Operation Night Stalker-Fortress One

Evening...

Some new videos out on Charlie Battery, 2nd Stryker Cavalry and their work in the Diyala Province under a current operation. A number of warriors from the 2nd SCR talk to a military reporter about the clearance operation their unit is conducting in conjunction with the Iraqi security forces of the 4th Company, 20th Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army; the professionalism of the Iraqi army unit; the eagerness and capability of the Iraqi army to take over security operations; the progress made so far in the mission and the ideal outcome of the mission and the dangers and casualties that occur during their daily missions.

If you have the time, give em a look...maybe you will see a warrior you recognize.

For us, Chris' R&R is going well and we are enjoying every minute he is home...oh how fast it goes...

Enjoy the videos...













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v/r,
- Collabman

Welcome Home!

A mother's first embrace - welcome home son! (CDS Photos, Inc.)

Mother and son...both very happy! (CDS Photos, Inc.)

Collabman, Ms. Collabman and Chris - ready for 18 days of R&R! (CDS Photos, Inc.)

The welcoming party including one of Collabman's best friends and family (CDS Photos, Inc.)

Home at last....let the party begin :-)

Thanks to all of you who continue to keep Chris and the entire 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in your thoughts and prayers - we appreciate it!

v/r,
- Collabman

Almost home...

Homecoming - DFW Airport

Dear American Hero,
I am Not Certain as to How to Express My Gratitude for All You Have Done to Secure My Freedom. Please Accept this Simple Card as a Small Token of My Appreciation.
A Grateful American Citizen

Afternoon...

We just received a call from Chris! He is is at DFW and is on track to arrive in Colorado at 8pm...woohoo! He said his welcome at DFW was outstanding!

To those who give of their time to make our heroes feel welcomed...thank you so much!

Here are some words on what is done to welcome home our warriors for R&R:

Every day, more than 100 soldiers come through DFW Airport on their way home for two weeks of much-anticipated rest and recuperation (R&R). Under the R&R program, American servicemen and women receive these brief vacations from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. DFW Airport welcomes home these members of the armed forces as they return from duty. One R&R flight lands every day at DFW, and this warm welcome home starts their two weeks of R&R on a high note. DFW has assisted thousands of men and women since the R&R flights first started in November 2004.





Almost home to Colorado...

v/r,
- Collabman

Thank You...

To Our Warriors...Past, Present and Future...Thank You!

Evening...

First things first...to those who have served, are serving today, will serve in the future...and to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice - thank you for answering the call.

An update on Chris....the U.S. Army's timing is never ours...

Chris called late last night from Kuwait with a projected arrival time in Colorado at 8pm tomorrow night. Well, we have waited this long...we can wait another day for his R&R.

More to come when Chris arrives...

v/r,
- Collabman

Homecoming...

A handmade sign from Hanna welcoming Chris home from Baghdad, Iraq for 18 days of R&R (CDS Photos, Inc.)

A handmade sign from Aramis, Carrie, Matthew and Christian welcoming Chris home from Baghdad, Iraq for 18 days of R&R (CDS Photos, Inc.)


A homecoming for Chris - May 2008 (CDS Photos, Inc.)

Evening...

Everything is finished...now we wait for the final hours to come and go. Chris called Saturday morning and said he would either be home today or Monday, Memorial Day. He left finger prints today on a social networking tool that left a cryptic clue indicating he would be home on Memorial Day - we are so excited and on such a fitting day!

A day we honor the sacrifice of those warriors who have gone before the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment...those who are boots on the ground today...and those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Spend some time tomorrow with the names on the 2nd SCR Wall of Heroes and Fallen Angels - wont' you?

As we drove up the street this afternoon we were touched by the outpouring of love for Chris from our neighbors. The signs said it all...and I am sure Chris will be touched as well tomorrow.

For those of you who have called, sent emails and/or commented on my blog - thanks! Chris' mom and I appreciate the words of encouragement, thoughts and prayers...

I will blog an update on Chris when he arrives...and share my thoughts throughout his R&R...

Chris - we love you son and can't wait to welcome you home!

Love,
Dad

SPC Chris Stevenson, Dog Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment following a dismounted patrol on the streets of Baghdad, Iraq. (CDS Photos, Inc.)

Dragoons!

Mission First...Never Quit

Dragoon is the traditional name for a soldier trained to fight on foot but who transports himself on horseback, in use especially during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

Enjoy your weekend...

Chris, we love you son!

Be Safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

Not Officially...

Iraqi soldiers stand guard in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, May 21, 2008. The mural shows the late father of the radical anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, right, and Mohammed Baqir al-Sadr.

(AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

He went to war and became a man
He returned different, far older than his years
The scars of war etched on his soul
Wounds that will never heal
Scars indented on his mind and body forever
A young man
A man
A soldier
... forever

Dorothy Sharp

Evening...

Tonight I stumbled across an interesting article describing operations in Sadr City, including the work of 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry - courtesy of the Washington Post.

Never the name...the fragile balance of engaging an enemy on the ground while carefully choosing distinct terminology to describe them. Hmmm...I understand the basis for the distinction...I think...do you?

I wonder what our warriors think about all of this. Guess I will soon find out because I will ask...

See what you think..the wild card in Sadr City...

By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Battling in Sadr City Video

BAGHDAD -- As the bullets whizzed past 1st Lt. Ben Hartig earlier this month, he scrambled for cover and glanced up at a giant Sadr City billboard of the anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

"We've killed so many of his Mahdi Army militia guys, but they just keep shooting and shooting," yelled Hartig, 23, of Concord, Calif., as he struggled to be heard over the cacophony of Bradley Fighting Vehicles firing back with 25mm cannons. "Sadr is a really tough enemy."

Not officially. In Washington and in the capital's heavily fortified Green Zone, American military and diplomatic officials have rarely mentioned Sadr and his militia when describing their enemy. Instead, U.S. troops have clashed with "criminal elements" or "special groups," a phrase used by the military to refer to Iranian-backed fighters.

But according to U.S. infantry soldiers, Mahdi Army fighters and the American brigade commander here, much of the recent fighting in Sadr City has pitted militiamen loyal to Sadr against the U.S. and Iraqi militaries. On Tuesday, thousands of Iraqi troops moved into the district without any significant opposition from the militia.

The delicacy of the U.S. terminology underscores both the fragility of the security gains in Iraq and the U.S. government's efforts to tie Iran to the ongoing violence. American officials worry that if they provoke Sadr, he could call off the nine-month-old cease-fire that is credited as one of the main reasons for the drop in violence. At the same time, tying the fighters to Iran bolsters the American case that the Iranian government is subverting U.S. interests throughout the Middle East.

For U.S. soldiers involved in the clashes, the battle has been more straightforward.

"Of course we're fighting JAM," said Col. John Hort, the commander of the brigade in Sadr City, referring to Jaish al-Mahdi, which is Arabic for Mahdi Army. "There are hundreds of them throughout Sadr City, and we'll keep up the fight against them until they stop attacking us."

In the view of U.S. officials, every bona fide member of the Mahdi Army is obeying Sadr's cease-fire, and any member fighting U.S. or Iraqi troops is by definition violating his leader's order and therefore a rogue element. Senior U.S. military commanders said they were targeting only those rogue elements, whom they refer to either as special groups or simply criminals.

Yet that distinction does not account for a man who has been one of the U.S. military's top targets in Sadr City: Tahseen al-Freiji, the senior Mahdi Army commander in the enclave. Hort said the goal was to remove Freiji and other top targets as threats, either by detaining or killing them.

Hort and other officials describe Freiji, believed to be in his late 30s, as "mainstream JAM." They said that the U.S. military initially targeted him in 2006 and 2007 for his role in sectarian attacks on Sunnis but that he was taken off the list of targets after he heeded Sadr's cease-fire last August. In March, though, he resumed his attacks after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched an offensive against Shiite militias in the southern city of Basra and later in Sadr City.

U.S. officials said that Freiji commands a full brigade in Sadr City, directing 6,000 to 8,000 men. They said he has given orders to launch rockets and mortar shells; fire rocket-propelled grenades and AK-47 assault rifles; and set roadside bombs, including powerful ones known as explosively formed penetrators that the U.S. military has said are supplied by Iran.

Mahdi Army leaders in Sadr City and the southern holy city of Najaf confirmed that Freiji is the top commander in the Baghdad enclave and receives his orders directly from senior Sadrist leaders in Najaf. They denied, however, that he and other fighters received support from Iran.

"He is not just a fighter, but a social and political leader," said Salam al-Maliki, 40, a Mahdi Army leader in Sadr City. "You can say he is like a tribal chief. He was basically the government security system when there was no government."

Freiji operated command centers next to both of the major hospitals in Sadr City, including a structure in the median of the road next to Sadr Hospital that U.S. military officials nicknamed "Tahseen's trailer," said Maj. Bryan Gibby, the intelligence officer for the brigade, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

The U.S. military struck the site with missiles about 10 a.m. on the morning of May 3. The statement disclosing the attack identified the targets as "criminal elements."

The strike killed or wounded several Mahdi Army commanders, including a top lieutenant to Freiji named Arkan Muhammad Ali al-Hasnawi, Gibby said. Hasnawi, whose death was confirmed by Mahdi Army leaders, was responsible for the kidnapping of eight tribal leaders last October, in addition to multiple rocket and mortar attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops, U.S. officials said.

Hasnawi, 35, joined Sadr's militia in 2003 and battled American forces in Najaf in 2004 and Sunni insurgents in recent years, according to Jamal al-Harmoushy, a Mahdi Army commander in the southern city of Kufa. "He was devoted and extremely obedient to Moqtada al-Sadr," Harmoushy said.

U.S. military commanders in Sadr City acknowledged that even leaders of so-called special groups have close ties to mainstream Mahdi Army leaders and top Sadr aides.

"The special groups all have direct communication with OMS," said Capt. Ron Underwood, an intelligence officer with the unit responsible for southeastern Sadr City, using a U.S. military abbreviation for the office of Moqtada al-Sadr.

U.S. military officials said the top special groups leader in Sadr City is Mahdi Khaddam Alawi al-Zirjawi. They said Zirjawi, whose noms de guerre are Abu Ahmad and Abu Rayna, had traveled to Iran several times for training by Iranian agents and by Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite movement backed by Iran.

"In terms of public enemy number one in Sadr City, it's Haji Mahdi," said Gibby, referring to Zirjawi with an honorific signifying that a person has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Gibby said Zirjawi still reports to Sadr. "Sadr has not repudiated him. Haji Mahdi fits in the organization," he said. "I think OMS leaders are comfortable with him."

U.S. officials described a list of top special groups targets who they said had all been trained in Iran, although Mahdi Army leaders said none of them were rogue elements but rather Mahdi Army commanders who report directly to Sadr. The leaders also denied that any of them received funding or assistance from Iran, saying the U.S. military was trying to undermine the Mahdi Army's reputation as a nationalist movement.

There was Baqir al-Saidi, who was responsible for the kidnapping of five British contractors last year, according to U.S. officials. A member of a prominent Shiite family, Saidi had been in Iran as recently as February and had been considering fleeing there in the past few days to evade capture, the officials said.

There was Jawad Kazim al-Tulaybani, a rocket and mortar specialist who carried out a rocket attack on a U.S. outpost last month that left 15 soldiers wounded, U.S. officials said. A veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, Tulaybani is said to walk with a limp caused by a leg injury.

And there was Ismail Hafiz al-Atawi, known as Abu Dure, feared throughout the capital for sectarian attacks on Sunnis.

"All those great military leaders are under the command of Sayyid Moqtada al-Sadr," said a senior aide to Sadr, using an honorific for the cleric and speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. "They will continue fighting for Sayyid Moqtada until the last American is driven out of our country."

Sadr's followers are supposed to be observing the cease-fire he imposed last year, which the U.S. command has said is still in effect. But that's not the way it has seemed to soldiers in Sadr City. "I don't think there's a cease-fire," said Lt. Col. Dan Barnett, commander of the 1st Squadron of the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, the unit responsible for southeastern Sadr City.

Some of the statements from Sadr are so vague it is hard to tell whether they condone violence against U.S. troops or not. In interviews, Mahdi Army commanders said the cease-fire allows them to fight Americans in Sadr City as a form of self-defense. Under those conditions, Barnett said, the U.S. military's official distinction between special groups and the mainstream Mahdi Army has been maddening. "You can't really compartmentalize," said Barnett, of Willard, Ohio. "What are the special groups? You just don't know if it's a covert JAM organization or a separate organization."

Sitting in the back of his Stryker armored vehicle on a recent afternoon, Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Arambula compared what he had seen during a month and a half of sharp clashes in Sadr City with what he saw in Najaf in 2004, when U.S. and Mahdi Army forces engaged in ferocious fighting.

"It's the same guys," said Arambula, 28, of Dallas. "The only difference is that now their weapons are a lot more sophisticated and their bombs are a lot bigger."

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Chris, I love you son...we are still counting...be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

Counting...

SPC Chris Stevenson, Dog Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Baghdad, Iraq - 2008 (CDS Photos, Inc.)

IT IS THE SOLDIER, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.

IT IS THE SOLDIER, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

IT IS THE SOLDIER, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us freedom to demonstrate.

IT IS THE SOLDIER, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

IT IS THE SOLDIER who salutes the flag,
Who serves under the flag and
Whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Charles M. Province

Evening...

Has it been quiet or what? The info hounds have been hunting but there just hasn't been much out there on the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. During the past nine months I have learned to accept quiet and no news...it has not been easy - how about you?

For those who know our situation - you understand the title of this blog article. We are excited to the point that sleep is hard to come by :-) Our oldest is getting married in a few short days plus - we are expecting a visitor. Couple all of this with Memorial Day this coming Monday and we are...well, we are so humbled and very proud of all of our boys. To have our youngest serving with the 2nd SCR in Iraq is just icing on the cake. I'm not sure there are any words to express all these feelings...except, Jake, Aaron and Chris - I love you all!

Tonight's blog...

It's been a long journey to this point, eh?

A 15 month deployment is as you know...one heck of a long time to be in a combat environment and away from your loved ones. Remember last September when we all thought about the long haul ahead...the not knowing...the stress of not hearing...and our need to establish a battle rhythm.

For me, I remember looking forward to the telltale signs when we could see the end of this deployment. Sure, it's never over till it's over but...note this blog:

More on what the latest rotation might mean for Fort Lewis

Posted by Mike Gilbert @ 12:04:09 pm

Keeping that Stryker math problem in mind, an observer can deduce a little bit more about what happens next for the Strykers at Fort Lewis following the troop rotations announced this week.

The 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team from the Pennsylvania National Guard will be mobilized in mid-September and then go to Iraq after training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi.

That means there are two Stryker brigades – the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Alaska and the 56th from Pa. – going in the fall. They'll replace the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment from Germany and the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Hawaii.

So it stands to reason that Lewis' two soon-to-be-ready Stryker brigades – the 5/2 and the 3/2 – would be next up for the box in the summer and fall of 2009. We wouldn't be surprised if it's sooner, as commanders in Iraq may well want to again have three Stryker brigades to work with.

Two X factors:

• I Corps goes over in early 2009 to assume day-to-day command of U.S. military operations in Iraq. Makes a certain amount of sense they'd want to get some of their Lewis homeboys and homegirls over there to help as soon as possible.

• And there's no accounting for how any of this might change when new occupants move into the White House in January.

Purely a reading of tea leaves, so make of it what you will.

===================

Seeing a replacement unit identified (as the blogger says...make of it what you will) for the 2nd SCR is an indicator to me that we may be getting a glimpse that this journey is - not over...but we finally are getting there.

Chris, I love you son and we are counting...and still praying for you and the entire 2nd SCR.

Be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

You Earn Your Spurs...

A warrior from Ghostrider Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment on patrol in Iraq.

"You are issued your horse, you buy your Stetson, but you earn your spurs."

Evening...

Almost hump day and still very quiet. Current news and photos for the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment are almost non-existent. No worries, the info hounds will keep hunting...

There is an interesting video that was posted to YouTube showing operations from Ghostrider Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd SCR. More on that video in a few tics...

First, I wanted to share a blog that I have been following since the 2nd SCR went down range. It's called Pearl in the Desert and it has been a great read. It is written by a Naval Flight Officer on an Individual Augmentation (IA) assignment in Iraq with the 2nd SCR. Formal speak for a US Navy guy serving with a US Army unit. Talk about a unique experience and opportunity!

Take a moment and read his latest blog - Big Morning. I think you will find it interesting - especially the background and the presentation of his "Gold Spurs."

To Pearl - well done sir and thanks for your sacrifice and service to our country. Tip of the hat mate...I enjoyed your blog.

Now the video...a mixture of still frame shots and video segments...tagged as G Co, 3-2 SCR. Maybe you will see someone you recognize?

Enjoy...


Warriors from Ghostrider Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment pose for a photo in Iraq.



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Chris - we continue to pray for you and the entire 2nd SCR. Have I told you how much I love you son? I love you and I am proud of your work - I remember your sacrifice every day...

Be safe...we are counting...

v/r,
- Collabman

Nada...

"The stories of past courage... can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul."

John F. Kennedy

Evening...

Well, a week and no blog from the Collabman...what's up with that? Did he quit blogging?

Nope...

It's an easy answer...in my view, there has been absolutely nothing worthy of a blog on the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment...zippo, nothing, nada...

So, tonight I will post a couple of videos and continue to hunt for interesting information and pictures for this blog...

Don't give up...keep checking back. For many, no news on the 2nd SCR is a good thing...

Enjoy the video clips...and note the words from Gen Hertling, Commander, MND-North.

Chris, we love you buddy and are counting the time till we see you...

Be safe!

Love,
Dad

Monumental...

SPC Chris Stevenson, Dog Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment takes a break by one of the Swords of Qādisīyah arches, also called the Hands of Victory, in central Baghdad, Iraq (CDS Photos, Inc.)

"There is no victory at bargain basement prices."
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Evening...

A fairly quiet news day for the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. However, a couple of articles did catch my eye...along with new photos of the 2-2 SCR...

First the articles...

May 1, 2008

ISF leads CF to 3 caches at abandoned building (Rashid)

1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.

Multi-National Division – Baghdad

BAGHDAD – At approximately 5 a.m., Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers conducted a joint operation with the National Police and discovered three separate caches in an abandoned building in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad May 1.

During the operation, soldiers from Company D, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division entered the abandoned building behind their Iraqi counterparts and began to search inside.

The soldiers seized 10 explosively formed penetrator improvised explosive devices, 26 155mm artillery rounds, more than 100 pounds of homemade explosives, 19 mortar rounds, 47 rocket-propelled grenades, seven RRG boosters, seven sticks of TNT, two blocks of plastic explosives, four claymore mines, a 105mm rocket, a bag of mortar boosters and rounds of loose ammunition.

“This is a monumental find,” said Maj. Dave Olson, the spokesman for the 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. “This tremendous action by the Iraqi Security Forces will hamper the activity of the criminals operating in the East Rashid area.

The Raider Brigade soldiers continue to support the ISF, as they find and destroy enemy munitions to provide a safe and secure environment for innocent Iraqi citizens.”

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This one too...

MND-B Soldiers Kill 9 Criminals in Separate Clashes

In a few short weeks Chris will be home for R&R. His mother and I are looking forward to his arrival...along with many others who have been praying for him. Couple his homecoming with a wedding for our oldest son and we have...a wonderful month ahead of us. We...can't...wait!

For those of you who have been following along in this blog and supporting all of our warriors in Iraq with your thoughts and prayers...thanks! You have been a tremendous source of encouragement for all of us...

Don't forget the latest photos below...recognize anyone?

Chris, I love you buddy...stay focused and be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman

SPC Brandon (Robo) Robertson (R), Dog Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment and an unidentified warrior take a break by one of the Swords of Qādisīyah arches, in central Baghdad, Iraq (CDS Photos, Inc.)

Warriors from Dog Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment take a break by one of the Swords of Qādisīyah arches, in central Baghdad, Iraq (CDS Photos, Inc.)

Warriors from Dog Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment take a break by one of the Swords of Qādisīyah arches, in central Baghdad, Iraq (CDS Photos, Inc.)

SPC Bobby Schoendorf, Dog Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment takes a break by one of the Swords of Qādisīyah arches in central Baghdad, Iraq (CDS Photos, Inc.)