Dear Interested Reader,
Female Airmen provide show of force at Sather Air Base. Weapons Intel Team provide battlefield forensics. Service members and DoD civilians tour "Abraham's Oasis." IA kick off month-long Commando Course. Army medics train to ensure the well-being of its service members as well as Iraqi civilians. Headhunters of Warhorse Bde conduct change-of-command ceremony. In Afghanistan, combined forces bolster security in terrorized Oruzgan villages, while IED cell is destroyed. Militants are killed in successful op in Helmand prov.
Joanna
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March 30, 2009
U.S. Air Forces Central, Baghdad Media Outreach Team
by Staff Sgt. Tim Beckham
Airmen provide show of force
Senior Airman Elizabeth Gonzalez looks over the flight line at Sather Air Base, with the .50 caliber machine gun, March 26, 2009. Airman Gonzalez is one of a few SF members qualified on the .50 cal.
(AF photos by Senior Airman Jacqueline Romero)
SATHER AIR BASE -- The use of show of force is intended to warn or intimidate an opponent and to demonstrate capability or the will to act if provoked. For 2 female Airmen here the showing of force is more than just a term, it's a way of life. For Senior Airman Elizabeth Gonzalez and SSgt. Vida Reveles, 447th ESFS heavy weapon operators, manning the .50 caliber machine guns here is a job they take very seriously. "We're here to secure the flight line area and deny unauthorized entry into Sather Air Base," said Sgt Reveles. Both are deployed from the 204th Security Forces Sqdrn at Biggs Army Airfield, Fort Bliss, Texas Air National Guard. "It's a different beast working with the .50 cal, but a real privilege."
"Our primary duty is to provide direct fire to any unauthorized personnel or vehicles trying to gain access to the base, but if we are firing this weapon it means something bad is happening," added Airman Gonzalez. "I have shot 8 different weapons, and this is the best. it is very powerful and accurate, and I just love it."
The .50 cal guns, used in combat since World War II, have predominately been manned by men in the past, but partly in thanks to these 2 Airmen, seeing a female behind the trigger has become more and more common. "It can be very difficult and challenging at times, physically, but the guys expect us to be able to lift and mount the weapon ourselves, so it's just something we have to be able to do," said Sergeant Reveles.
"It's challenging because people are always underestimating the female. We probably have to be twice as tough as the guys, but I have always liked guns more than doing my makeup," said Airman Gonzalez.
Whether they are patrolling the base perimeter in a HUMVEE, or manning a post overlooking the flight line, the show of force these Airmen provide is part of the reason people here can sleep well at night.
SSgt. Vida Reveles observes the flight line at Sather Air Base, while manning a .50 caliber machine gun. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jacqueline Romero)
Senior Airman Elizabeth Gonzalez cleans a .50 caliber machine gun.
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U.S. Air Forces Central, Baghdad Media Outreach Team
WIT provide battlefield forensics
by Staff Sgt. Tim Beckham
Members of the Weapons Intelligence Team (WIT) provide counter IED intel through collection, analysis and tactical exploitation.
3/24/2009 - CAMP TROY -- When an IED is detected most people run and take cover, but the WIT heads to the site to start the crime scene investigation. "As you may know our advisaries are out there using modified explosives, and trying to find unique ways to use those weapons against Iraqis and CF, so our role is to go out there and provide battlefield forensics, to better defeat them and beyond that, try to stop them from ever being on the streets," said Chief MSgt. Kevin Touhey, WIT superintendent.
"The WIT team is important because we are going beyond a simple reactive mode. It brings a deeper level of intel and analysis to these devices. And we begin to understand what the enemy's tactics, techniques and procedures are, resulting in better force protection," said Chief Touhey, who is deployed from the 93rd Intel Sqdrn at the Medina Annex in San Antonio. "We (EOD/WIT) have uncovered and captured weapons caches, so we have denied the enemy access to munitions. We have also taken hundreds of positive IDs of bomb makers and facilitators, enabling ops to get these individuals off the streets."
As part of the Combined Joint TF Troy, the WIT is comprised of AF, Army and Navy personnel, and according to Chief Touhey, the joint environment is what drives the mission success. "It brings different experiences and different ways of approaching things," he said. "When you are dealing with something like the counter IED fight, you have to look at it from multiple perspectives. If you get tunnel vision, and only see it from one angle, you are likely to miss something, possibly a key piece of info that could break the case wide open, so having that joint flavor is key to us being able to do our job to the level we need to. Between the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen, we have 25 different career fields that cover the gamut, from EOD technicians to various intel specialties. We have photographers, masters at arms, infantrymen, rangers and patriot battery techs," he added.
Not only do the Airmen in the WIT work side-by-side with other services, but they also are in the process of training the Iraqis to eventually take over the WIT altogether. "The importance of training the Iraqis is so they can complete the mission of WIT, and take it to the next level, so they won't have to depend on coalition," said Maj. Christopher Li, WIT cmdr. Major Li is deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
Chief Touhey said that the challenges the WIT have faced are the same things that have made them successful. "As our creed says, 'I am an American Airmen, I am a Warrior,' and that's truly what the WIT Airmen are. They're outside the wire in harm's way daily. I mean that's a challenge that they've done phenomenally well." I'm extremely proud of the men and women of the WIT for what they do."
Members of the WIT provide counter IED intel through collection, analysis and tactical exploitation.
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mnfwest.usmc.mil
Service members and DoD civilians tour ‘Abraham’s Oasis’
By Cpl. Jo Jones
U.S. service members and a DoD civilian look around Abraham's Oasis during a tour of the site aboard Al Asad Air Base, March 12, 2009. The tour, orchestrated by the religious ministry team of MNF-West, gave the visitors a chance to see a site of historical and cultural significance to the Iraqi people.
AL ASAD AIR BASE – Service members and Department of Defense (DoD) civilians aboard Al Asad Air Base received a dose of biblical history when they recently toured an oasis and palm grove aboard the base. Dubbed ‘Abraham’s Oasis,’ this patch of fertile land in the otherwise barren Iraqi desert is thought to have been visited by Abraham, a prominent figure in the Old Testament who has been called the “father of monotheistic religions,” and is well-regarded in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths.
“Legend has it that Abraham and his family drank from the well,” said Cmdr. William Payne, dep. chaplain for MNF– West. “This was originally thought to have been one of the last stops for Abraham during his 700-mile trip after he left the land of Ur.”
The camouflage utility-clad and weapon-toting tourists met at Al Asad Air Base’s Memorial Chapel and rode buses to the small, luscious plot of water, reeds, palm and date trees - a scene strikingly different from its dusty desert backdrop. Once there, Payne delivered a brief history of the site, its biblical significance and ongoing efforts to renovate the oasis, which houses its own small ecosystem, including various species of birds, fish and frogs.
Before 1920, the sanctuary was relatively untouched by humans except for the occasional visit by nomads passing through the area. In the 1920s, 6 families moved to the area and settled there for the next 65 years, scratching out a living by farming in and around the palm grove. However, in 1985, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used the land surrounding the oasis to build an air base and paid the villagers to relocate. As years passed and the air base grew to totally envelope the oasis, it became neglected and unkempt.
In 2003, CF gained control of the Al Asad Air Base, and 2 years later U.S. service members began picking up the trash and debris that had collected at the oasis, restoring dilapidated buildings and cleaning up a small cemetery containing the remains of veterans of the Iran-Iraq War. A year later, the U.S. Army’s 67th Area Support Group, Host Nation Section, worked with local Iraqi citizens to restore the entire oasis and palm grove area. This effort included the removal of weeds, trash, and the planting of date trees that produce 15-20 varieties of dates.
Today, the oasis sits inside the perimeter of Al Asad Air Base and on the outskirts of Camp Mejid, the HQ for the 7th IA Div. Working hand-in-hand with their Iraqi partners, the Marines and sailors of MiTT 7 recently began another series of efforts to restore the oasis with the assistance of engrs from the 1st Combat Engr Bn. These new projects included the building of a dock and gazebo, and the reinforcement of an existing stone plaque detailing the history of the oasis written in both Arabic and English.
After the brief by Payne, the 30 ‘tourists’ were free to roam the oasis to take pictures, walk along the paths lined with palm trees and fallen dates, or step out on the newly-built dock over water that may have been once touched by Abraham.
“It was interesting to see the oasis because of the historical and religious significance,” said 2nd Lt. Kathryn Fahrner, an asst safety officer with MNF-W. While some historians debate the legitimacy of the claim that the oasis was a waypoint during Abraham’s journey from Ur to Jerusalem, as detailed in the book of Genesis, the fact that many Iraqis hold on to the belief, makes it significant to Coalition leaders. “I also think people should see the oasis because it’s important to the Iraqis,” added Fahrner.
According to Payne, the organized tours of Abraham’s Oasis provide service members and civilians a break from the norm. “This is a good opportunity to interface with Iraqi history and see a different side of Al Asad,” said Payne.
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mnfwest.usmc.mil
7th Iraqi Army Division kick off month-long commando course
By Lance Cpl. Jason Hernandez
Iraqi commandos with the 7th IA Div listen to a safety brief prior to combat marksmanship drills aboard Camp Mejid, March 20, 2009. The training was part of an extended course designed to reinforce and improve Iraqi Commando training.
CAMP MEJID – The members of MiTT 7, working with the Recon Plt of RCT 8, recently launched a month-long training course designed to hone the skills of the 7th IA Div’s Special Ops Bn.
The training program began with a 5-day marksmanship refresher, which reminded the Iraqi commandos how to properly zero their weapons, fire at extended distances, and rapidly assess and engage close-range targets with their assault rifles. Starting with the very basics of weapons training, the MiTT took the Iraqi soldiers from weapons safety and weapons conditions classes to battlesight zeroing and combat drills.
“I’d say they’re giving everything they’ve got,” said Robert Wise, MiTT-7’s special ops foreign internal defense specialist. “They come out here, and in their own way, they try to prove to us that they’re capable of taking over security of the country.” Wise, a former Marine and retired Army SF soldier, said that despite not having an established rifle training program, the commandos were showing excellent progress and were ready to take control of security ops throughout Iraq.
Working through language and education barriers, the RCT-8 Marines were able to properly instruct the Iraqis on how to rapidly and effectively engage a close-range target. By day 5, the commandos were conducting combat reloads and effectively removing any stoppages or jams of their AK-47 assault rifles. The training undertaken by the Iraqis is akin to the Combat Marksmanship Program, a rigorous shooting course completed by Marines before deploying to Iraq.
“We are very happy to be having the U.S. Marines training us,” said IA 1st Lt. Amer Mowfuc, an infantry officer. “We come out here so the men could practice with their rifles and grow more confident in both their weapons and weapons training.” When asked whether he felt that the Iraqi military was nearly ready to take the lead in military ops across Iraq, Mowfuc could only reply, “We’re almost there. We just need some more training, and to get our technology and logistics more in line like the Americans.”
The next phase of the commando course will be a land navigation course, followed by medical, convoy and air assault training. By the completion of their training, they will have taken another step toward fulfilling its quest of having a well-trained, disciplined and skilled group of Iraqi commandos to lead their country into the next phase of its history.
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mnfwest.usmc.mil
Army medics train and teach to ensure the well-being of MNF-W
By Lance Cpl. Jason Hernandez
AL ASAD AIR BASE – In a time of conflict and in a land very far from the luxuries of home, men and women like Army Col. Linda K. Connelly, dep. cmdr of nursing for the 345th Combat Support Hospital (CSH) TF, are not only fighting to keep service members safe and healthy, but Iraqi civilians as well.
Since their arrival in April 2008, the 345th CSH has taken responsibility for the health needs of not only Al Asad Air Base, but also the city of Tikrit. In Dec., their area of ops was extended to include the town of Mosul in an effort to better assist the people of Iraq, and the service members serving with MNF - West.
These activities are in addition to their normal responsibilities of ensuring that all emergency medical techs, surgery room staffs, and clinic personnel are up to date on their certifications, and that not only do they retain their medical skills, but also improve them with regular advancement training. “We’re ensuring that all of our staff and even non-medical personnel on base have the training they need to save lives,” said Maj. Linda S. Fleming, officer in charge of the Clinical Education Dept with the CSH. “We’ve already trained over 500 combat lifesavers, and logged in over 4,000 hours of continued education time in the 10 months we’ve been here.”
In an effort to keep service members ready for any eventuality, the clinic also instructs basic and advanced courses on cardiac life support, in addition to the Combat Life Saver course. Currently, CSH elements are pushing to provide not only nursing assistance, but laying out the groundwork for Iraqi hospitals to begin their own nurse training programs, to ensure that sick and injured Iraqi citizens can continue to receive the best possible care available after American troops withdraw.
Other plans to assist the Iraqi medical community include the distribution of Arabic language textbooks on medicine and medical procedures for Iraqi medical staffs and CD-ROM based medical courses. “We’ve not only provided them with text books,” said Connelly. “But we’ve also given them a series of CDs on neonatal life-support, as well as cardiac emergency courses, both basic and advanced.”
The unit, comprised of soldiers from nearly 45 different states, has in their 10 months in Iraq not only assisted the civilian and military population across parts of the Anbar Province, but has also spared nursing personnel to send to Baghdad, Ballad Air Base and Tallil Air Base, and established electronic documenting, so caretakers can observe previous nursing observations and comments on new patients.
As the conflict in Iraq continues to slow, the CSH is dealing less with combat-related injuries and more with illnesses and sports injuries. Part of the solution for handling this has been a series of health fairs. “We try to promote health and wellness aboard Al Asad as much as possible,” said Connelly. “We’re holding health fairs to keep them as informed and prepared as possible.” The fairs cover a variety of subjects, from what supplements are available at the PX, to sexually transmitted diseases, what insects are dangerous, and what foods are healthier to eat at base dining facilities.
As their deployment winds down, the men and women of the 345th CSH are keeping the service members aboard MNF - West and the civilians that depend on them healthy today and teaching them how to continue the effort many tomorrows from now.
Sgt. Shawn Gurley (right), lead instructor for the Nursing Education Dept, shows SSgt. Joe P. Calderon, the NCO-in-charge of preventative medicine with the 345th Combat Support Hospital, how to fix a improperly-placed intravenous drip using a mechanical training aid, March 6, 2009. Practice sessions such as this are common and help the CSH staff retain and refine their skills as medical professionals.
SSgt. Joe P. Calderon (right, practices invasive resuscitation with Sgt. Shawn Gurley.
Sgt. Shawn Gurley demonstrates how to properly clear an airway when resuscitating an infant.
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Blackanthem Military News
Headhunters of Warhorse Brigade conduct change-of- command ceremony
Capt. David Sturgis, outgoing cmdr of HHT, Special Troops Bn, 2nd BCT, 4th ID, relinquishes command as he passes the unit guidon to Lt. Col. Leo Caballero, STB commander, during a troop change-of-command ceremony at Camp Echo, March 21.
(Army photo by Staff Sgt. Carlos Burger)
Lt. Col. Leo Caballero passes the guidon to Capt. Kimberly Keith, incoming cmdr of HHT.
(Army photo by Sgt. Rodney Foliente)
Capt. Kimberly Keith stands at the front of her formation for the first time after assuming command
(Army photo by Staff Sgt. Carlos Burger)
1st Sgt. Jonathan Callahan, HHT, leads his troops in a salute as the National Anthem plays.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rodney Foliente)
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Blackanthem Military News
By US Forces Afghanistan Public Affairs Office
ANSF bolster security in terrorized Oruzgan villages
KABUL - Afghan National SF and CF have bolstered security ops in the Shahidi Hassass District, Oruzgan Province, after a string of brutal and inhumane attacks against the Afghan people were carried out by the Taliban.
Villagers in Shahidi Hassass informed ANSF and CF of a number of Taliban atrocities committed in recent weeks. One village elder stood up to the Taliban, telling them not to plant IEDs near his village. Taliban thugs ruthlessly staked the man to the ground and beat him unconscious with a shovel.
On 2 different occasions, villagers reported decapitated bodies with the hands and feet removed had been found in a river near the village of Sarsina. Additionally, the Taliban have been torturing villagers and demanding that village elders provide young males to join militant ranks.
Elsewhere, in the Oruzgan provincial capitol of Tarin Kowt, a militant-set explosion at a mosque killed a senior cleric and 5 worshippers. Four others offering prayer were also wounded. The bomb was placed at the mosque's altar and was detonated during evening prayer.
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U.S. Forces Afghanistan RSS
Afghan National SF Disrupt IED Operations in Oruzgan
KABUL - Afghan national SF, assisted by CF, killed 2 armed militants and destroyed an IED cell in Deh Rahwod District, Oruzgan province, March 26.
The Afghan-led force was conducting a combat recon patrol in a known area of heavy militant presence, when they observed 3 militants planting IEDs alongside a frequently traveled road. Once it was determined that the area was clear of civilians, ANSF and CF called for close air support, killing 2 militants.
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U.S. Forces Afghanistan RSS
Eleven Militants Killed, One Detained in Helmand Province
KABUL – Afghan and CF killed 11 militants and detained a suspected militant during a firefight in Helmand province on the night of March 26, in a raid to stop a key Taliban insurgent, and disrupt a cell responsible for road-side bomb-making and emplacement in northern Helmand province.
In Lashkar Gah District, Helmand province, approx. 68 miles west of Kandahar, Afghan and CF arrived at a compound militants had occupied for the night. Upon nearing the compound, the force was immediately engaged by armed militants from inside the compound. Several armed militants fled the compound, while the force continued to receive small arms fire from inside a building. The force cleared the building resulting in 3 militants killed. One militant was barricaded in one of the buildings, using women and children as shields. The Afghan forces called for the women and children to move away from the militant. The force used precision small arms fire to kill the militant with no harm to the women or children. The force pursued the armed militants who had fled the compound on foot. One militant was killed when he maneuvered on the force, posing a significant threat. Four other militants engaged the force with a PKM machine gun and were killed. Two militants armed with AK-47s were killed a short distance from the compound after posing a serious threat to a nearby compound. One militant was captured unharmed and detained.
An elder in the village said the Taliban had forced them to shelter the group of militants for the night. However, the residents on the compound did not engage the assault force during the firefight. Two men, 9 women and 7 children were protected, and there was no significant collateral damage reported.
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