Tired, Dirty...and Relentless

An American soldier with the First Squadron, Second Stryker Cavalry, pointed toward the direction of gunfire on Monday in Sadr City, a district of Baghdad where American and Iraqi forces began fighting Shiite militias on Sunday. (Joao Silva for The New York Times)

"A crackdown on the Mahdi Army militia is creating potentially destabilizing political and military tensions in Iraq, pitting a stronger government alliance against the force that has won past showdowns: the street power wielded by the radical cleric Moktada al-Sadr." James Glanz and Stephen Farrell - The New York Times

Evening...

Are the warriors with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment on your heart and mind? Are you praying for their safety? They are and I am...

Everywhere you look there are articles describing the tenuous situation in and around Sadr City...and the 1-2 SCR is in the fight.

Up north, the 3-2 SCR continues to work in the Diyala province. They have been hunting insurgents since they got there. Do these warriors believe they are making a difference? Read the article below and tell me what you think...

Here is a sample of what the info hounds are providing on the 2nd SCR...

Crackdown on Militias Raises Stability Concerns

Smoke was used to provide soldiers from 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment with cover. (Joao Silva for The New York Times)


Spc. Francisco Lassiter, a native of Norfolk, Va., conducts a foot patrol on the streets of Baghdad’s Suleikh neighborhood as a Stryker vehicle passes by April 1. Lassiter, who serves as a tanker with 4th Platoon, Company A, 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, which is attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, was part of a patrol that was gathering information from residents and visiting Iraqi Army checkpoints.
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joseph Rivera Rebolledo, 3rd BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)


Sgt. Rafael Gilbert, a native of Bronx, N.Y., stands at guard in front of a hardware store during a patrol in the streets of the Suleikh neighborhood of Baghdad April 1. The patrol consisted of gathering information from residents and ensuring the Iraqi Army is in compliance with the established standard operating procedures in the checkpoints within the Company A area of responsibility. Gilbert serves as a combat medic with 4th Platoon, Company A, 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, which is attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joseph Rivera Rebolledo, 3rd BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

Gimlets Work to Flush Terror Out of Sadr City

Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment walk next to an open sewer while on a dismounted patrol through the Sadr City district of Baghdad April 1. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti)

Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, board their Stryker after a dismounted patrol in Sadr City, a district of Baghdad, April 1. The Soldiers moved to Joint Security Station Ur in support of the recent combat operations in the area. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti)


Sgt. 1st Class Craig McNeal pounds fists with an Iraqi boy while on patrol in Sadr City, a district of Baghdad, April 1. McNeal is a platoon sergeant with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. The Gimlets moved to Joint Security Station Ur in support of the recent combat operations in the area. They now patrol the streets daily to ensure the safety of the people who live there. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti)

Soldiers on the ground offer mixed assessment

Soldiers from the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment guard a deserted market area in Iraq's Diyala province, where they helped oust al Qaeda and now work with local officials. (Richard Tomkins/The Washington Times)

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

I love you Chris and I remember...be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman