Dropping the Hammer...

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. William Haney from Hammer Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, escorts a suspected terrorist after he was detained in a raid in Nahr al-Imam, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad in Iraq's volatile Diyala province on Wednesday, July 30, 2008. Twenty men were detained in the pre-dawn sweep. Nearly 50,000 Iraqi police and soldiers were involved in a U.S.-backed operation against al-Qaida in Iraq in one of its last major strongholds near the capital, a senior provincial official said Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)


Fed by the Euphrates and Diyala rivers, Diyala was once the granary of Iraq and its lush orchards made it the country's orange capital, but its multi-ethnic population has proven one of the most dangerous to control.
Ali al-Tuwaijri/AFP

Happy hump day...how many of these do we have left?

Also, can I vent? Is it just me or has the month of July just dragged on? I knew this last stretch would seem longer than normal but geez...this is ridiculous. I guess August will be the same. I've been told this is not uncommon...

The photos of the siege in Diyala began to roll in earlier today. As expected, warriors from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment are prominently displayed in many of the photos.

Before the photos, a few shiny news reports that caught my eye tonight.

Iraq arrests 45 in crackdown on Qaeda fighters

Operation Omens of Prosperity begins in Diyala

U.S. combat deaths in Iraq plunge in July

Spend some time with the photos...and remember the sacrifice of our warriors.

Tomorrow night I will share some new photos of warriors from Dog Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd SCR - Chris' tream. I love seeing photos of the 2nd SCR and based on the blog stats over the past couple of weeks...so do you all.

A U.S. Army soldier from Hammer Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment stands guard near two suspected terrorists in Nahr al-Imam, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad in Iraq's volatile Diyala province on Wednesday, July 30, 2008.
(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)


A U.S. Army soldier from Hammer company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment checks a list of wanted terrorists as Iraqi men are temporarily detained while their identities are verified in Nahr al-Imam, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad in Iraq's volatile Diyala province on Wednesday, July 30, 2008.
(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)


A U.S. Army soldier from Hammer Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment peers over a wall at detainees in Nahr al-Imam, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad in Iraq's volatile Diyala province Wednesday, July 30, 2008.
(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

A U.S. Army soldier from Hammer Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment checks a list of wanted terrorists as Iraqi men are temporarily detained while their identities are verified in Nahr al-Imam, about 90 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad in Iraq's volatile Diyala province on Wednesday, July 30, 2008.
(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

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

Chris I love you son.

Be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman