Stryker Brigade News

SSG Amy C. Tirador

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Amy C. Tirador, 29, of Albany, N.Y., died Nov. 4 in Kirkush, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. She was assigned to the 209th Military Intelligence Company, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Related:

Official DoD Announcement

Soldier dies on her second Iraq tour - TheNewsTribune.com

56th SBCT Homecoming

WTAJ-TV News has a very extensive collection of video clips regarding the recent homecoming of the 56th SBCT. Thanks to Ray for sending this link along.

Ft. Hood

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of those killed and wounded at Ft. Hood yesterday. The Army homepage is a good starting point if you are looking for official information.

Iraqi Army, U.S. Troops on the Hunt

Story by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell

BAGHDAD, Iraq – As Iraqi Security Forces continue their missions inside the city, here, insurgents and criminal groups find themselves forced out to the rural areas.

Recently, insurgents used a local farm on the western outskirts of Baghdad to attack a U.S. convoy.

U.S. infantrymen from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, combed the area with Iraqi Army Soldiers, Nov. 4, to prevent insurgents from gaining a foothold in the area.

"A lot of weapons come through this area into Baghdad," said Spc. Daniel Pacheco, from San Antonio. "Our job is to stop the supply routes into the city."

The joint American/Iraqi patrol searched rows of farmlands and abandoned buildings in the area to hunt for any clues, explained 1st Lt. Mark Hamilton, a platoon leader from Baltimore.

"Historically, the people doing the emplacing or pulling the trigger aren't doing it because they dislike the U.S. or IA, they do it for money," said Hamilton. "The jobless rate out here is very high, I think like 70 percent, so it's important to get out there and go see the people...so that they're not forgotten."

Hamilton stressed that joint patrols like this one allow local farmers to connect with Soldiers, with the hope that they will be less likely to help insurgents in the area.

"We make it a lot harder for the insurgents, so they can't do what they want," added Pacheco, while his fellow troops checked haystacks, looked under empty barrels and searched behind doors.

While many times the searches turn up nothing, Soldiers, like Pacheco, do understand the importance of their role in the out-lying regions of Baghdad.

"If we stop the flow of weapons into the city, then it helps the government get on its feet," said Pacheco. "Helping the capital helps keep the country stable."

(via DVIDS)

Cordon and Knock in Afghanistan: Combat Advisors See ANA in Action

Story by Sgt. Stephen Decatur

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Afghan Soldiers in armored humvees led a combined convoy of Afghans and Americans down Highway 1 in the early morning. As dawn broke they passed an Afghan national police checkpoint and dismounted by an ANA combat outpost. Their objective was Shah Hasan Kheyl, a village about a kilometer off the road.

Starting in August 2009, small embedded training teams dispersed throughout Afghanistan started getting replaced with combat units from 4th Brigade Combat Team (Task Force Fury), 82nd Airborne Division to serve as combat advisors. The battalion-sized operation involved several companies of the Afghan National Army, their combat advisors, the ANP, and a company from 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

It was the first large-scale mission conducted by 3rd Kandak, 2nd Brigade, 205th Corps of the ANA in conjunction with their new combat advisors from 4th BCT, and was aimed at increasing ANA presence in the village and surrounding communities in Zabul province, Afghanistan.

As the Soldiers made the uphill journey to the village they spread out across multiple avenues of approach up terraces and into orchards. Green grass and trees by the Tarnak river made the area look like a completely different country from the broad desert they just came from.

People waking up for their morning chores stopped and watched the group coming. Inside the village Afghan Soldiers knocked on doors, searched houses and interviewed the inhabitants. American combat advisors watched and observed their techniques.

The people told the Afghan Soldiers that the Taliban come in the evening and take their food and water. One boy came to an American Paratrooper and told him in English that the Taliban beat him for going to school. After searching outside the village the Paratroopers found fresh camp sites in nearby orchards.

The district chief arrived in the middle of the operation driving a sedan and carrying a Kalashnikov rifle. Shortly afterward he and the executive officer for 3rd Kandak, Maj. Mohammed Ahmin, gathered all the military-aged men in the village to hold a shura, a traditional meeting in Afghanistan.

"This is a major opportunity for the ANA to get and prove what they can do," said Capt. Jacob White, commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th BCT, 82nd Abn. Div. "It's also a chance to see where we're at and assess what we can improve."

Prior to the operation, the paratroopers were conducting patrols day and night with the ANA in the district, and trained with them on tasks ranging from weapons skill to first aid and equipment maintenance. Part of the reasoning behind conducting combined operations is to instill confidence in ANA Soldiers, said Lt. Col. David Oclander, commander of 1-508th PIR.

While on patrol with Americans the ANA have access to medical evacuation helicopters and heavier fire support.

Soldier Najibullah of 3rd Kandak, who has been at his unit for about a year, said that he has participated in numerous patrols and missions alongside Americans.

"I've done more than 100. Who can count? If they're with us we can get a medevac. If not there's no medevac. I feel safer because they're with us."

Daily marksmanship practice is also one of Oclander's priorities for the ANA, he said.
"When they hit what they aim at it'll send a message that they are capable of fighting on their own. It'll also send a message to the Taliban that not only can they not stand up to the Americans, they can't stand up to the ANA either," Oclander said.

One of the biggest confidence boosting measures taken in the past year was to equip ANA Soldiers with armored humvees and weapons used by American Soldiers like the M16 rife and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Having the same equipment not only makes the Afghans easier to train, it also brings them closer to their American allies by leveling the playing field, Oclander said.

Transitioning from the routine mission of controlling battle space and pursuing the Taliban to training and assisting the Afghan national security forces was not a difficult switch, said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lindsay, a platoon sergeant with A Co.

"This mission isn't any different from what we do every day," Lindsay said. "A squad leader's job is to teach Soldiers. A platoon sergeant's job is to teach squad leaders."

The only difference, Linsay said, is that now not only is he responsible for a 30-man platoon, he is also responsible for advising a 200-man company. But one thing Lindsay doesn't have to teach his Afghan counterparts is how to fight, he said.

"They're very proficient at their weapons and at their combat skills," Lindsay, said. "They're good warriors and fighters. A guy that comes in the army here and shows up at his unit is already at war. We talk about multiple deployments; there are Soldiers who have been in this province for six years"

"They're fairly proficient as it is." White said. "Right now we're working more on planning and logistics."

Many of the issues facing the ANA are directly related to supply, said Lt. Col. David Oclander, commander of 1st Bn., 508th PIR. Lack of winter clothing and other necessities is extremely detrimental to the well being and morale of many Afghan units, he said.

"Their greatest challenge is logistics," Oclander said. "If they don't have the supplies they need they'll lose the confidence to sustain the fight and take the fight to the enemy."

The combat advisors must often take a hands-off approach to resolving problems like supply, because their ultimate goal is to make the ANA capable of accomplishing the mission on its own without any help from U.S. forces.

"Before, if something was wrong it often got fixed for them," Lindsay said. "We want them to fix it themselves."

White, who also served as a combat advisor for the Iraqi army, sees a lot of potential in the ANA, he said.

"These guys are head and shoulders above the Iraqi army when I worked with them," White said. "We've got the opportunity to sow the seeds for future success here. We can go out and play and kill the Taliban, but if we don't build the local security forces they'll just get replaced."

"It's rewarding seeing the Afghans learning," Lindsay said. "They want to go out and do better. They want to help their country. Ultimately, I hope the reward is that in three or four years we will not have to be here, or that my 12-year-old son won't have to come here ten years from now."

IA Led Joint Patrol Protects Aqur Quf

Story by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell

BAGHDAD – On a dusty road in northwestern Baghdad, Sgt. Kegan Cline kneels beside a wall, resting his M-14 sniper rifle as a group of Iraqi girls in blue school uniforms walk by, giggling and pushing each other, Nov. 3.

The Worcester, Mass. native, smiled briefly and nodded at the girls, knowing that his presence, combined with Iraqi Army Soldiers, allows the girls to walk around safely.

"It feels great that we're here serving a purpose," said Cline, assigned to Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. "These kids can go to and from school without fear and that the community sees two organizations working together as one is a great thing."

Since arriving a few months ago in Aqur Quf, a rural area in northwestern Baghdad, U.S. troops have worked with IA Soldiers on a daily basis to help keep the area safe.

"It's a good thing that the U.S. forces support us and we work together and the community sees that," said IA Capt. Nomas Mohammed Hussein. "These people just need somebody to hear their concerns and understand them."

In order to do that, the American and Iraqi Soldiers patrol the area on foot, interacting with the people face-to-face and giving the locals a different perception.

"Many of the people think that when we dismount our vehicles, we just arrest people, but that is not true," explained Hussein. "We want to show them that now we are here to talk to them."

The Soldiers move from farmhouse to farmhouse allowing Nomas and the other IA Soldiers time to playfully ask the children their names and talk to the adults about the local security situation.

"These patrols are important because it's time for us to leave [Iraq] soon, so we let the IA do a lot more of the talking, like today," said 1st Lt. Mike Slapik, an infantry platoon leader from West Bridgewater, Mass.

As Nomas spoke at length to the men of the house at each location, Slapik stood back and listened to the conversations through his interpreter.

"Everybody's going to tell you its safe, but when you sit down with the people, they'll want to tell us more information," Slapik explained. "You have to stay and talk for an extended period of time to get a feeling for how they feel."

The Soldiers listened to concerns about clean water and jobs. Slapik explained that they cannot fix most of these problems immediately.

"It's good to show that we're not going to solve all their problems, but that they have to go through the local system they've established," added Slapik, stressing working within the system the local government has created.

Many of the local people come to the Soldiers with problems that need to be solved at their local governance level.

"It's a detective's job basically," continued Slapik. "It's not a short turn-around, finding bad guys is a long legal process with multiple witnesses and arrest warrants issued through a judge. We like to make sure the local people see that process, so there are actually results."

The biggest thing that Slapik and his Soldiers want to show the local populations is that American forces are simply supporting the IA, as they are the ones in charge now.

One local area man has noticed a difference in the area thanks to this relationship.

"It's better when the U.S. and IAs work together," said Ali Nafe Juwad. "The situation here was very bad a year ago, but it is better today because of the work the Americans and IA do together."

After tea is over, Slapik and his men wait on what Hussein wants to do next. The Iraqi captain broke into a thin smile as he ruffled the hair of a little girl, then shook hands and decided the patrol was finished.

After a day of meeting many familiar faces, the Soldiers climbed back into their vehicles, knowing that they left the area a little safer and with a little more information than they had a day before.

Stryker Battalion Uncases Colors

Multi-National Division Baghdad

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Making the arrival of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, official, here, north of Baghdad, the Stryker Soldiers held an uncasing of the colors ceremony, Oct. 29.

"We are at the right place at the right moment with the right Soldiers for this job," said Lt. Col. Michael Lawrence, the battalion's commander. "This is not the first time we have uncased these colors and that is because this unit works hard and will succeed at whatever we do."

"I can't tell you how proud I am to see each and every one of you here," said Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Huggins, the brigade command sergeant major. "For the next year, this unit will have many challenges. It will not be easy because nothing is, but I have complete confidence in this unit. Let's do a good job so we can get back home to our families."

The Fort Lewis, Wash.-based Soldiers will continue working with the Iraqi government, army and police to create irreversible momentum pushing towards a complete hand over of control to the Iraqi people.

"Standing here in this formation are 'Tomahawks', said Lawrence. "We trained hard, we've got a strong vision and you've got buddies that you care about to your left and you right, and by God, you are not going to fail."

On Point: 3/2 SBCT Newsletter

"On Point" is a monthly newsletter produced by the 3/2 SBCT, which is currently deployed to Iraq. The brigade forwarded a copy to us so we can share it here: On Point: Arrowhead Arrives in Diyala.

Photos: Raiders Search for Weapons

DVIDS has a new album featuring soldiers from the 4-9 INF, 4/2 SBCT.

Trust Leads to Weapons Cache Find

Story by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell

BAGHDAD – A concerned local citizen contacted the Soldiers of Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment about a site insurgents used to store weapons here, just northwest of Abu Ghraib.

With the help of local Iraqi army soldiers, the Fort Lewis-based troops assigned to 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, quickly sprang into action and dug up an insurgent weapons cache in northwestern Baghdad, Nov. 1.

The combined search uncovered a mortar tube, a tripod and a base plate used by insurgents for launching indirect fire.

For these Soldiers who have been in Iraq for almost two months, it is a tangible sign they are helping the security situation here, said Spc. Eric Marquez, an infantryman from El Paso, Texas, assigned to Company A, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Regt., 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div.

"I was pretty excited ... I broke a little sweat, but it was worth it," Marquez explained after digging up suspected cache sites in full body armor.

Marquez added, most of the time the information or the tip doesn't work out, so this mission has been the best one yet.

"This is the first thing that we've found since we've been here," stated a sweat-soaked and dirt-covered Marquez.

Though it wasn't a major find and there's plenty of work to be done, Sgt. James Hall, an infantry team leader from Orangeville, Calif., did admit that it's a positive step.

"Insurgents can't use it anymore to shoot indirect fire on our FOBs (Forward Operating Bases), so it's a good feeling and a good find," said Hall, assigned to Company A, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Regt., 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. "It also makes the community feel like we're still here to find the bad guys."

In rural areas such as this, earning the trust of the community can be a tough task, but doing something about the weapons in the area can go a long way, explained Staff Sgt. Henry McCormick, a human intelligence collector from Oceanside, Calif., assigned to Company A, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Regt., 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div.

According to McCormick, one of the biggest steps in building a relationship is trust, so he ensures that local citizens feel comfortable and safe if they want to give U.S. forces information about insurgents.

His help led to the tip that found the mortar tube buried in the field.

"They (locals who offer information) believe in what we're doing and that we can help make a difference with the security of this country," said McCormick. "A large part is that they want to protect their village and their friends, so they give us information because they can trust us."

McCormick also thinks that there is another, deeper connection that some Iraqis have with U.S. Soldiers that breeds trust.

"They see that we're away from our friends and families and then think, 'Hey, they're sacrificing by being over here, so it's alright to sacrifice some things too to try and make a difference,'" said McCormick about the willingness of locals to give him information.

Though not everybody is willing to step up and point out where insurgents operate, it's a good sign when people do and it pays off, he added.

The pay off for U.S. and Iraqi security forces is that one more weapon is off the streets and the community is a little safer. Today, the Soldiers of Able Company are one step closer to creating a trusting and safe community.

Updates on SSG James Clark

The family of SSG James Clark, a 5/2 SBCT soldier who was seriously injured in Afghanistan, has set up a CaringBridge website to keep people updated during his recovery at Walter Reed.

On October 15, 2009, while on patrol in Kandahar, the stryker he was in hit a large IED. The explosion picked the stryker up off the ground. The driver landed on top of James. His helmet was blown off. The stryker driver landed on top of him. He was positive at the time that he had lost both of his legs. But he never lost conciousness. He was instructing everyone what to do - he put a tourniquet on his right leg, and got another soldier to do the same on the left leg. He made sure the area was secured. He made sure a helicopter was coming for him. And he reminded them to bring both of his legs with him on the flight.

PFC Brian R. Bates, Jr.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Brian R. Bates, Jr., 20, of Gretna, La., died Oct. 27 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Related:

Official DoD Announcement

Fort Lewis Memorial: Going back to Louisiana - The News Tribune

First Mechanized Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09 Concludes

Story by Staff Sgt. Crista Yazzie

CAMP BUNDELA, India - Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09, an annual bilateral battalion-level field training exercise between the Indian and U.S. armies, and the largest deployment of Strykers outside of Iraq and Afghanistan for Pacific Rim Forces, concluded with a ceremony at the Babina Indian army base, Oct. 27.

This year, the exercise joined two mechanized units for the first time, Soldiers from the Indian Army's 7th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, 94th Armored Brigade, 31st Armored Division and the U.S. Army's 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

"This exercise indeed is a landmark. For the Indian army, this is the biggest we have done with any foreign army," said keynote speaker Lt. Gen. A.S. Sekhon, Indian army director of general military operations, who was joined by counterpart Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon, commanding general, U.S. Army, Pacific.

"This has been an historic and exciting edition of Yudh Abhyas, with the inclusion of the Strykers from the U.S. Army," said Mixon. "This fighting vehicle is fully network-capable, and it has performed superbly in Iraq and Afghanistan and can be prepared for any contingency."

YA 09 consisted of two weeks of peacekeeping operations, along with the exchange of staff organizational tactics related to peace operations at various levels. Participants engaged in a variety of missions, from joint planning and executing, a variety of artillery ranges both in and out of vehicles, to cordon and search operations as-well-as search and rescue training.

"Yudh Abhyas 09 is an excellent example of opportunity for professional and cultural exchanges, teamwork, and most importantly, increasing our friendship," said Mixon. "Our goal is not just to maintain our relationship, but to broaden it and deepen it."

The 17 Strykers played a vital role in this fifth iteration of the exercise as the U.S. Soldiers had an opportunity to showcase one of the U.S. Army's newest vehicles.

"The Strykers provided an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities to the Indian army," said Mixon to the formation of troops. "Likewise, our Soldiers were able to experience your [Indian army] equipment, and your tactics and techniques have taught us a great deal. We're proud to have been a participant in this exercise."

Armored vehicles the Indian Army used during the exercise included the Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty, or BMP, a Russian tank similar to the Bradley Tank, and the T-90, a Russian Main Battle Tank, which is similar to the U.S. M1 Abrams tank. Soldiers from both battalions were embedded with one another for a number of missions and had multiple opportunities to train with the other army's equipment.

"I got to use the Dragunov, their sniper rifle," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Erich Harp, operations non-commissioned officer, Troop C. "It was highly accurate and easy to handle, and it was a unique opportunity to be able to engage targets with an allies weapon, which led us to a greater understanding of our mutual capabilities."

Lt. Col. Jim Isenhower, commander, 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division gave glowing reviews of the training.

"Yudh Abhyas 2009 was not only characterized by tough and realistic training, but also by regular professional exchange in the form of combined lectures, routine athletic exchange in organized sports competitions, and extensive cultural exchange through shared meals, cultural celebrations, and local tours," he said. "The operation was full-spectrum training along multiple lines of effort that allowed the Squadron to redeploy as better trained Soldiers and more culturally astute professionals."

With all this positive exchange between both militaries, future Yudh Abhyas exercises are in the process of being planned.

"Next year we will see how we can take this cooperation forward and get on to conducting more exercises for the benefit of the two armies," said Sekhon.

For more information about Exercise Yudh Abhyas 09, visit www.usarpac.army.mil/yudhabhyas.html.

Deadly Mission

Jonathon Burch with Reuters has a long article on the mission in Afghanistan that took the lives of seven soldiers from the 5/2 SBCT.

The mission was simple.
Some 20 U.S. soldiers were to patrol a riverbed in the dead of night, camp until morning, and provide backup to Afghan troops and their Canadian mentors in a clearing operation in Chahar Bagh village, an insurgent hotbed on the outskirts of Kandahar City.

Less than 12 hours later, seven of the soldiers and their Afghan interpreter would be dead, killed by a massive homemade bomb buried deep under pebbles along the dried-out riverbed.

PFC Christopher I. Walz

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Christopher I. Walz, 25, of Vancouver, WA, died Oct. 27 in Arghandab Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Related:

Official DoD Announcement

President meets families of Vancouver soldier, others killed in Afghanistan - OregonLive.com

Vancouver soldier killed in Afghanistan - Columbian.com

Slain soldier's family returns to Vancouver - The Columbian