Looking Back...Moving Forward

A boy walks down a street as U.S. army soldiers attached to Eagle Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment patrol a street in southern Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. A month into a U.S.-backed Iraqi security operation, the Diyala provincial capital and surrounding towns remain scarred by sectarian tensions and violence. Diyala has proven one of the toughest pieces of Iraqi real estate to control. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

"But signs of stability are emerging in Baqouba and surrounding areas as a new U.S.-backed Iraqi offensive enters its second month. The unanswered question is whether the latest attempt to pacify Diyala will succeed where others faltered."
Kim Gamel/AP

Afternoon...

I hope you are spending time with family and friends this holiday weekend. Labor day...what comes to mind? A day of rest? A symbolic end of summer? Picnics, barbecues, water sports? For me, it is a look back...

Last year it was the first major holiday for my wife and I with Chris and our warriors from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Iraq...in harms way. I remember I struggled trying to get my mind around it all...here is a look back. Where were you and what were your thoughts?

Monday, September 3, 2007
A Season of Thoughts...

"Nancy and I decided to spend this Labor Day holiday in a quiet way, reflecting on our loved ones, the sacrifice of those deployed around the globe and just how fortunate we are to live in this great country.

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As I spend time with family, friends and co-workers I am fascinated by each one's perspective on their thoughts for the season and what's important to them.

Many share stories of sending their kids to school - some for the first time, some talk about their favorite football team and how they will fare this season, some speak of the weather and the welcomed relief the fall will bring...others look forward to engagements, weddings and upcoming holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. All important events in their lives that I am glad they can rejoice in and share with me. Now, compare that to my thoughts...could they be any different?

My thoughts are of my 19 year old son who is deployed to Iraq in one of the most complex and hostile combat urban environments in Iraq...of how he will deal with his first contact with the insurgents and the PID (Positive Identification) requirement he will have to deal with...of the emotional and physical stress that these men and women are under 24x7 as they adjust to combat operations in an unforgiving climate...of how Chris will deal with his emotions if or when a fallen angel occurs in the 2SCR...

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As I said early on, this is going to be raw at times...so be it...I am struggling a little right now as it's been some time since we have heard from Chris. I trust that he is fine, God is in control and he is surrounded by an army of angels...but I still doubt and wonder during the quiet moments...

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Wow, did I blog that last year? Isn't it fascinating to look back - a year ago we were early in the journey and we had no idea what we would encounter, yes? At least I didn't. It was hard but we got through it...and now we continue to move forward.

As we celebrate Labor Day 2008 we are not quite to the end of this journey but we are getting closer...and I can't wait till I can write my last blog! I imagine you can't wait either.

So, enjoy your holiday weekend and remember our warriors in Iraq - take a moment and whisper a prayer for them all...

Oh, there was an interesting article today from the AP on Diyala and the challenges that remain. Give it a read...

A U.S. army soldier from Eagle Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment jumps over a puddle as he patrols in Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad.
(AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)


A U.S. army soldier attached to Eagle Company, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment takes his position on a street in southern Baqouba, the capital of Iraq's Diyala province, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad. (AP Photo/Marko Drobnjakovic)

Bombs, sectarian tensions still scar Iraq's Diyala
By KIM GAMEL
Associated Press Writer

The government offices in Iraq's Diyala province are encased in thick blast walls, a shield against suicide bombings. Nearby buildings are pockmarked from fighting between U.S. troops and Sunni insurgents.

Diyala has proven one of the toughest pieces of Iraqi real estate to control despite several major U.S. and Iraqi military operations.

The stakes are high. The corridor between the provincial capital of Baqouba and Baghdad, 35 miles to the southwest, has been a key conduit for the trafficking of weapons and foreign fighters into the Iraqi capital.

Diyala's proximity to Iran also makes it a strategically important to the United States, which accuses Tehran of supporting Shiite militias.

But signs of stability are emerging in Baqouba and surrounding areas as a new U.S.-backed Iraqi offensive enters its second month. The unanswered question is whether the latest attempt to pacify Diyala will succeed where others faltered.

The U.S. military has pinned its hopes on improved Iraqi security forces, with the government sending thousands of additional troops to the province for the new push.

"The Iraqi surge is the major differentiator with previous operations," Michael Knights, a military and security analyst with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said in a telephone interview.

Also in its favor is a U.S.-funded Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq and a Shiite militia cease-fire that have sharply diminished the ability of extremists from both sides of the sectarian divide to operate.

But while those factors have been key in tamping down violence nationwide, they have been slower to take hold in Diyala. The area has a volatile mix of Sunni and Shiite militants along with desert terrain and dense palm groves that provide refuge. A large Kurdish community in the north adds to the mix.

In Baqouba, which the al-Qaida-front Islamic State of Iraq once proclaimed as its capital, shot-up buildings and crumbled sidewalks are the legacy of the fierce fighting between U.S. forces and insurgents.

The provincial government offices are surrounded by concrete walls nearly 15 feet high that protect the officials from bombings that have struck the bustling street outside.

Blasts and gunfire occasionally rip through the night, but music from weddings and other celebrations also can be heard.

The main market is no longer the site of public execution-style killings that were once common among the Islamic fundamentalists. An Iraqi National Police brigade deployed to the area for the offensive has set up headquarters at the city's sports stadium.

"We were suffering," said Samira Hamid al-Halina, whose son was killed by al-Qaida in Iraq.

"We feel better, more secure and safe. We can go outside without being frightened," she added, standing under a bunch of dates ripening on a palm tree as Iraqi troops searched her compound in the Sunni enclave of Harbatiliyah, 15 miles northeast of Baqouba.

But green flags commonly associated with Shiite militias are still planted at intersections and even some local Iraqi police checkpoints, signaling underlying sectarian tensions.

That raises concern that the security gains could prove fragile without progress by the Iraqi government in promoting reconciliation between the fractured ethnic and sectarian groups.

Knights said upcoming provincial elections that can distribute power more equitably will be key. Sunnis boycotted the last popular vote in 2005, allowing Shiites to take a disproportionate share of the power in the province of 1.5 million people.

"Security can freeze Diyala so it doesn't get any worse, but politics is needed to solve it," he said. "The only way of really solving Diyala is through the political roots, such as provincial elections and a more balanced provincial council."

In a recent example of high-level distrust, the provincial council ousted the longtime Shiite police chief Maj. Gen. Ghanim al-Qureishi earlier this month amid allegations of abuse against Sunnis.

A dirt road leading through a cluster of palm trees near Baqouba shows another side of the story.

U.S. soldiers and Iraqi National Police forces were upset to find a blanket and utensils on the ground. The camp hadn't been there the day before when the troops cleared the area, meaning suspected insurgents had made their way back or were still hiding among the trees.

Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism and counterinsurgency expert at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., says the militants are likely avoiding head-on confrontations with the strengthened security forces to give themselves a chance to regroup.

"Al-Qaida in Iraq is really hoping to survive and sustain its struggle over time and hoping that its forces will change in the future but not engaging any direct contact now," Hoffman said.

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Chris, I was so happy to hear your promotion board went well. We look forward to your next call so we can hear the details. Congratulations!

I want you to know that the army of prayer warriors continues to cover you and the 2nd SCR with their prayers...you are not done yet and we are crystal clear on that detail.

Keep your head on a swivel and your eyes on the target at all times...we know you aren't resting..nor will we.

Be safe!

v/r,
- Collabman