VFW MAGAZINE - APRIL 2008

Soldier in Iraq sends message to mom in St. Pete
By: Kathryn Bursch

St. Petersburg, Florida – The troop surge in Iraq is working. Compared to 10 months ago, there are fewer attacks on U.S. forces and more cooperation from the Iraqi people. That’s the word coming from U.S. Army officials in Baghdad Wednesday during satellite interviews arranged by the military. And one of the people pushing that message is Major Alayne Conway.

Maj. Alayne Conway

”We’re making progress every day,” says Conway, a public affairs officer for the 3rd Infantry Division. “It’s tough being over here, but the soldiers are doing great, morale is high, so we want to make sure the folks back home know that.” Conway, whose mother Mary Hoover lives in St. Petersburg, is based at Camp Victory in Baghdad. Her job is to help journalists connect with military leaders and soldiers in the field.

“We do media events and I get to facilitate those, but a lot of times I’m either chained to the desk or chained to the phone.”
And even though her days are busy, Conway says there are lighter moments. One photograph she e-mailed Tampa Bay’s 10 News shows her at her desk wearing a tiara for her birthday celebration.

And unlike most soldiers living in outposts, Camp Victory offers some advantages. When weather gets warmer there’s even some pool time. “I like to hang by the pool for a couple hours on Sunday before I go into work and collect my thoughts and get ready for the week ahead,” says Conway.

Conway is nearing the end of her 15-month deployment to Iraq and like most soldiers, she says it’s difficult to be away from home. This week she’ll miss her mom’s birthday, but she was able to send this message via Tampa Bay’s 10 News.
“She’s the best mom, my heart goes out to her and I love her very much.”
Kathryn Bursch, Tampa Bay's 10 News
© Copyright 2005-2008 WTSP-TV.

Local Shul (Temple) supports the troops
By Lois Goldrich

Nearly 100 volunteers turned out to stuff care packages for soldiers in Iraq.

Noah Herskovitz, a 22-year-old combat engineer in the U.S. army’s 3rd Infantry Division, now stationed outside Baghdad, felt a bit uncomfortable receiving so many more care packages than the other members of his unit. Nearly 100 volunteers turned out to stuff care packages for soldiers in Iraq.

"He told me he was getting self-conscious," said his mother, Linda Herskovitz, a member of Netivot Shalom in Teaneck, who has had sons serve in both the U.S. and Israeli military. "On one hand, I was proud of the Jewish community for reaching out to Jewish soldiers; on the other, I felt that it wasn’t right that the others weren’t getting anything. They’re doing the same job." To rectify the situation, she resolved to send a package to each of the 77 soldiers in her son’s unit. But after she mentioned her plan to shul president Pam Scheininger early this year, another idea took root, leading to participation by the entire synagogue.

On Sunday, Netivot Shalom congregants, together with student volunteers from the Frisch School as well as other members of the community — adults and children — gathered at the synagogue to assemble what Scheininger described as "substantial" care packages.
"We even have extras left over," she said, noting that in a short time, the volunteers collected or bought large quantities of candy, cookies, powdered drink mix, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, and basic tools.

Noah Herskovitz at work, as the gunner in a tank unit.

"We were glad to find a substantive way to support the brave soldiers serving in Iraq," said Weininger. "The personal connection stemming from the fact that one of our congregant’s sons is in the unit makes the project even more meaningful. The response from the congregation and the community at large has been overwhelming." "I’m still smiling," said Herskovitz, noting that some 100 volunteers turned out to help stuff the packages. "I was very surprised at the numbers, and degree of support, we received." In addition to filling boxes, volunteers, mostly children, wrote letters and drew pictures for the soldiers.

Congregant Richard Dukas said that it was only when packing simple items like batteries that he began to "feel a connection to the soldiers. I got a chill," he said. "We usually think of them as nameless and faceless." By pure chance, said Herskovitz, her son Noah — while not at Sunday’s event — had just been home for a two-week visit, during which he was invited, as a Frisch graduate, to address seniors at the school. "They were interested to know why an Orthodox Jewish boy joined the army," she said, adding that the talk went so well, the Frisch administration and parents association began to encourage participation in her care-package project.

"Originally it was an internal project," she said. "We posted a notice on TeaneckShuls when we realized the scope of what would be involved in filling 77 boxes." Not only did the posting help bring in the required items, but "I received calls from people who said they wanted to help support us financially," she said. "I’m overwhelmed by how many people seemed to get excited about his project."

The project "snowballed after Noah’s visit to Frisch," she added, resulting not only in additional supplies but in more than 10 additional volunteers for Sunday’s event. "We originally conceived of the project as a youth activity," said Herskovitz, pointing out that Noah had mentioned how moved the soldiers were by letters and drawings from children. "They have such a beautiful, innocent way of expressing themselves," she said. While the project ultimately became a social action event, targeted to the whole shul, a special room was reserved for young children, who were encouraged to write letters and draw pictures.

"I think it is important to write to the soldiers because they are in the middle of the war, and if we send them nice pictures and letters it will help take their minds off of the bad things," said Josh Dukas, age 8, of Teaneck. "We put one letter in every package," said Herskovitz. The boxes will be picked up by the post office and delivered to an APO address, awaiting shipment to Iraq. "Noah isn’t telling the other soldiers about it," she said. "He can’t wait to see their faces when the packages arrive."

Noah will be in Iraq for another year, said his mother, indicating that it was likely that the members of the unit would appreciate receiving another package before then. "We may do this again in the fall," she said. "I hope we do it again," said Scheininger. "It’s a great feeling. The shul never did anything like this before. It was an opportunity to look outside of ourselves to see and address the needs of other groups. It says a lot about the shul that the idea was so enthusiastically received."

"More than anything, the brave men and women serving in Iraq need to know that the people back home are thinking about them and care about them," said Herskovitz. "Because the number of Jewish soldiers in Iraq is so small, the American Jewish community has been able to shower them with many packages, which is wonderful, but it made me realize how important it is to show our support of all the soldiers—regardless of background."
Copyright 2008 - The Jewish Standard

Boxes back troops, win Iraqi fans

by TERRY DICKSON, The Times-Union


ST. SIMONS ISLAND-  March 9, 2008 - Wednesday morning, a few lodge members loaded an SUV with boxes of goods they had collected for the troops in Iraq. John Winslett Sr. and Jack Renfroe hauled out ramen noodles, Carmex lip balm, pencils, snacks, batteries, candy and enough toothpaste to supply a convention of TV news anchors. But most telling was the 144 rolls of Charmin toilet tissue. Other brands would have worked, so long as they were, Renfroe said, "un-John Wayne toilet paper.''
Charmin is a brand said to be squeezable. As a rule toilet paper commercials aren't like those for pickup trucks. Who wants toilet paper that's rugged and durable? Dependable? Of course, but in a gentle sort of way, even if you're an Army Ranger.

No man ever got a call on the cell phone from his wife saying, "Could you pick up some milk and bread on the way home? And we're out of toilet paper. Pick up a four pack, but be sure it's built Ford tough.'' This was the third time Golden Isles Lodge No. 707 F&AM had collected and shipped goods off to the troops, Renfroe said. This time it's for the 1/30th Infantry battalion of the 3rd Infantry Division.

It was formerly the 3/15th Infantry, whose most famous member was Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier of World War II. Murphy went on to be a successful rancher and actor after the war. His name lived on at military training posts long after his death in 1971. If anyone did anything flamboyant in training, such as standing up and firing at a target, a sergeant would growl, "Get your -- down. You ain't Audie Murphy.'' Even with a Medal of Honor around his neck, one imagines Audie Murphy would have appreciated the qualities of Charmin and similar products.

While the 1/30th is in Iraq, Capt. Eric Motzenbecker commands the unit's rear detachment. He already did a tour in Iraq. This is likely among the last shipments the 1/30th will receive. They're due to come home this summer, and it takes a long time to get the stuff there, Motzenbecker said. Motzenbecker stressed that troops are well-supplied, especially at the battalion level, but shipments offer "comfort from home.'' Some units are on small patrol bases and those aren't as well-stocked; it's there that goods from home are most appreciated, he said. Bigger camps have plenty of beverage choices, but the powdered Gatorade that Lodge 707 sent will let the soldiers at smaller bases enjoy some sports drinks, Motzenbecker said. "And everyone likes the newspapers and magazines, like Sports Illustrated and Maxim,'' he said.

Renfroe made a huge sacrifice in sending his Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. By the way, Sports Illustrated must be going through hard times. They didn't have enough swimwear for all the models this year. By the time they get to Iraq, some of the magazines will be old enough to qualify for a doctor's waiting room, but they're still welcome, as are novels and DVDs, Motzenbecker said. 

The lodge also sent stuffed animals and candy, but not for the troops. They hand it out to Iraqi children, especially in new areas. "There are always a lot of kids,'' Motzenbecker said. "They're always the first ones to approach. It's something to win over the hearts and minds.'' Kids' hearts and minds can be won with comforts far from their own uncomfortable homes.

terry.dickson@jacksonville.com
(912) 264-0405
© Copyright The Florida Times-Union.

U.S. General Dreams of Austin Retirement
Commander of 20,000-soldier task force
says he sees progress in Iraq.

John Carrington/SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS
Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch commands 3rd Infantry Division.

By Robert W. Gee
INTERNATIONAL STAFF
Saturday, February 16, 2008

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of the 20,000-soldier Task Force Marne and an architect of the troop surge strategy in Iraq, likes to joke that when he grows up, he's going to open a bar in Austin. The growing-up part is a joke, but not the bar. It will be called the Black Lab Inn, he said, in a nod to his favorite breed of dog. "I've already got the sign made," he said. "I've just got to find a place to hang it."

Lynch, who has garnered attention for reducing violence and sectarian tension across a broad swath of south-central Iraq, grew up in Ohio but spent 14 years stationed at Fort Hood and met his wife, Sarah, when he was a young captain in Killeen. "I have no intent to leave (the Army) until the nation doesn't need me anymore," Lynch said. Come time to retire, though, he pictures himself on 160 acres in the Hill Country. Somewhere around Wimberley would be nice, he said. "We're going to have a whole bunch of Labrador retrievers. We're going to have horses. We're going to have cattle just to say we have cattle. I wouldn't know what to do with them."

Lynch, 52, recently marked 30 years in the Army and is in the midst of his second tour in Iraq. He commands the 3rd Infantry Division.
His office was once an Iraqi mint and was later converted to an Iraqi army barracks and then into a U.S. Army barracks. Near his desk stands a life-sized stuffed toy black Labrador, which reminds him of his two female Labs back home, 14-year-old Harley and 5-year-old Maggie.

The area he controls, like much of Iraq, has witnessed a steady improvement in security, even if services, such as electricity, are slow to recover. Attacks on U.S. troops have decreased from an average of 25 a day to three a day. Civilian casualties have diminished by 75 percent to one a day, according to Army statistics. Lynch attributes the improvements to the troop surge strategy of aggressively pursuing insurgents and moving U.S. forces into patrol bases in neighborhoods to maintain security gains.

Newly formed volunteer paramilitary forces, predominantly Sunni Arabs allied with the U.S. military, have also contributed to the downturn in violence, patrolling neighborhoods and warning of insurgent activity, he said. But in the same breath, he called the progress "tenuous." On Monday, the day he spoke, bombers killed 22 Iraqis, underscoring the challenges.

Lynch is scheduled to return home this summer – he lives outside 3rd Division headquarters in Fort Stewart, Ga. – and is awaiting his next assignment. His daughter, Susan, 24, is a graduate of Texas State University in San Marcos, and is now an aspiring actor in Hollywood. His son, Lucas, 22, is a part-time college student, part-time bartender in Georgia. Maj. Gen. Lynch said his first job was busing tables at age 14. He was promoted to grill cook and later painted houses. "What my parents taught me is a work ethic," he said.
His parents still live in Hamilton, Ohio, as does his half-brother, Jim Lynch.
"Ohio is great. But there's winter. I don't do winters anymore," the General said. "You got to love Texas. You got to love the people. You got to love the climate."

Top 3rd ID officer: Morale, awareness key to Iraqi war
Andrews says conditions are better but could turn at any time
BY MICK WALSH - mwalsh@ledger-enquirer.com --

Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Andrews

Jan.26, 2008 - Even though he's now the 3rd Infantry Division's top enlisted man, Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Andrews still has a soft spot for his old buddies in the division's 3rd Brigade. "A part of me's still with the guys I served with on Kelley Hill," said Andrews, speaking by telephone Thursday from his office at Baghdad's Camp Victory.

Andrews, a native of Lincolnton, Ga., served as the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment's top non-commissioned officer during the invasion of Baghdad in 2003. Two years later, he was brigade commander Col. Steve Salazar's "battle buddy" during the unit's 2005 deployment. He served in that same role for Col. Wayne Grigsby up until two weeks before the 3rd Brigade left for Iraq.

Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, 3rd ID commander, tapped Andrews as his top NCO last February. "I went from being in charge of about 4,000 soldiers to 20,000 soldiers," said Andrews, 45, who spends much of his time these days visiting all of the 3rd ID units stationed at 55 forward operating bases and outposts throughout the Baghdad area, as well as visiting wounded troops at the combat support hospital in the capital city.
"I can tell you that morale is extremely high, evident mostly by the high number of re-enlistments," Andrews said. "We've had more than 1,000 so far and another 300 or so will re-enlist in February."

Though casualties have been down in the division's theater of operations, Andrews warns troops not to let their guard down. "It could turn on us any day," he said, referring to the insurgency. "The war is a long way from being over. There are still a lot of extremists, so we must continue to conduct kinetic operations.

"The good thing is that we know a lot more about our enemy and the terrain than we did during my first two tours. Our primary mission in Operation Iraqi Freedom was to terminate the bad guy. Now, it's to work with Concerned Local Citizen groups -- to help them protect their own neighborhoods. Some of these people were bad guys just a year or so ago; they were definitely part of the problem. Now, many of them want to be part of the solution."

Andrews' old brigade is getting some help in its almost 10-month fight to tame the Sunni town of Salman Pak, a Tigris River town about an hour from the brigade's headquarters at Forward Operating Base Hammer. "We're moving in a battalion of soldiers from Georgia (the country, not the state) to Command Outpost Cleary, enabling the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment to shift to a new place called Camp Carver," he said. "That will allow the 1-15 to use all of its combat power to clean up Salman Pak." That former resort town is one of the few in the 3rd Brigade's theater of operations without a local citizens group. A majority of the brigade's fatalities have come in Salman Pak. "The formation of the CLCs, along with putting our soldiers in outposts right in the hearts of towns, are two big factors in why our success rates are climbing. Most of the townspeople are armed and they want to protect their neighborhoods from extremists," he said.

Andrews, whose wife still lives in Columbus, will return to Fort Stewart in June with the division. "You'll be seeing a whole lot of changes this summer," he laughed. "A new division commander, new brigade and battalion commanders. But I'll be around for a while. I'll be part of the transition team."

One of the eight was Pfc Ryan D. Christensen, 22, of Spring Lake Heights, N.J., who died at the Medical University of Charleston in Charleston, S.C., on Nov. 24, 2005, of a non-combat related illness identified in Balad, Iraq. Christensen was not initially honored at Warriors Walk because an Army medical investigation indicated his fatal illness was not related to his deployment to Iraq. Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson said Christensen's family did not accept this and had remained in contact with the 3rd ID's commanding general, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, during two subsequent inquiries into the illness. Those investigations, Larson said, revealed a possible link with Christenson's deployment. "So now he is honored here, where he belongs,” Larson said. “This is the right thing to do for Pfc. Christensen and his family." Christensen was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

Buchs skillfully wove personal information about each soldier into his speech, honoring the eight young men who died in connection with Operation Iraqi Freedom. Christensen, Buchs said, had a personal interest in technology and used his skills to help an Iraqi radio station while he was deployed.

Sgt. Lui Tumanuvao Sr., 29, of Fagaalu, American Samoa, died Nov. 7 in Arab Jabour, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he was struck by an improvised explosive device during combat operations. The day of Tumanuvao’s promotion was one of the proudest moments for him and his family, Buchs said. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

Sgt. Mason L. Lewis, 26, of Gloucester, Va., died in Baghdad on Nov. 16, as a result of a non-combat related training accident. Nicknamed as a child “Little Rambo,” Lewis had grown to love the Iraqi people and culture, and had learned to speak Arabic. He was assigned to the 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

Sgt. Samuel E. Kelsey, 24, of Troup, Texas, died Dec. 13 in Tunnis, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated. Kelsey is remembered as a high school athlete and an outdoorsman. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team.

Sgt. Daniel McCall, 24, of Pace, Fla., died Oct. 30 of wounds suffered in Salman Pak, Iraq, when enemy forces engaged his unit with small arms fire and an improvised explosive device. McCall set a record for the 400-meter at his high school in Florida. His record still stands. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, at Fort Benning.

Spc. Rush M. Jenkins, 22, of Clarksville, Tenn., died Oct. 30 of wounds suffered also in Salman Pak, when enemy forces engaged his unit with small arms fire and an improvised explosive device. Jenkins has a twin brother, Michael, who received word of his death on their shared birthday. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Benning.

Pfc. Cody M. Carver, 19, of Haskell, Okla., died Oct. 30 in Salman Pak, when enemy forces engaged his unit with small arms fire and an improvised explosive device. Carver is remembered as a good soldier, who “joined the Army to make a difference. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, at Fort Benning.

Pfc. Dwane A. Covert, 20, of Tonawanda, N.Y., died Nov 3, in Al-Sahra, Iraq, from injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. Covert and his wife have a daughter born last month. He was assigned to the 104th Transportation Company, 13th Corps Support Sustainment Battalion, Fort Benning. 
© 2006 Hinesville Publishing - All Rights Reserved

Photos from Sgt. Richard H.Trumm
4BCT 3ID LNO