Saul and his wife Sarah. While at WRAMC

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq - An injured infantryman is inspiring the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team here with his rapid recovery and his determination to become a better, stronger Soldier.
Spc. Saul Martinez, a gunner with Headquarters Troop, 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, was the only survivor of an attack May 8 that left two other Soldiers dead.

"When we pulled up to the vehicle, it was one of the worst things I've ever seen in my whole life," said Staff Sgt. Michael Henderson, Spc. Martinez's section sergeant. "I thought for sure everyone in the vehicle was dead."

"When I put my hand under his body armor vest, I was praying that he was breathing," said combat medic Pfc. Stephanie McCulley. "I was worried about a million things. I was trying to keep him talking so he wouldn't go unconscious again. In the back of my mind, I was worried he would lose his legs, but I focused on what I was doing."

Spc. Martinez's legs were both severely damaged by multiple lacerations and shrapnel wounds. Heavily sedated for nine days after the incident while doctors removed one leg, he can't remember his medical evacuations to Baghdad or Germany. He does remember most of the incident itself, especially Staff Sgt. Henderson and Pfc. McCulley.

"They were my two angels," Spc. Martinez said. "I remember lying there asking God to help me, and they were there. "I woke up and my wife Sarah was next to me at Walter Reed," he added. "The doctors told me I was on the verge of dying every hour of every day. I was really close to not being here."

Two days after regaining consciousness, Spc. Martinez had to decide whether to keep his other leg or have it amputated. "I would not be able to roll my heel, move my toes or walk on it. I told the doctors I would rather be up walking with my wife on two fake legs than limping through life. It really wasn't that hard a decision," he said. "I felt terrible for him," said Pfc. McCulley. "It wasn't until I talked to him that I felt better. He told me, 'I made the decision to walk again. I can heal now.' He helped me realize it was the best decision for him."

Spc. Martinez said his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center was a good experience and has nothing but good things to say of his care. "If I'd gone anywhere else in the world, I would have died," he said.

Soon after his last surgery, Spc. Martinez was transferred to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, Calif., to begin his physical therapy, which consists of three hours of strength training every day. After only four months, he is already walking on his new legs. "I didn't think he would be walking in four months," Staff Sgt. Henderson said. "It shows you how strong-willed he is. He is walking because he wants to. His determination has made that happen. I think that says a lot about him."

Spc. Martinez wants to do more than walk, however. He wants to stay on active duty and become a better, stronger Soldier. "He's a Soldier," Pfc. McCulley said. "He's always been a Soldier. He still believes in what he does after everything he's been through. That is motivating and the Army needs motivating people."

"I want to be able to do my job and show everyone that everything is okay," said Spc. Martinez. "If I could motivate one Soldier, I would be happy. There is life, no matter what happens. I was hurt doing something I was proud to do, and I'm looking forward to coming back. I want to carry an 80-pound ruck on a 20 kilometer march. I want to run in the brigade run. I can be a better infantryman than I was before."

1-10 Artillery rejoins brigade
Combat unit was guarding detainees at Camp Bucca
BY MICK WALSH-Posted on Sat, Oct. 13, 2007
mwalsh@ledger-enquirer.com

So long, Persian Gulf. Hello, Baghdad.

The 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, which has augmented the prison guard staff at the Camp Bucca detention center for the last six months, has been reunited with its brothers in arms, the 3rd Heavy Combat Brigade Team.

Brigade commander Col. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr. was so happy to see the return of one of his main combat battalions from the port city of Umm Qasr that he threw a lobster dinner for them at Forward Operating Base Hammer this week.

"We're so glad to get you guys back here," Grigsby said to his audience. "It's incredible what you've done. I still hear about the great work you guys did down in Bucca."

The 1-10, under the command of Lt. Col. Mark Sullivan, wasn't originally scheduled to go to Bucca, located in the port city of Umm Qasr, tucked on a sliver of land between Kuwait and Iran.

"As late as the fourth week in March, we were programmed to join the rest of the brigade in the Baghdad area," Sullivan said. "We were subsequently redirected and given the mission of detention operations. We certainly hadn't anticipated a job of guarding detainees."

Now that they are back in the fold, they'll soon be doing the job they were trained for.

"Pat yourselves on the back today, tomorrow and maybe the day after that," Grigsby told the 1-10 soldiers. "But get ready to get out there and start doing your job. It's time to get your game faces on."

The brigade will remain in Iraq until next June when it is scheduled to complete its 15-month deployment.

'You can sense the momentum'

By Kimberly Dick · The Herald - Rock Hill, SC
Updated 10/10/07
Special to The Herald

Lt. Col. Randy Martin, a 1985 graduate of Rock Hill High School,
is a public affairs officer of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.

Lt. Col. Randy Martin's job is to tell the story of the soldiers in Iraq. His second trip to the country has surprised him.
Martin, a public affairs officer of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, is a 1985 graduate of Rock Hill High School.
He's based at Fort Stewart, Ga., where his wife, Amy, and three children call home. In March, Martin started his second tour in Iraq, the fifth deployment in his military career.
He talked with Herald reporter Kimberly Dick by phone from Iraq on Monday.

Q: What's surprised you about this trip in Iraq?

A: "After I returned the first time, I noticed you really didn't have a sense of what was going on watching it on TV. Now that I'm here, beneath all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. You can sense the momentum in the right direction.
"The number of attacks on U.S. forces has gone down, and the number of people trying to help us, up. You see more lights; more commercial airplanes departing. You see cars; you see kids that are running around and enjoying life the way kids are supposed to. It's been an enlightening experience this trip."

Q: Why did you join the Army?

A: "Growing up, I was impressed by people who served in the military. I remember going to the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in Arlington, Va., and being so impressed with the soldiers on guard. I remember going through family albums of my dad, who was in the Army in the 1950s and in Korea. Those were my heroes. As soon as I could join the Army, I did. And I have been doing it ever since."

Q: What does your job entail?

A: "I work for Major Gen. Rick Lynch. I am the leader of a team of about 23, responsible for outreach with American and Western media. As director of internal communication, I'm responsible for producing a newspaper, newsletter and Web-based newscast for our divisional task force, totaling about 18,000."

Q: What's your typical day like in Iraq?

A: "It begins about 5:30 a.m. After breakfast, personal hygiene and a visit to the chapel, I go to our operations center and talk to the folks I have manning the battle desk to assess anything that happened overnight that may need to be reported in the news. I take whatever steps necessary to get it on radio, TV, newspapers. That's how I fight my fight for the rest of the day."

Q: So that's pretty similar to how I spend my day?

A: "Except you don't hear explosions; I do."

Q: How did you get a public affairs gig?

A: "For several years, I rode on tankers like my dad. As my career progressed, I reached the point where the Army said, 'We need officers to look at career options.' After several years of doing what they told me to, here the Army was now asking me what I wanted to do."

Q: What's the most interesting situation you've found yourself in since you went to Iraq?

A: "Well, the toughest experience in my Army career thus far is dealing with the real-life drama of having missing soldiers. There was an attack on soldiers who were part of our task force by al-Qaida. In the attack, five men lost their lives, and three weren't accounted for. Five days later, we found one, but two still remain missing -- months later. We commit ourselves to never leaving a fallen comrade behind. Think about their families at home."

Q: When are you coming home?

A: "June or July 2008. I just returned home on leave in September for about three weeks, and that was wonderful and fun. Until you've served, you really don't appreciate all of the goodness you have in America: family, freedom to go where you want, to do what you want to do."

Q: Anything we should be doing as Americans to help?

A: "Never forget why we are doing what we are doing. Continue to support us, and take care of our families while we are gone. Learn as much as you can about why we are fighting."

-- Kimberly Dick

Ambassador Visits Ramadi

August 9, 2007
Press Release: 8-9.1
RAMADI, Iraq – Legislators and citizens of Ramadi were surprised when the top U.S. diplomat in Iraq paid a visit to the capital of Al Anbar province today.
U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker spent the entire afternoon meeting local legislators including Anbar’s governor and provincial council, Ramadi’s mayor and city council, as well as touring a city market.
This was the first trip to Ramadi as the ambassador and comes approximately one month before he will provide an assessment to the U.S. Congress on Iraq’s state of affairs.
Maj Lee Peters
lee.peters@mnf-wiraq.usmc.mil
 

U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, greets Ramadi embedded Provincial Reconstruction
Team leader Kristin Hagerstrom, at the Ramadi Municipal Coordination Center.
 

13th SMA the Soldiers and Leaders of TF Marne

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq (July 12, 2007) – Troops and civilians alike gathered in the Morale Welfare and Recreation facility for a special concert July 11 at Camp Ramadi. Five Star Iris, an Atlanta, Ga., rock and roll music band, made a special trip to Iraq as part of a four-day MWR concert for military servicemembers operating in the Middle East.
“This was our chance to show our support the best way we could,” said Alex Winfield, Five Star Iris lead singer. “This is our third military tour, and it’s our first time in Iraq. It’s been an unforgettable experience.”

The band was approached by MWR officials during one of their performances in Texas and asked if they’d like to perform overseas for the military. “A few months ago, we were approached by an MWR promoter and asked if we’d go to Southwest Asia and of course we said yes,” Winfield said. “Then they asked if we’d be willing to go to Iraq. We said definitely.”
The current tour was something the members really wanted to do for the troops and themselves as Americans.
“Not many bands can say they’ve been in Iraq,” Winfield said. “The people here have been really welcoming and appreciative of us traveling here for them.”

Although it’s only three shows in Iraq, the band enjoys the time to travel across the country and see what the troops endure and what life’s like for the men and women of the armed forces.
“We all have a different takes about our experiences here,” said Dan Fishman, Five Star Iris drummer.
He said that everyone has a responsibility to each other as human beings to do what we can to help in any way they can.
“It’s a huge sacrifice,” Fishman said. “It’s not easy to come and serve here, so if we can do something to help out and break the monotony … this was something we needed to do.”

Before even arriving overseas to entertain the troops, the band was receiving emails from their fan base to make the performance a special one for the military. “We’d have fans telling us that coming here was something we needed to do,” Winfield said. “They were telling us to make this concert a memorable one. We didn’t know what to expect coming here so we were a bit nervous. This was one of our only concerts where you saw weapons in the crowd.”

The troops attending the show loved the chance to break away from their daily routines and enjoy a concert in a combat zone. “It gets dull here,” said Pfc. Gary Murdock, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team paralegal. “This concert helped relieve some stress.” He added, “It was a good concert. The band was enthusiastic about being here and created a very fun and uplifting environment for us. Iraq is a very stressful place and having events like this is a great way for servicemembers to have an outlet and escape the reality of what’s going on around them.

When asked what they all thought of their time at Camp Ramadi, the band had one reply, “Awesome. The crowd was really enthusiastic, and appreciative of us. It’s always great to make new fans wherever we go.” -30-
 

Adopt a Soldier Creates Empathy
By The Times-Union
Carol Megathlin is a writer based in Savannah

July 5, 2007 - I know a little bit more than I did three months ago about the war in Iraq. That's when I approached Major Gen. Rick Lynch, commanding general of the Third Infantry Division, with the adopt a soldier idea. At Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah, deploying soldiers sign up to be sponsored by a civilian while they are in Iraq. In the back of my mind, I knew that some of the soldiers who boarded those planes at Hunter would not be coming home. I even thought about it as they lined up before my table to ask for sponsors.

Last week, however, things started to get real. All of the soldiers who have been adopted so far are in the Second Brigade or the Combat Aviation Brigade. And a few days ago, those brigades began to take casualties. These good-hearted people have e-mailed encouragement, sent care packages and prayed for their soldier's safety. The soldiers write back when the war gives them a free moment. A shy love is taking root among them.

Over the weekend, the sponsor's message came. One of the three soldiers killed in combat was hers. I don't know her, I didn't know her soldier. But I held in my hand the last request he had made before he flew off to Iraq. Had I earned the right to sit at my computer and cry? Is she qualified to grieve at Fort Stewart's Warriors Walk, where he will be honored in a tree-dedication ceremony?

Some soldiers don't think so. We have not felt the exhaustion, smelled the sweat, put hand to weapon in the wild chaos of a fire fight. Unbaptized by blood, how dare we stand with the dead warrior's brothers-in-arms and blubber our easy tears.
We civilians bear the ultimate responsibility for sending them off to war. We also own the obligation to look into the eyes of the grieving parents, the heartsick spouse, the confused and frightened children.

We don't show up at the memorial service on crutches, our camouflage pants pinned up where our leg should have been, trying to comfort our fallen buddy's family. There is no way we could qualify to witness that. Yet we owe it to the Americans who stepped forward to fight for our country to cultivate our sensibility to the human cost of war. And to learn humility. Most of all, to learn humility. Perhaps the best place to start is at a memorial service for a soldier we never knew. On the back row, with our heads bowed.
Carol Megathlin is a writer based in Savannah.
To adopt a 3rd Infantry Division soldier, send an e-mail: Carol.Megathlin@savannahnow.com .

Top US Commander Warns
Against Premature Troop Draw Down

(July 6, 2007)--A top US commander in Iraq is warning that drawing down troops too soon would leave the country "a mess." Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of Multinational Division Center and the 3rd Infantry Division, said Friday at a Pentagon news conference that doing that would lead to more violence.

"You'd find the enemy regaining ground, reestablishing sanctuaries, building more IEDs (and) carrying those IEDs to Baghdad, and the violence would escalate," he said. Lynch said “it would be a mess” if surge forces were withdrawn as part of an early pullout. "Those surge forces are giving us the capability we have now to take the fight to the enemy," the general said. "The enemy only responds to force, and we now have that force."

The comments come as more members of Congress push for a new strategy in Iraq. Republican New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici said Thursday he has already decided that he wants to see an end to combat operations and US troops heading home from Iraq by spring.

A White House spokesman says those remarks are just more "thoughtful discussion," and that it's too early to say if the surge is working.

3-1 Cav. finds four weapons caches, detains five
By Sgt. Natalie Rostek, 3rd HBCT Public Affairs
Jul 6, 2007
    

A Soldier from Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, that is currently attached to the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, stands guard during a raid in Jisr Diyala. (Photos by Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment)

One weapons cache found by Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, that is currently attached to the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, July 5, in Jisr Diyala. (Photos by Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment)

Blackanthem Military News, FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers of 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, and Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, detained five suspected insurgents and found four weapons caches July 5 near Jisr Diyala. Each cache found and destroyed decreases the munitions and improvised explosive device making materials available for insurgents to use against the populace and Coalition Forces, said Capt. Jimmy Hathaway, from Columbus, Ga., commander of Headquarters Co., 3-1 Cav.

The operation resulted in the largest cache seizure for the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team since beginning operations southeast of Baghdad in late March. Unit leaders said Soldiers conducted the five-phase operation to deny enemy sanctuaries and seize caches. Soldiers from 3-1 Cav. and Company D, currently attached to 3-1 Cav., secured and searched four target locations simultaneously during the operation.

“Ultimately, this mission was a step in the right direction towards making Iraq a more secure and safe region,” Hathaway said. “The mission established the standard that Coalition Forces are not going to stand for anti-Coalition Force activity,” said 1ST Lt. Donovan Duke, from New Cumberland, Pa., a platoon leader with Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, from Fort Benning, Ga. “We are here to establish a safe environment in cooperation with the Iraqi Security Forces for the Iraqi citizens.”

The following was seized from the four caches: 8 fuses, four artillery rounds, three rockets, nine hand grenades, 56 mortars, 10 rocket propelled grenades, more than 15 pounds of C4 explosives and miscellaneous bomb-making materials and unidentified explosives.

The 3-1 Cav. is assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Benning, Ga.
 

More than 500 troops re-enlist in Iraq; 160 become Americans
By Drew Brown, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, July 5, 2007

Drew Brown / S&S
Sgt. Jason Mawhorr, 24, of Rockport, Texas and his wife, Sgt. Yelixa Mawhorr, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y. were among more than
500 U.S. troops who reenlisted Wednesday during a special July Fourth ceremony at Camp Victory, Iraq.


Drew Brown / S&S
More than 500 U.S. servicemen and women reenlisted and more than 160 others
became naturalized U.S. citizens. at Camp Victory in Iraq.

BAGHDAD — When Sgts. Jason Mawhorr and Yelixa Mawhorr first deployed to Iraq in March, they didn’t think they would be seeing much of each other. So when the opportunity came for husband and wife, both soldiers with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, to re-enlist together, they jumped at the chance. “We didn’t think we would have the chance to deploy together,” said Jason, 24, of Rockport, Texas. “So while we were here, we decided it was something to take advantage of.”
The couple, who have two children at home with Yelixa’s mother, both re-enlisted for six more years in the Army; it was another milestone, they said, in what they both hope will be long and successful careers in uniform.

The husband and wife were among 500 service members who re-enlisted Wednesday at one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces, at Camp Victory, adjacent to Baghdad International Airport. The massive ceremony, during which 160 troops from 54 countries also became U.S. citizens, was the biggest of its kind to take place in Iraq. The fact that the ceremony took place on July 4, exactly 4½ years to the date when they met at Fort Hood, Texas, also made the day a special one, said Yelixa, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y. “We believe that the family who re-enlists together stays together,” she said.

Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, presided over the ceremony. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., were guest keynote speakers. McCain, who spent more than six years in captivity during the Vietnam War and who is now seeking the Republican presidential nomination, praised the troops for their sense of duty and their commitment to the U.S. mission in Iraq. “We have incurred a debt today that we can never repay in full,” McCain said. “What you have done for us, we can never do for you.”

Although the country is deeply divided over the war, and Congress is pressuring President Bush to start bringing troops home, support from the American people for its service members has not wavered, McCain told the troops.The war “has divided the American people,” but it has not diminished “America’s admiration for you,” he said.

Graham led the troops as they recited the pledge of allegiance. A videotaped message from Bush called the day “a defining event” for those soldiers who’d just become U.S. citizens. “Today,” Bush noted, “the United States is not only your home; it is your country.” Bush’s message was followed by country singer Lee Greenwood’s classic song “Proud to be an American,” which became famous in 1991, during the first Iraq war.

Soldiers then stood at attention and saluted as a speaker read out the names of each of the 50 states and the dates they joined the union. Cannon fire boomed out over the loudspeakers after each state and date was called out. The troops cheered loudly when their home states were mentioned. Shouts of “Hooah!” echoed throughout the marble-tiled palace.

After the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, moved from one small group of soldiers to another, congratulating those who’d just re-enlisted and those who had just become new citizens. More than 180 soldiers from 3rd Infantry Division re-enlisted in the ceremony; 37 of them gained their citizenship.
“It’s an amazing thing, in the middle of a combat zone, for these guys to raise their right hand and decide to stay in the Army,” Lynch said. “People ask how you do it,” he said. “You do it because it’s important.”
 

Brigade enters fourth month in Iraq
Sledgehammer soldiers building a better Iraq
BY MICK WALSH
mwalsh@ledger-enquirer.com

The 3rd Heavy Combat Brigade Team began its fourth of 15 months in Iraq on July 1 and things are going better than expected, according to its commander. "I'm amazed at what our magnificent Sledgehammer soldiers have been able to accomplish," said Col. Wayne Grigsby Jr. As the third of five brigades called upon by the Pentagon in early January to "surge" forward into Iraq and implement the Baghdad Security Plan, the 3,800 soldiers from Fort Benning have been right in the middle of some of the heaviest fighting of the war.

And they've done it while finding conditions on their arrival to be a bit, uh, spartan. "What's so astonishing is that we have built everything from the ground up," said Grigsby, who pointed out that no coalition forces had ever occupied what is now Forward Operating Base Hammer or any of the smaller Combat Outposts where brigade soldiers are stationed. While much of the brigade's time is spent disrupting the flow of accelerants into Baghdad and either capturing or killing insurgents, terrorists and criminals, Grigsby also points out that his soldiers have already forged bonds between themselves and the local populace. Over the past week, brigade soldiers have been involved with such things as sponsoring a medical clinic, renovating a youth center, fixing a water pump and meeting with local officials.

Here's a look:

Free medical clinic

Brigade soldiers conducted an outdoor medical clinic earlier this week at a school in Nahrwan. Medics set up three treatment stations under a camouflaged net surrounded by concertina wire while the 3rd Battalion, 1st Cavalry Regiment's loud speaker broadcast a message to villagers announcing the opportunity to receive free medical care. During the broadcast, villagers from the area began forming two lines, male and female, waiting to be seen. The separate lines were set to ensure female medics were available to see female patients.

According to Pfc. Kristina Sutton, a medic from Springfield, Mass., some patients stood in line for almost four hours. The medics saw ailments such as back, stomach, head, skin and upper-respiratory problems and were able to treat those with medicine bought from a local pharmacist.
The medics saw approximately 225 patients.

New youth center

Elements of the Fort Benning-based 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team are helping to improve life for Iraqi youth by assisting with a renovation project that will cost up to $500,000. Iraqi contractors, youth center leaders and members of the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment and the 97th Civil Affairs Battalion, which is currently attached to 3-1 Cav, met last week in Jisr Diyala to discuss the planned improvements. Construction is expected to begin in late July and will include renovations to the weight room, sewing room, library and arts and crafts room. Coalition forces are also expecting new computers and exercise equipment for the center.

"The renovations of the youth center will help show the youth of Jisr Diyala that there are other activities out there that can help improve their lives," said Capt. Jimmy Hathaway of Columbus, the 3-1's Headquarters Company commander. "We are going to turn this youth center into a world class facility."

Meetings

Brigade leaders, the Iraqi Security Force and the Mada'in Qada mayor met at Forward Operating Base Hammer this week to increase communication among the three elements. Meeting in the brigade's new Tactical Operations Center, the group reviewed combined operations, lessons learned and future projects in the Mada'in Qada (qada is equivalent to a county in the United States). "I'm glad we had this meeting," Grigsby, the brigade commander, told the group. "We want to assist all of you in getting the help you need and we will use our contacts in Baghdad to do that."

Al-Rubay'l, the mayor of Mada'in Qada, reported that the people in his province are very supportive of coalition forces. He explained that he had witnessed many young men volunteering to join Iraqi Security Forces so they can help expel al-Qaida from the province. "Soon they will be ready to fight and take the lead in operations," explained Al-Rubay'l through a translator. "The people here are willing to help themselves, but we still need support. The insurgents, we must admit, are well equipped and have military training. They are using innocent women and children as shields. Innocent people would become targets. American help is still needed."

Water pump repair

Lt. Col. Ryan J. Kuhn, the brigade's deputy commander, complimented the Qada mayor for his government's work to refurbish the Al Bawi water pump station this week. The pump station was sabotaged in early March, prior to the arrival of the 3rd Brigade. When fully-operational, the pump station provides more than 90 percent of the water needed in the Mada'in Qada.

"Under the guidance of the mayor, we are almost done with the project," said Kuhn. "The pumps are almost up and ready. This is good, but it also makes the station a target. It has to be protected."
The 3rd Brigade public affairs office contributed to this report.

MAJ. GEN. RICK LYNCH
TF MARNE COMMANDER

July 4, 2007 - Today America turns 231 years old. It is able to claim so many years of freedom because Soldiers like you keep it free. It was Soldiers who fought for our independence, and it is the Soldiers who answer the nation’s call to be where America needs them.
I am so very honored to be your commander. Every day I witness acts that make me so proud.

Just last week, I went to a memorial service for 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment and reenlisted two Soldiers just before they mourned the loss of their brothers in arms. In the darkest hours they raised their right hands, said “Our nation needs us” and asked to continue to serve America.

What we as Soldiers do is important. Our sacrifices ensure that Americans sleep soundly and live without fear. The anniversaries and birthdays you miss are small sacrifices compared to the freedoms you protect. You are taking the fight to the enemy on the battlefield.
Operation Marne Torch has been and will continue to be very successful.

Soldiers from 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division killed more than 23 enemy insurgents at a Pepsi factory and Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division took out a JAM battalion commander and EFP cell leader.

Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) are engaging with locals in an effort to increase the Iraqis’ willingness to secure their own neighborhoods. Our aviators are crushing the enemy emplacing improvised explosive devices from the sky.

Everything you do has an impact – from a patrol following an intelligence tip, to bringing water to a neighborhood with it, to developing a youth center. Every action has an impact on the Iraqi society, every one of your actions brings the Iraqi people closer to being a free country, one like we sometimes take for granted.

Today Gen. Petraeus will reenlist hundreds of Soldiers right here on Camp Victory. Hundreds of Soldiers are answering our nation’s call and volunteering to continue to give their service. I couldn’t be more proud. Although we close our eyes and think of our families back home, we know they celebrate today because of the work we are doing here. They are celebrating their freedom because you brave men and women keep them free.
Rock of the Marne!

Hamilton Native Commands
Multinational Division in Iraq
By Joshua Rinaldi
Staff Writer, Journal-News.com
http://www.journal-news.com/search/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/27/hjn062707genlynch.html
 

MG Rick Lynch,
Commanding General of the 3rd Infantry Division

Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - When Rick Lynch left Hamilton, Ohio for the U.S. Military Academy in 1973, he expected to do his five years in the Army and get out. More than 30 years later, he's a two-star general commanding 20,000 troops. Lynch, a Hamilton native, said he never made the decision to be a career military man, but stayed with it because it felt right. "Everyday, I can look in the mirror and feel like I'm doing something important," Lynch said in a phone interview from Baghdad on Thursday.

Click Here to read full story:

10 New Trees Mark Fallen Soldiers
Sean Harder | Friday, June 22, 2007

Staff Sgt. Todd Toomey, left, grieves for Spc. Kyle A. Little, a member of his platoon in 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry. Little was one of 10 soldiers honored during a Warriors Walk tree dedication ceremony at Fort Stewart. (Photo: John Carrington)

FORT STEWART - Army Spc. Kyle Little returned home from his pre-Iraq training in February with a mission: Make a baby with his newlywed wife, Tiffany. "I remember he called me all excited and told me he wanted us to get pregnant," said Tiffany Little. "Miraculously, we did before he left." The 20-year-old Massachusetts native deployed to Iraq in March as soon-to-be father.

In Iraq, Little was hand-picked for his brigade commander's personal security team. A roadside bomb killed him and a fellow soldier on May 8- three months and three days into his marriage and too soon to learn he was going to be the father of a girl. Baby Kylee is expected to be born in November. She one day might visit the Eastern Redbud tree and granite marker dedicated Thursday to the father for whom she'll be named.

The names of Little and nine other 3rd Infantry Division soldiers killed in Iraq were read aloud Thursday morning at Warriors' Walk. Each man was 25 years old or younger. The living memorial's 336 trees bookend Fort Stewart's parade grounds. Each tree represents one 3rd ID soldier killed since the Iraq war began in March of 2003. The division is now serving its third combat tour in the conflict.

Soldiers and other guests stand for the national anthem during the Warriors Walk tree dedication ceremony
at Fort Stewart on Thursday. (Photo: John Carrington)

"Young and old, soldier and civilian alike, will walk these paths," said Col. Todd Buchs, Fort Stewart's garrison commander. "They will pause and read their names and reflect on the sacrifice they made for freedom."

Among those honored Thursday was Pfc. David Kirkpatrick, 20, whose interest in the military began at an early age.Growing up on his family's farm in Matthews, Ind., Kirkpatrick dressed in camouflage, played soldier and read everything military-related he could find, said his father, Kenny Kirkpatrick. "I tried to talk him out of joining, but he wouldn't listen," Kirkpatrick said. "He said 'Dad, what did you think I was going to do?' He knew what he was doing, and he wanted to do it." The Army mechanic was killed by a roadside bomb in Fallujah while recovering a damaged vehicle on April 27 - one month before he was due to return home on leave.

Roadside bombs are a "cheap, highly effective way to kill our boys. And I don't know how they can protect against it," Kenny Kirkpatrick said. Kirkpatrick said he, his wife and their four daughters have been devastated by the loss of their only son. They plan to use his life insurance to pay off the family farm, which they have struggled financially to keep.
"That's what David would have wanted us to do," he said.

Tiffany Little, left, and Tonita Gonzalez, her niece Kyra Tso and son Brennen Gonzalez, right, sit with other family members during the Fort Stewart tree dedication ceremony at Warriors Walk. Their husbands, Spc. Kyle A. Little and Sgt. Christopher Gonzalez
were among the 10 fallen soldiers honored Thursday. (Photo: John Carrington)

More than a month of memorial services, tributes, calls from fellow soldiers and military escorts have left the Kirkpatrick family overwhelmed. But they also have been impressed by how many lives their son had touched. "The Army really has been behind us 1,000 percent," Kirkpatrick said. "It's been so wonderful, yet so horrible. You can't imagine how wonderful and horrible something can be at the same time.
"David did a very honorable thing. No one can say it's not an honorable thing."

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A soldier folds the camouflage cloth embroidered with the name of one of 10 fallen soldiers honored
during the Warriors Walk tree dedication ceremony at Fort Stewart on Thursday. (Photo: John Carrington)

WARRIORS WALK

Here are the names of the 10 soldiers honored at Thursday's tree ceremony:

Pfc. David A. Kirkpatrick, 20, of Matthews, Ind.

Pfc. Nicholas E. Riehl, 21, of Shiocton, Wis.

Spc. Eddie D. Tamez, 21, of Galveston, Texas

Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins, 21, of Australia

Sgt. Dale Hicks, Jr., 21, of Pantego, Texas

Pfc. Cole E. Spencer, 21, of Decatur, Ill.

Sgt. Blake C. Stephens, 25, of Pocatello, Idaho

Spc. Kyle A. Little, 20, of West Boylston, Mass.

Sgt. Allen J. Dunckley, 25, of Yardley, Penn.

Sgt. Christopher N. Gonzalez, 25, of New Mexico

The 3rd ID, which led the invasion of Iraq in 2003, began its third rotation into Iraq earlier this year. The division's 20,000 soldiers will serve extended 15-month tours as part of a troop buildup to stabilize Iraq.
As of Thursday, 28 soldiers from the division have been killed this year in Iraq, according to www.icasualties.org , a Web site that tracks the war's fatalities.

'Warriors Walk' memorial at base expected to grow

By GREGG ZOROYA
Gannett News Service
FORT STEWART, Ga.

(Photo: Carl Elmore)

Wednesday, May 23, 2007-A popular war memorial consisting of dedicated trees -- one planted for every soldier lost to war -- presents commanders with a problem. The memorial is running out of space. Its elaborate design -- requiring sidewalks and buried electrical lighting -- has forced Army officials to prepare expansion plans.

It is a delicate issue at a base where thousands of families are sending loved ones off to war again, in some cases for the third time. "The assumption was, unfortunately, four years ago there wouldn't be but two sidewalks worth of trees, and that just didn't happen to be the case," says Michael Biering, the garrison director of public works. The memorial is filled with eastern redbud trees. Those trees were chosen because their pink-purple blossoms appear in the spring, when soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division based here first raced to Baghdad in 2003 and suffered their first fatalities. The division has returned to Iraq twice since then.

Now, 326 trees are planted along sidewalks that border the parade ground, where troops assemble before reuniting with their families after a combat tour. Next to each tree is a granite stone engraved with the soldier's name and a small spotlight to illuminate the branches. The memorial is called Warriors Walk.

"It's sort of bittersweet to return (to the memorial), and it gives me comfort and sadness at the same time," says Birgit Smith, the widow of Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Iraq invasion. She drives six hours from her home in Hollywood, Fla., five times a year to visit her husband's tree. "It's the most hallowed ground on this installation," says the garrison commander, Col. Todd Buchs. He helps preside over tree dedication ceremonies that are a monthly ritual. Family members come. A color guard is there.

The Fort Stewart memorial differs from other military installations that often honor war dead with names etched onto a remembrance wall. The tree memorial was initially one long sidewalk along the south edge of the parade area. As the division returned to combat in 2005 and fatalities mounted, three more sidewalk phases were built along the parade ground's northern edge. The trees were staggered to economize space.

The division is incurring losses on its third tour, and Biering estimates space will run out in about two months. "Part of it is experience," he says of his estimate, recalling a bad month in 2005 when 40 trees were planted. In his office, he keeps blueprints for at least four more parallel sections of sidewalk. It is, he says, a sensitive topic.
"I don't want to get too much out ahead of this because of the potential adverse impact it may have" on installation families, he says.
Many Army families say they understand the grim reality and how expansion plans for Warriors Walk are necessary.
"We're pretty strong people," says Amy Lambert, whose husband, Sgt. 1st Class Scott Lambert, is in Iraq. "This is a fact of life. More people are going to die. Nobody wants it to happen. But it's going to happen until the war ends."

IP’s recognized for hard work
Staff Sgt. Raymond Piper - 1^st BCT Public Affairs NCOIC

RAMADI, Iraq (May 22, 2007) – It’s arguably one of the toughest law enforcement jobs in the world. Iraqi Police face car and road side bombs, snipers and insurgents bent on breaking there will. Often less equipped than their coalition partners, the policemen are prepared to do their duty on a daily business.
Coalition and Iraqi Police leaders held a ceremony May 20 to recognize the sacrifices and hard work of the Ramadi police.

“Today is a very memorable day and is a day that should make all the people of Ramadi proud of its young men,” said Ramadi Iraqi Police Chief Brig. Gen. Ahmed Khalil. “It is a day for the coalition and Iraq leaders to recognize the brave policemen of Ramadi.”

Col. John Charlton, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division commander, told the gathered policemen that the ceremony was dedicated to the sons of Anbar, who have brought security to the area.
“Every day I see Iraqi police putting their lives on the line to protect the people of this city. It is because of your continued bravery that children can play outside and people can open shops and begin to live normal lives again,” Charlton said.

The path to a more safe and secure Ramadi has not been easy and many officers paid the ultimate sacrifice for security. On the same day as the ceremony, Iraqi Police from the Zangorra station were looking for a truck laden with explosives.
“Those police officers were on patrol looking for the truck bomb because they knew the (terrorists) would attack,” Charlton said. “While they had stopped and were searching the truck, it exploded killing one of the officers and wounding two others.” He added the policemen knew that there would be danger when they stopped the truck, but they set aside personal safety and continued to do their duty. “As a result, no civilians were hurt. Once again the Iraqi Police protected the people of Iraq,” Charlton said.

The Iraqi security forces are one of the primary targets of insurgents because they are what the terrorists fear, Charlton said. “They know the police are the only thing preventing them from coming into the area and taking over.”
Khalil told the gathered police that all of the stations must continue their hard work because they are going through a very critical point of time. He said, “Maintaining victory will be the hardest part, therefore we most continue our hard work during this state of war and stick together as we fight the insurgents.”

More Outposts being Built to Accommodate Troops for ‘Surge’
Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, May 22, 2007

American troops continue to build small, neighborhood outposts to support the troop “surge” in and around Baghdad, while the final extra Army brigade is poised to arrive in Iraq next month.

Units such as the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, of the 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, have moved from larger foward operating bases to combat outposts. In the case of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry, three new outposts named after soldiers from the unit killed in combat have replaced their home at Forward Operating Base Hammer. The combat outposts include Cleary, Cahill, and Cashe, in Wahida, Salman Pak, and Tuwaitha, respectively, officials said. “To live with the populace and experience what they experience, you get a better appreciation for the area,” Maj. John Cushing, the battalion’s operations officer, was quoted as saying in a news release.

In one case, a combat outpost was built in a former government building and a set of greenhouses, officials said. The COPs, as the outposts are known, are being outfitted with showers and dining halls, among other amenities. In another area of Baghdad, the eastern district of Sha’ab, officials are touting successes since February, when Iraqi police trucks with blood-stained beds looked “like they had just come from a butcher shop,” one officer said.

But now, the sectarian murders have largely ended, according to Capt. Will Canda, commander of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment. The battalion patrols an area of the city that includes Sha’ab, Ur, and Sadr City. Some 20 percent of Baghdad’s population lives in the area, giving a ratio of one U.S. soldier for every 26,000 Iraqis, officials said. While acknowledging there is still “a ways to go,” officials have said they’re confronting militias, failed local governments and breakdowns in public services. That unit too operates from a combat outpost, this one named Callahan; it was formerly an upscale shopping center that had been abandoned.

1-15 Infantry Establishes Combat Outposts
By Multi-National Division - Center PAO
May 21, 2007

Spc. Jeff Nutter, 27, Redding, Calif., Pvt. Dillon Bella, 19, Fredrick, Md., and Sgt. Anthony Shuta, 27, Daytona Beach, Fla., all from Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, relax in their living quarters May 2, at Combat Outpost Cashe, Iraq.

Blackanthem Military News, COMBAT OUTPOST CLEARY, Iraq — Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team have established three