Golden Dragons

The girls school saved by Dragons

Iraqi girls reclaim attack site as ‘fort of science’

by Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti

MND-B PAO

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Jan. 8, 2009 – Some 300 girls in blue jumpers and white head scarves stood in formation on the school’s courtyard. The chill in the morning air rose in puffs as they chatted, happily anticipating the formal opening of their new school.

“Today is a good day,” said Saeed Jassim Hameed al-Mashhadani, a tribal sheik in Tarmiyah, Iraq. “This day marks a beginning of education for these girls.”

The Huda Girls’ School in Tarmiyah, northwest of Baghdad, officially reopened its doors Jan. 5 in a ceremony that featured speeches, poems and songs. The school provides education to about 950 girls who attend classes at various times throughout the day.

Built in 1982, the building first was used as dormitory, but transformed into a school for agriculture in 1995. Since then, it has transformed again into primary and high schools specializing in the sciences.

“This is really something big for the people. This is a fort of science,” Muhamad Ibrihim Jassim, administrative supervisor for the Ministry of Education in Tarmiyah, said about the school’s reopening. “This is the largest school in the area.”

The Ministry of Education had long recognized the school for its excellence. That was until 2003, when it became the scene of violence during major combat operations and slowly ceased to function, said Malcom Phelps, a senior education advisor for the coalition’s embedded provincial reconstruction team attached in Multinatioonal Division Baghdad to the 25th Infantry Division’s 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

The school, located near a joint security station, was the launching point of ambushes, homemade-bomb attacks and sniper fire against coalition forces and the then-nascent Iraqi security forces.

After a cautious stability was reached in the area in 2006, soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division began projects to rebuild the badly war-damaged school.

During the process, a major terror plan was thwarted. Soldiers discovered a command wire leading from the school’s outer perimeter to one of the rooms. Inside the room, the troops discovered five artillery shell explosives. The planned insurgent attack also included two large explosive-filled propane tanks buried under the school’s floor and numerous projectiles planted under electrical conduits in front of each classroom.

“This was a major setback,” said Army 1st Lt. Erik Peterson, a civil-military affairs officer assigned to the 25th Infantry Division’s Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment. “If they went off, not only would the building have been destroyed, many lives would have been lost.”

More damage was caused by removing the explosives, Peterson said. Engineer crews had to pull up the floor and take down walls brick by brick to ensure there was no longer a threat built into the structure.

Eventually, those involved in the plot were captured or killed by U.S. and Iraqi forces.

“Even though this was a setback, we had to try again,” Peterson said. “This is the only secondary school in the city. If it wasn’t rebuilt, there would be no place for these girls to go to school and get a good education.”

About $300,000 of Iraqi and U.S. funds were spent to rebuild and refurbish the school, which contains 18 classrooms, science labs, an administration suite and an auditorium.

Now that the school is open, it faces many of the same issues plaguing the entire education system of Iraq.

“We have so many students,” Jassim said, adding that the girls now go to school in shifts to help alleviate the overcrowding. “We need more buildings so we can effectively teach these students.”

Peterson said more school projects are in the works, and that he hopes more schools will open soon.

More teachers also are needed, but Jassim said he is confident that problem will be solved in the coming years.

“All of the teachers we currently have graduated from this school,” he said. “They belong to this area. Some of these girls will do the same thing, and we will continue to prosper like we did before the fighting.”

Jassim said he is sure the area is safe now.

“There is nothing more to be scared of,” he said. “These girls can come to school in peace.”

Despite the peace and stability in the area, a symbol of violence still looms in the background. Clearly visible from inside the school’s compound is the brightly colored dome of the Ghalani Mosque. This mosque is a known safe haven for terror and frequently broadcasts anti-coalition and Iraqi security messages. But Jassim said this will not deter his efforts and those of his teachers to give the students the education they deserve.

“It is our duty to provide the best education possible,” he said. “We have been charged with that duty – and we will prevail.”

Dragons hunt AQI Leaders

Golden Dragons Takes Pride in Quest: Capturing Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leaders

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Story by Ken Griffin
Posted on 11.24.2008 at 05:47AM

By Ken Griffin
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

TARMIYAH, Iraq — A masked, nervous man walked into the joint security station, scared for his life, with the kind of information a commander might pray for: he knew where an al Qaeda in Iraq leader was hiding – and was willing to tell.

Abu Ghazwan, the al-Qaeda in Iraq northern belt emir, had been dead nearly two weeks, and his subordinates were scrambling to fill his shoes while Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment “Golden Dragons” tracked their nearly every move and prepared to kill or capture anyone who stepped up.

“These guys are smart. They’re wily, and they’re good at hiding … but they can’t hide indefinitely,” said Capt. Kurt Pressell, a Simone, Ohio, native, who commands Company A, 1-14th Inf. Regt., 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

And he should know. Thanks to informants like the mystery Iraqi citizen and other intelligence methods, his unit has made life a living hell for the extremists. Company A alone has captured 265 extremists since arriving in December. Tarmiyah used to be an extremist stronghold, but AQI is finding more and more that they’re unwelcome – as evidenced by the growing number of citizens coming forward with information.

Ali, a local Sons of Iraq leader, sat with the informant and unit leaders. He was part of mass celebrations in the streets of Tarmiyah after a member of his SoI group shot and killed Ghazwan Nov. 6.

“It’s true – nobody here supports AQI anymore,” Ali said.

With Ghazwan dead, Ali now poured over maps and contributed last-minute details with the informant as he prepared for an operation to capture or kill Ghazwan’s likely successor.

In the tactical operations center, the room buzzed with excitement. Radios relayed priority messages around the room as Soldiers put on their body armor and slung weapons. A few Soldiers double checked ammo and made last minute adjustments. Whoops and hollers rose above the chatter as they prepared themselves mentally and physically for what they thought would be an exciting night.

“If you haven’t seen the plan yet, we’re moving down these two paths simultaneously to the Tigris River. There used to be a bunker here, and we believe it’s active again,” said 1st Sgt. David Dougherty, the unit’s senior enlisted member, as he pointed and dragged his finger along a map for a couple stragglers.

After explaining a few more details, the plan was in motion. Stryker vehicles in a single column sped through the dark toward the objective. Once there, squads consolidated and moved stealthily down the pitch-black trails while looking through the green glow of night-vision goggles. The assault force moved swiftly but deliberately, cautious of booby traps. The Soldiers saw everything in great detail through the trademark green glow of night vision – a serious advantage on dark nights like this one.

A few short minutes into the movement, Pressell received a call on the radio.

“We’re on the objective. No sign yet. Still searching. Over,” the voice said.

The rest of the tactical column moved up as Soldiers in front poked around in bushes, brushed aside bundles of palm fronds and searched for weapons and bad guys. At the river, they looked for fresh tracks and scanned the horizon for any movement.

“He could be there six of seven nights, and you go on the one night he isn’t there,” Pressell later explained.

Fortunately, at the moment the Soldiers concluded no one was there, new intelligence came to light: the extremist they suspected would take Ghazwan’s place was in a house less than a kilometer away. The source, along for the ride and still masked, confirmed this was a possibility.

Shortly after that, the unit had surrounded their new objective. An interpreter shouted over a bullhorn in animated Arabic. He informed neighbors to stay in their houses and demanded anyone inside the surrounded house exit immediately.

“Someone’s coming out! They’re coming out!” another Soldier yelled.

The unit had showed great restraint – and it paid off. Instead of an extremist, three women with their children exited the house.

The women, covered in hibayas and blankets, were hurried to an area outside the perimeter by Sgt. Amber Gil, a female member of the team. Gil, a Dallas native, is an armorer by trade and is attached to Company A to search and interact with females.

With the civilians out of the house, Pressell considered lethal options but again decided to show restraint. After a quick conference with his leaders, he sent in a robot from the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Team.

“We’ve had three suicide bomber incidents in the city – two suicide vests and a moped. Every mission we go on, we take SVEST mitigation very seriously,” Pressell explained, after the robot, followed by Soldiers, cleared the house. “I really felt he was in there – I know he was at some point.”

So far the unit had been unlucky but that was about to change.

“Okay it has to be this third house,” a few of the Soldiers agreed. “He’s in there – definitely.”

With momentum on their side, a squad stacked on the house but an older man quickly exited. He told an interpreter his son was upstairs. It turned out it wasn’t the AQI member they were looking for, but, as luck would have it, he was a couple rungs below in the rank structure.

The informant confirmed the man’s identity and his involvement in extremist activities. A sensitive site search by the Soldiers indeed turned up contraband, and that was enough for the commander.

“Alright, get him flex cuffed. Get him in the Stryker,” Pressel said over the radio.

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Wessling, a platoon sergeant, got the call and relayed the order to his men.

“I’ve been here before. I know this is a bad guy, and we’ve been looking for him,” Wessling said. “But this is my backyard. They can’t hide from me.”

The suspect and contraband were then on their way to an undisclosed location, and at about 5 a.m., the Soldiers were finally on their way back to base to get some rest.

But with their main objective still on the loose, they could easily expect to do it all over again tomorrow. As one leader is killed or removed, another eventually steps up to take his place – although each replacement is generally less skilled and less respected, according to the unit’s leadership.

“Nobody wants to step up because there is no sanctuary,” concluded Lt. Col. Tom Boccardi, 1-14th Inf. Regt.’s commander.

Dragons build schools

GoI invests in eduction

Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from 1st Battalion 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, along with member of the embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team –Baghdad 5, attached to 2nd SBCT, toured three schools and helped open another in Tarmiyah, northwest of Baghdad, Oct. 9.

 

The schools were in various stages of progress; from the very beginning phases to a completed building, which is ready for children to learn.

 

“There is nothing more fulfilling for me than to build a school for children,” said 1st Lt. Erik Peterson, Civil Military Operations officer, 1st Bn. 14th Inf. Regt.

 

Peterson joined the school building projects in February and said the Tarmiyah Qada Council has put in a lot of work to make progress possible.

 

“They have been there every step of the way,” he said. “Everything that goes into construction was done by Iraqi engineers. All Americans did was handle a little bit of paperwork.”

Malcom Phelps, and senior education advisor for the ePRT agreed.

“The Iraqi people are stepping up to their responsibilities,” he said. “It has been slow, but it is a growing process."

 

Progress on some of these schools has taken a long time and seen the rise and fall of violence in the area.

 

One of the schools toured, the Quadasiyah School, was in the middle of violence for years.

 

Renovations on the school began approximately three years ago, but were halted due to al-Qaeda in Iraq taking over the building. When that happened progress stopped, Peterson said.

 

“Now that al Qaeda is basically gone from this area we can finish this project,” he said.

 

The school is scheduled for opening this year.

 

These four schools were the first schools visited by Phelps, when he arrived in April of last year.

 

Though the building is near completion, the school still awaits furniture and books. This school is also scheduled for opening this year.

 

“They see the progress being made and they want to be a part of it,” he said. “It’s symbolic as well as real progress they can see.”

 

The Barada School is now open and ready to provide children in the area with the opportunity to learn, The Soldiers and residents celebrated its opening and Phelps recognizes it as an example of the great work the Iraqi people are doing and step in the right direction.

Dragons effect transition

Handover of Sunni groups a slow process

                        

Americans retain some control over ‘Sons of Iraq’

By James Warden, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, October 11, 2008                            

TAJI, Iraq — Sheikh Abid Mohammad Hussein stood with his country’s flag in his hands Tuesday, just below a stage on the Iraqi side of Camp Taji.

The "Sons of Iraq" leader turned and handed the flag to Col. Todd McCaffrey, commander of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. McCaffrey then passed the flag to an Iraqi army commander. The display — intentionally echoing the American military’s change of command ceremonies — symbolized the recent transition of the "Sons of Iraq" from American control to the Iraqi government.

In this case, though, that authority may be more symbolic than actual. While the Iraqi government will be footing the bill for the "Sons of Iraq," American units around Taji will retain operational control of the groups until they feel the Iraqis are ready to manage them on their own.

Multi-National Division — Baghdad turned over control of nearly 55,000 "Sons of Iraq" members to the Iraqi government starting Oct. 1. The decision was part of a push to give the Iraqis more responsibility for their own communities and to encourage cooperation between the government and a program that it has often criticized.

Yet the Taji arrangement suggests that transition is far from complete.

Partly this is because the Americans still control the battlefield around Taji, said Lt. Col. Tom Boccardi, commander of 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, a subunit of the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. American units are taking the lead in the area, with Iraqi units in support.

"Some of them are very capable, but they do not have the things they need," Boccardi said. "Quite simply, we are still in tactical control of the environment."

The Shiite government also has a history of conflict with "Sons of Iraq" groups, which rose out of a Sunni movement to make peace with the Americans, throw out insurgents and secure their own communities. Many politicians disparage the groups as little more than militias, and most American commanders concede that the program simply hired away poor, restless men who form the traditional fodder for insurgent recruiters.

The Iraqi government has already generated controversy by arresting some "Sons of Iraq" leaders.

The precarious nature of Sunni participation in the political process could allow any mismanagement of the groups to threaten Iraq’s fragile peace.

The government could disintegrate the groups if it had full control of them, Boccardi said. It’s harder for them to do that if the Americans retain some authority.

They’ve established "redlines" to create checks and balances on what the Iraqis can do to the "Sons of Iraq," he said. The government can’t target group leaders. They can’t arrest them without a valid warrant, which must have been seen by a judge. They must have objective evidence against the leader, not just a neighbor nursing a grudge.

The 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry, working with "Sons of Iraq" leaders, also determines where the groups’ checkpoints will be — a point Boccardi reiterated when one leader told him Wednesday that he worried the Iraqi army would push his checkpoints outside Tarmiyah, a city north of Taji.

"The tactical deployment of the‘‘Sons of Iraq’ is an American responsibility,""Boccardi said. "The Iraqi army cannot push you out of town.""

The Iraqis feel they’re in control, which was evident during the speeches they made at Tuesday’s transition ceremony.

"Coalition forces are not responsible any more for the ‘Sons of Iraq,’ " one officer said, reading a letter from the prime minister’s office. "If you need anything, go to the Iraqi army, and they’re going to help you."

American comments were more carefully worded, though: "We have stood beside you in the past, we stand beside you today, and we will stand beside you (during the transition)," McCaffrey said.

Sheikhs who lead the groups used the day’s ceremonies to make demands from their ostensible overseers, but they were vague about their new relationship with the Americans.

Hussein, one of the leading sheikhs in the area, said it would be up to the U.S. to determine its new relationship with the "Sons of Iraq."

Asked whether he’d go to the Iraqis or the Americans for help, Hussein demurred.

"It doesn’t matter," he said. "We don’t have to cut our relationships with friendly sides."

 

Dragons provide essential services

By Sgt. Whitney Houston
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Reconstruction projects throughout the region of Tarmiyah, located northwest of Baghdad, are providing many opportunities for residents to move forward and begin living better lives.

Due to conflicts that have littered the region over the years, the citizens of Tarmiyah are lacking many essential services such as schools, potable water, sewers and banks. However, reconstruction projects are in progress to help restore infrastructure.

“The bottom line is that increased capacity is what every Iraqi needs right now,” said 1st Lt. Eric Peterson, native of Littleton, Colo., and platoon leader assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment “Golden Dragons,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “Their infrastructure has decayed a little bit because of conflict over the years, so we’re trying to counteract those effects by really getting into these reconstruction projects as heavy and as hard as we can to give them this capacity.”

A major focus has been placed on education buildings first as school will begin within the first weeks of September.

“We have 17 school projects going on right now,” Peterson said. So we’re hustling right now to finish up the school projects, then we’ll get more involved with services like water, electricity and sewage.”

Funding for the reconstruction effort is provided through the Iraqi Commanders Emergency Relief Program. Using this program allows the local government to get money for projects quickly and efficiently. It also allows them to help in the planning process, hire local contractors and mitigate corruption. Coalition forces gather weekly with local government officials to ensure everyone is on the same sheet of music and ensure the project is going smoothly, Peterson explained.

Though projects are nearing completion, security is still a key issue on residents’ minds. The Iraqi police are instrumental in ensuring the security of the project sites and residents.

“The security situation is getting better in Tarmiyah,” said Mohammad Jassim Al Mashadani, Tarmiyah Qada leader. “We have meetings often with the police to ensure that security constantly improves, because security is directly correlated with the project’s success.”

As good as security is getting, it is still not perfect. Recent suicide vest improvised explosive device attacks killed one U.S. Soldier, local residents and wounded a prominent Sons of Iraq (Abna al-Iraq ) leader, who lost his right leg from the blast but managed to get away with his life, Peterson explained.

Despite these attacks, spirits are high due to the benefits of reconstruction.

“The people are very happy about the projects,” said Jassim. “This year, we’ve had a lot of projects which have helped us very much. Coalition forces and the (government of Iraq) have enabled us to give our people jobs, and a decrease in terrorism shows the people are backing the projects. God willing, our city will continue to improve.” 

God speed, Sgt. Gibson

Updated:

Long War Journal's Nathan Webster is embedded with Sgt Gibson's Alpha Company and has this recent picture of him:

He also has this to say:

The accompanying low-quality picture shows Sergeant Kenneth Gibson, of Alpha Company’s 3rd Platoon, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, alongside the Stryker Infantry Carrier he was helping offload at Checkpoint 120, about a mile from Alpha Company’s main headquarters in downtown Tarmiyah. A few other pictures of him were taken in the dark of late evening, June 9, 2008. This is the best of a poor lot.

He didn’t seem to mind the camera flash going off in his face. But he did finally say, “Flash is bright, huh?” which was taken as an invitation to stop taking his picture.

Gibson was a vehicle commander who stayed with his Stryker during long missions. His platoon received the least amount of coverage during a recent embed. Photographic opportunities of him didn’t occur again.

Embedded reporters meet plenty of soldiers that are never spoken to at length. A picture might be taken and maybe there’s a brief chat, then the reporter moves on to the next thing. A reporter sometimes lets stories slip away.

This picture’s quality is weak and amateurish. The picture’s subject, Sergeant Kenneth Gibson, 25, from Christiansburg, Virginia, was the precise opposite.

And about the incident that took Sgt Gibson's life, Webster had this to say:

The US soldier, Sergeant. Kenneth Gibson, was moving civilians he believed were too close to a US cordon around a bomb when twin suicide bombers attacked, according to Lt. Col. Thomas Boccardi, 1st/14th commander. Two other US soldiers were injured, but Boccardi said they would be fine. As many as 17 Iraqis were killed, including police, Sons of Iraq members, and “toddlers, teens and women,” Boccardi said.

Boccardi said it was a “pre-planned, deliberate attack,” that involved a bomb specifically planted to draw in first responders, followed by the suicide attack.

Cowardly bastards.

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The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news release:The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.Sgt. Kenneth B. Gibson, 25, of Christiansburg, Va., died of wounds suffered Aug. 10 in Tarmiyah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position during dismounted operations. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

From the Washington Post

Kenneth B. Gibson, who grew up in southwest Virginia, was remembered last night by someone who knew him as a child as sweet and outgoing.

"He was fun to be around," said Sabrina Scaggs of Riner, Va. "You had to love him."

...Friends and neighbors said Gibson was a 2001 graduate of Christiansburg High School in Christiansburg, Va., near Blacksburg, and had worked in a supermarket during school.

"He was always willing to help people," said a former neighbor in Christiansburg. "He was a nice, very likable young man." A "real nice guy," said another former neighbor.

 

Scaggs knew him particularly well. She had been his baby sitter when he was in grade school and saw him grow up. He was an irresistible, "gotta-love-him kind of guy," she said.

"You had to love him, because he was just adorable," she said. "Absolutely adorable."

People liked to be with him, she said, and in addition, he was " a very smart young man."

One example of his thoughtfulness, she said, was the sacrifice he made to join his parents in attending her wedding, on his 13th birthday. For a teenager, she said, it's "a big deal" to give up the chance to celebrate with his own friends.

According to the Army, Gibson enlisted on March 6, 2002. He apparently had reenlisted at least once.

I want to express my condolences to the family, friends and comrades he left behind. I am so sorry for your loss.

God speed Sgt Gibson. You are a hero.

UPDATE: From the Honolulu Advertiser

Multi-National Force-Iraq, a U.S. command in the country, said a U.S. soldier and four Iraqis were killed, and others were wounded, during a "complex attack" Sunday in the largely Sunni Arab town of Tarmiyah, about 15 miles north of Baghdad.

The attack occurred about 2 p.m. Iraq time.

After an initial improvised explosive device detonated, a team of soldiers was sent to investigate, the U.S. command said. Shortly after the team arrived, a suicide attack occurred and was followed by small-arms fire.

The attacks also wounded two U.S. soldiers, 15 Iraqi civilians, three Iraqi policemen and three members of the "Sons of Iraq," Sunni Arabs working with U.S. forces to maintain security.

Witnesses and police said the bombers were a group of men disguised as members of the Awakening, another name for the Sons of Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reported. The men entered the house ostensibly to search it, but planted bombs.

After the first blast, Iraqi and U.S. forces arrived, the Times said. The suicide bomber mingled with the crowd and detonated explosives worn in a vest.

The police initially said the bomber was a woman but later reported that there was no confirmation of that, the newspaper said.

From the Roanoke Times

He leaves behind a wife, Nikki, to whom he was married for six years; his parents, Athena and Robert Gibson of Christiansburg; and a sister.

Pat Davis of Shawsville, the grandmother of Gibson's wife, said though Gibson didn't talk about his work much, he believed in what he was doing.

"I do remember asking him one time, I said, 'Kenny, do you really think it is all worth it, for our men and women to be over there?' And he said, 'Oh yes.' " Davis said.

Davis also noted that Gibson cherished her granddaughter.

"He adored his wife. He absolutely adored her, and she him," she said...

Gibson joined the Army in March 2002 and was assigned to Schofield Barracks in August of that year.

A teacher at Christiansburg High School, from where Gibson graduated in 2001, said he had always noticed that Gibson possessed leadership qualities.

"His decision to join the Army didn't surprise me at all," said Dan Swafford, who teaches agriculture at the high school.

Gibson was a hard worker who always tended to his assignments and was somewhat quiet, Swafford said.

Swafford said Gibson was a family friend, close to his daughter and stepson in their younger years.

"He was always a good kid. I was saddened to hear" of his death, Swafford said.

Christiansburg High will honor Gibson, who once played football for the Blue Demons, with a moment of silence at its first home game Aug. 22. The marching band will also perform taps and release blue and gold balloons.

Gibson's parents declined to comment on Tuesday afternoon. As of Tuesday evening, no funeral arrangements had been set.

 

Pictures from Tarmiyah

Reporting from Tarmiyah for The Long War Journal, Nathan Webster filed these pictures of Alpha Company.

And writes:

Soldiers with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion/14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division interacted with Iraqis in Tarmiyah, Iraq, in a variety of settings during the month of June. The company commander engaged the local tribal leader at dinner. Enlisted soldiers talked to Sons of Iraq members during patrols of their citywide positions, but still searched and questioned those Iraqis they encountered in the less-stable countryside. Most of their days are not spent on typical infantry missions, but as one Alpha Company platoon sergeant put it, “infantrymen haven’t been doing typical infantrymen’s jobs for a long time.”

The area has been free of active combat for some time. Yet, insurgent forces still target the more vulnerable Sons of Iraq members, and roadside and vehicle-borne bombs killed several of them in recent weeks. Part of the $300/month paycheck a Sons of Iraq member receives is designated for the “martyr’s fund,” and is meant to support their family members. Large portraits of four killed Sons of Iraq members are placed in prominent positions in the community.

Read more here

Rock Soldiers

Rock Soldiers Provides Stability to Citizens of Mushada

By 1st Lt. Jesse Ozbat
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Prior to the arrival of Company C “Rock,” 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment “Golden Dragons,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, Soldiers to the area of Mushada, northwest of Baghdad, there were few shops open and with very limited hours.

Many of the residents remained in their homes, and the local government was unable to function as it should. It became the goal of the Soldiers of Co. C to change the previous state of the area and make it safe for everyone that lives in Mushada.

“Our goal is to provide a secure environment so the Iraqi government can take control and we can transition home,” said Spc. Justin Scully, a native of Cincinnati.
            
The first step to changing Mushada for the better was to provide lasting security for the area. The Sons of Iraq (Abna al-Iraq) were established to secure their individual neighborhoods.

The Soldiers of Co. C began daily security patrols throughout the area. With the combined security efforts of the SoI and Co. C Soldiers, attacks decreased, the residents began leaving their homes and shops began to reopen. As the shops began to open the Soldiers began to address shop owners’ concerns to gain a better understanding of what they needed for improvement.

The Soldiers began providing micro grants to select business owners as a way for them to take the next step toward maintaining a consistent business. With the help of the grants, more and more shops began to open and the markets began to rapidly expand.
            
The improved security also allowed the leaders of Co. C to attend the Mushada City Council meeting and build a solid working relationship with the members.

Working closely with the Mushada Nahia, the Iraqi equivalent of a county seat, was an important goal for Co. C. Initially U.S. Soldiers took the lead, conducting assessments on schools, water treatment units, roads and various other potential projects as a show of good will. Now the Nahia council members have taken more control of local governance, and established their own priorities and methods of assessing progress within Mushada.

“The council has come a long way,” said Lt. Daniel Laakso, a native of South Bend, Ind., and platoon leader, Co. C, 1st Bn. 14th Inf. Regt., “It is encouraging to see them take care of their people.”

The local village leaders now go to the Mushada Nahia council members when they want projects in their village areas.

The combined efforts of Co. C and the Nahia has made immediate impacts as well as lasting impacts, and it is the hope of the Rock Soldiers that Mushada will be self sufficient by the time they reach the end of their time in the area.

Dragons assure safe passage

Shi’a Pilgrims Make Safe Journey From Najaf to Samarra and Back

By Sgt. Michael Moody
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Shi’a pilgrims traveled more than 620 miles round trip, from Najaf to Samarra, north of Baghdad, in order to attend a religious observance, July 6.

Iraqi Army soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 37th Brigade of the 9th Iraqi Army Division and the 4th Battalion, 17th Brigade, 4th IA Div., closed portions of the Baghdad-Mosul highway as more than 3,000 devoted Shi’a Muslims crossed four governates on their way to Samarra. The recent gains in security and stability enjoyed by Iraqi citizens were demonstrated as the convoy traveled the approximately 300 miles each way without incident.

The IA soldiers took on the responsibility to ensure the safety of all the pilgrims. Coalition forces did not participate in securing the convoy, but stood ready in case the IA soldiers needed assistance.

“We have reached a point where Iraqi security forces are in the lead. This effort was planned, resourced and executed flawlessly by their hands,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Boccardi, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., and battalion commander, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, “Golden Dragons,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.

This was the second tip this year for pilgrims, and the second time this year they traveled safely under the security of the IA.

“For the second time now we have realized that reconciliation has taken root deeper than we have given it credit for,” said Capt. Calvin Kline, a native of Cincinnati and effects officer, 1st Bn. 14th Inf. Regt.

In January of this year, during the 10-day observance of Ashura, Shi’a pilgrims walked without incident down the length of the Baghdad-Mosul highway on their way to Najaf and Karbala.

This recent pilgrimage from Najaf to Samarra commemorated the martyrdom of the two al Askari Imams.

Pilgrims traveled courtesy of al Najaf al Ashraf Establishment, an organization committed to providing free transportation to these events.

Upon arriving to Samarra, the pilgrims made their way to the graves of the al Askari Imams where they read the Quran, prayed and worshiped. After their religious observances, the pilgrims boarded the busses and traveled back to Najaf.

Dragons protect the children

MND-B Soldiers, IA Make Effort to Protect Iraqi Children

Story by Pfc. Lyndsey Dransfield
Posted on 07.03.2008 at 07:37AM

By Pfc. Lyndsey R. Dransfield
2nd Styker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Children, at times, are easy targets for criminals and terrorists. Not only are they the victims of attacks, they are now the victims of recruitment into dangerous organizations.

Since the liberation of Iraq in 2003, there have been several incidents of al-Qaida using children to conduct their terrorist activities.

Soldiers from 4th Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, joined with the Iraqi army to reach out to children and their families by conducting a patrol throughout the Mushada area, northwest of Baghdad, passing out flyers and speaking with the locals of the city.

Their intent is to educate them about criminal and terrorist activities.

“At first the people that we made contact with were apprehensive to talk to us,” said Sgt. 1st Class Steve Purvis, native of Lexington, N.C., and platoon sergeant with Company C, 1st Bn., 14th Inf. Regt. “But when they realized we were there to inform them and about recent ploys to exploit their children, and that we care about them and their children, they were more receptive and openly began to talk with us.”

Not only were they successful in informing the families, but Sgt. John Mulcahy, native of Atlanta, and team sergeant attached to 1st Bn., 14th Inf. Regt., said they also had success in having their message distributed by the local religious leader, or imam.

Providing reassurance to their people, the Iraqi Army played a necessary role stopping recruitment of children.

“By people seeing the Iraqi Army serving and protecting them, it shows that their country is growing stronger,” said Purvis.

Passing out fliers and speaking to children may seem like a small step, but the message is a significant element toward the primary mission; providing a safe and secure environment for the people of Iraq.

“Everybody knows that Soldiers love children,” Purvis stated. “By using children al-Qaida is trying to exploit their innocence against us. The children of Iraq are the future of the country.”