Knee Deep in the Hooah!

Enjoy your weekly inoculation against the “No good news out there MSM blues!” Have a blessed weekend!

Re-establishing Business Ties
Posted on 10.16.2008 at 12:06PM
By Staff Sgt. Kyle J. Richardson
11th Public Affairs Detachment

Excerpt
MOSUL, Iraq – Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Military Transition Team conducted a market assessment on how the markets in the southeastern region of Mosul, Iraq have changed since January 2007 on Oct. 9, 2008.

Last January, the markets in the southeastern region of Mosul were barren and plagued by terrorist activities, said Maj. Chad Arcand, team chief for 3-5-2 MiTT.

“Our first mission, we came down here for a good neighbor mission, the parents were actually pulling their kids back in their homes and their businesses were shutting down, people were pulling in chairs and ‘we’re closed’ signs went up,” said Pensacola, Fla. native, Capt. Ken Cook, operations officer with 3-5-2 MiTT. “Twenty minutes after our arrival, I guess they knew what we didn’t, the attack happened and we got hit with RPG and small arms fire, and the enemy tired to converge on us.”

After six long months of patrolling the streets with the Iraqi Army and helping to increase security, the desolate market of 20 stores began to flourish once again, said Arcand.

“100 plus stores are open and only a few are closed,” said Arcand. “It’s hard to get through the streets here now. There are vehicles lined up on either side of the road, people are walking back and forth and conducting business.” Read More
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Another Side of Combat
Posted on 10.15.2008 at 02:20PM
By Lance Cpl. Achilles Tsantarliotis
Regimental Combat Team 1

Excerpt
FALLUJAH, Iraq – Most Marines agree taking care of the man on your left and right is the number one concern in combat.

Marriage and fatherhood, however, can often affect a Marine’s way of thinking and Cpl. David Thomason is learning why.

Thomason, a 23-year-old company clerk from Rochester, Minn., with Headquarters and Support Company, Task Force 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, has participated in one deployment to Afghanistan with his unit, and is now on his second Iraq deployment with them.

Throughout his first two deployments, Thomason served with his unit as a rifleman and as an M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon gunner. His only concern, he said, was his fellow Marines around him.

“I remember humping up a mountain in Afghanistan on a cool day,” recalled Thomason. “I remember thinking how nice a day it was before we started, but once we got up there, it wasn’t nice. It was cold. After unloading my 150-pound pack, I was drenched in sweat. It just starts freezing to your body. Guys were going numb. The cold was the least of our worries though, we were taking fire everyday, but I loved it.” Read More
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‘Friendhip City’ Kicks Off Partnership
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
By Lance Cpl. Joshua Murray
Regimental Combat Team 5

Excerpt
RAWAH — Children at the Al Moaine elementary school scampered down to the entrance to meet the Marines who were visiting to drop off special gifts. They followed the cardboard boxes with their eyes entranced as Marines unloaded them into the schoolyard.

Marines with Fox Company, Task Force 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 5 dropped off the first donation sent to the children by citizens of Towamencin, Pa., which is the “Friendship City” for Rawah.

According to www.towamencin.org, the “Friendship City” program traces its roots to the “People-to-People” program that was inaugurated by the President of the United States in 1956 to establish greater friendship and understanding between the people of the United States and other nations.

The plan to become a “Friendship City” was lead by the mother and father of Capt. Aaron Schwartz, the company commander of Fox Co., who reside in Towamencin. Schwartz’s parents coordinated the program with their son to show support for Rawah’s citizens.

“Thank you so much for this visit to our schools,” said Adam Hamed Ghthayan, the director of education for the city, to the Marines. “We will hand out everything brought to different schools in Rawah.”

The boxes of donated goods contained everything needed to kick off a soccer season, including soccer uniforms in multiple colors. The Marines also brought other donated goods, such as books and writing materials to help the students begin the new school year. Read More
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Coalition, Iraqi Troops Distribute Backpacks, Smiles
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams
Special to American Forces Press Service

Excerpt
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq, Oct. 17, 2008 – Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers, community leaders and Iraqi security forces handed out backpacks and school supplies to boys and girls Oct. 12 at four schools in the Abu Tshir community of southern Baghdad’s Rashid district.

The event was one of four school-supply distributions conducted Oct. 12 to 16 in the Abu Tshir, Saha, Mechaniks and Five Farms areas in southeastern Rashid, said Army Capt. Neville McKenzie, a detachment team leader from Wappingers Falls, N.Y., assigned to Company D, 404th Civil Affairs Battalion.

“This is an opportunity for the national police and the neighborhood advisory council to provide school bags for the [students] here in Abu Tshir,” said McKenzie, who is attached to the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team.

“This is a good opportunity for them to show the community that they are working for them and that they support them, and a good chance for the community to see the good that they can do for them as well,” he said.

The 404th Civil Affairs Detachment, stationed at Fort Dix, N.J., provided the school bags collected from Multinational Division Baghdad at Camp Liberty, Iraq, to distribute to schools throughout the East Rashid community, McKenzie said.

Leaders from the 4th Infantry Division’s 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and deployed here, worked with national police training teams and local leaders from the neighborhood advisory council to coordinate for the Iraqi security forces to participate. Read More
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Soldiers Distribute Hope to Husayniyah Children
Courtesy Story
Posted on 10.17.2008 at 07:49PM
4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

Excerpt
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi army soldiers with the 33rd Brigade distributed soccer balls, toys and other humanitarian items to children in Husayniyah, Karbala province, Oct. 15, 2008.

Maj. Ciro Stefano and Maj. Steven Jones, both with the 33rd Bde. Military Transition Team, organized the event after collecting items donated by friends, family and organizations from the States.

“This is my fourth deployment in the Middle East, and I know there is a great need here – especially when it comes to the children,” said Stephano, who grew up in Annapolis, Md. “I’ve always volunteered my time and resources to children, and I felt that though one person can’t change the world, I can have a positive effect on at least a few. What we do here today will be seen and felt throughout Iraq in the future.” Read More
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Iraqi Army Trains, Competes During Long Knife Challenge
Posted on 10.17.2008 at 03:22AM
By 1st Lt. Dave Collins
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

Excerpt
AMARAH, Iraq – The 38th Iraqi Army Brigade received soldier skills training under the guidance of the U.S. Army’s Long Knife Brigade inside the border city of Amarah Oct. 9, 2008.

The 4th Company, 1st Battalion, 38th IA Bde., and Company A, 2nd Bn., 7th Cavalry Regiment, conducted the week-long training to teach the Iraqi soldiers basic infantry skills comprised of: traffic control point operations, vehicle and personnel searches and troop leading procedures.

The joint-training culminated with squad competitions on aid and litter carry, react-to-contact drills and a push-up competition.

Brig. Gen. Sha’hab Nasser Kathem, the Iraqi brigade commander, recognized the winning squad and passed out awards to his Soldiers for displaying exceptional skill and effort throughout the week. Read More
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Life at Baghdad Zoo returns to normal
Monday, 13 October 2008
By Staff Sgt. James Hunter
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO

Excerpt
BAGHDAD – Life at the Baghdad Zoo is slowly returning to normal as security continues to improve in the Iraqi capital.

“After Coalition forces pushed into Iraq, ousting the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003, the zoo and surrounding park were left unattended and desolate,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Sanford, with the 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “Animals were abandoned, stolen or freed by looters and the park grounds were vandalized.”

It was nearly two years before Coalition forces began to seriously focus their efforts on the zoo after troops gained a foothold on the adjacent International Zone, which provided the opportunity for Dr. Salah, the Zawra Park Director, and Dr. Adel Mousa, the zoo’s director, to truly begin rebuilding the area.

Their efforts, combined with the efforts of Multi-National Division – Baghdad, have brought life back into the zoo.

“The people of (Iraq) visit the zoo quite frequently,” said Sanford, who works closely with the zoo’s director. “It is a central location that helps them see the future of Iraq as a revitalized society and continues to build family relationships and a sense of normalcy in an area so often torn by hardship and conflict. Visiting the zoo and the surrounding Zawra Park area is as much a family outing here in Iraq as it is in the United States.” Read More
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3rd ESC partner with local Iraqis for school reconstruction (Dhi Qar Province)
Friday, 17 October 2008
3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) Public Affairs

Excerpt
AL FAWAZ, Iraq – While security continues to improve in southern Iraq, members of the 7th Sustainment Brigade continue to partner with local communities in Dhi Qar Province to increase civil capacity. An ongoing project to rebuild the Al Ashyabb School is scheduled for completion on November 1 and is another step in the brigade’s continuing effort to encourage goodwill and Iraqi empowerment.

The 7th Sust. Bde. dispatched its civil-military operations team to help facilitate the transformation of a two-room mud shack in Al Fawaz into a building featuring six classrooms, two offices and an area dedicated to gardening.

Through the Iraqi Commander’s Emergency Response Program, the brigade helped coordinate the labor, supplies, and engineering needed to renovate the Al Ashyabb grade school. Local officials estimate about sixty students from ages 6 through 12 will attend the school. Children from Al Batha, a neighboring city separated from the school by the Euphrates river, are also being encouraged to attend. A bridge was constructed by the Al Batha city council to make traveling to school easier.

“This school has a really good structure and will motivate kids to come,” said Chief Warrant Officer Chris Gauthreaux, the project purchasing officer with the 7th Sust. Bde. “Before, kids didn’t want to come to school because the structure was made of mud and they were worried (the room) would cave in on them.” Read More
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3rd ESC Soldiers supply Taji youth with backpacks and school supplies
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20081016-08

Excerpt
CAMP TAJI, IRAQ – Sustainers from Fort Riley’s 1st Sustainment Brigade passed out backpacks filled with school supplies to children of the Somer School, near Taji, in an attempt to strengthen the relationship between Iraqi citizens and Coalition forces, Oct. 15.

“It’s been a great experience getting our Soldiers out of the FOB and into the schools and classrooms to meet the children and teachers,” 1st SB Chaplain, Maj. Terry Hayes.

The mission allowed Coalition forces the chance to equip Iraqi children with some important tools for learning and also a chance to build relationships with their Iraqi neighbors.

“The humanitarian mission is a great aspect of what we are able to provide as American people in support of the local Iraqi populace,” said Capt. Audrey Iriberri of the 1st Sustainment Brigade Iraqi Security Forces Cell. “Humanitarian missions enable Coalition forces to get their faces out to the Iraqi people and it helps the local populace gain support and loyalty toward the American people.” Source Link

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Sons of Iraq under new command in Salman Pak
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory

Excerpt
SALMAN PAK, IRAQ – Local influential shaykhs and leaders from the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police, Coalition forces and local politicians gathered at a ceremony in Salman Pak marking the official transition of the Sons of Iraq program from CF authority to the Government of Iraq Oct. 12.“I am very happy and proud of the IA taking over control of the SoI Mada’in,” said Thaeer Moqsad Salih a member of the SoI. “The SoI helped a lot in contributing to increased security in the Mada’in. Before the SoI terrorists controlled the city (Salman Pak); now it is a lot safer and the people can go out in the streets.”

In the past year attacks against CF have decreased from an average of two-and-a-half daily to less than one a day. CF leaders give much of the credit with the reduction in violence to the SoIs.“The turning point of defeating the terrorists was when the citizens worked hand in hand with the Sons of Iraq and Iraqi Security Forces to fight the terrorists,” said Shaykh Kais Shather, the head of the Mada’in Committee of SoI “The SoIs were a vital part in fighting the terrorists. Many times they were over powered by the terrorists, but that did not stop them from fighting.”Lieutenant Colonel Michael Shrout, commander of Task Force 2-6 Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, told the crowd that there were many critics of the SoI program and most of them were terrorists who did not want to see this day of reconciliation arrive.

Shrout said many wished the program would fail but the CF and SoIs proved the enemies of the Iraqi people wrong.“This ceremony marks the transition of responsibility for administration and payment of the Sawah from the Coalition forces to the Government of Iraq. It also establishes a bond between the Sawah and the Iraq Security Forces that will be as strong and vital as with the Coalition forces”, said Shrout. Read More
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First graduation of literacy program in Hawijah
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20081016-03

Excerpt
HAWIJAH, Iraq – The first graduation of the Hawijah Literacy Program was held at the soccer stadium in the city of Hawijah in Kirkuk Province, Iraq, Oct. 15.

The program, which began June 15 as a pilot program for the National Literary Campaign, graduated nearly 500 students.

The four-month course taught them basic reading, writing and math skills for employment marketability in their local areas. Students attended classes four hours each day, five days per week, for completion of the National Literary Campaign’s requirements. The end result of the program was to give students a higher level of education in literacy and math.

“I have worked closely with the local government leaders and watched them develop this program, through the execution of the program and now with the graduation of these students,” said 1st Lt. Steven Johnson, program coordinator, to the stadium full of graduating students. “For the past four months the Coalition Forces have sat back and watched your local leadership guide you to a prosperous future, teaching you how to read and write to help better yourselves for what lies ahead,” Johnson continued.

The program was established and classes were held in the Hawijah Districts in the Kirkuk Province and then in two sub-districts, Al Zab sub-District, and Riyadh sub-District. The students enrolled in the program are Sons of Iraq members who may have an interest in employment with the Iraqi Security Forces, or previously could not join those organizations due to their limited education. Read More
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Iraqi pilots graduate, flight training wing opens (Kirkuk)
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20081015-12

Excerpt
KIRKUK, Iraq – The Iraqi Air Force Flying Training Wing graduated three pilots and opened a new training facility at the Kirkuk Air Field in Kirkuk City, Iraq, Oct. 13.

The events began in the late morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new training facility, which will accommodate better training and more students in the future. The guests then watched a traditional military ceremony where the flight students of the training wing demonstrated the passing of their guidon to the next class of students to take on their educational endeavors at the school.

“This is the first class to graduate since the fall of Saddam Hussein. So, these are the first three pilots to be trained in this decade in Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Nathan Brauner, commander, 52nd Expeditionary Flight Training Squadron. “It is graduation class 67 from the training wing.”

The U.S. Air Force has partnered with their Iraqi counterparts to create and reestablish a successful flight program for Iraqi airmen who want to be pilots for the Iraq military.

“As we train up this new generation and give them the ability and the tools they need to take over their own security, they will enable U.S. forces to gradually draw down our presence here,” Brauner stated.

The pilots are trained in many areas including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. “Currently, we have 42 students in training and we expect to get another class of approximately 14 students in November. We are also currently training six instructor pilots who will take more control and provide an Iraqi face to the training,” Brauner said. “We are training pilots and maintainers in both flying fixed wing aircraft, and soon rotary wing aircraft in the future.”

The three pilots who graduated received gifts and diplomas from senior air force officers from both the U.S. and Iraqi Air Force. Read More
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GoI invests in eduction (Baghad)
Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20081014-10

Excerpt
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from 1st Battalion 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, along with member of the embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team –Baghdad 5, attached to 2nd SBCT, toured three schools and helped open another in Tarmiyah, northwest of Baghdad, Oct. 9.

The schools were in various stages of progress; from the very beginning phases to a completed building, which is ready for children to learn.

“There is nothing more fulfilling for me than to build a school for children,” said 1st Lt. Erik Peterson, Civil Military Operations officer, 1st Bn. 14th Inf. Regt.

Peterson joined the school building projects in February and said the Tarmiyah Qada Council has put in a lot of work to make progress possible.

“They have been there every step of the way,” he said. “Everything that goes into construction was done by Iraqi engineers. All Americans did was handle a little bit of paperwork.”

Malcom Phelps, and senior education advisor for the ePRT agreed.

“The Iraqi people are stepping up to their responsibilities,” he said. “It has been slow, but it is a growing process.” Read More
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Wolfhounds, Government of Iraq Work to Rebuild Education
Posted on 10.17.2008 at 12:15PM
By Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

Excerpt
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Leaders from Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, joined officials from the government of Iraq’s ministry of dducation, community leaders, Iraqi national police and more than 500 students at the Bilal school in Baghdad’s Adhamiyah security district, Oct. 11, 2008.

The large crowd gathered to celebrate the opening of the area’s largest school, which recently received a much needed facelift.

“Just three months ago, the school was uninhabitable; it was in disarray,” said 1st Lt. John Busuego, an Ontario, Calif., native, and the Wolfhounds essential services coordinator. “The school was not in use for a long time and the ministry of education wanted to refurbish it for the area.”

Construction workers braved the summer heat and completed the nearly $200,000 worth of projects in only three months.

The construction workers did all the necessary repairs, inside and out, Busuego said. They installed a new main gate, new lighting, electrical, a sewer system and painted.

“Definitely, one of the best looking schools I’ve seen here in Iraq,” said Lt. Timothy Schul, a California, Md., native. Schul is the Wolfhounds Civil Affairs officer who observed progress and knows the importance of this school to the area.

“The GoI has gained confidence, and they are concerned with education and everyone was pleased to see the cooperation, which is a step in the right direction,” he said. Read More
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Coalition Captures Suspects, Seizes Weapons
Courtesy Story
Posted on 10.17.2008 at 10:08PM
American Forces Press Service

Excerpt
WASHINGTON – Coalition forces in Iraq on Oct. 17, 2008, captured two wanted men and one additional suspect during operations targeting terrorist networks in Baghdad and Kirkuk, military officials reported.

Troops operating in Kirkuk captured a man wanted for alleged ties to al-Qaida in Iraq networks in the Sulayman Bak area. Additionally, he is believed to be associated with bomb operations in the region, officials said.

In Baghdad, forces captured another wanted man who intelligence reports suggest is a facilitator for a terrorist group associated with al-Qaida in Iraq, as well as an additional suspect, officials said. Read More
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Soldiers Distribute Hope to Husayniyah Children
Courtesy Story
Posted on 10.17.2008 at 07:49PM
4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

Excerpt
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi army soldiers with the 33rd Brigade distributed soccer balls, toys and other humanitarian items to children in Husayniyah, Karbala province, Oct. 15, 2008.

Maj. Ciro Stefano and Maj. Steven Jones, both with the 33rd Bde. Military Transition Team, organized the event after collecting items donated by friends, family and organizations from the States.

“This is my fourth deployment in the Middle East, and I know there is a great need here – especially when it comes to the children,” said Stephano, who grew up in Annapolis, Md. “I’ve always volunteered my time and resources to children, and I felt that though one person can’t change the world, I can have a positive effect on at least a few. What we do here today will be seen and felt throughout Iraq in the future.”

Stephano pointed to his faith as a calling to his personal duty to care for orphans and widows, and thanked family and friends who assisted through donations.

The occasion was planned with the help of the IA brigade to help boost relationships between Iraq’s youth and their security forces. The MiTT has been working closely with IA Soldiers by embedding into their unit and training them on various military skills. Together, they distributed items to children at the Husayniyah youth center and surrounding orphanages.

“We know that operations like this enhance our relations with the community, and gives us an opportunity to better prepare our Iraqi counterparts to plan and conduct similar operations,” said Jones, of Carlisle, Iowa. Read More
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‘Big Country’ Gladly Pits Will Against Deployment, Wild Hogs
Posted on 10.17.2008 at 12:43PM
By Staff Sgt. Scott Wolfe
Multi-National Divsion – Baghdad

Excerpt
BAGHDAD – Most Soldiers deployed to Iraq miss home. They miss family, food or a favorite activity. For the most part, everyone misses someone or something.

A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier has a taste that runs a bit different from the norm.

“‘Big Country’… that boy is just wild,” said 1st Lt. Patrick Dowdell, a platoon leader with Battery A, 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, attached to 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne Div., Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “His favorite thing [to do back home] is to go hog hunting.”

For Pvt. 1st Class Robert Jones, hog hunting means going out into the backwoods of eastern Texas in search of a 210-350 pound hog. He takes along a length of rope, his dogs and sometimes his wife.

He sends his dogs through the thick Texas brush to chase hogs out to where he waits to shove the angry animal’s head to the ground, knocking it onto its back and tying its feet together with the rope like a rodeo cowboy wrestling steers. The hog stays tied until he gets it to where it is butchered for the meat.

“It’s exciting,” said Jones, with a smile and a soft east Texas drawl.

Jones is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs nearly 220 pounds and says that hogs can weigh more than 450 pounds, and nearly fills up the bed of a pick-up truck. Even the smaller hogs are a handful, he said. Read More
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