CLCs, Iraqi Army turn massive cache over to U.S. troops

A cache of mortar and artillery rounds, as well as 80 pounds of homemade explosives, were turned in to U.S. forces at Forward Operating Base Yusufiyah Dec. 6. (U.S. Army courtesy photos)

By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – A massive cache of mortar and artillery rounds, as well as 80 pounds of homemade explosives, were turned in to U. S. forces at Forward Operating Base Yusufiyah Dec. 6.
This was the third occurrence in as many days of local residents handing explosives over to the Iraqi Army who in turn gave it to American Soldiers for disposal.
The find included 36 rocket-propelled grenades, 45 cannon rounds, 16 sticks of dynamite, a trigger mechanism and pressure plate and additional homemade bomb-making materials. The stash was turned in to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
“It is very promising to see the Concerned Local Citizens and Iraqi Army out there on the battlefield trying to get rid of the bad guys and the ammunition to destroy U.S. Soldiers and innocent Iraqis,” said Sgt Michael Waters, Co. C, 3-187th Inf. Regt.
Two smaller caches were collected Dec. 3 in separate incidents.
In one instance, CLCs approached Company A, 3-187th Inf. Regt., with two rocket-propelled grenade launchers and several mortar rounds.
In the second incident, the Iraqi Army turned over a variety of mortar and artillery rounds to Co. C., 3-187th Inf. Regt. Local citizens turned the ammunition in to the Iraqi Army.
“These guys are passionate about getting their country back to normalcy where the economy will be able to support men and women who want to go out to work to feed their families without fear,” said Pfc. Joshua Turner, Co. C, 3-187th Inf. Regt.

Three Rakkasans earn fifth combat patch with 101st

First Sgt. Chad Gore, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 1st Sgt. Randal Underhill, Company C, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, and Lt. Col. R.J. Lillibridge, 1- 187th Inf. Regt., are now eligible for their fifth “Screaming Eagle” combat patch - four of which are from deployments with the Rakkasans of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT)

BY Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – Multiple deployments have become a common occurrence since the start of the global war on terrorism.
Sure, there are people out there who have five or more patch-earning deployments. But not many can say they’ve all been earned with one division.
The Rakkasans of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) boasts the highest percentage of multiple deployers in the Army.
Lieutenant Col. R.J. Lillibridge, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 1st Sgt. Chad Gore, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-187th Inf. Regt., and 1st Sgt. Randal Underhill, Company C, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, are now eligible for their fifth “Screaming Eagle” combat patch.
Of the five combat tours, these Soldiers each served four tours with the Rakkasans.
“There’s just something neat about being a Rakkasan,” said Lillibridge, from Smithfield, R.I. “There’s a whole lot of goodness in it.”
Underhill, originally from Booneville, Ind., now considers Clarksville, Tenn., home since he has spent 14 of 17 years in the 101st. He said he feels like he now has roots with the 101st and has a loyalty to the division.
At the end of this deployment, Gore, a native of Gridley, Calif., will have spent 13 of 20 years at Fort Campbell. “I like the area, the unit’s great. The professionalism, the history the unit has – it’s nice to be a part of that,” he said.

Deciding to stay
Like many Soldiers, none of the men joined the Army thinking they would stay as long as they have.
Underhill was bored with his civilian job. “My impulse said, ‘Hey I’m going to do something different.’ (So I) joined the National Guard and I kind of liked it.” A couple years down the road, he decided to go full-time just in time to go to Desert Storm – his first deployment with the Rakkasans.
Lillibridge said he came into the Army with no preconceived notions, and didn’t know if he’d like it or not.
“I had a five-year commitment,” he said. “After five years was up, I didn’t suck at it, but I wasn’t a superstar.”
He decided to stick in there for a few more years. He’s at 18 years now.
“When I came in the Army, I was trying to figure out what I was going to be when I grew up … I still don’t know,” Gore said with a chuckle. “The first 10 years kind of snuck up on me.” He realized the Army was going to be a career between deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Taking a toll
All of the men are married with children and say each deployment is a little harder to take and more difficult for families than for Soldiers. They all credit their wives with being the true heroes for staying home and being both mom and dad and keeping everything intact until their Soldiers come home.
Deploying for the first time only two months after getting married, Underhill had no way of knowing that separations would be such a common occurrence.
“I think it gets progressively difficult with each rotation to make a break with your family and kids and come over and do it,” said the father of three who has been married 17 years. “At the same time, I started with the Rakkasans … and I don’t want to leave.”
Underhill said his wife is by no means happy about the deployments, but she has grown accustomed to being self-reliant and taking care of things.
Lillibridge, who has been married for 15 years and has two children, acknowledges that families are growing tired of the frequent, extended deployments and said that one year between deployments is not nearly enough. “I’ve lost track of all the birthdays and (holidays) I’ve missed,” he said, adding that his last anniversary was only the second one he spent at home in the last five or six years.
“It’s definitely harder with each deployment,” said Gore, who has been married for 10 years and also has two children. “The kids are getting older … now (they) understand it’s going to be for a long time.” He said his wife is the reason his children have handled it so well.
The seven-month deployment for the Gulf War is short compared to the now 12- and 15-month deployments Soldiers now face.
“We could stand on our heads for seven months now,” Lillibridge said. “I think most of us would like to have a break and not deploy, but I think most of us – after two years – would be going stir crazy and want to get back to this because we’d all feel guilty about not being over here.”

What lies ahead?
As emotionally and physically taxing as these deployments can be, many have soldiered so long that they can’t imagine doing anything else – Lillibridge, Gore and Underhill are no exception.
“There’s nothing I would rather do,” Lillibridge said, echoing the sentiments of Gore and Underhill. He added that he hasn’t stayed in the Army for 18 years for any reason other than the people. “There’s nothing in the civilian world that compares to the Army – especially an army at combat. “
And combat is one thing these Soldiers have seen their share of, from Desert Storm to Afghanistan and multiple tours in Iraq.
Still, none can say for sure whether or not a sixth combat patch is in their future.
All just a little short of meeting the minimum 20-year requirement for retirement, it’s up in the air as to whether they’ll go past that mark.
Gore said the toll this 15-month deployment has on his family will determine whether or not he’ll stay past 20 years.
“I have a friend who used to be a Rakkasan who’s retired … and he always tells me what I’m going to end up doing. He’s been right so far,” Gore recounted. “He says I’m going to stay in.”
Whether it’s 20, 30 or somewhere in between, whenever these Soldiers bid the Army adieu, it will be difficult to walk away from what they’ve known for so long.
Camaraderie, incomparable trust the Army puts in subordinate leaders and make-it-happen attitudes are just a few of the things they say they’ll miss.
“The Army’s a neat place with a whole bunch of great people in it,” Lillibridge said. “I think that’s why most of us stay in … in spite of some of the hardship.”

Sunni, Shia, IA leaders meet on neutral ground

By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy
3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT)

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – More than a dozen sheiks and other influential leaders from southern Baghdad congregated on neutral territory Nov. 10 at Camp Striker.
Among the leaders present was the mayor of Mahmudiyah, Mouyad Fadil, and Lt. Col. Mohammed Fatkan al Farhan, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division.
The roundtable was hosted by War Rakkasans of the 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The Rakkasans’ goal was to provide a place on neither Sunni nor Shia territory to discuss moving forward for the security and future of Iraq.
The aim was to bring sheiks from different religious sects to sit down together and create a plan to move forward, said Capt. Seth Palmer, 1-33rd Cav. Regt. Additionally, there is hope that the meeting will open the door for future dialogue, Palmer said.
The forum was opened and facilitated by Col. Dominic Caraccilo, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT) commander, and Lt. Col. Brian Coppersmith, 1-33rd Cav. Regt. commander.
“We’ve recognized the importance of the sheiks. The importance of the tribes is absolutely decisive to the success we will achieve here in Iraq,” Caraccilo said. “For so long you have heard empty promises and we have heard empty promises, and together we’ve promised each other to do better and it’s time now to fulfill those promises.”
Sheik Kadem Shibli lauded the American hosts for recognizing the sheiks’ position in the Iraqi culture. “The sheik is very important in this region,” he said through an interpreter. “Tribes are the infrastructure of our Iraqi community.”
“We are ready for any form of cooperation and support for building a better Iraq and to eliminate all the danger,” Shibli said.
Sheik Kadem Nwar Alamen insisted that there is no friction between Sunni and Shia – that they are all brothers.
“We’re all Muslims here and we’re all under Iraq’s flag and we have one Qur’an. We should not discriminate,” he said. “I don’t believe there’s any difference between Sunni and Shia.”
Common concerns voiced were the security of Iraq, detainees, the need for schools, medical care, fertilizer and economic development.
Everyone in attendance agreed that security is central to any plan of action.
“We’ve lost many Soldiers. You’ve lost many family members,” Caraccilo said. “We’re at the point now where I think we can work together to make this place much more secure, that way it can prosper economically and as a government.”
“It is with sincerity we conduct our missions day to day,” Caraccilo added. “And we do it alongside great Iraqi army officers and soldiers and alongside very good government leaders.”
Pointing to progress, Coppersmith cited several examples, one being 28 senior officers from western Baghdad who are scheduled for reinstatement to various Iraqi army formations in the coming days. Another example was the recent release of 500 detainees, an event the sheiks said they see as a sign of advancement.
“We will begin a program of micro grants and micro loans and partnership projects that should restart economic development in the area,” Coppersmith said. “I know we have a long way to go ... but we are making progress.”

Rakkasans continue progress with Marne Courageous

By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – The Rakkasans are making significant progress in the follow-on phases of Operation Marne Courageous which kicked off in mid-November.
Now well into the mission, multiple weapons and explosives caches have been recovered, insurgent activity has been thwarted and the operation is progressing smoothly. The construction of Patrol Base Kemple is ahead of schedule and all force-protection measures have been emplaced.
“The Rakkasans’ mission to establish a footprint just west of the Euphrates proved to be a success and the quintessential model of counter-insurgency operations as defined in Field Manual 3-24,” said Col. Dominic J. Caraccilo, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
“The stars definitely lined up for us on this mission,” said Maj. David Jones, operations officer for the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT). “We conducted the largest air assault since Operation Swarmer without incident and delivered a decisive blow to al-Qaeda.
“If there is any enemy that still remains in Owesat, they no longer have free reign and are incapable of coordinating significant attacks,” Jones said.
Marne Courageous is aimed at securing the population of Owesat and Al Betra, former insurgent sanctuaries, by establishing a permanent presence on the west side of the Euphrates River.
The operation officially began Nov.16 with the bombing of an island that was a suspected insurgent safehaven and an air assault into Owesat and Al Betra. Along with elements of the Iraqi Army, Soldiers knocked on hundreds of doors in an attempt to identify anti-coalition forces and al-Qaeda and seek information that might lead to the whereabouts of Spc. Alex Jiminez and Pvt. Byron Fouty from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), who went missing May 12.
“Our objective was to talk to each Owetian about (the missing) Soldiers, search every structure and field, establish Patrol Base Kemple, set the conditions for Concerned Local Citizens involvement in Owesat, and develop an assessment of the needs of the Owetians,” said Maj. Will Beck, executive officer for 3-187th Inf. Regt.
Concerned Local Citizens have begun to establish checkpoints in the area, thereby denying insurgents freedom of movement.
“The CLCs have proven themselves to be a proven force capable of guarding key infrastructure and maintaining fixed positions controlling access,” said Maj. Curtis Crum, operations officer for 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT). “CLCs become target groups for economic opportunities, Iraqi Security Force recruitment and future job-placement programs.”
As a means to continue receiving the support of the people of Owesat, Company A, 3-187th Inf. Regt. hosted a veterinary operation and coordinated medical engagement. The veterinary operation was held Nov. 29 in Owesat and Nov. 30 in North Qarghuli Village to provide veterinary care for the livestock.
A team of four medical personnel saw nearly 200 residents at a CME Dec. 2 with issues such as chronic illnesses, upper-respiratory infections, trauma from previous war wounds, and even cerebral palsy.
“We want to let the local population know we care and that we want to help them,” said Dr. (Lt. Col.) Grant Foster, battalion surgeon for the 3-187th Inf. Regt.

Rakkasans help put Iraqi face on locals’ medical care

By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – More than 800 Iraqis received medical care during a coordinated medical engagement Nov. 30 in Iraqi Family Village, northeast of Camp Victory, where healthcare is virtually non-existent.
Twenty-five Iraqi and two American providers saw 820 patients ranging in age from several weeks to nearly 80 years old with symptoms varying from the common cold and dermatological issues to chronic issues like asthma.
Task Force Vigilant, the base-defense unit for Camp Victory, was responsible for the overall planning, preparation and execution of the CME since the Iraqi Family Village falls within its operational environment. The Iraqi Family Village has about 8,000 residents, many of whom moved into the area after the fall of the regime in 2003.
Members of the Rakkasans from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) played a role by providing security for all medical operations and medical personnel from Company C, 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT).
Team Rak, short for Rakkasan, is an element of TF Vigilant and had 15 Soldiers involved in the CME.
This is the third such event for TF Vigilant in a three-month period, although it is the first mission in which the Rakkasans participated. The task force’s stated goal was two-fold: to provide much-needed medical care for the village residents and to promote the ability of Iraqi leaders to provide for the needs of Iraqis.
Consequently, the residents of the village will have confidence in their town council’s ability to coordinate medical undertakings in the future.
The medical engagement was another endeavor to put an Iraqi face on healthcare in the area according to Capt. Alex Montgomery, primary planner for Co. C, 626th BSB, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT), which provided dental and medical personnel, supplies and logistical support for the event. It also gave the unit a chance to provide one-on-one medical training with local residents and Iraqi Army doctors.
“Because there is no (medical) facility in the area we wanted to get healthcare and pharmaceuticals to many local nationals who, due to economic issues, don’t have a way or financial means to get healthcare and medication for themselves and their children,” Montgomery explained.
Task Force 62, a medical brigade formed approximately three months ago, provided two Iraqi-born American doctors who have Iraqi credentials to practice medicine. Several local medical personnel from the Baghdad International Airport Medical Clinic rendered services as well.
Supporting the return to normalcy, TF 62 attempts to add momentum to the medical infrastructure by gathering information about the condition of medical care and clinics, said John Mitchell, military analyst and licensed physician’s assistant with TF 62.
“We go out here with cooperative engagements and provide medical care and get information from the patients as to what kind of care they’re getting, how often they get to be seen and how hard it is to be seen and the status of medical care in their communities,” Mitchell said. That information is then forwarded to the command of a certain area as a snapshot of what services are necessary in that area of operations.
Ultimately, Mitchell said the goal is to develop clinics and a level of healthcare that will be sustainable once Coalition Forces have left the region.
As an additional push to put Iraqis in the forefront, there is a company within TF 62 that offers Iraqis daily fees to practice medicine at CMEs.
“Part of the return to normalcy is getting Iraqi medical practitioners to return to the area,” Mitchell said, adding that some are returning slowly.
While the current state of medical care in many areas of Iraq is bleak and has a long way to go, improvement is on the horizon.
“Our objective of strengthening the villagers’ trust in local council and the Government of Iraq, as well as providing much-needed medical care for the community has been achieved,” said Capt. Martrell Gamble, Team Rak commander. “Team Rak was able to do our small part of what will be a continuous effort of providing assistance in improving the legitimacy of the GoI and the Iraqi Security Forces while improving the residents’ perception of U.S. forces and advocates of human rights.
“We were glad we were able to participate and are looking forward to the next opportunity to provide support to the citizens,” Gamble said.

‘Soft touch’ approach pays big dividends

By Staff Sgt. Tony Lindback
Multi-National Division - Center PAO

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – The early morning calm over Owesat, Iraq, was rocked by the beating rotors of helicopters carrying Rakkasan Soldiers in for an air assault Nov. 16.
The assault was in support of Operation Marne Courageous, a multi-faceted operation that extended the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) area of operation into an area previously under Multi-National Division – West.
Capt. Terry Hilderbrand Jr., commander of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT) said there was a lot done to prepare for the strategic move.
“We’ve had numerous meetings with the sheiks in Owesat,” Hilderbrand said. Out of the four tribes in Owesat, Hilderbrand explained, three of the tribes’ sheiks had gone to Coalition Forces, asking them to establish a presence in Owesat.
“They have seen Qarghuli on the eastern side of the river. They have seen the (concerned citizens groups). They know about the awakening movement in Iraq. They’re ready to give up the al-Qaeda that’s located in Owesat and work with the Coalition. So, we’ve done a lot of talking with them – gaining an understanding of who the players are,” Hilderbrand said.
Using the intelligence they had about the area enabled Co. A to use more brain and less brawn moving into the area.
Soldiers respected the culture of the people they encountered by only talking to the man of the house when knocking on doors. They waited until the man of the house answered the door, rather than kicking in doors. They also allowed the man to move women and children as necessary to both accommodate local customs and allow a thorough search.

Sheiks of the village came to an agreement with Co. A to rent the property in the area to build two new patrol bases. Assets were brought from Patrol Base Dragon on the east bank of the river by ferry. Engineers used floating bridge bays and boats to move route clearance and heavy equipment vehicles to aid the development of a Patrol Base Owesat, PB Kemple and a bridge connecting Owesat to PB Dragon.
The area of operation expansion, and the location of the new patrol bases, will help Task Force Marne flush insurgents from the area, and broaden the search for Pvt. Byron Fouty and Spc. Alex Jiminez from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), who went missing May 12.
No shots were fired during the mission. Maj. Wayne Lacey, a staff officer with the 3rd BCT, 101st Airborne Div. (AASLT), said it was a testament to planning the operation around good intelligence.
“It went well. I’m not surprised - my guys always do good,” Hilderbrand said.

CO A, 626 BSB delivers for all Rakkasans

By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy
3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT)

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq – “Nothing happens until something moves,” is the Albert Einstein quote adopted by the Transportation Corps.
The Soldiers of Company A, 626th Brigade Support Battalion take that mantra to heart as they push supplies throughout southwest Baghdad to the units in the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
“Our company’s mission has a tremendous impact on the BCT’s overall mission and greatly contributes to the fight all over the operational environment,” said Capt. Thomas Boland, Co. A, 626th BSB commander.
Comprised of two distribution platoons and a Supply Support Activity platoon, Co. A is a distribution company tasked with supplying Rakkasans on and off Camp Striker with basic necessities like food, water and ammunition.
The two distribution platoons run combat logistics patrols several times a week to outlying patrol bases. The Soldiers in the SSA platoon run the warehouse and Headquarters platoon is in charge of the command post.
From paper and pens to nails and lumber, fuel, repair parts, rations and bulk water for showers and cooking, Co. A handles it all.
“Everything starts at Alpha Company,” said 2nd Lt. Brendan Chase, platoon leader for 1st Platoon, Co. A, 626th BSB. “We’re pretty much the supply house for the whole brigade and then we push it out to the forward support companies.”
As part of one of the distribution platoons, Chase said CLPs are about 85 to 90 percent of what they do.
“We’re either getting ready for a CLP, doing a CLP or recovering from a CLP,” Chase said. He explained that it can take up to 30 hours to prepare for a CLP, including the time it takes to perform maintenance on and inspect the vehicles and load the supplies that will go out in the convoy.
Every Soldier in the company understands that his job is equally as important as combat arms troops.
“If we don’t do our job then someone on the other end won’t be able to do his job,” said Sgt. 1st Class King Riggins, platoon sergeant, 1st Platoon, Co. A, 626th BSB. ”They won’t have the supplies they need to perform.”
The company’s senior-enlisted Soldier said the unit was well-prepared for its mission. “I think we did all the right things,” said 1st Sgt. Loneal Blevins, Co. A, 626th BSB. “Everything we trained on back home got the unit in the ballpark of what was to be expected in theater.”
Boland credited the unit’s gifted and “battlefield-tested” noncommissioned officers with doing an outstanding job preparing the Soldiers pre-deployment to feel confident once they got on the ground.
“My job is dangerous,” said Pvt. Ryan Henry, a mechanic serving as a gunner. “But as long as you know what to do when situations come about, it’s no problem.” He said he tries not to worry about the potential threats and just focuses on the mission at hand.
Henry added that the training at Fort Campbell, Ky., equipped him for what he faces on the roads when he goes outside the wire.
“I just go out there and do the best that I can as a gunner and hope that I come back home safe,” Henry said.
Crane said the Soldiers are well aware of the risks they face every time they go out on a CLP – namely, improvised explosive devices – but that they remain cool about it.
“Obviously we know what’s out there,” Chase said, adding that when the brigade suffered their first casualty Nov. 1 as the result of an IED it was a reality check. “It struck them that … this could really happen.
“We’re outside the wire (several) times a week,” he explained. “It’s a threat every time we step out there, but these guys, they soldier on.”
The platoon sergeant echoed Crane’s sentiments.
“The Soldiers motivate us because, no matter how hard we push them, they’re ready to ride on,” Riggins said. “The Soldiers love doing their job, which makes our job extremely easy.
“I think we’ve been truly blessed with some great Soldiers.”