Black Gold...

It appears to have been a fairly quiet news day for the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment operating in Baghdad. Also, for those asking it's been a week since we've had a phone call from Chris but that just goes with the territory - he and his fellow warriors are busy based on recent reporting.

I am anxiously awaiting a couple of disposable cameras that will be coming our way - I will share the photos on the blog once we get them developed and uploaded. I look forward to seeing pictures of Chris...

Let me close with a few photos showing the pressure the 2-2 SCR is applying on illegal gasoline or as some call it Black Gold, sales in the Dora district of Baghdad.

What drives this black market? From what I see...limited electricity requiring more gas to drive generators and insurgent attacks on the pipelines at a minimum but... probably more concerning are the subsidies and corruption that continue to fuel the black market (no pun intended). All for a country that has some of the largest oil reserves...crazy, eh?

Sometimes I just have to shake my head and wonder...

Chris, keep your head on a swivel - we love you son! Be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

Tip and Cue...

Another hump day on our 15-month journey, another stream of information on Chris' team - 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment operating in Baghdad.

The word informant - what comes to mind when you see it? Maybe a mobster and organized crime? Well, maybe...

For our warriors with the 2-2 SCR informants are an important source of information that are helping to clean up insurgents trying to set-up shop in Baghdad. For me, it's an encouraging sign that some of the Baghdad residents are attempting to take back their neighborhoods.

Why is a whisper in the ear from an informant important to our warriors? The ability for the 2nd SCR to take a tip, cue an asset and kick in a door...can lead to the capture of key insurgents. Actionable information - this is the name of the game.

Here is yet another interesting read about the work of Company E, 2-2 SCR courtesy of Seth Robson and published today in the Stars and Stripes.

As you read the story, please remember the two abducted soldiers from 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division - who are still unaccounted for - and their families...

Also, any question that our warriors are making a difference? Not for me...

By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, November 29, 2007

BAGHDAD — A raid by 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment soldiers netted an alleged al-Qaida in Iraq operative who soldiers said was linked to the May 12 abduction of three 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division soldiers.

The three were taken in an attack that killed four other U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi soldier. The body of one of the missing soldiers, Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr., was discovered in the Euphrates River in late May but the Army is still searching for the other two soldiers — Pvt. Byron Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich., and Spc. Alex Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Mass.

Dragoons from the 2nd Cavalry Regiment’s Company E, 2nd Squadron, raided several houses in Baghdad’s Hadar neighborhood early Monday morning after a tip that Abu Raquyyah was in one of them.

Raquyyah is linked to an al-Qaida in Iraq cell believed responsible for the soldiers’ abduction, according to Maj. Christopher Davis, 2nd Squadron operations officer.

Company E soldiers moved by moonlight to a group of houses, only a short walk from their base at Combat Outpost Blackfoot, then smashed their way into several buildings, clearing rooms as they went.

Raquyyah was unarmed and surrendered without a fight when soldiers entered the house he shared with a woman and four children.

Company E 1st Sgt. Eric Geressy said informants provided the tip that Raquyyah recently moved into the area from the town of Yusafiyah, near where the soldiers were abducted.

Geressy said that, according to the informants, Raquyyah — also allegedly responsible for bomb attacks on coalition forces — held several meetings with other insurgents in Hadar in an effort to re-establish al-Qaida there. U.S. forces largely destroyed al-Qaida in the area during a series of battles in September and October, he said.

Davis, 39, of Cocoa Beach, Fla., said Hadar was one stop on an al-Qaida in Iraq “rat line” that insurgents use to get personnel and supplies into Baghdad.

“They come through the south into Baghdad. This is the natural access as they come into the city. They avoid the Shia population, where the JAM (Mahdi Army) and Badr Corps work, and National Police checkpoints,” he said.

It’s not clear if or why al-Qaida in Iraq would want to re-establish itself in Hadar, but members may feel threatened by Iraqi security volunteers who man checkpoints and guard critical infrastructure all over Baghdad, and have nowhere else to go, Davis said.

“He (Raquyyah) could have been in transit on his way somewhere else. The positive sign is that we had local nationals giving us tips,” he said.

Volunteers are providing a lot of tips on the whereabouts of insurgents. Combat outposts such as Blackfoot also are helping soldiers gather information on insurgents’ movements because the U.S. military has a permanent presence in places such as Hadar, he said.

On Nov. 16, soldiers detained another man suspected in the soldiers’ abductions.

Ibrahim Abid Aboud al-Janabi was detained after his sister, who says her family imprisoned and tortured her, told soldiers that al-Janabi mutilated and buried the two soldiers’ remains in a sand pit a quarter of a mile from their home near Owesat, southwest of Baghdad.

Troops have dug for remains and used search dogs and imaging equipment, but no official word has been released on their results.

--------------------------

Chris, we are so proud of you son. I love you and pray for you every day...be safe!

Call when you can...

v/r,
- Collabman

The Rest of the Story...

There is a ton of information flowing on the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment working in the Baghdad Area of Operations (AO). Where do I start? I would love to blog about it all but there is just not enough time so - let's flash back to September 4th and experience the rest of the story on how Spc. Ryan Holley was wounded during a ferocious firefight with al-Qaida in Iraq for their last stronghold in Baghdad. More on this in a minute.

For those inquiring about David Smith, Guardian Unlimited and his work as an embed with the 2nd SCR in Iraq - he is homeward bound. To catch his last two articles which are keepers, read them here:

28.11.2007: We Cannot Kill Our Way Out of This
27.11.2007: The 'scenic route'

A special thanks to David for riding along with the 2nd SCR and through his words, allowing us to do the same - well done mate!

Also, DVIDS has a couple of new articles/photos on warriors from the 2nd SCR. View them here:

‘Purrfect Angelz’ Visit Camp Liberty Troops

Aaron Tippin Proves He ‘Stands for Something’

Now for the rest of the story...

On September 4th an email from the Holley family to our support group came like an unexpected, loud clap of thunder. You know, the kind that catches you by surprise and takes your breath away. Spc. Ryan Holley, E Company, 2-2SCR had been wounded- the details were sketchy as I asked for prayers in my blog Feeling the Pain.... We prayed for Ryan in the following days and followed his progress through updates from his family. We also heard from Mark Holley, Ryan's father in a video produced by AFN Bavaria - you can relive that video in my blog A True Patriot...

Did you ever wonder how Spc. Holley was wounded? How it happened? I did...

Thanks to Seth Robson, we are given a little insight to what the soldiers of E Company experienced during that 6 1/2 hour firefight on September 4th and the story behind the wounding of Spc. Holley.

Enjoy the read - is it pretty intense? It is indeed...but look at the courage and strength all of these warriors displayed - they are indeed always ready!

By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, November 28, 2007

BAGHDAD — Combat Outpost Blackfoot used to be a Catholic seminary where monks and nuns studied ancient Christian books and held Mass in a tidy chapel.

That was before al-Qaida decapitated the priest last year and drove out the Christians along with thousands of Muslims in the surrounding Hadar neighborhood, which they referred to as the “Islamic State in Iraq.”

“They were calling it al-Qaida’s Castle — the last al-Qaida stronghold in Baghdad,” 1st Sgt. Eric Geressy of Company E, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment, said of the neighborhood.

“Other units didn’t do a lot of patrols in there. They didn’t go in the day without two platoons or more," he said.

So when Company E arrived here in September, it spent the first few days and nights fortifying the outpost, putting up sniper nets and bringing heavy weapons up to the roof.

“We got the last heavy weapon system — a Mark-19 (grenade launcher), set up a few hours before the attack,” Geressy said.

The attack, on Sept. 4, involved an estimated 50 al-Qaida militants hitting the outpost with sniper fire, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades for six hours.

It started with reports of two car bombs in the area. But the reports were a hoax, and insurgents quickly started firing from rooftops at Company E Stryker armored vehicles sent to investigate.

“Our air guards (soldiers in the top hatches of the Strykers who look for trouble from above) killed three enemies,” Geressy said.

For many of the soldiers, who deployed from Vilseck, Germany, in August, the engagement was their first time under fire. But the battle was just starting.

Soon after the Strykers got back, the outpost was hit by several rocket-propelled grenades followed by a volley of sniper fire directed at a guard tower on the roof.

Staff Sgt. Brian Glynn, 31, of Denton, Texas, 2nd Platoon platoon sergeant, ran to the roof and found himself ducking a hail of enemy machine-gun fire.

“Machine-gun rounds were cracking over the top of the building ... they were firing over the top of us,” he said.

Spc. Mike Foster, 21, of Freehold, N.J., was in one of the guard towers when the RPGs hit.

“I’d never been to Iraq before and it was the first firefight I’d ever been in,” he recalled.

Enemy fire was coming from the north and Foster’s machine-gun position faced east. So the young soldier took the gun out of the tower, set it on the wall of the roof, and started firing north.

“For the first couple of minutes I was nervous, but after I started firing it all went away. You could hear the rounds flying over us. I knew there was at least one sniper out there so I was trying to stay low and not keep my head up above the ledge for too long,” he said.

Cpl. Javier Diaz, 21, of Freemont, Calif., was in the same tower and helped Foster move the machine gun before opening up with his M-4.

Diaz said the attack didn’t surprise him. “They knew we were new and wanted to see what we had,” he said.

When Glynn reached the roof, he ran to another guard tower where one of the Company E soldiers — Spc. Ryan Holley — lay badly wounded.

“A round went between his plate and went right through him and stuck into a 203 (grenade) round,” he said. Meanwhile, Geressy ran the length of the roof trying to pinpoint where the enemy fire came from.

“I just told the guys to keep up the fire because they were hammering us,” he said.

Geressy and some other soldiers put Holley on a litter and carried him downstairs. Then the first sergeant, who was overseeing the defense of the outpost, called for air support.

Gunners marked enemy positions with smoke rounds and Apache attack helicopters fired missiles into nearby buildings, recalled 2nd Platoon commander 1st Lt. James Weber, 25, of Deposit, N.Y.

Two were right on target and would have killed anyone in the buildings. Enemy fighters ran into the street trying to get away and they were cut down by machine guns on the roof of the outpost.

After the Apaches, snipers, machine guns and Mark-19s broke the enemy, a convoy of Strykers left the combat outpost to take Holley to a combat hospital. The young soldier survived his injuries and is recovering at home, Geressy said.

But the fight wasn’t over. More insurgents started firing on the outpost and the departing Strykers. While soldiers laid down suppressing fire from the roof, the Strykers opened up with their .50-caliber remote weapons systems.

“The enemy was tough and organized. They were doing ammo resupply and bringing fighters into the fight. I never expected them to hit us in broad daylight with that many people, but they paid for it. We fought for 6½ hours and killed 18 guys,” Geressy recalled.

The al-Qaida survivors paraded through Hadar a few days later to show they were still a force but, according to Geressy, they’d lost a lot of credibility because they were beaten so badly.

During the battle, and in other engagements over the next six weeks, including several smaller attacks on the outpost, Company E used more ammunition than the rest of the regiment combined. But after killing an estimated 50 militants, the attacks on the COP Blackfoot have ended and a measure of calm is returning to Hadar.

--------------------------

Based on my last update, which has been a while, it appears Spc. Holley was on his way to recovering. It would be great if someone would leave a comment and provide a current update on Ryan's progress. I continue to think and pray for Ryan and his family - how are you all doing?

Chris, we love you buddy and look forward to your next call! Be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

Fault Line...

Despite the recent media reporting that seems to indicate things are getting better in Baghdad, there is a part of me that wonders if it is all a ruse - not the reporting, but the tactics of the insurgents. I also wonder about the sectarian violence in the neighborhoods where the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment is operating. What will it take to heal wounds that always seem to be festering? How long, if ever, before the Shiite's and Sunni's can move beyond suicide attacks, death squads and the destruction of mosques? More questions than answers...

Here is the latest article by Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes, that causes me to ponder these type of questions as I support Chris and the rest of the 2nd SCR. By all accounts these men and women are doing a marvelous job - but, will it be enough to keep the insurgents from reloading and the fault line of sectarian violence from slipping again? Time will tell...

Just as our warriors are constantly guarding against complacency, we too should remain vigilant and hold fast. There is still much work to be done in Baghdad.

Enjoy the read...and tell me, what do you think?

By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, November 27, 2007

BAGHDAD — The city blocks surrounding Combat Outpost Blackfoot in Baghdad’s volatile East Rashid neighborhood look like a war zone ought to.

Think WWII and Stalingrad. Empty streets filled with debris … buildings with chunks torn out of them by high explosives and pockmarked by bullet holes … household effects scattered by looters … broken glass and twisted metal everywhere.

The outpost stands smack in the middle of one of Baghdad’s bloodiest sectarian divides. On one side of the base there’s an empty Shiite neighborhood. On the other side, an empty Sunni suburb. Most residents were driven out by the fighting that raged until Company E, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment went on an insurgent killing spree, shooting dead or blowing up 50 enemy fighters in September and October.

These days a measure of calm has returned to the deserted streets, and the Army is working to establish regular Iraqi army and Iraqi National Police patrols and checkpoints in the area. But when Company E patrols here, soldiers are alert for snipers, who, until recently, fired on troops the moment the soldiers left the relative safety of the base.

On Wednesday, 3rd Platoon troops and Iraqi army soldiers mounted a patrol through the formerly Shiite parts of the sector.

After linking up with the Iraqi soldiers at the base, they set out on foot, finding homes and streets deserted for several blocks. These were houses where insurgents took cover during previous attacks, so soldiers stayed on their guard.

But it wasn’t long before the patrol reached the edge of the devastation, marked by some children collecting berries from a fruit tree. Soon the soldiers were in a market street surrounded by more children asking for sweets.

First Lt. Christopher Turner, who led the patrol, talked to shopkeepers about electricity, water and sewage and the performance of the National Police, who man a checkpoint nearby. Some people asked if it was safe to return to their houses near the outpost.

“Tell them we (destroyed) al-Qaida (here) and it’s safe to move back,” Turner told his interpreter, adding that people should stop by the base and tell the Americans before they move back in.

It was the first time the Iraqi army patrolled the neighborhood, he said.

“The way the people accepted the IA (Iraqi army) in that area was also good. That is the case in every neighborhood we bring the IA into,” Turner said.

Next stop was the National Police checkpoint, where Iraqi soldiers and police officers talked among themselves.

“It’s a good patrol getting the Iraqi army and National Police together. They are talking about security in the area between themselves,” Turner said.

Two nights later, 2nd Platoon walked the streets of the formerly Sunni neighborhood, lit up by the eerie glow of a full moon. Its mission was to investigate an alleged torture chamber in one of the abandoned houses.

“They used to call this place ‘al-Qaida’s Castle,’” Company E 1st Sgt. Eric Geressy said.

“They had it set up with lookouts all over the place, signaling when they saw us coming. They had IEDs (improvised explosive devices) at intersections and triggermen watching them to slow us down. Further in, they had places where they would meet and push out to defend the area.”

Spc. Avealao Milo was killed by a sniper here on Oct. 4. Geressy said Milo died instantly after he was struck in the neck by the opening shot when about 25 insurgents attacked 1st Platoon. The platoon was guarding the flank as soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment cleared the neighborhood house by house, he said.

What the enemy didn’t count on was that 2nd Platoon was also in the battle, Geressy said.

“When the enemy was attacking 1st Platoon, 2nd Platoon launched into them with AT4s (anti-tank weapons) and machine guns and it crippled the enemy’s attack,” he said.

Cpl. Christopher Coalter, 26, of Millbank, S.D., a sniper, recalls a tough battle in which he and two other soldiers killed three insurgents in the street.

Staff Sgt. Brian Glynn, 31, of Denton, Texas, 2nd Platoon’s platoon sergeant, remembers standing on the left flank and seeing the insurgents move across the terrain.

“My two 240s (machine guns) opened fire and literally had 12 targets at one time. It was a large-scale attack,” said Glynn, who added that the fighting in the area was as tough as the fighting he saw in Ramadi from 2004 to 2005.

“The constant missions … the targets we had … the violence was the same,” he said.

The battle broke the back of al-Qaida in the area, Geressy said.

“We have had some small contacts after that, but nothing organized,” he said.

At the torture house, soldiers cleared the building room by room. In one, they found a large knife and bone fragments. Then a report came in that surveillance cameras had spotted four people following the patrol. The platoon set up a defensive position on rooftops and snipers scanned the darkness for signs of an attack.

But after a long wait, the only option was to go into the streets and head back to Blackfoot on high alert. The walk home was a nervous one, but the suspected insurgents had disappeared into the wasteland.

--------------------------

Chris, I love you son - more than words can say. I remember your service every day...be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

Lessons Learned...

Happy Sunday! This has been a restful four-day break for me and my family. I trust you have had a similar experience but...back at it tomorrow.

So many things to talk about - let's start with a recap of a phone call from Chris on Thanksgiving day...

Friday, 23 November 2007 @ 2:00am Baghdad time

We talked to Chris for a good half hour. It was great. He was just coming off guard duty and was headed back out on patrol. He sounded pretty tired (understandably), but he was fairly talkative (for Chris) and it was so good to hear his voice! He said they had a great meal at COP Aztec with turkey, ham, shrimp (that was his favorite part) and all the trimmings. I'm so glad the army feeds them well for the holidays. Chris also said they were paid a visit by a 3-star U.S. Army General who expressed his appreciation for the work of 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. He was encouraged by the General's visit and his willingness to spend time with the 2-2 SCR at their COP.

Chris continues to receive care packages and really appreciates all of them. We spoke at length about the local sports teams and their performance to date. He enjoyed the updates.

He also shared this: To everyone back home sending prayers and thoughts to this side of the world:

You guys have NO idea how much your prayers mean to us. I'm trying to send my fair share back but I know there's no competing with those numbers. Thank you for everything you guys do for us. It is MUCH appreciated.

All in all it was great to talk with him on a day of Thanksgiving. Chris is strong, his attitude is positive and he is doing well physically and emotionally - what more could we ask for?

Next item...
Saturday morning my wife and I met with Mark and Laura, whose son Spc. Kellan B. serves with the 2-2 SCR. We spoke with Chris after virtually meeting them two weeks ago and he knows Kellan - nice! Nancy and I enjoyed spending time with this wonderful couple and sharing our deployment experiences. It is encouraging to me to that we are not alone in this journey and there are others going through the same emotions and challenges of having a young warrior on the ground in Baghdad. We look forward to building a lasting relationship with Mark and Laura. By the way, the soldier in the Stars and Stripes photo above was misidentified - it's actually Spc. Kellan B.

Finally...
I stumbled across a podcast from David Smith, Guardian Unlimited, who reflects on his time embedded with U.S. forces in Baghdad. If you have been following this blog, you know that David has spent numerous hours riding along on missions with the 2nd SCR. So, as my grandfather would say, he has some dirt under his fingernails - that is, first hand experience. This podcast provides an interesting perspective on what he saw and experienced in Baghdad with the 2nd SCR.

If you have a warrior serving with the 2nd SCR, I think you will enjoy the 10 minute letter from David. Close your eyes and listen as he paints a picture...what do you hear and see? I think it is a picture worth painting...do you?

Click here to play online or download.

I love you Chris! Be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

Shifting Focus...Shifting Sand?

As the Thanksgiving day celebration wears off, I begin to sift through the alerts on the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. What catches my eye is this...changes are taking place in Baghdad. What changes? I expect you have heard...a reduction in violence and a return to a more normal way of life for the Iraqi people. Whatever normal is in Baghdad.

So, what about these changes? Are they real or another facade?

Furthermore, do you ever wonder how much of these changes are attributable to the soft-knock strategy and surge of U.S. forces? What role has the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment played? What has caused the drop in violence and how long will it last? There are a number of articles that provide opinion and insight on many of these questions. I trust you have read them. If not and you are interested, spend some time reading Violence down in Baghdad... and see what you think.

For Chris' unit (2nd Squadron, 2nd SCR) they continue to take care of business in their Area Of Responsibility (AOR). However, their focus, their role is shifting. The latest article from Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes tracks pretty close with the reporting that has been on the street the last couple of weeks. Give it a read and tell me your thoughts if you would...

Also, if you haven't caught up with David Smith, Guardian Unlimited, check out his latest report Desert Turkey. In this installment of his embed diary, David finds Thanksgiving Day in Baghdad - complete with pumpkin pie and bomb attacks.

More from David Smith's embed diary
23.11.2007: 'I believe in the war, but being here sucks'
22.11.2007: Godfathers of the nation
21.11.2007: Decay and death
20.11.2007: Part prison, part holiday camp
17.11.2007: Bawled out
16.11.2007: War and counseling
15.11.2007: 'I'll be in the history books one day'
14.11.2007: Bound and blindfolded
13.11.2007: Apprehensive? Oh, yes
11.11.2007: Inside the green zone

Enjoy the report from the Stars and Stripes...

By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, November 24, 2007

BAGHDAD — Reduced violence in Baghdad means soldiers here spend more time meeting Iraqi leaders, restoring essential services and handing out sweets and soccer balls than they do battling insurgents.

It’s not the sort of action Baghdad-based troops from 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment trained for in Germany in June. Then, predeployment exercises focused heavily on raiding houses, detaining individuals and dealing with roadside bombs.

But after two months of hard work to rid southern Baghdad of al-Qaida, the squadron’s focus has shifted from combat to reconciling Sunnis and Shiites.

“We are doing a lot more talking than fighting right now,” squadron commander Lt. Col. Myron Reineke said Wednesday.

“I don’t know that anybody could have predicted the downturn in violence. It’s been better than expected. We now have an opportunity to improve social services and security by the population because the surge can’t last forever.”

The 2nd Squadron troops still face a constant threat from roadside bombs, and they still raid houses in search of high-value insurgent targets.

But there also are numerous lengthy — some say tedious — meetings with Sunni and Shiite leaders in the squadron’s area of operation, known as Southeast Rashid.

Regarded by coalition forces as the most dangerous part of Baghdad, the area has a population of about 300,000, split between Sunnis and Shiites with both rural and urban terrain, Reineke said.

When the squadron arrived, many neighborhoods were abandoned by people fleeing sectarian violence. Now many are filling back up, resulting in more demand for electricity, water and sewage systems, Reineke said.

Daily work for the 2nd Squadron soldiers can involve patrols to survey demographics and find out how locals feel about provision of essential services.

They also are recruiting Iraqis to patrol their neighborhoods as Iraqi security volunteers. Reineke hopes to recruit between 2,000 and 3,000 volunteers in coming weeks.

“We are getting locals to protect their own neighborhoods. Once that happens, people want to move back home and open their businesses,” he said. “Then people want to fix essential services, and the thing keeps gathering momentum.”

The squadron is increasing its combat strength with the help of Iraqi forces. The soldiers operate a Joint Security Station — a small base that includes both 2nd Squadron troops and members of a local Iraqi National Police battalion. U.S. and Iraqi personnel regularly patrol together and U.S. soldiers inspect seven checkpoints manned by Iraqi police in southern Baghdad, Reineke said.

The relative calm has allowed the 2nd Squadron to facilitate installation of neighborhood generators to provide electricity until national grid problems are fixed. And the squadron is implementing a micro-grant program to help returning citizens restart businesses, he said.

On Tuesday, soldiers from the 2nd Squadron’s Company F and the Iraqi National Police patrolled through Saha, a leafy suburb filled with hundreds of four-story apartment buildings.

Saha was a ghost town when the unit arrived, according to 1st Lt. Robert Johnston, 22, of Seattle, [/BODY]leader of the company’s 1st Platoon. It was haunted by snipers, including one believed responsible for killing more than 100 Sunni, Shiite and Christian[/BODY] men, women and children, he said.

Now Saha’s streets and narrow alleys are filled with people, including hundreds of children who all know how to ask for a “football” or “chocolate” in English.

Sgt. Eric Austin, 25, of Iowa City, Iowa, was like a magnet for the kids after his teammates filled the back of his load bearing vest with lollypops.

Austin, on his third tour in Iraq, said the atmosphere in Baghdad reminds him of the way things were in Mosul near the end of 2003. It’s a lot more peaceful than his tour to Anbar province in 2005 to 2006, he said.

Another Company F soldier, Spc. Edward Escamilla, 22, of Mesquite, Texas, said he is on his first tour to Iraq.

“I don’t have anything to compare it to, but from when we got here it has definitely got a lot better for the people in the city. I think we are getting a lot more help from people,” he said.

Sgt. Bill Myers, 28, of Phoenix, who served in Mosul from 2004 to 2005, agreed that the security situation has improved.

“I’d like to think we had something to do with it, but probably most of the credit goes to the Iraqi security forces stationed there,” he said.

How do the troops feel about their new, less-aggressive role?

“We are infantrymen. Kicking in doors is what we are trained to do, but at the same time it is nice to stop and shake people’s hands and give a little kid a lollipop, and make them smile and make the people understand they don’t have to be scared of us,” Myers said.

When the platoon reached Saha’s market area, Iraqi police and vehicles were present and most of the shops were open, selling everything from computer equipment to fruit and vegetables, meat and kebabs, which soldiers sampled at the roadside.

Saha resident and English teacher Saadi Jouda welcomed the soldiers, but was worried insurgents might see him talking to them.

“Educated people like you,” he told the troops. “They love you. You come here to save us. That is what the educated people think. The situation nowadays is OK.

“Things are getting better.”

--------------------------

Are things getting better in Baghdad? I pray they are...

Chris, I love you buddy - be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

Thanksgiving Day Prayer...

PRAYER – 2ND STRYKER CAVALRY REGIMENT
By Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War (1836)

Almighty, merciful, and loving Father, you are the one
who hears all our prayers and grants our petitions.

We, the troopers of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry Regiment, ask
you to remember, as we do, the tremendous sacrifice
made by those who went before us. They have given
their lives so that we might live and breathe freely.

We ask you to receive those Valiant Troopers of the 2nd
U.S. Dragoons into your hands.

Father, give us the strength and wisdom to learn from
their example, to uphold freedom and life at home and
around the world. Keep us vigilant as we guard the
frontiers of freedom.

Give our leaders the wisdom and the strength to lead
well. Grant all of us courage and confidence.
Be, for all of us, troopers, a wise counsel in keeping
peace and a strong shield for us against our enemies.

Oh heavenly Father, give us the determination that the
peace and freedom won at such a high price be lasting!

Father, hold all of the troopers of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry
Regiment in the palm of your almighty hand and protect
us in the shadow of your wings. Amen.

v/r,
- Collabman

Thanksgiving '07 - Not Home Yet...

On the eve of Thanksgiving '07 I have so many things swirling in my mind. Why is this? Is it because my youngest son is on the ground in Baghdad and serving in harms way? Maybe...or is it just life in general and the changes I am experiencing? I am not sure...

I will share this. It's been a while since I have had one of those why the tears moment - but that's what happened this afternoon while virtually checking in on the 2nd SCR. The story Death and Decay by David Smith, Guardian Unlimited must have hit a cord - especially his last two paragraphs as he described the memorial service for 2nd Lt. Burks...

"There was a moment of silence, when all heads bowed, then a sergeant, Kevin Muhlenbeck, shouted the name of a regiment member as if on the parade ground. "Sir!" came back the reply. He shouted another name. "Sir!" came the reply. "Burks!" No reply. "Peter Haskell Burks!" No reply. A voice outside gave an order to fire, and three times gunfire cracked in the night air.

More than 3,850 US troops have died during the Iraq war. From afar that can look like a statistic. Up close, it looks like a room full of sadness and a search for consolation."

Man, I still have a long journey ahead...I think I need some time to decompress a little over the next four days and recharge. How about you? How are you handling this deployment?

Before I close let me share what I am thankful for...yikes, this is really scary but here goes. Talk about being transparent and vulnerable...

I am thankful for...

• An awesome, wonderful God who loves me...
• A smart, beautiful, loving and patient wife of almost 29 years...
• Three wonderful boys; two working hard and loving life in Colorado and one proudly serving with the 2nd SCR in Baghdad, Iraq...
• Strong, committed parents who have always shown unconditional love for me..
• Close friends like Bob, Steve, Jim H., Jim N. and Jonesy who hold me accountable and encourage, challenge me every day...
• A church group of twenty-something, thumb-generation "kids" who make me laugh and think every time The Gathering meets...

k, there's my list - what are you thankful for? I'm interested...

Let me close with a note to Chris and a video that makes me think about this time, next year...November '08, when the 2nd SCR will be going home.

The look and emotions on the faces of those in the video - I will have that look next year. I can't wait...

Chris,
I love you son and I miss you more than words can say. I am so proud of you! We are praying for you and the 2nd SCR every day. Thanks for your service. As I sit down for dinner and celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow - you will be on my mind and heart.

Thanks for your sacrifice, commitment, positive attitude and your love for our great country. I remember every day...

Love,
Dad

Falling Prices...

Almost ready for Thanksgiving Day? I trust you are as we have so much to be thankful for, yes?

I love articles that show the impact the 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment is having in Baghdad. In my mind, this is what it is all about. Restoring security in a capital that is tormented by sectarian strife and lawless militias - isn't this one of the highest priorities for the 2nd SCR at this time? I would think so.

The 2-2 SCR warriors are making a difference and helping the Iraqis get back on their feet. This current article from Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes speaks to the black market for propane and work the 2nd SCR is doing to drive down the price of a critical household source of energy for cooking and heating. Important work? Yep...

Let me wonder out loud - how long till the Iraqi Army will take over this responsibility? I wonder...

Enjoy the read...

By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, November 21, 2007

BAGHDAD — The black market price of propane is falling in Baghdad as 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment soldiers clamp down on militia interference in the distribution of one of Iraq’s most important household energy sources.

Capt. Travis Cox, fire support officer with 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, who deals with civil-military affairs, said the black market propane price in his unit’s area of operations — around Baghdad’s volatile East Rashid neighborhood — has fallen from 30,000 Iraqi dinar a bottle when the unit arrived 11 weeks ago to about 20,000 dinar.

Cox reckons that’s because most residents are getting their monthly government propane ration from the Sarmoud Propane Station, a factory that fills thousands of 30-liter propane bottles each day.

When 2nd Cav arrived in Baghdad, the Shiite Mahdi Army had taken control of the station, commandeering truckloads of propane bottles that should have gone to ration card holders. The Mahdi Army then sold it, with prices inflated if the customer was Sunni, Cox said after a visit Saturday to the station.

Fouad Lghzaoui, who advises the Army on Iraqi culture, said the Mahdi Army was making an estimated $500,000 a month from illicit propane sales.

“Propane is a huge commodity for the people that is related to them having the ability to cook and heat their homes. We saw a problem because of the (Mahdi Army) infiltration and extortion in all parts of propane distribution,” Cox said.

At Sarmoud, one of a number of distribution centers for the gas in Baghdad, propane was distributed only once every three to six weeks, he said.

“We turned propane into an every week thing with the initial goal of enabling Sunni from Hador neighborhood to get propane from Sarmoud Propane Station,” he said.

Ironically, propane is a cheap and plentiful resource in Iraq. Anbar province, just west of Baghdad, is sitting on one of the world’s largest reserves of the gas, Cox said.

Sarmoud Propane Station is a walled compound about the size of four football fields. It includes large propane holding tanks, filled by trucks that bring the gas north from Babil province, and a propane-filling factory where tanks move along on conveyor belts before they are filled, weighed and loaded on trucks. An Arabic sign on the factory wall reads “safety first,” but there is a strong smell of gas leaking from rusty bottles.

Community representatives wait at the front office clutching plastic bags filled with hundreds of ration cards. Hamid Alwan Mhamed Hassan Faleh, a district representative for Saha neighborhood, showed up on Saturday with 185 cards.

Outside the station’s front gate, dozens of trucks and tractors wait to collect propane bottles. The bottles are dropped off at various neighborhoods on designated days, Lghzaoui said.

Station manager Sheik Nouri said his workers, a mix of Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites, fill and distribute about 3,000 propane bottles each day, a lot fewer than the 25,000 bottles a day they sent out in Saddam Hussein’s day.

Nouri said he’s between a rock and a hard place because he has to satisfy U.S. forces but is getting threats from the Mahdi Army.

Now, the Strykers escort the propane distribution trucks, especially those bound for Sunni neighborhoods where there has been trouble, Nouri said.

The Mahdi Army has lost a lot of income and it is upset, but it still is getting some money from the station. A patrol recently saw a truck from the plant giving bottles away to the Mahdi Army, but members were busy with another mission and could not intervene, Lghzaoui said.

The 2nd Cav’s next step will be to get Iraqi security forces more involved in safeguarding propane distribution, Cox said.

Soldiers have been collecting Iraqi police, who were too scared to escort trucks into Sunni neighborhoods, and taking them along on propane distribution runs, he said. But the police failed to show up at the station on Saturday.

“The Iraqi army does an excellent job distributing all resources that are organized under the ration card, and we look forward to transitioning the distribution to the Iraqi army. It is being successfully executed by them in the neighboring Dora neighborhood,” Cox said.

--------------------------

Chris, to you and the rest of the 2nd SCR working in this AOR - thanks for providing the escort for the propane distribution...and the falling prices...

You are making a difference son. Rock on, keep your head on a swivel...and be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

Fallen Angel...

The pieces of the ugly puzzle were all there. I had observed each one from a distance for a number of days, praying they didn't fit together. Pieces such as a hint in a press report, a snippet or two in an email string, a hunch that wouldn't go away. Jagged, stained pieces of a puzzle that went together whether I wanted to admit it or not.

Another fallen angel from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment?

Can't be. It is so close to Thanksgiving. No! This is not fair. Why now, why ever? Haven't we been through enough already? One is too many. Please, don't tell me we all have to once again dig a little deeper in our soul and heart...and add another name to the 2nd SCR Fallen Angel wall on my blog...please.

Three months in to this journey and the heartache of once again reading that a young warrior has made the ultimate sacrifice for his soldiers...for me...for you.

Let the words wash over you and sink in...

2nd Lt. Peter H. Burks, 26, of Dallas, Texas, died Nov. 14 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

Please remember the Burks' family and loved ones in Texas. Thank you for 2nd Lt. Burks' sacrifice and service to this great nation. Father God, I pray that you comfort and surround this family with many who will love and encourage them during this time of sorrow and loss.

Words escape me now...but not the tears...

Chris, I love you buddy and I remember every day your heart, your sacrifice, your determination...be safe.

Human Terrain Team...

Ready to begin another week? From a work perspective, this one will be three days long...so I cannot complain. Hopefully, you too will have some down time to spend with family and friends - we have so much to be thankful for...more about that in a later blog.

I have learned so much during the early months of this 15-month journey with Chris and the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. Here is another learning experience for me.

I assumed that the 2nd SCR had some type of team working with them bringing cultural awareness to the fight. I just did not know how it was done or who was involved.

Now, thanks to an interesting report in the Stars and Stripes, here is a good look at the make-up of what is called a Human Terrain Team (HTT) and their support to Chris' team, the 2-2 SCR working out of COP Aztec...a what? Yep, that's what they are called - an HHT.

K, what is the role of a Human Terrain Team?

They are embedded to help our warriors deal with human terrain - the social, ethnographic, cultural, economic, and political elements of the people among whom a force is operating.

Why does the 2nd SCR need an HTT?

"Cultural awareness will not necessarily always enable us to predict what the enemy and noncombatants will do, but it will help us better understand what motivates them, what is important to the host nation in which we serve, and how we can either elicit the support of the population or at least diminish their support and aid to the enemy." - Major General Benjamin C. Freakley, Commanding General, CJTF-76, Afghanistan, 2006

Man...did you know? I did not. Yet another tool in the tool kit for Chris and his fellow warriors.

Experts help soldiers bridge cultural gaps
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, November 19, 2007

BAGHDAD — Middle eastern culture experts are helping 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment soldiers better understand Iraqis they meet and work with in West Baghdad.

Soldiers from 2nd Cav’s 2nd Squadron are working closely with a four-person Human Terrain Team (HTT) out of Forward Operating Base Falcon in Baghdad’s violent East Rashid neighborhood.

The team of academics, which includes a social scientist, two cultural analysts and a military liaison officer, is charged with bringing cultural awareness to the Army and studying the ethnic makeup of Iraqi populations so commanders can plan courses of action, governance, patrols and provision of essential services accordingly, said HTT member Fouad Lghzaoui.

The Moroccan-born cultural analyst, who studied geography and Arabic literature at the University of Morocco, said the team helps units deal with some of the unfamiliar quirks of Iraqi culture.

“For example, for an infantryman (the Iraqi practice of) holding hands or kissing another man cheek to cheek is a hard thing to get used to,” he said.

The team helps bridge the gap between the squadron and key Iraqi players in its area of operations, said Capt. Travis Cox, 30, of Salem, Ore., 2nd Squadron’s fire support officer tasked with civil military affairs.

“They (the HTT members) are a second set of educated eyes who we can talk through what happens based on Arabic culture,” Cox said, “and aspects of different middle eastern things that being from Oregon I don’t know a lot about.”

Another team member, Lisa Verdon, is a Fulbright scholar to Jordan and has a master’s degree in Arabic international studies from the University of Pennsylvania. But the 43-year-old social scientist is far from academia’s ivory towers these days, walking some of Baghdad’s meanest streets with U.S. soldiers as she studies the population.

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Arabic-speaker, who sports a pair of pink Oakley sunglasses and smokes multicolored cigarettes, comes across as a sort of female Indiana Jones, but likes to compare herself to Gertrude Bell and Wilfred Thesiger, two British academic pioneers of Middle East studies.

When she’s interacting with the population in Baghdad, she never asks Iraqis directly whether they are Sunni or Shiite, she said.

“They don’t like to be asked but you can ask them other questions and depending on their response you can tell which one they are,” she said.

Verdon is working on studies of propane distribution to Iraqis by the Coalition and reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites in Baghdad, she said.

“The influence coalition forces have at the propane distribution point is very different with different units. Some units are very involved in making sure the people get the propane. Others take a hands-off approach,” she said.

Verdon said she has observed successful reconciliation at Combat Outpost Ellis in Baghdad’s Radwaniyah neighborhood where soldiers from Schweinfurt’s 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment have driven al-Qaida out and brought locals together.

Now she’s making trips with the Strykers to the recently occupied Combat Outpost Aztec, on the outskirts of the city, to examine reconciliation in its formative stage.

Relative peace in Anbar province and the increase in Iraqi forces pulling security is freeing up more U.S. forces to work on reconciliation, she said.

“The Sunni and Shia have lost a lot of lives. There is a lot of anger, frustration and revenge. Reconciliation is about bringing them together. It is about forgiveness,” she said. “You are asking a father to forgive the Sunni for the death of his son and put what happened in the past behind them to move forward for peace stability and a reunified Iraq.”

Verdon said she’s impressed by the cultural knowledge of U.S. personnel.

“Everyone from the privates up through commanders is very astute because there is so much interaction with Iraqis. Maybe a private doesn’t articulate it the same way an officer would but they understand what is going on,” she said.

--------------------------

Chris, keep using all the tools you have at your disposal - most of all, be safe! We love you son!

v/r,
- Collabman

Music at Combat Outpost Aztec...

I trust your weekend is going well. Have you have heard from your warrior via a phone call, email or instant message? I pray you have. Isn't it a comfort and joy to know they are well and hanging in there, despite the emotional stress and physical strain of combat?

I also know the feeling of preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving without Chris. I imagine you have similar thoughts and emotions.

I wrote a blog earlier in the week called Enough Already..., about Chris' unit (Dog Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment) and their operations south of Baghdad International Airport and the Green Zone as reported by the Stars and Stripes. Ever wonder what a Combat Outpost (COP) is all about, what the living conditions and quality-of-life services are like? I have...

Here is that look at a COP through the eyes of Seth Robson and published in the Stars and Stripes. It is a fairly intimate look at Combat Outpost Aztec - Seth describes life on this COP and the challenges the 2-2 SCR had in converting a gutted meat processing plant...into a secure, livable environment.

For many, this will be an eye-opening read to see the transformation of COP Aztec and how Chris and the 2-2 SCR warriors are making the most of life at an outpost. Some of the insight of the early living conditions might cause you to flinch a little...but keep reading. It helps to remind us of the sacrifice and resolve of the 2nd SCR as they execute their mission.

The end of the article made me smile. I am glad to see the camaraderie of this fighting team and how playing music on the front steps helps them relax. Knowing how much Chris enjoys music...his mother and I can hear Chris singing along now. I can only wonder what he thinks about while he sings...

Self-sufficient soldiers make the best of life at Combat Outpost Aztec
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes

BAGHDAD — Soldiers at combat outposts lack many of the quality-of-life services afforded to their counterparts at larger facilities but, for many, the simplicity of life on a small base makes it a good trade-off.

Combat Outpost Aztec, which lies just south of Baghdad International Airport, doesn’t have a golf driving range, Baskin Robbins ice cream parlor, indoor basketball court, American Forces Network television or Green Bean coffee shop — delights that can be sampled at nearby Camp Liberty.

When they are not working, the 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment soldiers at Aztec — members of 2nd Squadron’s Company D — get their kicks pumping iron in the weights room, watching movies on a big-screen television, surfing the Internet (after waiting in line) or playing video games in their rooms.

It is a spartan sort of life, but it is one that most appear content to live with for the duration of their 15-month posting to Iraq.

Company D 1st Sgt. Michael White said the unit arrived at Aztec, a gutted meat processing plant, in early September after deploying from Vilseck, Germany.

The administration building where soldiers work and live had been briefly occupied by another unit but was not particularly habitable at that stage, he said.

“It was filthy. It was worse than the normal dust from Iraq,” White said, adding that the building was home to myriad small creatures.

“People were getting eaten up by bugs. The main nests were the mattresses. We took them out and burned them and got rid of anything that was infested,” the 44-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., recalled.

Soldiers burned off vegetation around the building, which also was crawling with insects. The long-term plan is to plant grass and water it with a sprinkler system that was used to irrigate the factory grounds, White said.

In the meantime, there’s plenty of dust outside.

Company D soldiers replaced Aztec’s aging set of wooden outdoor showers with two self-contained transportable shower blocks. To help the Iraqi economy, some of the parts were sourced locally. The showers promptly broke and nobody washed for a week, but on Tuesday, they came back on line.

Company D soldiers like Spc. Gary Boyd, 24, of Morrow, Ga., appear to prefer life on the COP to being at a larger base, such as Forward Operating Base Falcon, where 2nd Squadron is headquartered.

“It is an easier lifestyle out here. It’s self-sufficient. We take care of ourselves and that makes it better than being at the FOB,” he said.

At the FOB, higher-ranking soldiers from other units often tell Company D soldiers to do things that are not in line with the company’s standard operating procedures, he added.

The food at Aztec includes hot breakfasts (eggs, hash browns, biscuits and sausage or bacon) and hot dinners (meat, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables). There is a never-ending supply of fruit juice and soft drinks, coffee, cookies, brownies, Pop-Tarts and cereal that the men can eat for lunch or snack on between meals.

Boyd rates the food highly.

“Hot chow for breakfast and dinner is a plus. You get tired of MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat) after a while,” he said.

At night, three or four soldiers often gather on the front steps to play guitar. Boyd can pluck “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica or serenade his comrades with “More than Words” by Extreme. He can find guitar tablature for almost any song online.

Another Company D guitar player, Pfc. Ivy Harris, 21, of Adairsville, Ga., has been playing for a year and is honing his skills with the help of the other soldiers.

“We are working on a Carlos Santana song right now,” he said, adding that the music is making his tour go faster.

--------------------------

Chris, we love you son - be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

Herculean Patience...

K, ready for the second article? If so, let's push...this is another interesting read courtesy of David Smith, Guardian Unlimited, who is embedded with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. I blogged on his 2nd report here. Interested in reading his other reports? Here they are:

More from David Smith's Embed Diary
15.11.2007: 'I'll be in the history books one day'
14.11.2007: Bound and blindfolded
13.11.2007: Apprehensive? Oh, yes
11.11.2007: Inside the green zone

A word of caution...the end of this article may be disturbing to some as David describes an attack on a Stryker vehicle near the Green Zone. Proceed at your own choosing...

War and Counseling
David Smith goes out on a 'hearts and minds' operation

Friday November 16, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

First, as a postscript to one of my previous entries, I was told that the three men I had seen arrested, handcuffed and blindfolded had been proven to have been involved in the kidnapping of Shias at false checkpoints and had provided some useful information.

My first instinct was to feel rather silly for the way I'd reacted like an ivory tower liberal to the whole scene. But then I reminded myself: the seriousness of the charge makes it all the more important that these men receive a fair trial. I was also reminded yesterday that anyone who perceives Americans only as imperial bullies, blundering around Iraq purely for oil or some other selfish interest, has failed to explain men like Captain Francisco Lopez.

On a Stryker patrol in south-west Baghdad I watched him tirelessly listen, negotiate, cajole, advise and sympathize with anxious members of the public, displaying a bedside manner and Herculean patience that would make you think he was running for president.

Much is written about the soldier of the 21st century with his arsenal of hi-tech sensors and weapons but the reality on the ground in Baghdad is that troops are taking a crash course in counseling, diplomacy, family welfare and social skills.

During the hot afternoons they kick footballs with children, reassure parents, take cups of tea out of politeness to their hosts and deal with a whole range of complaints about electricity, healthcare, rubbish collection, schools, sewage and water.

They are the police, social services and local councilors rolled into one, and their concerns are with the here and now of making the drains work rather than the big picture of George Bush's war on terror. Lopez began the day talking to the Iraqi police, an organization that has been riddled with sectarianism and corruption, losing all public trust.

A previous meeting with the Americans was conducted, bizarrely, in near total darkness; yesterday's meeting with Lopez took place in a shabby room with the TV still on in the background, although they did at least switch the volume off. Then came a school in need of electricity, its rows of empty desks still forlornly empty.

Lopez looked in at a baker's to see if some previous damage had been repaired. People looked over their garden gates or wandered up to him in the street to air their grievances. "We are not 911," he had to explain.

Lopez visited a dentist's waiting room and found himself ambushed by outspoken mothers clutching their children. When will the bridge be fixed? Why is there no power? Why is there still rubbish in the street that could make our daughters ill? The captain pulled up a chair and did his best to answer all the questions.

Finally, a few meetings later, he arrived at the scene of a recent accident. As we entered a darkened house, a light shone on a young, frightened boy, his hand wrapped in bandages and burns on his lower neck, caused by a grenade he had picked up outside his home.

The American military's rules forbid intervention in healthcare, except in life-threatening situations, on the grounds that the Iraqis will become dependent on them. They had bent the rules a little on the day of the accident by providing the bandage before telling the boy's father to take him to a doctor. Last night they returned to the house only to find that the father had done nothing and was relying on the Americans for more help. They told him it was not an American grenade, but he insisted the responsibility was theirs.

Lopez told him: "It's not our fault that your son picked up a grenade and injured himself. We have helped your son by providing bandages and are not allowed to help any more. There is an Iraqi medical facility up the road." The man pleaded: "Do you have children? Consider him your own son." But Lopez replied: "If I did that, then I'd have to consider all Iraqi children my own." When military histories are written, they tend to focus on the acts of derring-do under fire that win medals, but Lopez's indefatigable quest to make Baghdad a more civilized place to live surely merits at least a mention in dispatches.

'Tony', an Iraqi informant who helps the captain with intelligence on suspects in the area, told me: "We need a man such as Captain Lopez as our leader. He has more patriotic Iraqi feeling then the Iraqis themselves." But as we headed back to base, we learned that a Stryker vehicle had been hit by a roadside bomb - an explosively formed projectile - near the green zone, killing a young lieutenant who was on only his second patrol in Iraq. Two other soldiers were smashed in the face by shrapnel.

A soldier traveling with me, who knew the injured men, said of one: "Apparently his face was all red, like blood. If he hadn't been wearing eye protection he'd have lost at least one eye." After 12 hours on the road, it was a sombre journey back.

--------------------------

These are the challenges that confront our warriors everyday.

Combat ops, counseling, diplomacy, family welfare and social skills...how do you prepare for all of this?

Furthermore, aren't you proud of them? Wouldn't you like to look Captain Lopez in the eye and say thank you? I would...

How do you explain men like Captain Lopez and the rest of our warriors with the 2nd SCR?

Never let anyone tell you they have it easy...they do not...

Your thoughts?

v/r,
- Collabman

Enough Already...

Evening! I have missed blogging these past two days but...not much to write about. It has been a fairly quiet week news-wise for the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. Not so tonight.

Two articles caught my eye. Lets start with the Stars and Stripes reporting on Company D, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment - why? This is Chris' unit. For those of you who have been asking what Chris and his team are involved in...read on. I think you will find it interesting...

I will pick up the second article in a follow-on blog tonight so check back in a few...




By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, November 14, 2007

BAGHDAD — Soldiers from Company D, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment were on the lookout for suicide bombers when they set up checkpoints on the outskirts of Baghdad at the crack of dawn on Monday.

The company mans Combat Outpost Aztec, one of the many small bases established as part of the Army’s “surge” strategy that has restored a measure of security to the Iraqi capital in recent months.

Two and a half months into the 15-month mission, the unit says it has cleared virtually all insurgents from its area of operations — a 50-square-kilometer patch of semi-rural land just south of Baghdad International Airport and the Green Zone.

The lines of young Sunni locals who showed up at COP Aztec on Monday morning to volunteer to guard critical infrastructure in the neighborhood were evidence that Company D is winning the battle for hearts and minds here.

But the fact that suicide bombers have struck Iraqi security volunteers so many times in the past encouraged troops to block traffic from roads leading to Aztec and check passing pedestrians and cyclists closely.

One of the soldiers manning the checkpoints was more aware of the danger than most.

Spc. Noel Gaulard, 22, of Bryan, Ohio, was shot in the shoulder during a patrol shortly after he arrived at Aztec.

“We were walking down a road back that way. We got about 250 meters down the road and started taking fire. When I ran to take cover and fire back, a bullet caught me in the shoulder and went straight through,” Gaulard said.

The assailants, who were in a vehicle, escaped before the young soldier could return fire and Gaulard was left with a nasty scar in the middle of an Iron Cross tattoo. But the wound was superficial and he was quickly back to duty.

“It doesn’t hurt, but it has made me cautious. Every time I get in the shower I look down at my shoulder and it comes back. I’ve got a fiancee and a little 2-year-old boy at home,” he said.

Company D’s commander, Capt. Doug Willig, a 29-year-old Fort Wayne, Ind., native, said the Iraqi volunteers will form a Critical Infrastructure Security force tasked with manning checkpoints to protect main supply routes throughout the area.

Getting locals to guard their neighborhoods is a formula that has dramatically cut violence in Anbar province to the point where places like Fallujah and Ramadi have gone from being the most dangerous places in Iraq to the most peaceful. Now the strategy is being extended to other parts of Iraq, Willig said.

So far, about 300 Iraqi CIS volunteers have been screened and 100 are manning three checkpoints to stop al-Qaida bringing weapons into Baghdad through the neighborhood. The goal is to employ 276 guards to run seven checkpoints in the area 24 hours a day, Willig said.

The CIS volunteers provide their own weapons and are not an official Iraqi government security force. They are paid $10 a day ($15 for a shift supervisor), he said.

When the volunteers reached Aztec’s entry gate they were searched twice before they were allowed on post.

Soldiers used cameras and eye-and-fingerprint scanners to enter them into a biometric database that the coalition uses to stop insurgents infiltrating security forces.

Most of the CIS volunteers are members of the Jabouri tribe and led by a former Iraqi army general — Mustafa Kamel Shebeb al-Jabouri — who claims he’s been fighting al-Qaida with a force of 2,500 men for two years.

“The Iraqi security forces are weak. They say they can’t do anything without orders. In the future we hope to build Iraqi security forces that don’t depend on politics,” he said through a translator.

Capt. Brian Fallon, 25, of Yorktown, N.Y., and Company D’s fire support officer, oversaw the screening process.

“We don’t use a lot of indirect fire these days so I keep busy looking after civil affairs and information operations,” said Fallon, who is on his second Iraq tour.

Most locals just want to rebuild their country, he said.

“People are just tired of the violence. They have had enough already. They want to help out to get their country stabilized,” Fallon said.

--------------------------

Kudos to Dog Company and the work they are doing to clean up their area of operations south of Baghdad International Airport and the Green Zone. Nice job! Getting the Iraqi's to create a security solution for their homeland is the right thing to do so stay with it. However, keep your head on a swivel as you continue to take care of business. Complacency can sneak up on you anytime, anywhere...

Here are three more photos of warriors in Dog Company, 2-2 SCR that accompanied this article in the Stars & Stripes...enjoy!

I love you Chris and I am so proud of all you and the 2nd SCR are doing in Baghdad. We all remember your sacrifice every day...

v/r,
- Collabman

Fear Breeds Alertness...

I am always looking to read stories filed by reporters embedded with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. Why? I think these journalists paint an interesting picture of life on the ground in Baghdad. Unlike us, they get to see firsthand what boots on the ground means to the 2nd SCR and the people of Iraq. Recently I posted a blog called Shadows... that included an article from Michael Gisick writing for The Albuquerque Tribune. I trust you had time to read it...

Now, a slightly different view - one from our friends across the big pond...read that Great Britain.

Ride along with David Smith, a British journalist writing for the Guardian Unlimited, the network of websites from the Guardian newspaper based in London, as he accompanies warriors from the 2nd SCR on patrol.

The first article in David's series called Inside the Green Zone is another great read and sets the stage for his first patrol with the 2nd SCR...

It makes me wish I could ride along...how 'bout you?

Enjoy...

-------------------------------------

Apprehensive? Oh Yes.

In the second of his reflections, David Smith conveys the tension and nervousness of his first day out on patrol with US troops in Baghdad.

Tuesday November 13, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Two children sit in front of a US soldier from 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment on patrol in Baghdad. Photograph: Stefano Rellandini/Reuters



The steel hatch swung up behind me like a drawbridge and snapped shut. My fate was sealed. I was sitting inside an armoured, eight-wheel Stryker vehicle and would spend the next 10 hours patrolling 'al-Qaida's last stronghold in Baghdad'. Apprehensive? Oh yes.

Fortunately the Stryker is probably the best there is and, I was told, able to withstand roadside bombs, the improvised explosive devices that have taken such a terrible toll on US forces. I tried not to think about the even more lethal explosively formed projectiles, which fire a slug of molten metal capable of penetrating the thickest armour.

With body armour, helmet, notebook and camera, I was sitting towards the rear of the Stryker with my back to the driver, in the middle of four soldiers who spent much of the journey standing at turrets with assault rifles. To my left and right were TV screens, clusters of wires and control panels, a fire extinguisher, an industrial strength laptop and, I noted, a box of sweets and an iPod. A thin film of sand clung to everything.

If I turned and looked over my shoulder in the half-light, I could see another bank of screens. One seemed fixed on a patriotic image of an US bald eagle spreading its wings paternally over heroic troops and vehicles. On another was a satellite photograph of Baghdad with blue icons representing important locations. Most fascinating was a laptop showing a live, roving aerial view beamed to us by a remote-controlled drone known as a Raven. Occasionally, after shivering and distorting for a moment, it would fix a suspicious vehicle in its crosshairs.

All in all, amid the beeps and voices crackling over the radio, it was like being inside a windowless submarine or space capsule, with a similar sense of venturing into the unknown as we passed beyond the perimeter fence which makes the vast US military base Camp Striker something of a safe haven.

On yet another screen I could follow our progress via an external camera. It showed a series of streetlights and palm trees flowing against the sky, and sometimes caught the sun as a bright, beautiful circle. Finally, after a bumpy ride, it showed buses, cars, billboards, bridges, mosque domes, telegraph poles, and rubbish-strewn streets. We were in town.

The confidence of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment platoon was infectious. If you had to trust your life to anyone, these professional men with their hi-tech weapons would be high on the list. Yes, they said, they still feel fear, but with routine they learn to control it: fear breeds alertness, and is better that than getting cocky or casual.

So when we finally halted and the hatch lowered itself to the ground I didn't feel like a rabbit desperate to bolt for its burrow. I stepped into the sunlight and found a city like any other, yet not like any other: a street corner, a hardware shop, a child wearing a Chelsea badge. But also a building blackened by a recent bombing, a pile of rubbish turning rancid in the road and a deserted house with its windows shattered.

I got on with the journalism, interviewing an Iraqi man who said security was improving but asked how I would feel if, like him, had seen a family member bleed to death in the street because of a lack of medical provision. Later, a lieutenant-colonel remarked that this interviewee had been directing everyone on that street through his body language. I hadn't noticed.

We visited a school - a safehouse for Iraqis to provide information - a baker who fed us freshly cooked bread and numerous other stop-offs in al-Hadar, once one of Baghdad's most affluent suburbs. It's become something of cliche but US soldiers really did spread goodwill by pretending to spar with children, play football with them and throw them sweets. One has been nicknamed the "mayor" because residents go to him with their complaints about drains, rubbish collection and so on.

Darkness closed in and we ground to a halt. The hatch opened again but this time the vehicle commander told me: "David, I'm gonna leave you in here because we're dealing with a sniper and I don't want you to get shot." Sniper fire, aimed at nearby Iraqi security volunteers, had hit some water 20 metres from us. The gunman had vanished into the darkness.

On our way back, the troops had got used to me, or maybe forgotten my presence. There was talk of baseball and ice hockey rivalries and the swearwords flew thick and fast. Back at base, the care they had shown me all day extended to handing me a takeaway meal.

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"The confidence of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment platoon was infectious. If you had to trust your life to anyone, these professional men with their hi-tech weapons would be high on the list."

Wow - how about that statement?

v/r,
- Collabman