Stryker Brigade News

56th SBCT Memorial Marathon

I wish I had discovered The Warhead earlier. It's is a blog written by CPT Ed Shank of the 108th FA, 56th SBCT. His most recent entry is a great long piece on an effort to organize the 108th Field Artillery Memorial Day Marathon and Half-Marathon in Iraq to honor SSG Mark Baum.

Although 1st Lt. Jeremy Arnett had never met Staff Sgt. Mark Baum, he felt a connection. Like Baum, Arnett was a father and husband serving in a country far away from his family. Arnett knew that, if he were to die in combat, he would want his wife and child to feel that they could count on his fellow soldiers to help ease the sense of inconsolable loss.
"I kept thinking "what can I do?'" said Arnett. "I just kept thinking of how my family would feel if I didn't come home."

That's when the lieutenant, an avid runner with two marathons under his belt, approached his commander with the idea of hosting a marathon to raise money for Baum's family and the families of other soldiers who (God forbid) were lost during the brigade's tour in Iraq.

56th SBCT Soldiers Honored

Three soldiers from the 2nd Squadron, 104th Cavalry, 56th SBCT were honored recently, according to the following article by the Patriot-News.

A Bronze Star with valor and two Purple Hearts have been awarded to midstate soldiers injured in an Easter attack that destroyed a Stryker vehicle near Baghdad.
1st Lt. Reed Preece, 25, of Gettysburg, received the Bronze Star with valor. [...] Two other midstate soldiers injured in that attack received their Purple Hearts a few weeks ago, said Lt. Col. Chris Cleaver, Pa. National Guard spokesman.

U.S. Air Force Builds New Diyala Operations Center

Story by Spc. Anthony Jones, 145th MPAD

DIYALA, Iraq – After years of cooperation between Iraqi and U.S. security forces at the Diyala Operations Center, a move had to be made.

In conjunction with the June 30 deadline for U.S. combat forces to be withdrawn from Iraq's cities, the DOC, a combined Iraqi – Coalition base located within the Diyala Governance Center, needed to be moved outside Baqubah, the provincial capital.

To continue building relations and work alongside the Iraqi Security Forces against insurgents and violent extremists, senior leaders of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division and local ISF leaders agreed upon a new location outside Baqubah's city limits.

"We had to move the DOC from its previous location to Forward Operating Base Lion, and we couldn't get the infrastructure set up fast enough," said Lt. Col Paul Sarat, the 1-25 SBCT's deputy commander.

In order to rapidly build the much needed infrastructure for the new, combined, facility, the 1-25 SBCT looked to the U.S. Air Forces' Detachment Six, 732nd Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron. Personnel assigned to Det. Six are attached to the Army's 73rd Engineer Battalion and Joint Task Force Eagle, at Joint Base Balad.

"The Airmen came in and in a matter of days had everything set up to be fully operational, [and] without any loss in continuity. They literally stepped in and took a bunch of empty buildings and turned [them] into a fully functional operations center."

For their hard work and help keeping operations in Diyala running smoothly and maintaining the ability co-locate and cooperate between Iraqi and Coalition leaders, the Airmen of Det. Six, currently stationed and located at JBB, were presented with certificates of appreciation from Sarat on behalf of the 1-25 SBCT.

Addressing the Airmen before presenting them with their certificates, Sarat said, "It wasn't just the buildings themselves you were building, it was the infrastructure of the Iraqi Army itself as it stands on its own feet and we fall into much more of a mentor role."

Gen. David Petraeus Visits Seattle

Gen. David Petraeus, CENTCOM commander, recently visited Seattle to discuss the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan. His address was covered by the Seattle Times, and includes a five-minute video segment as well. Once again he specifically mentioned the deployment of the 5/2 SBCT to Afghanistan as being crucial to the renewed efforts there.

Speaking before the Seattle World Affairs Council, the head of the U.S. Central Command said this summer's military campaign in Afghanistan will focus on the 10 percent of provinces that are the source of about 70 percent of a sharp escalation in violence. [...]
In Afghanistan, Petraeus is trying to turn around a faltering U.S. military effort with an infusion of new troops, including more than 3,800 soldiers from a Fort Lewis-based Stryker Brigade who are now en route there.

Petraeus said the armored Stryker vehicles performed well in Iraq and that commanders were keen to have them in Afghanistan. He expected they would be deployed in Kandahar province — a major focal point of Taliban violence — as well as in some surrounding areas.

National Guard Unit Formed by Benjamin Franklin Still Defending Freedom

Story by Jon Soles

TAJI, Iraq – As America celebrated its 233rd birthday this past week, a Pennsylvania National Guard unit that predates the American Revolution, continued its mission of defending freedom with combat operations here in Iraq.

The 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment is the original unit of the Pennsylvania National Guard and is one of the oldest units in the Army. The unit, which was founded by Benjamin Franklin, first saw action in the French and Indian War and today is a part of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq, a base camp north of Baghdad.

"We're the founding unit in the Pennsylvania National Guard," said Lt. Col. Mark O'Hanlon, commander of the 1st Bn., 111th Inf. Regt. "We're very proud of our lineage. We have been around since 1747 before there was a country."

In the mid-18th Century, Pennsylvania was a British colony, but was still subject to threats from the French privateers and pirates.

"Ben Franklin understood there was a need for a mechanism to defend the colony," said O'Hanlon, of Wallingford, Pa. "He conceived of an association that would come together to defend the city in times of crisis."

Franklin organized fighting men under the auspices of a firefighting brigade, because the Quakers who controlled Pennsylvania at the time were pacifists opposed to militias. At the time, firefighters were called associators and the unit still uses the same call sign today, according to Maj. James Fluck, a 56th SBCT civil affairs officer who was formerly a company commander in the 1st Bn., 111th Inf. Regt.

"He formed it as an 'associator' brigade who trained as firefighters and gave the surface appearance of firefighting but they actually trained as a militia," said Fluck, of Lancaster, Pa. "Franklin procured money to go to New York to buy fire hoses. He came back with 10 cannons he considered fire hoses."

Franklin disguised the real mission of the association, according to O'Hanlon, by ordering fire hoses and conducting training outside Philadelphia. But when the fire hoses arrived, they didn't shoot water. Instead, they were cannons capable of heaping firepower toward any enemy.

The 111th Inf. Regt. flag has battle streamers from almost every military engagement dating back to the Revolutionary War. O'Hanlon said the Soldiers serving in the 1st Bn., 111th Inf. Regt., celebrate their heritage and educate any new Soldiers about the unit's history. A regiment mess is held every year, complete with a reading of the Declaration of Independence and the attendance of an actor who portrays Benjamin Franklin.

The 111th Inf. Regt. today is the only unit in the military allowed to fly the Franklin Flag, which predates the current American flag. It has 13 red, white and blue stripes and 13 six-pointed stars.

"That flag was flying on John Paul Jones' ship when he uttered the words 'Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead,'" said O'Hanlon.

Two and a half centuries later, and half a world away from Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin's legacy of fighting for freedom lives on in the 111th Inf. Regt.

"Benjamin Franklin would be very impressed with the Soldiers and their courage and commitment," O'Hanlon said. "I think he would also be proud that we are good ambassadors of America in Iraq."

Mother, Son Serve Together in Iraq

Story by Jon Soles

TAJI, Iraq – One Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier has two ways he can address Capt. Dorothy Watkins. He can call her ma'am or he can call her mom.

Spc. Joshua Watkins and his mother, Capt. Watkins, are both deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq, a base camp north of Baghdad, with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. The mother and son from Hazleton, Pa., are able to enjoy lunch together most days, and celebrate family holidays such as Mother's Day.

Capt. Watkins was already in Iraq, deployed with another unit of the Pennsylvania National Guard when her son received orders to deploy to Iraq with the Philadelphia-based 56th SBCT.

Capt. Watkins, an officer in the adjutant general corps, scrambled to find a slot so she could deploy with her son. She was home from Iraq only nine days before she mobilized with the 56th SBCT.

"We were fortunate enough that Col. Marc Ferraro [56th SBCT commander] and the chain of command gave us the opportunity to serve together," said Capt. Watkins, who is now assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 56th SBCT. "Not many people get to say they served with their mom or son."

Spc. Watkins, a cavalry scout assigned to A Troop, 2nd Battalion, 104th Cavalry Regiment, 56th SBCT, said he is glad to be deployed with his mother.

"I think it's cool," said Spc. Watkins. "It's nice having family here, especially for my first deployment."

On duty, Spc. Watkins salutes his mother and calls her "ma'am." But off duty, mother and son often spend time together, taking advantage of the circumstances that have allowed them to be deployed together.

"Usually at night, when she gets off work, there's a group she hangs out with," Spc. Watkins said. "They all know me and we sit around and exchange stories and I get to meet a lot of great people."

Spc. Watkins marked the Mother's Day holiday in a way that can only be appreciated by deployed Soldiers, according to Capt. Watkins.

"We had lunch together in the dining facility and for the evening meal, he brought me a Taco Bell dinner, a card and a pair of Oakley sunglasses," Capt. Watkins said.

The sense of family is twofold for the Watkins. Back home, they have James Watkins, Capt. Watkins' husband and Spc. Watkins' father. But in Iraq, they also have the Pennsylvania National Guard family.

"This is our family away from family," Capt. Watkins said. "The 56th SBCT is making history and we are honored to serve."

When mother and son return home, their civilian careers will still parallel their military careers. Capt. Watkins is a parole officer and Spc. Watkins, who attends Luzerne Community College in Hazleton, aspires to be a Pennsylvania State Trooper. Whether they are at home, or defending America abroad, they have a bond that goes beyond blood.

"We get to wear the same combat patch together and that is special," Capt. Watkins said. "It's been a great learning experience for both of us and if anything, it has brought us closer together."

A Good Night for Bayonet Company

Story by Pfc. Casey Collier, 22nd MPAD

For the Soldiers in B Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, packing like sardines into a Stryker armored combat vehicle and going on a night raid to capture a high-valued target is nothing new. The company is preparing for an upcoming deployment to Iraq and most of the troops scheduled to deploy, redeployed less than a year ago. Those who have never deployed are receiving a level of training here that ensures that when the time comes to deploy, they will be ready.

The training takes place at the Joint Readiness Training Center here and simulates real world scenarios including: mock villages, improvised explosive device drills, and cultural role players who portray Iraqi army, Iraqi police, civilians, and terrorists.

What is different for B Co. about the upcoming deployment is that they will no longer be the ones who kick down the doors during raids. That aspect of operations will rest on the shoulders of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police and is reflected in the tactical exercises B Co. has been executing.

Sure, B Co. will continue to carry the equipment, firepower, and expertise to conduct a raid with speed and precision, but their role is shifting from that of enforcers, to overseers.

So when they packed again like sardines into their Strykers to conduct a training raid on the evening of June 23rd, they did so as they had done so many times before, in full armor and with disciplined surety.

While in transit to the raid site, B Co. dismounted their vehicles to conduct a sweep of a wooded area where notional suspected terrorist activity had taken place. Then, over the radio, "Contact, contact- repeat- contact, contact", but this time it wasn't B Co. in the firefight, it was the IA role players. The IA had executed the breach, engaged and killed two terrorist bodyguards, then apprehended and detained the high value target.

Sgt. John Haliburton, B Co., also known as "Bayonet Co.", 1st Bat., 38th Inf. Div., has been with the company for four years and is gearing up for his second deployment.

"These days we hear a lot of, 'Put an IA face on it' and that's definitely what happened here tonight. The IA was there in the front. They lead the charge. They went in there, killed the bad guys, and captured the HVT. Nobody was harmed in the process, and we were there to support and facilitate a more joint-integrated effort," said Haliburton.

The HVT was interrogated by an IA field commander and provided IA and US Forces with evidence, names of associates, and intelligence leading to a possible weapons cache'.

Training missions like this one are indicative of a different mode of operations in Iraq, and Bayonet Co. is poised to be at the forefront when they deploy in August.

Pvt. Timothy McNeal Jr., B Co., 1st Bat., 38th Inf. Reg., is aware of the difference between the nature of previous deployments and the upcoming deployment, even though he has been with B Co. for less than a month.

"I've talked to people who were in Iraq before. Back then, coalition forces did most of the work: going in there, getting the HVTs, and securing the objective. Now it's more the Iraqi forces doing that. So, the whole perspective has changed as opposed to other deployments, and I think it's a good thing because it shows we're making progress and turning it over to them. We're putting it in their hands," said McNeal.

With the night's exercise a success, the troops of Bayonet Co. returned to their Joint Combat Outpost without having fired one round between them, yet a mission was achieved, and valuable intelligence was obtained.

Within the Stryker, on the way back to the tents, the feeling was less one of tension and moreso one of ease.

Haliburton said, "I feel that this is the natural progression of things. As Iraq becomes more stable, there will be less door kicking and shooting, and more establishing chains of evidence, things like that. That's going to be the nature of it from here on out."

Petraeus on Strykers

Centcom commander, Gen. David Petraeus, outlines what the 5/2 SBCT will bring to the fight in Afghanistan.

Reinforcements for Kandahar will be part of the next wave of troops, Petraeus said.
"The next group that deploys is a Stryker Brigade combat team — it's a very substantial force," he said.

The Stryker Brigades are built around eight-wheeled armored vehicles that are very similar to the LAV 3s that are used by Canadian battle groups in Afghanistan.

"You know the Stryker vehicle has proven to be very sought after in Iraq. It has superb connectivity, satellite (communications), distributed command and controls and it is well protected for an environment that has seen increasing use of improvised explosive devices," Petraeus said.

Editorial From Military Spouse

The wife of a 5/2 SBCT soldier recently had an editorial published in the Washington Post.

My husband is an infantry captain for the U.S. Army. This week, he left on his sixth combat deployment with the 2nd Infantry Division's Stryker Brigade. He is to be gone for one year to launch Stryker vehicles into Afghanistan under President Obama's new surge. My husband served with the 1st Ranger Battalion in Savannah, Ga., for 2 1/2 years before attending the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Warfare School.
We have been married for three years; he's been deployed for half that time. My husband loves his country and serves it proudly, and for that I love him. Is being an Army wife easy? Not at all. The moving, the worry, the separation, the danger, the evening news and the politics of having your spouse risk his life for wars that most of us don't understand or don't accept certainly does stir something within me.

Land Warriors

Wired magazine takes a look at some of the high-tech Land Warrior gear the 5/2 SBCT will be deploying with soon.

The soldiers of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are shipping out to Afghanistan this month — equipped with a controversial array of infantryman gadgets: electronic maps, GPS beacons, wearable computers, and digital radios. The troops are wondering just how useful the eight-pound, $48,000-per-soldier “Land Warrior” gizmo collection will really be, and whether the benefit will really be worth the extra weight.
It’s not the first time G.I.s have expressed concerns about the Land Warrior system. Nor is it the first time the technology array has proven its its value, despite its doubts.

Double Deployment

The News Tribune profiles a military family with two children as both parents prepare to deploy at the same time.

If Tara Schneider can steal a few minutes during her lunch break, she’ll rush to her Steilacoom home and fire up her webcam. On the other end are her two daughters, 3-year-old Autumn and 6-month-old Teagan, both now living in Miami.
Schneider, an Army sergeant at Fort Lewis, admits this bit of bonding can’t compare with hugging them and talking in person. “It can be kind of tough,” she said. “I miss them, and the webcam really just isn’t the same.”

But with yearlong deployments looming for Tara and her husband, Sgt. Brandon Schneider, the couple doesn’t have much choice. Their daughters are living in Florida with Tara’s father and stepmother, and the family is preparing for the stress of being apart.

Stryker Brigade Trains on Unmanned Aircraft

Story by Pfc. Victor Ayala, 49th Public Affairs Detachment (Airborne)

Nearly a mile in the sky, a 400 lb. bird of steel flies in deliberate, careful patterns, watching the world below with an unblinking eye. It can tell the living from the inanimate, the friendly from the enemy, and relay that information back to its controllers instantly without ever giving up its position. Armed only with its camera, the unmanned aerial surveillance vehicle, Shadow, is a weapon of intelligence, and it's giving Soldiers with Fort Lewis's 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, the edge they need at the Joint Readiness Training Center here.

Since the training began at the JRTC in early June, the Soldiers of Darkhorse Troop, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, have been sending these UAVs into the air to support the many training missions undertaken by the brigade. While Soldiers may not even realize the Shadow is in the air during many of their operations, they have all benefited from its capabilities at one point or another.

"The Shadow is the commander's eye on the battlefield," said Spc. Eric Myles, a UAV operator with Darkhorse Troop. "It's surveillance, target acquisition and route reconnaissance all in one."

Equipped with infrared optics, the Shadow can detect subtle differences in heat signatures. This means it can spot a person through dense foliage clearly and even detect where earth has been disturbed by digging, making it invaluable in protecting Soldiers from ambush and improvised explosive devices. This ability has contributed to successful night raids for the brigade at JRTC, one of which seriously crippled the distribution of weapons and IED materials, captured two anti-coalition militants and improved area security.

The Shadow also has another, more offensive capability.

"The system is designed so that once it spots a target, it can relay coordinates so you can call for air or artillery support and strike the target to within 10 meters of accuracy," Myles said. "Or it can mark targets that might have gone unseen by dismounted Soldiers."

The missions at JRTC test all these abilities and challenge the operators to be at their best.

"We've supported countless troops in contact. We've found IEDs and monitored vehicle-borne IEDs and supported a bunch of raids out there," said Sgt. Reed Myers, a UAV operator with Darkhorse Troop.

Despite the high demands of the training, the Soldiers are glad for the chance to reinforce skills Darkhorse Troop used during their last deployment to Iraq a year ago.

"It's been rigorous. We have a high operational tempo but it's excellent training for the mission we'll be providing in theater. JRTC does an outstanding job of providing an accurate depiction of what we're going to see," Myles said. "We saved countless lives, caught hundreds of bad guys and disabled tons of IEDs in our support of troops on the ground."

When the unit deploys to Iraq in the fall, the Soldiers of Darkhorse Troop, with the help of the Shadow, expect to be busy saving lives once again.

Transition in Diyala

According to The New York Times the transfer of certain combat outposts to Iraqi control in the Diyala Province did not happen as smoothly as expected.

In Diyala Province, where the Americans closed 11 of 18 bases or outposts before Tuesday’s deadline, the transfers did not go entirely smoothly. An official in Mr. Maliki’s office showed up early at a camp near Baquba and complained that the Americans had not left behind generators and air-conditioners for the Iraqis — something the American commander in the region said had never been part of the agreement. The dispute on Sunday delayed the formal transfer.
“You can’t treat your partners that way,” the commander, Col. Burt K. Thompson of the First Stryker Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, said in Baquba.

Update on Injured Stryler Soldier

The Carlsbad Current-Argus has an update on a soldier with the 56th SBCT, SSG Michael Leach, who was injured recently in Iraq.

CARLSBAD — For Staff Sgt. Michael Leach, an army reservist fighting in Iraq, June 17 was a day both lucky and unlucky. It is also a day that will be forever burned into his memory.
Leach, who in civilian life serves as director of surgical nursing at Carlsbad Medical Center, was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with al-Qaida suicide bombers. They were flushed out by the Iraqi army during a raid on a house where al-Qaida insurgents were believed to be hiding.

Leach said he is blessed to have survived taking three bullets from an AK-47 two in his right arm and one in his right side and to be able to talk about it.

Stryker Soldier Awarded Soldier's Medal

The News-Miner profiles Spc. Ricardo Farrell, who was recently awarded the Soldier's Medal.

FAIRBANKS — A Fort Wainwright soldier has been awarded the Soldier’s Medal for rescuing a trapped soldier from a flooding Stryker vehicle.
Spc. Ricardo Farrell, of Annandale, Va., a member of 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, was part of a convoy on combat patrol Dec. 22 when the Stryker he was riding in swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle. [...]

The Virginia native dove into what soldiers call the “hell hole,” a small opening between the compartment and driver’s seat, to rescue his comrade.