Dear Interested Reader,
The transfer of security responsibility for Anbar Province to the Iraqis is a sign of tremendous progress in security, and very big news. There's a most interesting story on Soldiers assigned to the Raider Bde's Base Defense Ops Center, who are protecting FOB Falcon round the clock. Another fascinating story is the importance of modern communication, and of an Ironhorse webmaster from Hawaii doing an outstanding job. AQI continue to be targeted and weapons caches seized.
Joanna
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Sept. 2, 2008
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
Transfer of Security Responsibility for Anbar Province
U.S. EMBASSY – BAGHDAD
JOINT STATEMENT
By Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker and General David H. Petraeus
The U.S. and MNF-Iraq welcome the transfer of security in Anbar Province to Iraqi responsibility as a positive step on the path to Iraq's self-reliance.
Anbar is the eleventh province to be transferred to Iraqi security responsibility, and is significant because it is geographically the largest province in Iraq and borders 3 countries.
Iraqi SF in Anbar have been operating independently for the past 2 months. Working with local govt and military officials, they have demonstrated their readiness to assume responsibility for the provincial security of Al Anbar. Today this responsibility is theirs.
The transition of responsibility for security in Anbar Province is an important step. The provincial and military leadership in Anbar will have to work cooperatively in order to attain the sustainable security necessary for long term economic prosperity. We will assist as requested. The U.S. and MNF-Iraq congratulate the GOI on this important milestone.
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Blackanthem Military News
Raider BDOC serves as first line of defense for Soldiers on FOB Falcon
Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Brent Williams
Staff Sgt. Lamont Hicks, inspects the guard prior to beginning the next rotation of tower guard. Hicks is one of a select group of NCOs, who keep the Soldiers, surveillance and communications equipment online, 7 days a week.
FOB FALCON - The vital mission of protecting the Iraqi populace, helping foster the ever-growing economy of the area and assisting the local Iraqi SF as they strive to provide a stable environment for the local area, falls squarely upon the shoulders of the 1st BCT, 4th ID, based at the FOB.
And protecting these Soldiers so they can carry out their vital mission falls squarely upon the Soldiers assigned to the Raider Bde's Base Defense Ops Center (BDOC). The Soldiers diligently scour the perimeter, looking for any discrepancy that might signal danger; Soldiers remain poised and ready in the towers that look down from the lofty walls that surround their gated community.
It's more than guard duty in a small room, near the brigade tactical operations center, where a select group of Soldiers from across MND-B provide the first line of defense for the more than 5,000 men and women serving and working at FOB Falcon in support of OIF.
The center uses a wide array of modern technology and equipment, employing day and night vision camera systems and the counter-rocket, artillery and mortar radars and systems to maintain a 24-hour surveillance of the base perimeter in support of the base defenses, said Tull, a 23-year Army veteran.
Sgt. Andrew Hanks, BDOC Ops NCOIC, HHD, supervises the day-to-day ops of the center and ensures the surveillance equipment remains operational around the clock in addition to maintaining the radio communications between the guard towers, the main gates to the FOB and the BDOC. The BDOC uses modern Force Protection measures, including Long Range Acoustic Devices, Phraselators, and automated camera systems that can identify potential threats with an extreme measure of accuracy, he explained. The BDOC also controls the FOB's Quick Reaction Force (QRF), which can quickly dispatch Soldiers to identify potential terrorist threats or to deal with potential emergencies, he added. The QRF conducts regular patrols around the FOB, inspects vehicles parked alongside major roads surrounding the base and investigates potential enemy threats to deter attacks against the Raider Soldiers of the 1st BCT, said Hanks, who is currently serving his third deployment to Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Lamont Hicks, an infantryman assigned to HHD, 1st BCT, said, "The (tower guards) are the Soldiers out on the line, making sure there are no possible threats to the FOB, making sure no one jumps over the walls, tracking to make sure there are no attacks," Hicks said. "They are the first line of defense against threats such as the (improvised-rocket assisted munitions)." It is Hicks' primary responsibility to keep the Sergeants of the Guard and the Soldiers conducting tower guard informed on the latest intel to help counter any potential attack. "We also conduct visual inspections to make sure the Soldiers are in the proper uniform … and make sure they are ready to do their job 100%, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week," he explained.
The modern equipment used by the Soldiers fulfills a very important piece of the base defenses, said Pfc. Nick Scott, an Avenger crewmember assigned to HHB, 2nd Bn, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regt, part of the 101st Abn Div, out of Fort Campbell, Ky., attached to the 1st BCT, 4th ID. "I catch rounds before they impact the base," said Scott. "My work, observing the radar, can potentially save lives - if I am not doing my job, somebody could die." Their actions are seeing substantial success as direct and indirect attacks against the FOB are at an all time low, said Tull.
The BDOC Soldiers said the reduction in violence is due to the line units of the Raider BCT and the Iraqi SF, who ensure that attacks remain low as they continue to aggressively pursue the enemy and find weapons caches. Their mission, they added, is to make sure they have a safe environment to return to.
Spc. Justin Burdette, an infantryman assigned to Co B, 4th Bn, 64th Armor Regt, and Spc. Doris Cantave, a petroleum supply specialist from Co E, 703rd BSB, attached to the 1st BCT, 4th ID, keep watch over a main road that parallels FOB Falcon during guard duty.
Pfc. Collin Nethery, an armor crewmember assigned to HHD, conducts radio checks with the guards manning the towers providing overwatch along the perimeter. Nethery and the Soldiers of the Raider BCT BDOC are responsible for maintaining the surveillance equipment and communications for the guard mount and the QRF.
Pfc. Matthew Flores, an infantrymen assigned to HHD, operates the BDOC day and night vision camera systems atop the Raid Tower via a remote control unit.
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Blackanthem Military News
Ironhorse webmaster keeps the 'force' communicating
Story and photos by Spc. Douglas York
Maj. Bennett Hayth (center), who serves as the officer in charge of the div. automation mgt. office, 4th ID, along with Sgt. 1st Class Troy Merritt (left), who serves as the DAMO NCO in charge, and Spc. Bryan Pilger, who serves in the DAMO Help Desk, inspect one of the system monitors in the server room at the div's. HQ.
CAMP LIBERTY - "We provide all of the local area network services to the div. HQ and support to all of the brigades," said Maj. Bennett Hayth, who serves as the officer in charge of the div's. automation mgt. office, 4th ID. "We're also responsible for all of the local services, such as Microsoft Exchange, the portal (MS SharePoint) and name resolution for the internet," he added.
Hayth and the less than 50 Soldiers and civilian contractors under his command run a 24-hour op, manning 2 sections, Enterprise and Help-Desk, while taking care of the divs.' file servers, share folders, local switching and routing. Additionally, his crew makes sure all of the phones work and the computers talk. In a nutshell, they are the one-stop-shop for every bit of info flow at the 4th ID Command Info Center, and it requires diligent and intelligent people to keep it all running smooth.
According to Hayth and the DAMO's NCO in charge, Sgt. 1st Class Troy Merritt, one Soldier in particular from their crew has been a huge contributor to their continued success: Spc. Benjamin Taai, a native of Honolulu, who serves as the portal administrator or webmaster. "He basically holds the responsibility of the entire mission of the CIC being able to collaborate all of their info and data on the portal," said Merritt. "It's a heck of a lot of responsibility for a specialist to have. He is extremely sharp and, as a matter of fact, he is the system expert for the portal, as numerous brigades come to him," he added.
Both Merritt and Hayth noted that Taai works at a skill level well above that normally expected by a Soldier of his rank and his expertise puts him on par with his professional-level Dept of Defense civilian partners in his career field. "We actually send him up to Taji, and he's been to some of the other (FOBs) to build up their portals to get them going and working correctly," said Hayth. "He also trains up a lot of the civilian contractors that deal with SharePoint and brings them up to speed when they come into theater," added Merritt.
"It's an ever-growing field and everything's always getting better," said Spc. Bryan Pilger, who serves in the DAMO Help Desk. "As it's getting better and more sophisticated, we have to go out there and learn it so that we can provide tech support to people who are using the new software. If we help people, they don't mind helping us back - and it's a really good community," he added.
"The Soldiers and the NCOs are the key element to this entire mission, and without them, it wouldn't function," Merritt said. In this new era of high-tech, high-speed warfare, without any of the DAMO personnel, the info and communications of the Ironhorse "force" would never "be" with anyone.
Spc. Benjamin Taai, who serves as the portal administrator, or web-master, inspects the system portal and monitors the info flow.
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IA soldiers seize weapons in Sadr City
BAGHDAD - Aug. 31, IA soldiers discovered a weapons cache consisting of 10 40 mm grenades, 8 85 mm PG-18 rockets, 4 RPG launchers, 17 charges, a 64 mm heat rocket, 11 hand grenades of various types, 5 grenade fuses, a mortar fuse and various bomb-making materials.
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7-2 NP hosts combined medical engagement in Doura
FOB FALCON -
An Iraqi doctor checks a child's ears during a medical examination Aug. 28 at a free health clinic at a JSS in the Doura community in Baghdad's Rashid district. Soldiers of the 1st BCT, 4th ID, and Iraqi NP, conducted a combined medical event for local Iraqi families Aug. 27-29. Both Iraqi and U.S. doctors were at the JSS administering healthcare.
(Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kelvin T. Surgener)
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MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
PRESS DESK
BAGHDAD, Iraq
Coalition forces continue to target al-Qaeda (Baghdad)
BAGHDAD – CF detained 14 suspected terrorists during ops August 31 and Sept. 1, targeting AQI networks in the central and northern parts of the country.
In a precision op August 31, CF captured a wanted man believed to be part of the foreign terrorist network that helps AQI operatives’ transit into and around Iraq. The network is known to supply bombers for attacks against Iraqi civilians and the SF that protect them.
In Baghdad, CF weakened an AQI bombing cell when they detained 4 suspected members Sept.1, including the alleged leader. Another of the 4 detainees is assessed to be his second-in-command.
CF captured an alleged leader within the AQI Mosul network and 2 suspected associates Sept. 1. A second op Sept. 1, in Mosul targeted weapons facilitators and foreign terrorists that operate in Diyala province, and netted 4 suspects.
About 160 km south of Mosul in Bayji, CF detained 2 suspected terrorists during an op to disrupt an AQI bomb-making cell on Sept. 1.
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Blackanthem Military News
Raider Brigade Soldiers conduct dismounted patrols in Abu T'shir community
FOB FALCON, Iraq - Pfc. Martin Zapata, an infantryman assigned to HHD, 1st BCT, 4th ID, pulls security during a dismounted patrol, Aug. 19. The "Raider" Bde Soldiers stopped to assess a local gas station in Abu T'shir to ensure that the owner is not overcharging local Iraqis. Combat patrols routinely visit local merchants to ensure the fair market price on goods.
(Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Kelvin Surgener)
Staff Sgt. Tahir Hasan, an aviation ops NCO assigned to HHD, pulls security outside a local gas station.
Sgt. Vicente Ayala, a combat medic assigned to HHD, scans his sector as patrons wait in line at a local gas station.
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