Stryker Brigade News

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Apologies for the radio silence on this portion of the site recently. I wanted to step back a bit and talk about why we started this site in the first place and where we see ourselves going forward.

When we first started back in 2003 we did so because there was no other place online that gathered news and photos about the Stryker Brigades. As a volunteer run organization it has become increasingly difficult to stay on top of the steady stream of information that we feel would be of interest to our visitors. At the same time, the emergence of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have made it much easier to share the same types of information we do.

Recognizing the benefits of participating, we created a Facebook Page and began pushing our blog entries their as well. We quickly discovered that there was a large audience on Facebook that was interested in Stryker news. Even though we continued to focus our efforts on posting news here first, traffic began to drop, while the number of fans on Facebook continued to grow. Entries here would produce no comments, while the same item cross-posted to Facebook would elicit many.

Additionally, as time went on many of the Stryker Brigades and subordinate units began creating their own Pages and posting original content - the same kind of content they might have asked us to share because of our reach. Now it is incredibly easy for us to share that content on our Facebook Page, while it requires much more effort to link to that same Facebook update on our blog.

Consequently, we have made the decision to try something new - we are going to stop posting news links here, and instead push content through our Facebook Page exclusively.

What will happen to this site, including the photo gallery and the forum? They will remain up and running for the foreseeable future, albeit with a bit less attention from an admin point of view. This site is much to dear to me to simply pull the plug. Our forum is still active, and we continue to have people visit the photo gallery to find photos of the first deployment back in 2003-2004. Please share your thoughts if you have any, and please become a fan of our Facebook Page to keep up on the news.

Stryker Brigade News | Promote Your Page Too

Thank you all for your continuing support.

Regards,

Todd Sweet (and the rest of the SBN crew)

Searching For Answers

‘Everyone is an enemy - The News Tribune

Spc. Dustin Knapp’s temper flared while he drank beer and argued with his uncle six weeks after coming home from a tour in Afghanistan with a Joint Base Lewis-McChord Stryker brigade.
The 5-foot-2 soldier put his relative in a choke hold, refusing to let go until his older brother broke up the fight.

Knapp stormed out of his uncle’s home and walked barefoot along a two-lane Wisconsin highway. He died moments later when a car plowed into him about 4:30 a.m. Aug. 16, according to a coroner’s report.

Knapp, 23, had been showing signs of distress ever since the unit returned to the base south of Tacoma. He was one of 29 soldiers in a platoon that’s at the center of an Army war crimes investigation unfolding at Lewis-McChord.

Stryker cavalry regiment supports Afghan police, maintains security

KABUL, Afghanistan – Soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Forward Operating Base Frontenac, provide security for Checkpoint 18, a paved bridge crossing over the Arghandab river and section of Route Bear in Uruzgan province.

Checkpoint 18 is the north-south route connecting Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces.

“In my opinion, if this checkpoint wasn’t here, the insurgents would blow up the bridge.” said 1st Lt. Andrew Murphree, the 2nd Platoon leader. “Here at Checkpoint 18 our mission is to provide security and a freedom of movement patrol on route bear as well as working in partnership with the Afghan National Police.”

“The local citizens enjoy the security the check point provides.” Murphree added. “Not only do we secure the bridge, but we secure the market, which for some is their only means of commerce.”

At Checkpoint 18, the mountains to their left and the river behind them aren’t the only things surrounding the soldiers from 2nd Platoon of Outlaw Troop. The insurgents are out there too.

The ever present danger highlights the need for a strong local security presence. 2nd Platoon, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, routinely works with the local offices of the Afghan National Police, conducting partnered patrols and training the officers to provide an independent security presence in anticipation of the day when there are no U.S. or coalition forces in the area.

“I have a lot of respect for the Afghan police at the northern checkpoint just up the road from here and I look forward to working with them in the future,” Murphree said.

(via DVIDS)

1/25 SBCT Trains at NTC

Fort Wainwright s Stryker brigade combat team begins training in California - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

FAIRBANKS — Some 4,000 soldiers from Fort Wainwright’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry arrived at the Army’s National Training Center in Southern California last week.
They will spend a month there before they depart for Afghanistan in May.

Located at Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert, the National Training Center will give the Arctic Wolves a better sense of the climate they will face in Afghanistan and the challenges they will encounter working with Afghan people.

The Army has built mock Afghan villages in the desert and uses more than 200 role players to prepare soldiers for situations they might face. Some of the role players are Afghan nationals.

Afghan Army plans, executes mission to take fight to Taliban in Zabul

KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan National Army and Hawk Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment troopers recently conducted an air assault mission into three remote mountain villages in Zabul province.

The mission targeted insurgents in the villages of Tulak, Nowbad and Bulaig, all suspected of being areas heavily trafficked by insurgent forces.

“This was a joint operation with ANA as a part of increasing their training, their skills, abilities and confidence in areas that have never seen a [Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan] or coalition presence,” said 1st Lt. Karl Stadler, first platoon leader from Hawk Company.

“The ANA is at the point now where we are no longer training them on basic soldier skills,” Stadler said. “We are training their leadership on planning and coordinating, the whole process of what leaders need to know to start conducting their own missions.”

Afghan National Army forces were involved in all aspects of the operation from the planning to the execution. Afghan National Army intelligence teams were involved by interviewing villagers in an effort to obtain information for future operations.

As teams proceeded through each village, it became clear that most of the dwellings had long been abandoned. From the few remaining villagers that were found, soldiers were able to ascertain that families began leaving the area due to the lack of water.

Although only a handful of citizens were found, and soldiers did not uncover any signs of weapons or insurgent occupation – the mission was deemed a success by Afghan and coalition troops.

(via DVIDS)

1LT Daren M. Hidalgo

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

1st Lt. Daren M. Hidalgo, 24, of Waukesha, Wis., died Feb. 20 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

Related:

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

Another Look at Land Warrior Gear

Weight of War: Military struggles to lighten soldiers' load - Seattle Times

In the summer of 2008, a team of Army advisers working in the rugged terrain of eastern Afghanistan found the load shouldered by soldiers had reached a kind of tipping point.

These soldiers trudged through the mountains with body armor, weapons and a variety of other equipment. The weight often topped 100 pounds, wearing down soldiers and restricting their movements when they came under fire from insurgents.
All that gear, much of it designed to help the men survive, was sometimes putting overloaded soldiers at risk on the battlefield.

The advisers, part of the Asymmetric Warfare Group, have helped roust the Army to a more aggressive effort to trim the soldier's load.

Arctic Wolves begin intense cycle at the NTC

FORT IRWIN, Calif. — Soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division entered the final stages of preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan as they began training this week here at the U.S. Army’s National Training Center.

After arriving on a number of flights over the past month the 1-25th began conducting reception, staging, onward movement, and integration, or RSOI.

The soldiers worked around the clock to unload their equipment, set up individual tactical operations centers, and readied their equipment for the intense two-week exercise.

“RSOI sets the stage for [the brigade]. It sets the conditions for everything that follows and if we don’t get this right everything that went wrong will have a snowball effect and it will impact our rotation later on,” Lt. Col. Jeff Stewart, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Division, 1-25th commander said. ”It’s been going very well so far. Every day our Soldiers are out there making things happen.”

Daily classes at the Army Center of Excellence on Fort Irwin provided many soldiers an opportunity to hone specialized skills before entering the scenario-based training. Soldiers learned, through hands-on training, escalation of force, command post of the future, counter-improvised explosive systems, unmanned aircraft systems and robotics along with a large number of other job specific training.

According to Stewart the level of training the soldiers receive at the Army Center of Excellence is unmatched.

For Pvt. Nick Kindel, a Rineyville, Ky. native and a fire support specialist with Brigade Troops Battalion, 1-25th, the training was key to his understanding of combat operations.

“[The training] is more realistic than trying to read what to do out of a book,” Kindel said. “I have a better understanding of what to do when we enter the box.”

Although the soldiers received a wide variety of training, aimed at improving their overall Soldiering abilities during the RSOI phase, they weren’t the only ones getting “high speed” improvements.

Throughout the weeklong RSOI phase more than 300 of the brigade’s vehicles were equipped with a counter-improvised explosive device trainer called the Counter Radio Electronic Warfare 2 training system. Once attached to a vehicle, the CREW 2 can be used by soldiers to jam frequencies typically used to detonate roadside bombs and other IEDs, which continue to threaten the lives of Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The Improvised Explosive Device is the weapon of choice by the insurgents, it’s cheap it’s easy and it’s the thing causing the most damage to our soldiers and the Afghan population,” Stewart said. “Our mission is to protect the population, therefore we have to counter the threat.

After being fully equipped with the most up-to-date technology, the Soldiers and their vehicles are now ready for “the box”: a realistic force-on-force training scenario that challenges the Soldiers both mentally and physically over a two-week period.

Although “the box” is typically dreaded because of its level of intensity, Stewart said he’s confident his Soldiers will accomplish the mission.

“We are all ready to go to ‘the box’ and start doing our mission. Our soldiers are doing great,” said Stewart. ”We are getting this mission accomplished.”

Stewart stressed the importance the rotation plays in the overall success of the 1-25th as it prepares to enter “the box” later this week.

“NTC is the closest thing we have to actually being there conducting combat operations,” Stewart said. “This is our graduation exercise that will prepare us for our deployment.”

(via DVIDS)

Newest vehicle checkpoint demonstrates improved highway security

SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan – A recently refurbished vehicle checkpoint along Highway 4 was open for business. The objective of the checkpoints is to combat the flow of illegal drugs, weapons or bomb-making material from entering Afghanistan.

Checkpoint 4 is located on the main supply route that connecting Pakistan to Kandahar City, passing through Spin Boldak. Afghan National Security Forces and International Security Assistance Force officials were present to celebrate the grand opening.

The ribbon cutting ceremony took place at the front gate of checkpoint 4. Afghan and American security forces were present to cut the ribbon to demonstrate solidarity. Soon after the ceremony, candy was thrown in the air, an Afghan tradition representing good luck.

Afghanistan Highway Police Capt. Haji Shahlohallab, commander of the vehicle checkpoint said Checkpoint 4 was originally built in 1980 and has gone through various renovations. One of the major improvements was placing Hesco barriers along the perimeter of the checkpoint to protect Afghan Highway Police from small-arms fire or vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.

The vehicle checkpoint improvements began five months ago said Shahlohallab. He said he was glad to see the ANSF and ISAF working together.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jermaine Trevillion, assigned to Kilo Troop, 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany, said the ceremony represents the checkpoint is prepared to provide highway security.

Trevillion said he and his soldiers have built a relationship with the different Afghan forces that operate and secure the checkpoints along Highway 4. They visit different checkpoints on a regular basis and sometimes spend the night.

“We’ve built up a rapport with all the checkpoints along Highway 4,” said the Baltimore native.

“A couple of checkpoints have AHP a couple have ABP and one has Afghan National Army [operating them],” said Trevillion.

ABP Capt. Haji Janan, quick reaction force commander said it is good to see coalition forces working together with Afghan forces and looks forward to sharing intelligence with AHP.

Afghanistan Highway Police Capt. Haji Sahebjan said the last time he was at the checkpoint was seven years ago and it was in bad condition.

Sahebjan said he was glad the checkpoint was open again and that the priority of the checkpoints is to provide security for the Afghan people.

“I hope to work together with ISAF,” Sahebjan said. “So that we can stand together to solve problems and give peace and quiet to the people of Afghanistan.”

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Andrew Green, commanding officer of 4th Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany, was also in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

The commander told the group ISAF supports the Afghan forces and said he is proud to see the AHP working to help reduce insurgent activity along Highway 4.

“The presence of the Taliban in this area has been greatly reduced,” said Green.

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, everyone present had a traditional Afghan lunch that included lamb, flatbread, potatoes, rice and vegetables.

(via DVIDS)

Wolf Pack takes the fight to the Taliban

ZABUL, Afghanistan - While folks back home were still dreaming in their beds about Super Bowl Sunday, troopers from Hawk Company, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment and their Afghan National Army counterparts were preparing for an air assault mission into three remote mountain villages.

The mission targeted the villages of Tulak, Nowbad and Bulaig, all suspected of being areas heavily trafficked by insurgent forces.

It is 4 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 6, as the helicopters touch down in the desolate mountains. Icy winds kick up, increased by the rotor wash from the Chinooks, as the partnered soldiers swiftly exit the helicopters and wait. As the sun begins to rise, Hawk’s partnered patrols set out to cover the more than five kilometers of unknown terrain. Afghans led the way as each unit began clearing the compounds.

The teams slowly made their way across vast fields that at one time had been cultivated, but are now desolate and barren. The purpose of this mission was not only reconnaissance, but also to instruct the Afghan soldiers.

First platoon leader from Hawk company, 1st Lt. Karl Stadler, said, “ This was a joint operation with ANA as a part of increasing their training, their skills, abilities and confidence in areas that have never seen a GIRoA or coalition presence.”

ANA forces were involved in all aspects of the operation from the planning to the execution. ANA intelligence teams were involved by interviewing villagers in an effort to obtain information for future operations.

Although only a handful of citizens were found, and soldiers did not uncover any signs of weapons or insurgent occupation, the mission was deemed a success. It provided the ANA an opportunity to establish connections and communications in an area where citizens had not seen government or coalition security forces in more than 10 years. Many villagers were happy to see the soldiers and stopped to shake their hands and talk about problems in the area.

Preparing the ANA to perform missions completely free from coalition participation is a stepping stone that brings Afghanistan closer to becoming a stronger more independent country.

(via DVIDS)

2-12 FA Soldier named Army’s top artilleryman

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - When Sgt. 1st Class Jose Weeks came to work Feb. 2, a mysterious letter with no return address in a small manila envelope was waiting for him.

It was a letter from Maj. Gen. David Halverson, the commanding general of the United States Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill, notifying the platoon sergeant with Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment he had won the 2010 Gruber Award - distinguishing him as the best field artilleryman in the Army.

“I was very excited,” Weeks said. “I can’t describe the emotions.”

The Panama City, Panama, native explained he had no idea he was nominated until he received an email stating he was one of the final three finalists for the award, just a few weeks before he actually won.

“It's my chain of command who nominated me that felt I deserved the award. I have to thank them for that,” Weeks said.

The Gruber Award - named after Brig. Gen. Edmund L. Gruber who, as a first lieutenant, composed “The Caisson Song” that later became the Army’s official song - represents excellence for a field artilleryman, said Weeks' battalion commander, Lt. Col. Terrence Braley.

“Sgt. 1st Class Weeks, is an adaptable, flexible leader and a master artilleryman,” Braley said. “He can move from doing his core competencies to firing battery platoon sergeant …to conducting crew drills on the M777 to the next day doing a presence patrol or a counter-(indirect fire) or –IED patrol without skipping a beat.”

Braley said he submitted the nomination months in advance so it wouldn’t be lost during the brigade's redeployment and block leave.

It was Weeks’ leadership, mentorship and actions during that deployment with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, that helped him win the award.

His work with the Iraqi security forces was recognized by the United States Division – Center’s deputy commanding general, and his emphasis on and skillful execution of his platoon’s medical evacuation and casualty evacuation procedures directly saved the life of one of his soldiers.

“I remember that day very vividly,” Weeks said, recalling July 14, 2010, when his convoy came under attack.

“We were actually doing one of the last patrols [of the deployment],” Weeks said. “[It was] a right seat ride with the incoming unit and showing them around the area.”

As the patrol headed back to their base, the lead vehicle was struck by an explosively- formed projectile that ripped through the body of one of the soldiers inside, leaving a trail of shrapnel down his lower back and through his legs.

“As soon as we got hit, we called to find out if anyone was injured,” Weeks said.

The convoy pushed through the kill zone to a more secure area and continued first aid on the injured soldier.

Weeks said he remembered the medic jumping into the vehicle to provide further aid to the casualty. The soldiers inside the damaged vehicle had already initiated care and had applied a tourniquet to the wounded soldier’s leg, something Weeks himself had drilled repeatedly with his soldiers.

“We always rehearsed everything we would do as far as if the lead vehicle gets hit or the second vehicle gets hit,” Weeks explained. “It just so happened that the lead vehicle got hit.”

Acting quickly, Weeks and his soldiers opted to drive injured Soldier to Victory Base Complex, Iraq, which had the closest hospital, instead of waiting for a medevac helicopter.

“In the worst times there was a sense of camaraderie within the platoon,” Weeks said. “Everybody was working toward one goal, which was taking care of the soldier.”

His soldiers’ rapid response that day showed Weeks that he had done a good job of training and preparing them, epitomizing why Weeks deserved the Gruber Award.

However, the accolades he’s collected along the way from his peers and leadership hold the most significance for him.

“Just the fact that people around you recognize the hard work that you put into your work makes you feel great,” Weeks said. “To be recognized at that level among all my brethren in the field artillery really makes me feel excited and humble at the same time.”

It wasn’t only his fellow field artillerymen who were proud of him. A key figure behind the scenes of Weeks’ success, his wife Doris, said she was pleasantly surprised after finding out her husband won.

“I was very happy for him,” Doris said. “We didn’t even know he was being considered!”

While Weeks was deployed, Doris took care of their four children, including a set of triplets, along with all household duties. This allowed the platoon sergeant to focus on his deployed missions with less stress, knowing his home and family were in good hands.

“I think all military wives play a big part in all of it,” she said.

Doris herself did research on Gruber to find out who he had been and what the award meant. She was delighted that Weeks had earned such an honorable award.

“I'm so proud of him and his accomplishments. I think he really deserves it,” she said. “He loves his job and loves being a soldier.”

Weeks said winning the award makes him want to keep working hard, providing guidance and setting good example for his soldiers.

“The main thing that I always try to do is just do my job to the best of my ability and make sure that those around me get better at what they do.”

DVIDS

Brother pins new 2SCR sergeant in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - The promotion to non-commissioned officer is a proud moment for any soldier. It is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication.

For Army Sgt. Sherrie Pratt, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment medical lab specialist, Feb. 4 was an especially proud day because her younger brother pinned the rank of sergeant on her at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

“She does incredible work saving lives,” said Airman 1st Class Lucas D.
Lacock, Pratt’s brother, who is a 451st Air Expeditionary Wing avionics technician. “I felt proud to be able to tack sergeant on my sister in a combat zone.”

Lt. Col. Michaele M. McCulley, Regimental Support Squadron commander, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, said Pratt embodies all of the characteristics of a leader and very deserving of the promotion.

Even though Pratt was promoted from corporal, a non-commissioned officer rank, she said she feels this was her true initiation into the NCO corps because her family could be there for it.

Both Orofino, Idaho natives, Pratt and Lacock, are deployed in Afghanistan, but it was not an easy feat to bring the two together for the promotion ceremony. Pratt, who serves in Zabul province, Afghanistan, had to travel to Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. But her difficulty did not end there; after she landed she had to find where exactly on the large airfield her brother was so he could attend the ceremony.

In the end, the trouble was all worth it for Pratt.

“To have a loved one here just makes it even more memorable, I think,” said the newly promoted sergeant. “It’s not very often that you have someone you’re related to here with you in a combat zone.”

The promotion ceremony showed the extreme importance family plays in the military, said McCulley.

“Family is always important,” said McCulley. “Whether it’s your Army family, a bigger service family, or blood relative, holistic families make us successful as servicemembers and this ceremony really gives testimony to that.”

(via DVIDS)

ANA learn support services

ZABUL, Afghanistan - Recently, 21 soldiers from the Afghan National Army spent five days learning the skills they will need to help keep energy flowing to the peace-keeping efforts of their homeland. Troopers from the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regimental Support Squadron spent a week training their Afghan counterparts in the generator maintenance and repair skills that are crucial as the ANA continue its transformation into an independent force.

Soldiers were taught the basics of component recognition on generators ranging from the small 2 kilowatt gas powered models to the larger diesel models. Students were instructed in the proper procedures required to perform preventative maintenance checks and service on each generator model. As the week progressed, students moved into more complicated procedures such as how to disassemble and reassemble each component. As the students tore apart the generators, they were given a more detailed description of each piece as well as their function.

According to Sgt. Dern Lennard, one of the instructors, teaching the course was a very exciting and memorable experience.

“Many of the students learned very quickly and others needed a little extra attention,” Lennard said.

“This class gave the ANA soldiers the ability to maintain their own equipment,” Lennard said, “therefore making them more self-sufficient.”

Despite some obstacles such as not being able to obtain some of the parts for the older ANA generators and the language barrier, Lennard said that all in all the class was a rousing success. This class was one more milestone in creating a combat service support kandak and Afghan Army independence.

(via DVIDS)

3/2 SBCT Memorial Dedication

8 soldiers' sacrifices recognized during memorial rededication at Lewis-McChord - The News Tribune

Barbara Selge remembered her son today with some of the people who knew him best – his comrades from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

She wore black in a sea of camouflage and seemed comforted to be among her son’s friends.

Staff Sgt. Todd Selge, 25, was killed in a September 2009 vehicle accident in Iraq’s Diyala Province.

“It’s good to be a part of this world,” she said.

Dragoons Welcome new NCOs to their ranks

ZABUL, Afghanistan- Perhaps one of the most important moments in the career of any enlisted soldier is when they become a noncommissioned officer.

For 31 troopers from FIRES Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, this moment was commemorated during an NCO induction ceremony Jan 17, at Forward Operating Base Lagman in Zabul province, Afghanistan.

“This ceremony is a tradition of the NCO Corps. It teaches, coaches and mentors these young NCOs, that they are the roots of the Non-commissioned Officer Corps,” said FIRES Command Sgt. Maj. Lorenzo Wallace. “They are assuming the great responsibility of taking care of the greatest resources our nation has given us – their sons and daughters.”

“This ceremony is a reminder to all NCOs that this responsibility cannot be neglected,” Wallace said.

During the ceremony inductees reaffirmed their commitment to the Corps by reciting the NCO Creed. Each soldier then stepped forward and received the saber of leadership from Regimental Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Morris. Placing the saber against their right shoulder, each new NCO looks toward the soldiers standing nearby and takes a step forward symbolizing the assumption of their new role and responsibilities.

According to Wallace, this ceremony immortalizes great things to come for these young leaders of tomorrow.

“For some of these inductees it’s a beginning point to be the future Sergeant Major of the Army,” Wallace said. Whatever career paths these individuals choose Wallace wishes them all the best in their new roles as the leaders of tomorrow.

“I salute these young NCOs because of the challenges that they will face in the future,” he said.

(via DVIDS)