Blog-ah

Half-Mast for Marciante Jr.

In honor of United States Army Private First Class Luigi Marciante, Jr., New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine called for the United States and New Jersey flags to fly at half-staff. Click for story here.

Valentine's Funeral

Here's the Houston Chronicle's report on the burial of Donald Valentine III from Fort Lewis.

2-12th FA Capturing The Bad Guys

Editor's Note: A string of photos follow the story...

Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Bassett

THA’ALBA, Iraq – Iraqi and coalition forces captured six enemy targets during the early morning hours of Sept. 25 in Tha’Alba, Iraq, during Operation “Viking Squeeze II.”

U.S. Army Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., and Soldiers from the Iraqi 5th Special Troops Company detained 10 individuals – six of which are suspected of facilitating and executing attacks against innocent civilians, Iraqi security forces and coalition forces.

Two of the detainees are members of a kill squad, one of whom is suspected of participating in a minimum of three murders in Sha’ab Village. Another detainee is a kidnapping specialist suspected of participating in the abduction of the Iraqi deputy of electricity. The fourth detainee is an anti-coalition Shia extremist company commander, suspected of being responsible for the emplacement of improvised explosive devices on routes traveled by coalition forces. The other two detainees are suspected of using their homes as safe houses for extremist meetings.

Four other suspects were detained in the raid.

“The operation was conducted in an area known to have IED emplacers, weapons traffickers and individuals involved in some sectarian murders,” said Lt. Col. John Drago, 2-12 FA commander. “We demonstrated to the enemy the element of suprise, which puts them off balance; they don’t know where we are going to go next. For the majority of Tha’Alba citizens who are law-abiding citizens and want some security, this will be a positive step forward. We know the majority of the people in Al Tha’ alba, and eradicating the bad ones will help bring peace to the area.”

Also captured in the raid were four AK-47s, two pistols, one PKC rifle and a shotgun, along with 13 full AK-47 magazines, more than 300 PKC rounds, four body armor vests, $15,400 in cash and numerous propaganda tapes.

“We know there has been some movement of weapons from Sadr City into our area of operations, and this operation has interdicted their logistics train – the ability to move weapons and personnel through our area,” Drago said. “This will adversely impact their ability to conduct IED-type activity and sectarian killings, and positively impact Iraqis.”

“We are going out there engaging the local leaders, and demonstrating to them why we did the operation, who we detained, and the information we have on their involvement in illegal activity,” Drago said. “Although we go out and capture and kill bad guys, the whole reason we are doing it is to provide security and to gain the trust and respect of the populace.”

4-9 Infantry Clearing Tarmiyah of al-Qaida

Editor's Note: This is a long story but worth the read...

Story by Spc. John Crosby

TARMIYAH, Iraq – The Iraqi word sahwah means to wake up from sleep or to have a psychological awakening, and a sahwah or awakening of minds is currently taking place in Tarmiyah, Iraq, where tribal leaders and local residents have made the decision to stand up and fight terrorism.

Earlier this month, Iraqi army soldiers and Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., began a joint effort to clear the city of al-Qaida.

Formerly a violent city and terrorist haven, Tarmiyah is now quickly becoming a place of peace and prosperity.

Tarmiyah was a stronghold for financing, planning, preparation and communications in support of al-Qaida. Kidnapping, ransom, extortion and murder against Tarmiyah residents funded the insurgent operations, said Lt. Col. William Prior, 4-9 Inf. commander.

The local Iraqi police force was disbanded after the insurgents threatened to kill policemen and their families.

“Al-Qaida was the strongest dominating authority in Tarmiyah for a long time,” said Iamad Said Jasim, head of the Tarmiyah tribal council, through on interpreter. “Even though they aren’t an authority, members of rival groups and organizations were executed. They killed indiscriminately with no real consideration or mercy for the elderly, women or children.”

Jasim said al-Qaida executed Iraqi citizens accused of spying for coalition forces and also those accused of apostasy, or turning away from their extremist religious beliefs. There are very few Shiites in Tarmiyah, and Al-Qaida – which is a Sunni organization – would pull men out of their cars, accuse them of being Shiite and execute them in the street.

Jasim himself lost two brothers to the insurgents and his home was twice hit by mortar rounds. Still he stands up proudly against the terrorist threat and has asked that his fellow Tarmiyah residents do the same.

The coalition forces’ strategy to reclaim the city included the initial use of overwhelming combat power to kill or capture all ranks of terrorists who operated in and around the city, and to encourage Iraqi people to stand up and provide their own security.

This effort, dubbed Operation Head Hunter, began Sept. 7. 4-9 Inf. along with the 4th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division searched and cleared over 20 tactical objectives around the city within the first two days of the operation. The successful operation set the stage for the awakening to occur.

“4-9’s entrance into Tarmiyah has gladdened the peoples’ hearts,” Jasim said. “We feel safer now that they are here.”

Jasim and other tribal leaders of Tarmiyah held a sahwah awakening ceremony Sept. 12. They publicly recognized and denounced terrorist activity and called for volunteers to step forward to protect their families and homes. This volunteer force, known as the Critical Infrastructure Security Contract Force, is now providing jobs, security and a sense of accomplishment to the people of Tarmiyah.

Volunteers are processed by coalition and Iraqi army forces at a joint checkpoint on the east side of the city, an area used just weeks prior as an execution point by al-Qaida.

“We are not a people of terrorism, violence or hate,” Jasim said. “The original families of Tarmiyah have always been against these horrible activities. We needed a security apparatus badly. The streets were very dangerous. We also needed jobs. Men couldn’t even make enough money to buy bread to feed their families.”

Prior said they expected maybe 50 volunteers, but the volunteer lines ran out the door and around the corner. Hundreds of men answered the awakening call. Many Tarmiyah residents stood in line for more than five hours, not leaving to eat, drink or relieve themselves for fear of losing their place in line. The doors were closed after 500 men were processed.

On the second day, the turn out was similar. Men lined up around the corner, all wanting to do their part. The doors were closed after 700 men were processed, putting the total number of volunteers at 1,200.

Five days after Operation Head Hunter began clearing the city of al-Qaida, the Iraqi people saw the changes and were eager to join the effort.

“We are very happy and very proud about the turn out,” Jasim said. “This proves the people are supporting their tribes and their leaders. It proves we are against the terrorists because we volunteer despite their previous threats against this kind of thing.”

Prior said the men volunteered because of popular resentment among the Iraqi people toward insurgents. The Tarmiyah residents want a decent way of life with schools, running water, electricity and a stable economy – the things essential to survival. The local tribal leaders’ influence and approval early in the operation was also a reason for the large turnout, Prior said.

The message to al-Qaida operating in the area is that they should not only fear U.S. and Iraqi soldiers, but they should also be fearful of the Iraqi people themselves.

“We will take the fight to them,” Prior said “But they should be more afraid of the people because when the people decide to step up, (the insurgents) will have no where to run or hide. Terrorists fear a people who will not cower to them.”

The Iraqi volunteers were given blue or yellow reflective belts to distinguish them as the newly appointed security force. The Iraqi army armed the volunteers with AK-47s, and they were immediately put to work. The volunteer security force now mans checkpoints along with U.S. and Iraqi army soldiers. They also provide security for local leaders and stand guard at the Tarmiyah market.

Prior said volunteers continue to be processed, putting more Security Contract Force personnel to work where they are needed. Many of the volunteers are already trained Iraqi police that were forced into hiding by al-Qaida. The goal is to integrate them back into a fully-accepted police force recognized by the people and government of Iraq.

“The change in the last two weeks is remarkable,” said 1st Lt. Michael Bennett, third platoon leader of Company C, 4-9 Inf. “The people wave and talk to us now. It used to be that when we walked up the streets, the shops would close on us. Al-Qaida would enforce strict fundamentalist Muslim laws. No smoking, no alcohol and forbade them from talking to us. And they didn’t."

“The other night we were on the street out here and a group of men walked right up to us,” Bennett continued. “Before the people would vanish after sunset. They came right through the gate and offered us information. It was unreal.”

Bennett said he believes the people of Tarmiyah realize and understand that coalition forces are there to help them. Al-Qaida’s goal was to control and dominate the city through terror, and Bennett believes the people see that is not the coalition forces’ plan for Tarmiyah.

“Before we couldn’t patrol the street for more than ten or 15 minutes without getting shot at,” he said. “Today we walked the market for over two hours without any problems. I think that shows clear, distinctive progress in how things are going.”

Three 4-9 Inf. Soldiers were killed and many more were wounded in action in Tarmiyah before the Awakening.

“The level of violence is way down,” Prior said. “There have been a few IEDs (improvised explosive devices), but a big difference in comparison to the daily violence of before. More importantly the attitude of the people and their participation has changed.”

Prior said credit for the initial success goes to the Iraqi and U.S. Soldiers.

“The Iraqi army has many quality men who are both patriots and great soldiers,” he said. “Coalition forces and Iraqi army did a great job in using controlled violence and expressing respect and restraint when required, which is essential to the mission for the Iraqi people.”

Jasim said his people want an honorable and peaceful life. He hopes for a future where they can provide decent livings for their families while his people maintain their own security forces.

Prior said they are still early in the process of reclaiming the city. The hardest part will be for the Iraqi people to overcome their justified fears of terrorist organizations and to sustain peace and security in the area. The peoples’ attitude and behavior will be the deciding factor in preventing the terrorists from returning.

“The success is not measured in how many bad guys were killed or captured, Prior said. “Success will be measured in how the people react now that they’re gone.”

The battle is now psychological, political and economic more than military. Now it’s up to the Tarmiyah citizens, and as the awakening indicates, they are well on their way to a peaceful and secure future.

Drew Jensen's Memorial

The Olympian reports on Capt. Drew Jensen's memorial yesterday at Fort Lewis. ensen was injured last May and asked to be taken off life support earlier this month.

Build It With Fort Lewis Wood

We covered this story several months back, but here is an update and the direct website for those wishing to use wood from the salvaged WWII barracks on Fort Lewis in a DIY project at home. Click here.

Family Speaks About Cpl. Joseph Landry III

FORT LEWIS, Wash. - Joseph N. Landry Jr. and Karen Landry, parents of
Cpl. Joseph Landry III, release the following statement for news media
use:

"Our son, Cpl. Joseph N. Landry III, volunteered to serve his country,
following in the footsteps of his father, grandfathers, and uncles. Joey
made the ultimate sacrifice, with honor and duty, to the country he
loved. Joey was a very determined man. When he set his mind on
something, he would do anything in his power to achieve it. He was not
the fastest runner, but he would never quit the race.

Our son was a true American Hero. Before going to Iraq, he told an aunt
that he would take a bullet for a family man so that man could return
home.

Joey's best friend was his youngest brother, Chris. They spent many
hours playing video games together. We will forever miss our son, but we
know he is standing tall and proud in heaven."

David Hardt: Back in the USA

This is the first of weekly columns by David now that he is back from Iraq. He will journal the life of a returning Stryker.

A moment in time

There is one thing I have learned in the last 48 hours of being back on American soil — Everyone’s problems in life are not the same. The last time I came back from Iraq it seemed less complicated or, at least, less stressful. The complication or stress wasn’t from the process of getting off the plane and doing the whole Army redeployment process; it more or less came from facing the music of the real world. This time the first 48 hours have made my top 10 list of worst days and hours of my life. I learned quickly that the things and people I had left 15 months ago changed immensely — or am I the one who changed?
The first problem I ran into was on the home front. My neighbors and the Tacoma Police Department watched my house while I was deployed. To them I openly say thank you. The first thing I did when I got home was to go straight to the cars I have. I took the covers off and started the process of seeing how things were working. I started with the Neon and then moved on to the other car. To make a long, miserable, cold and rainy story short, neither of them worked. And to make things worse, the windows were not down, so I had some mold and a terrible smell — worse than Iraq, if you can believe that. I spent a lot of time just trying to find out what was wrong, and I kept striking out. After a couple of hours, I managed to get one car going. The car that you would think would be worse off started. This left me with the main car dead and out of the game. So I made do with what I had. Unfortunately, a day later the car that was running died, leaving me to call Simcoe, my best friend, to lend a hand.

Later on in the 48 hours from hell:
I stand outside my house on the frosted over lawn in the obscurity of the morning. I take a peek at my faithful running watch and hit my glow button — 3:30 a.m. It is early, but under the darkness is where I have trained for months, so it’s where I belong for now. I start off with my pre-run stretch. As I do, a cold breeze rushes across my face. I immediately realize that the first thing I am going to need to do is adjust to this weather. After some time, I warm up and make my way to the road into the darkness. As I run, every puff of breath is visible as the cold air hits my hot outtake. It is like I am a train going down the track on a cold winter night. As I run, a rush of emotions and thoughts shoot through my mind. While training in Iraq, I just concentrated on form, breathing and an assortment of other running things. Now I find myself consumed in wandering thoughts and worries that I am faced with coming back to the real world. I start to go faster and faster; my heart rate picks up, and the sweat starts to fall down my face. The iPod I wear has a tracking device, so it tells me how far I go. The warm voice of the lady comes over my headphones: “ten miles complete.” I lose track of time and distance and just keep going farther and farther. I end the run having gone 14 miles or so and come home focused and determined to get my life back into order. But just like an Army mission not everything goes as planned, so adjusting and overcoming will be the way the next days would go.

Having three days after the day we hit boots on the ground to relax and get back in the swing of things was good, but during that time I found out quickly that I had changed as a person. The first two days I slept a total of six hours, and that is no joke. I found myself wandering around the house, starting a chore, and then getting sidetracked by a thought and then moving onto that. I couldn’t finish anything; everything I did seemed like it was going nowhere. After hours and hours and then the sun coming up, I realized that I had done only one thing, and that was move a couple of bags here and there. As night turned into morning, everything just went to s*** with the cars. In fact, just about everything I touched seemed to fall apart. “What the hell is going on?” After some time of trying to get everything in order, I went out to my backyard. It was a jungle since no one had been there to mow the lawn. So much work to do and I have to do it by myself. I don’t want to come across like some lazy man, but while in Iraq we always had someone there, and you rarely did anything alone. This leads me to the next topic — loneliness.

As much as I have separated myself from the whole Army life, in reality the men I fight beside are the ones who have been there for the last four years and grueling 15 months. As I sit in the house, the silence drives me nuts. For 15 months Staff Sgt. Reeves, Staff Sgt. Rine and Bill have been there to talk to while in the room as well as out and about. Now I found myself wanting to talk just to hear a voice or just to laugh. I reached for my phone and called Simcoe to see how he was doing. He answered, but he was out of it. I hung up and realized that for once in a long time I was alone and actually needed someone to talk to.

There are so many emotions you go through in the first 72 hours it’s not even funny, and I am almost ashamed to admit it. I tell myself I have done this before and I reintegrated just fine, but this time life and circumstances have dramatically changed.
I am not the man I was when I left the first time, and I changed even more this time. I have become so much more compassionate and caring toward people. Before you wouldn’t see me asking anyone how his day was, because I just didn’t care, or I knew he wasn’t going to tell me how he really felt.
I took some time to walk in the mall and saw young couples holding hands and older married couples sitting on the benches talking. Before I wasn’t concerned with what was around me, but rather with what I had to do to survive in this unpredictable world we live in. I see a different color now — one that may help me deal better with the politics of the organization I am in. The one thing that has stuck out so far is dealing with certain people in the civilian world. So far, it seems like the people I am coming across are cold and somewhat distant from emotions. I think back to the way I used to be, and I find myself ashamed to have been that way.

As the days went on, some of the guys showed up at the house to see what was up and to pick up some stuff they had left here before the deployment. As we talked for a while, I felt almost better that I wasn’t the only one sucking. It ran from car problems to women problems or just trying to get their things back in order. Brett, Daniel, Davie, and I all have stresses and worries, but we had known that it might be this way. Some men have had it good and had no problems, and that is a great thing. This week we start our reintegration period, so that will be fun.

I know I sound like a mess, but as I write this, things are finally falling in place. I have had my lady friend here who helped me through the rough patches while in Iraq, and now she is here to listen to me and help me through this. I don’t know what I would have done without her in the last 72 hours. The good note is I got my dog, Gracie, back. Just having her in the house has started the healing and regrouping process. Gracie’s foster family — Livia and Nick — took care of my dog while I was gone, and they did such a great job. I never once worried that something would happen. I greatly appreciate them to no end. Life is going to be different. It is not going to be easy coasting, but then again, whose life is? Even millionaires have problems. Thanks to all for the support on this deployment. I hope to share with you more about my transition into the real world.

Next week: Is it just me?

The Long War Journal has a piece on 3-2CAV.

Tale of a Cobbler

Former shoe maker at Madigan now cobbling on other side of the mountains. Click here for the Ellensburgh Daily Record story.