Weeks 6 - 7, OIF6

Sunday, 27 April 2008

The rat race here in Iraq continues…and yes, the rats are winning. (By the way, the bad guys are not winning here.) It seems that I’m constantly on the go, except when I must stop to attend the dreaded meetings. The saying around here is, “get back on your oar.” Such is the life of a staff officer.

Monday (14 April) morning, during my 4-mile run the artillery was busy firing at the bad guys. Hearing “outgoing” is much more comforting than “incoming.” Most of my day was consumed with editing stories and submitting input to the daily fragmentary order. Whenever we need to put information out about an event or a tasking, the brigade includes the data in a daily FRAGO that comes out every night. There were some changes in the way we were doing business that I needed to get out to our seven subordinate battalions.

I have cranked out enough stories and releases about our brigade now that our units are public knowledge, so I’ll introduce the line-up. Normally, a heavy brigade combat team (such as the Raider Brigade that I’m assigned) has two combined arms battalions. In our case, we have 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment and 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment. Each CAB has seven companies and they have about 1,000 Soldiers when they are augmented with the civil affairs teams, psychological operations teams and other augmentees. For the CABs, the A and B companies are infantrymen with 14 M2A2 or M2A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles each. The C and D companies are tankers with 14 M1A2 SEP Abrams Main Battle Tanks. Company E is the engineer company that also has M2A2 Bradleys plus some other special equipment such as Armored Combat Earth movers for digging vehicle fighting positions or as we say ACEs. The headquarters company has a scout platoon, a mortar platoon, a medical platoon, and a communications platoon to support their battalion in addition to their command group and staff sections. They have some other neat toys, but I won’t belabor the details. The only difference between the armor and infantry battalions is the armor battalion has one more tank in the command group than the infantry and vice versa.

Each heavy BCT has an armored cavalry squadron, in our case we have 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment. They have three line troops (A, B & C) with scouts and M3A3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicles. The primary difference with the M3 from the M2 is the M3 has a larger payload for ammunition, which means less room for troopers. They are equipped to fire more Tubular-launched Optically-tracked Wire-guided (TOW) missiles. They have about 500 troopers with attachments.

Each HBCT has an artillery battalion, in our case we have 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment. They have two firing batteries (A & B) of artillerymen with eight M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers and eight M992 Field Artillery Ammunition Support Vehicles or ammunition carriers per battery. The Paladins are our biggest guns that fire a 155mm round and they can reach out and touch people a long ways away. This battalion has less than 500 personnel.

Next each BCT has a support battalion to provide the logistics for the brigade. We have the 4th Support Battalion, which has less than 500 personnel. Company A is the supply unit that also has a transportation platoon to haul supplies, fuel and ammunition from our higher headquarters. (The battalions have their support platoons that pick-up the supplies, fuel and ammo. from Co. A.) Company B is the maintenance unit that provides direct support for all our vehicles, weapons and communications equipment. Company C is the medical company that provides the Level 2 medical care. This company has the medical professionals who support us. If the Soldier requires additional medical care or treatment, they are evacuated by helicopter to a combat support hospital in the center of Baghdad.

Last but not least, each BCT has a special troops battalion. We have 1st Special Troops Battalion, which has less than 500 personnel. Company A is the military intelligence company that handles the lion’s share of the human and signals intelligence collection plus analysis for the brigade. Company B is the signal company that handles the communication and automations network for the brigade. The headquarters company has a military police platoon, a chemical decontamination and reconnaissance platoon and some other enablers. The civil affair company, the psychological operations detachment and other enablers such as MP working dogs, Explosive Ordnance Disposal detachments are attached to the STB.

However, here in Iraq we are further task organized for the complex fight. Since there are light BCTs also operating in the Baghdad area, they don’t have as much fire power. So we received orders to cross-level one of our CABs to 4th BCT of the 10th Mountain Division and they gave us a light infantry battalion. So, we lost 1-66 AR and received 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. Additionally, we gave up our artillery battalion to 2nd BCT, 101st Air Assault Div. However, we were augmented with two other units. We gained 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment from the 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. (They are organized exactly like our 1-66 AR.) We also received 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. The Stryker and armored cavalry regiments are totally different animals. Not to be puny, but their mascot is the Cougar. I’m still learning about their organization. They are essentially an infantry battalion that rides around in the Stryker vehicles. Strykers have eight wheels with a 25mm chain gun in the turret and are a later version of the USMC’s LAV-25 Piranas. (During my first campaign of OIF2 in August 2004, I was attached to 1st Bn., 23rd Inf. Regt., which was a Stryker unit in 3rd BCT, 2nd Inf. Div. During that campaign I rode in Strykers for nine battles in Wasit Province, so I learned a little about the Stryker vehicle. The vehicles are quiet. They are fast easily reaching a cruising speed of 80 mph. We were able to quickly close on a target and conduct the raid often catching the bad guys in their beds without them knowing we were coming.) So, the bottom line is we gave up two battalions and gained three. Nearly all of our units have up-armored humvees and the new Mine Resistant and Ambush Protected vehicles, so we don’t use tanks and Bradleys all the time.

Tuesday (15 April) morning, 4-64 AR found a large cache with Iranian-made 107mm rockets. We cranked out a press release and I rode with an EOD element and took images of the rockets. It was fascinating, because the rockets were brand new and many were still in the packaging with the lot numbers clearly visible on the sides. The dates of manufacture were also clearly visible. I sent the release up and it hit the streets showing up in all sorts of media outlets.

The rest of the day, we continued to crank out stories and press releases on current activity. We conducted a live DVIDS interview with COL Ted Martin talking to one of his hometown TV stations in Jacksonville, FL. (It was a Fox News local station.) The boss was thrilled.

The DVIDS (Digital Video Imagery Distribution System) is a satellite system with a dish and receiver./ transmitter. We can send audio and digital imagery and receive only audio. Therefore, we can conduct live or taped TV or radio interviews with any Western broadcast news agency. We aim our dish at a satellite somewhere in space over the Atlantic Ocean. So the signal goes from Iraq and up to the satellite which bounces it back to earth to the hub in Atlanta, GA. The hub connects us to anywhere in the Western world. During the past several years I have done dozens of interviews with ABC News, BBC, CBS News, CNN, Cox News, Fox News and a bunch of others. I call it my “crew-served weapon” because it takes two people to operate and we get lots of effects out of it.

The commanding general of 3rd Inf. Div. in Multi-National Division – Center found out about the huge Iranian rocket cache. Since our CG, MG Jeffery Hammond, wasn’t doing a press conference on the event, he decided to do one. We share a boundary to the south with MND-C, so he wanted to further highlight the find to the media. His division public affairs officer and their 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO called me asking for my photos. I had no problem sharing them. (I already submitted the release with those same photos to MND-Baghdad PAO for distribution.) Later, I found out that in the 3rd Inf. Div. press conference, MG Rick Lynch, claimed that his unit had found the huge cache. (I wasn’t sure what to think about that. The find was clearly in our sector not far from where I’m currently sitting. True, 4-64 AR is a 3rd Inf. Div. unit in name, but they are our unit for this deployment. Besides, he was using the imagery that I had taken.)

Wednesday (16 April), we (4-64 AR) found another huge Iranian munitions cache. This time it was a bunch of mortar rounds, 60 x 60mm and 46 x 81mm. They were also brand new. I sent one of my men out to take images of the find with an EOD unit. However, my press release was snagged by the Multi-National Force – Iraq spokesman, a two-star general. He embargoed it (which means hold for a later date), because he wanted to use it at press conference next week to show the Iranian influence. (As it turned out, he didn’t use it after all, so we did not get any bounce in the media on that one.) I was busy cranking out the script for the boss to brief the commander’s update to the CG, because today was the spotlight on public affairs. Plus I produced some slides to go with the script. (My boss is a fierce competitor, so he wanted me to include all the statistics of what we do each week. I’m a good bean counter, so that part was easy.)

For some reason, I had the urge to call home. (I hadn’t called home since the day I flew to Kuwait with Zack & Jim from Waco 100. During a refueling stop in Canada I called using Jim’s international phone since mine had no reception, but I have not called home since. One of his sponsors provided him with the free phone with a big international calling plan…plus international calling cards for use during his 18-day Iraq tour for “The Morning Show with Zack & Jim” live from Baghdad.) What I found out when I called home shocked me. Jasmine had just been released from the hospital. She had been a patient for two nights and one day. Evidently, she went on a hike in a wooded area with some of her buddies and had found some poison ivy. She had it all over her face. It took the doctors a while to figure out what it was. Her face was very puffy with one eye swollen shut. Lois sent a picture later. (You’ll recall that I’ve been having some serious issues with internet connectivity and we were in a blackout due to two of our guys getting killed, so I had no previous communication with Lois for some time.)

Thursday (17 April), I did a bunch of planning for future western and Iraqi media events and submitted requests for support not to mention cranking out more stories and releases due to the bad guys we were catching and other weapons and munitions cache we were finding.

Friday (18 April) morning, I facilitated a media visit with Andrea Stone from USA Today. She came to do some interviews with my civil affairs buddies and we showed her the power plant being built on our forward operating base. Everything went well. She was happy, because she had more data than any reporter would want on electrical projects. MG Rick Lynch, the 3rd Inf. Div. CG, came to visit. We covered the event because he was seeing our unit…4-64 AR. Then I spent part of the night fielding Andrea’s requests for more information. I spent part of the night trying to get one of my embeds (Slovenia TV) out of here, but they were weathered in by another sand storm.

Saturday (19 April), was a busy day for stories as my NCO returned from covering an operation with 2-2 SCR, so we also cranked out some releases on that event. I also had one of my guys out with one of the units collecting a story on the 7th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police Div., who held a graduation for some Sons of Iraq, who completed some training. In the evening, I had my staff sergeant cover for me at several meetings, so I could play the keyboard and sing for special music at the Protestant Liturgical Service. Slovenia TV successfully departed during the late evening

Sunday (20 April) morning, my Baghdad alarm clock was working like a champ! At 4:56 a.m., I woke up to the sound of incoming rockets. I hit the floor, then quickly scrambled to a nearby bunker. At 7 a.m. the comforting sound of out-going artillery blessed my aching ears. After chapel, I focused most of my time on planning The Army Times visit. They were embedding with 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regt.

Monday (21 April), I hosted The Army Times crew, facilitated a VIP brief and inserted them with 7-10 Cav. Then I worked on another Andrea Stone USA Today visit. This time she wanted to cover a neighborhood council meeting in Doura. I also requested Iraqi media for upcoming events.

Tuesday (22 April), after some dreaded meetings, we conducted some foreign disclosure training with the military intelligence bubbas from MND-B. (I am no longer mentioning the story and press release production. That’s daily routine business.) I also requested more Iraqi media for more events.

Wednesday (23 April), is a big writing day. I tabulate all the statistics to include in my script for the boss plus the accompanying slide show. I also set Rana (my interpreter) up with an Army Knowledge Online account. (That’s the first time I sponsored someone on the AKO system, so it took me a bit to figure it all out. I’m not very tech savvy. I joined the Army as a private in 1982 when we were still using manual typewriters, white out and carbon paper. Nearly all of my NCOs were Vietnam vets. I still have a set of khakis with private first class stripes in my closet at home.) Now she can do her media monitoring from the office instead of visiting the internet café. Then I submitted some air mission requests to fly some reporters around the battlefield. (This was my first AMR for this tour. I’ve done a bunch on other tours, but the procedures keep morphing with new quirks.)

Thursday (24 April), I listened to the beautiful sound of out-going artillery fire during my morning 4-mile run. After some long meetings, I rolled with EOD to get some more images of another huge cache. This time the unit was Company E, 2-2 SCR. When I returned, we started to record Mother’s Day greetings for our loved ones in the States. I did three: one per mom and my better half. I also edited our monthly magazine, The Raider Brigade Rally Point, so we could send it to our vendor for printing. It is a sharp looking, 24 glossy page, 4-color magazine. (I hope it looks as good on print as it does in the digital version.)

Friday (25 April), I skipped PT to attend 2nd Bn., 4th Inf. Regt’s prayer breakfast. Then, I rolled on a patrol to one of our combat outposts with my boss, Col. Ted Martin. After visiting one of the gas stations to crack down on some black market operations, we also stopped at one of the National Police headquarters to further our partnership relationship with our Iraqi Security Forces partners. (Don’t worry, I did plenty of PT during our dismounted patrolling.)

Saturday (26 April), I rolled on another mission with my boss, Col. Martin. This time we attended a grand opening for another building in the District Council complex. After the ribbon cutting ceremony, we had the traditional “goat grab.” Our Iraqi brothers are great hosts. They had a large spread of Iraqi food laid out in one of the meeting rooms. Everyone crowds around the tables and eats with their hands stuffing lamb, beef kabobs, rice and freshly diced vegetables into their mouths with flat bread that also functions as a napkin. Then we checked out some bridges that cross the Tigris River. The ISF have check points on the bridges that our CG wanted us to inspect. We did more dismounted patrolling. After the mission, I played the keyboard for the evening chapel service. After my walk to the office from chapel, the enemy provided a light show as rockets flew overhead. After chapel, I started to get some work done.

Sunday (27 April), I played keyboard and sang with the Praise Team at the morning chapel service. The rest of the day was a battery of meetings, one after the next. So, I could finally get some work done after the dust settled at 9 p.m. I worked on documents for upcoming operations until around 2 a.m.

I better get this out to you. I’m whooped.

Thanks for all the prayers. Pray for our troops over here. We had more Soldiers killed. Pray for the Families of these Soldiers. Also, keep our better halves in your prayers, who are playing “mom & dad” for our young ones, which is exhausting work. I firmly believe that military Families have the toughest job. We Soldiers are focusing on the mission that we forget about the yard work, the cars breaking down and so on. I wish you well. Psalm 91

Keep looking up!