Dear Interested Reader,
Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond awards Bronze Stars and Purple Heart medals to special heroes. An amazing story of the GoI reaching out to a Marsh Arab Tribe living with no running water or electricity. Learn about a CH-47F Chinook cargo helicopter-based portable refueling system - the Extended Range Fuel System II, nicknamed the "Fat Cow." Patriotic poster contest allows children to experiment with a new found freedom of speech. Generals visit thriving Al Kut markets, while Mosul will have a cardiac surgery center next year. Wanted criminals captured and munitions seized.
Joanna
____________________________
Nov. 16, 2008
Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
CG awards Bronze Stars, Purple Hearts to MND-B Soldiers
CAMP LIBERTY -
Pfc. Padan Hale, Troop A, 1st Sqdrn, 75th Cav Regt, 2nd BCT, 101st Abn Div, is awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals by Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, the comm. gen. of the 4th ID and MND-B, at the div. HQ, Nov. 12. The Soldiers' convoy was attacked during a patrol Nov. 1. An explosion penetrated the passenger-side, front door on the fourth vehicle, critically wounding the vehicle cmdr. and lightly wounding the driver and gunner. The heroic actions of the gunner (Hale), driver (Swanner), and the plt medic (Phillips) allowed casualties to be evacuated to Riva Ridge Troop Medical Clinic and saved their plt sgt's life.
(Army photos by Spc. Benjamin Crane)
Pfc. Earnest Swanner II, Troop A, is awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals. Spc. Christopher Phillips was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.
Spc. Christopher Phillips (left), Pfc. Earnest Swanner II (center), and Pfc. Padan Hale.
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GoI reaches out to Marsh Arab tribe near Basra
BAGHDAD - The GoI, with a few CF, reached out to the Lahijia tribe, a sub tribe of the Abbu Muhammed tribe, of Iraq's Marsh Arabs near Barsa, Nov. 2.
The humanitarian aid mission was led by the IA, provincial councils, local veterinarians and community leaders. It was supported by a small group of British and American forces, and is part of a bigger GoI program to reach out to the marsh area's population and include them in the GoI.
"The mission was to treat the people of the Rota village near Basra," said Yousif, physician, Iraqi advisory task force, 44th Medical Command. "We saw about 450 men, women and children."
The marsh area, drained by Saddam Hussein after the first Gulf War, is home to a majority of the Marsh Arab population that has not left. "In the past, the marsh tribes were persecuted by the old regime. They were treated horribly," said Maj. Scott Roberts, dep. reconciliation cell, MNC - Iraq. "There is no running water, or electricity. Most of them don't even have shoes, and they have not had a school for the children to attend in the Rota village since 1977."
The IA has advanced from supporting security ops, to executing support missions and aiding the govt in providing support to the people of Iraq in locations still in their infant stages.
"Iraq is a country gaining strength, and to solidify that strength it is developing its capacity to deliver essential services and reconcile with its population, not just in urban areas," Roberts said. "They were able to bring medical support, and really reach out to the population with just a small CF presence."
"Two weeks ago, when a small CF advisory team visited the village, there was only one elderly man present. The others were either in hiding or out working," Roberts said. "Now, after being told that the GoI was coming to help by bringing them humanitarian assistance, all of the men showed up, to include some of the younger ones."
The mission not only provided medicine, food and blankets, but it also renewed the relationship between the Marsh Arabs and the GoI. "The IA planned the operation very well. All the doctors and nursing staff were fantastic in treating people and running the combined medical engagement," Yousif said. "I consider the mission a great success. A great deal of the patients were satisfied with the level of care we were able to provide."
"The humanitarian assistance mission built a relationship between the population and its own govt to gain control and dominance of its country with its own institutions, and it was a great success," Roberts said. "When the day began, there was a feeling of uncertainty, and in the end the IA and the tribe members were dancing with each other sharing tribal songs."
An IA soldier hands out medication to women of the Lahijia tribe.
(Army Photos by Pfc. Eric Martinez)
A veterinarian immunizes a calf, and were able later to sit down with members of the tribe and listen to any agricultural concerns the tribe had.
Members of the Lahijia tribe share tea in their living room with members of the IA. The homes of the tribe members are made from mud bricks and reeds gathered from the marsh land that they inhabit.
Members of the Marsh Arab village of Rota make bread, Nov. 2. The villages have no electricity or running water, so they still use traditional ovens to cook their meals.
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Training exercise helps add versatility to MND-B operations
CAMP TAJI - Soldiers from the CAB, 4th ID, participated in a training exercise designed to add versatility to refueling ops for both aviation and ground units operating in and around Baghdad, Nov. 10 at Camp Taji.
The Soldiers trained on a CH-47F Chinook cargo helicopter-based portable refueling system, the Extended Range Fuel System II nicknamed the "Fat Cow." This system extends the brigade's refueling mission to nearly any location in theatre.
To help offset the heavy demand placed on MND-B's various fixed refueling points, the system will enable both forward-deployed air and ground assets to receive fuel directly from a Chinook equipped with the system's crash resistant internal 2,400-gallon fuel.
"The helicopter can use the fuel itself or it can pump the fuel into other aircraft or vehicles," said Capt. Michael Cerchio, cmdr., Co E, 2nd Bn, 4th Avn. Regt. "It provides the CAB the ability to place a Forward Area Refueling Point anywhere on the battlefield with a suitable landing zone. The capability can extend the reach of any aviation mission." In a tactical environment, the forward area refueling equipment can be set up in as little as 15 minutes, Cerchio said. "Speed is extremely essential for the Fat Cow mission," he said. "Anytime an aircraft is stationary on the ground in a combat op, it is vulnerable. A great deal of pre-mission planning goes into any Fat Cow mission to limit the amount of time aircraft spend on the ground.
Soldiers from the 2nd Bn refuel 2 Apache attack helicopters with an Extended Range Fuel System II integrated Chinook helicopter.
(Army photo by Sgt. Jason Dangel)
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Patriotic Poster Contest Stimulates Pride in Iraqi Youth
Iraqi children join hands in a symbol of good will and hope for a new era in the nation of Iraq, Nov. 6, 2008, at the Jazeera patriotic poster contest.
Photo and story by Capt. Brett Walker
FOB FALCON — Children of southern Baghdad’s Doura community recently competed in a contest to indulge a budding sense of cultural pride, and experiment with a newfound freedom of speech. During the month of October, various children from Jazeera, located in the Rashid District, created more than 100 posters for a patriotic poster contest to express the Iraqi youth’s feelings on the current situation in Iraq, and their forecasts of the future. The submissions revealed an astonishing level of cultural awareness from the children, said Amir Salman, a councilmember of the Doura Neighborhood Council. What the children lacked in age, they compensated for with insight.
“The children were very proud,” stated Salman, who helped organize the event. “They have been telling all of their friends how much fun they had participating.” Some of the children employed a wide array of styles and techniques in the production of the posters. The 8-year-olds made astute social observations in oil, and the 10-year-olds produced captivating cultural commentary in watercolor.
Some participants portrayed the current situation in Iraq with intricately detailed depictions of daily life. Others displayed political cartoons and Iraqi symbolism to convey their interpretation of life. Hashem Mahmood, an elected district council leader in Baghdad’s Rashid District, attended the initial unveiling of the exhibition. “It is a kind of education for the people and it gives them motivation to do positive things,” Hashem said.
The patrons held the event at the Doura Library and Cultural Center, a building that recently underwent extensive repairs and improvements through a joint Iraqi-American project. Members of the Jazeera Neighborhood Council selected and rewarded the contest winners, said Salman. The event leveraged the talents of adolescents, but it was aimed at Iraqis of all ages. The opening of the exhibition drew many of the community’s most influential people, from powerful tribal sheiks to respected professional artists. A menagerie of govt officials, journalists, American Soldiers and Iraqi students also filled the library’s chambers. “It was a new experience, so people were excited about it – not just the kids but also the adults,” Hashem explained.
“This is a very positive sign,” said Maj. Mark Olin, ops officer of the 2nd Bn, 4th Inf Regt, attached to the 1st BCT, 4th ID. “This is the people of Iraq exercising their freedom of speech and expressing their opinions."
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Generals Visit Thriving Al Kut Markets
By Sgt. Daniel T. West
Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, 10th Mtn Div cmdr., samples the goods offered by a bakery in a downtown al Kut market as Maj. Gen.Faisal, Wasit provincial dir. of police, Brig. Gen. Mazloum, 32nd IA Bde cmdr., and Col. Richard Francey, 41st Fires Bde. cmdr. look on during a tour of an al Kut market, Nov. 4, 2008.
Photo by Sgt. Daniel West
FOB DELTA — Senior leaders of MND – Center removed their armor for the tour of markets in al Kut and lunch in local restaurants, with provincial Iraqi SF. The ISF took the lead providing security for both tours, which passed without incident.
“It was an honor to go downtown without weapons or body armor and with Iraqi security,” said Abd al Hanen. “We sent a message that the security situation in Kut is good, and anyone can go downtown and enjoy a walk in safety.”
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CF capture IED facilitator in Mosul
MOSUL - Nov. 14, the intel-driven op, which took place in the Al Rashidayah neighborhood around 8 a.m., was simultaneously conducted with another op in the 30 Tamooz neighborhood, where another key terrorist was captured.
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Contract awarded for cardiac surgery center renovation
MOSUL - The project, not scheduled to begin until next year, will provide Iraqis with the only cardiac surgery center outside of Baghdad to treat heart disease.
"This renovation project will enable citizens in the northern provinces to gain access to the healthcare they need without being forced to travel all the way to Baghdad or leave the country," said Maj. Jonathan Simmons, civil affairs officer, 3rd ACR. "This will be another positive improvement for the citizens of Mosul and Nineveh Province."
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MND-B Engineers disable IED, Soldiers detain wanted criminal
BAGHDAD - At approx. 3:30 p.m., Nov 13, Iraqi NP discovered a roadside bomb, and alerted Soldiers of Co E, 4th Bn, 64th Armor Regt, attached to the 1st BCT, 4th ID, who dismantled and disabled an IED with a 155 mm round rigged with a cell phone, in the Doura community of the Rashid district.
At approx. 12:15 a.m., Nov. 14, Soldiers of Co. C, 4th Bn., 64th Armor Regt., attached to 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th ID, conducting a target raid in Rashid's Shurta community, detained a suspected Special Groups Criminal, associated with a weapons trafficker known to operate in Baghdad.
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ISF discover munitions, arrest wanted criminal
BAGHDAD - Nov. 12 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad, at approx. 5 a.m. in the Hadar community, IA soldiers partnered with Soldiers from the 2nd Bn, 4th Inf Regt, attached to the 1st BCT, 4th ID, arrested a wanted criminal.
Iraqi NP discovered a 120 mm mortar round while on patrol at approx. 7 p.m. in the Risalah community.
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