Golden Dragons

A note from LTC Boccardi

Aloha Dragon Families,

We are approaching 5 months since we’ve left you, and though our rendezvous with destiny still continues our reunion with you still awaits. As many of you already know (see attached note), President Bush announced his decision to return to twelve-month theater deployments. Unfortunately, this decision will not affect the Golden Dragons. It will affect units deploying after 1 August 2008. I know that all of you held hope that there would be some reprieve bestowed onto our families, but what you need to know is – this decision was made possible by your Golden Dragon. It was by their hands that security improved in Tarmiyah, Iraq and the fruits of precious family time are given to others so they may RESET before return.

This type of selfless sacrifice is an uncommon attribute among the world today. The average citizen getting a latte at Starbucks does not comprehend the profound sacrifice that you and your soldier endure. It is a fact, we Dragons are enduring the unendurable; our entire families are selfless servants to the Nation’s Mission – Provide security and stability to the people of Iraq, notions of freedom for those who may otherwise never experience these tenets.

Now, the battlefield calculus is enabling sustainable security. We are doing this through two means - Securing the population where they sleep and developing Iraqi Security Forces (both Army and Police). We are fighting, too. When the International Zone (IZ) was pounded by dozens of rockets from Sadr City, thus killing and injuring both Iraqi and Coalition civilians, we were called upon to fight the Jaysh al Mahdi uprising in Sadr City and Bravo Company (Bushmasters) fought magnificently. In four hours, Bushmaster assembled from the most distant location in our battle space, rearmed and deployed to Sadr City. Many of you have seen their exploits on CNN, CBS and in the NY Times…these boys are the real deal. What you need to know is their success kept the Government of Iraq (GoI) intact. Sadr wanted to displace the GoI from the IZ, thus delegitimizing it. I well up with emotion when I talk about them.

As I noted to you before, we must develop “waypoints.”  The best waypoint is R&R Leave. We are 10% complete. Each month we will push 10% home and our program will end in November. I use a colorful analogy with the men to illustrate just how important block leave is – it’s like swimming out to a life buoy, you have to battle the ebb and flow of the tide, but you know when you get there you can rest before you swim back. Please ensure your team is developing routine contacts in the form of weekly mail, phone calls on the speakerphone, or a monthly VTC. Any method you choose…it’s all about contact. Notes and Photos are every bit a morale boost as a big care package. Sound Familiar?

I am astonished by a group called “Soldiers Angels.” This organization is unbelievable. It’s cared for by great Americans with true character that empathize with our sacrifice. They send me packages and mail that I deliver to our Dragons out on Patrol Bases. It impacts soldiers. I’ve seen them stop what they are doing, sit on their cots and start reading their cards from a complete stranger that simply says – “Thank You” in their own words. It’s because of you and the people of Soldiers’ Angels that we endure the unendurable. I will close with a note from a Soldiers’ Angels Card – “May No Soldier Go Unloved.”

God Bless You - Golden Dragons!
“Right of the Line”

LTC Thomas D. Boccardi

Spc Buck

U.S. Army Spc. Rebecca Buck watches the street as she provides perimeter security outside an Iraqi police station in the Tarmiya Province of Iraq, on March 30, 2008. Buck is an Army medic from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.    DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. William Greer, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Safe Passage

MND-B Soldiers Save Lives by Keeping Route Safe

By Sgt. Jerome Bishop
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Officer, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – In mid-January, the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad lost its first Soldier during this deployment to Iraq.

He was killed when an improvised explosive device struck the Stryker he was riding in on a road referred to by the locals as “Death Road.”

Today, military and civilian traffic flows freely down this road northwest of Baghdad, linking the villages of Mushadah and Tarmiya, uninhibited by the threat of buried IEDs. This safe passageway can be attributed to the concerted efforts of MND-B Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd SBCT.

"Route Coyotes, within six or eight months ago, was referred to by the locals as 'Death Road,’ said 1st Lt. Daniel Laakso, a South Bend, Ind., native who serves as the platoon leader for the 1st Platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment. “It was very seldom travelled by the locals, due to the threat of IEDs. It was a very dangerous road to travel on. There were IEDs going off on a very regular basis. If you drive up Route Coyotes today, you can see craters just lining the sides of the streets."

The Soldiers of Company C took action to secure Route Coyotes, exercising both kinetic and non-kinetic means to achieving their goals and securing a vital lifeline in the area.

Since the arrival of the 2nd SBCT, only one IED has gone off on Route Coyotes. Down the road from the location where the unit had its first casualty, Soldiers from Company C set up a patrol base in an old chicken coup, which the Soldiers refer to as Forward Operating Base Chicken, in order to maintain a constant presence in the area.

"Before we stood up this patrol base, Route Coyotes was my platoon's sector, and now it's more of a company effort,” said Laakso.

Laakso said his platoon conducted dismounted patrols daily, walking east and west, 25 to 300 meters north or south of the road, cleaning up command wire and displaying a presence in the area. The amount of wire they policed up was astounding.

"I'd say about at least once or twice a week we find something of some importance," said Spc. Eric Thorn, a native of Carmel, Ind., who serves as a team leader with 1st Plt., Company C.

"A lot of what we get is not from tips - it's just us getting out there and getting our hands dirty," he added.

While patrolling through the area to actively hunt and destroy enemy activity on Route Coyotes, the Soldiers of Company C also adopted a proactive non-kinetic approach by listening to the security concerns of the local citizens. This approach, such as a March 15 village assessment of Dawud al-Hasan, a village north of the route, allows the locals to pepper the Soldiers with their needs and develop a relationship with those ready to help.

"We did a village assessment, and I asked some of the standard questions about the sewage, water, electricity, and we stopped by the school and took notes of the area," Laakso said. "That really is more of the second order effect type of mission - going into a village, putting on a positive face on the coalition forces, letting them see the Iraqi army working with us, and letting the citizens know we're concerned in a face-to-face way, not just us driving up and down the road. It really gets the citizens involved in securing the area."

Although it's usually the senior leadership of the platoon getting face time with the locals, the rest of the Soldiers in the platoon know the importance of establishing good relations with the Iraqi population in the area.

"I think it's necessary," said Thorn. "In order to have security on Route Coyotes, you need to have sensing sessions with the villages around here. You need to know what their mindset is and what's going on with them. They're so close to the route, most within a kilometer or a kilometer and a half of Coyotes, and, if they aren't in good standing with us, then it's really easy for them to harbor either directly or indirectly AQI (Al Qaida in Iraq), and that impacts a great deal of safety on Route Coyotes."

Soldiers from Company C realize the hard work it takes in securing the route and acknowledge that a major reason that they are able to accomplish this task is due to their partnership with the Iraqi security forces.

Checkpoints are manned along Route Coyotes by Iraqi police and Sons of Iraq (Abna al Iraq) members, and Iraqi army soldiers patrol the area with coalition forces, ensuring that a concerted effort is ongoing to rid the area of IEDs and other criminal acts.

“They're actually pretty motivated to take over,” Laakso said, “so I'm going to grow who I can when I'm in contact with them so one day I can turn this area over to them.”

The past for Route Coyotes was a perilous one, but with the efforts of 1-14th Inf. Regt. and the ISF, the future of the road and Iraq is wide open.

Operation Forgiving Dragon

Detainees Released to Tarmiya, Taji

Thursday, 27 March 2008

By Maj. Allen Hing
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

CAMP  TAJI — Twenty-two detainees were released as part of Operation Forgiving Dragon, March 19.  Seven of the detainees were released back to the city of Tarmiya and the remaining 15 to Taji.  Both cities are located northwest of Baghdad. 

The Iraqi Army, Iraqi police and local leaders joined forces with Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, to assist in taking the men back home.

Sheik Sa’ad Jassim warmly welcomed the seven former detainees back to Tarmiya. His words were firm to them.

“Some of you have done wrong, but it is time to put that in the past,” he said. “We thank the Americans for allowing you to return to Tarmiya – to your family. Your time in prison is done. It is time to move forward.”

With unanimous nods, the seven looked knowingly to their leader with acknowledgment that it was time to move forward.

Col. Tawfiq al Janabi, the chief of police, also welcomed the men back to Tarmiya.

“You have paid the price (for your transgressions),” he said, “and you have been given a second chance. It is time for you to be part of the ‘Tarmiya Family.’ Do as your pledges say – with honor and loyalty.”

Each man was required to sign an agreement that they would honor and follow the rule of law and commit no crimes against the government of Iraq or Coalition forces.

“I offer my hand in friendship,” said Lt. Col. Thomas Boccardi, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., who serves as the commander of 1st Bn., 14th Inf. Regt., 2nd SBCT. “You will see me. I live here. Together, we can move forward.”

The seven stood and readily took his handshake. Among the applause and hugs, the men then joined their families.

“The release of these men today reflects the improving security conditions in this community,” said Col Todd McCaffrey, a native of Hudson, Ohio, and commander of 2nd SBCT. “Iraqi leaders and security forces are now capable of ensuring these returned men abide by the rule of law and can effectively reintegrate into this society.”