve their relations with the local nationals. The soldiers accomplished their mission in the nighttime hours by providing a forklift, operator and ground guide for safety while using night-vision devices.

The crew has also emplaced barriers in Baghdad neighborhoods for protection or as a trash collection point. The trash collection points provide the people of those neighborhoods a place to store their trash before it is burned or disposed of.

"The challenges that these neighborhoods face in protecting themselves is totally different than what we go through in the U.S. We have to respect that," said Sgt. Jesse Veeser, with Company A, 526th BSB.

The gesture of creating trash points and walls for the neighborhood watch groups to defend themselves helps create a strong bond between the Iraqi people and the coalition forces.

"Working with 2-32 to improve these neighborhoods is easy for us," says Sgt. James Aycock, Company. A, 526th BSB. "They (2-32 FA) protect us and our forklift and talk to these guys [Iraqi citizens from each Muhallah] before we come out to get exactly how they want the barriers emplaced in their [Iraqi] neighborhood."

Yarmouk leader killed by extremist attack

Yarmouk leader killed by extremist attack
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
January 11, 2008

A Baghdad neighborhood council chairman was killed by an extremist who detonated a car bomb Jan. 8 in western Baghdad.

Dr. Faleh Mansour Hussain served his community as the chairman of the Yarmouk Neighborhood Council.

Following the detonation, Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, sealed off the area and assisted in the aftermath of the attack.

Iraqi first responders transported him to the Yarmouk Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

“Dr. Faleh was an honorable man who always held the interest of the Yarmouk neighborhood first,” said Maj. J. Frank Garcia, public affairs officer for 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. “Attacks on civilians like this are done by those who are trying to prevent the peace and stability Iraqi citizens deserve.”

The incident is under investigation.

Video: U.S. Army Soldiers Award Grants to Business Owners

Video: U.S. Army Soldiers Award Grants to Business Owners
DVIDSHUB
Joint Combat Camera Center
Date Taken: 10-10-2007

• DVIDSHUB Video Description Page
• Direct Link to Video

B-roll of U.S. Soldiers awarding grants to local business owners in Baghdad, Iraq. Scenes include Soldiers meeting with a local business owner, speaking with the individual and paying out money to the individual. Produced by Senior Airman Geneva Stone.

Video: U.S. Army Soldiers Site Weapons

Video: U.S. Army Soldiers Site Weapons
DVIDSHUB
Joint Combat Camera Center
Date Taken: 10-10-2007

• DVIDSHUB Video Description Page
• Direct Link to Video

B-roll of U.S. Soldiers siting weapons in at Camp Liberty, Iraq. Scenes include Soldiers at a shooting range siting in their weapons, firing rounds and checking their targets. Produced by Senior Airman Geneva Stone.

Black Lions capture suspected extremist (Baghdad)

Black Lions capture suspected extremist (Baghdad)
Multi-National Force Iraq Website
January 9, 2008

Multi-National Division – Baghdad forces captured a suspected extremist in the southern portion of the capital during a raid in the early morning hours of Jan. 3.

The 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division received word from the 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Inf. Div. that one of their targets was in the “Black Lions” area of operations.

Company A, 1-28 Inf. raided a house in the western area of the Rashid District after receiving reliable information to the suspect’s whereabouts.

In addition to capturing the suspected insurgent, “Attack” Company detained another individual who was in the house.

“This is a strong example of cooperation between units to identify an individual who we believe has been conducting extremist actions outside of our operational area,” said Maj. Kirk Luedeke, Task Force Dragon spokesman.

Daily Security Incidents

Daily Security Incidents
McClatchy News
Jan 8, 2008

Around 11 a.m., an IED was planted inside the car of the head of Yarmouk council ( Dr.Falah Mansour Hussein ) who was killed in the incident with two other people who were injured .

Iraqi Police Badging and Market Dismount

Iraqi Police Badging and Market Dismount
DVIDS
Photographer: Spc. Sharhonda Mccoy
Date Taken: November 28th, 2007

Iraqi Police Badging 20071230

• U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Shurland Pierre from Bravo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan., provides security during a dismount outside a market in Hateen, Iraq, Nov. 28.
• U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Brown and 1st Lt. Patrick Henson from Bravo Battery, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan., dismount outside a busy market intersection to gather intelligence in Hateen, Iraq, Nov. 28.
• U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Terrance Goff, Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, holds an Iraqi boy after helping him down from a tree during a dismounted patrol in Hateen, Iraq, Nov. 29.
• U.S. Army Soldiers from Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, conduct a dismounted patrol in a market area of Hateen, Iraq, Nov. 29.

Yarmuk Carpentry Shop

Yarmuk Carpentry Shop
DVIDS
Photographer: Spc. Charles Gill
Date Taken: November 27th, 2007

Yarmouk Carpentry Shop 20071230

Local men work on a project at a carpentry shop in the Yarmuk neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 27. U.S. Army Soldiers from the Civil Military Operations Company, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, were in the area conducting a routine patrol.

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.