USO Entertains Soldiers
Spc. Derek Delrosario, 100^th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq –Dec 23, 2005- Task Force Baghdad Soldiers were treated to an early holiday present when comedians, dancers and singers entertained them during the Sgt. Maj. of the Army’s Hope and Freedom Tour Dec. 21. Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston headed the tour that took the celebrities through Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq to entertain and visit with the troops.

Tour participants included comedian Al Franken; actress Traylor Howard; Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders Misty Cleveland and Lynlee Allen; hip-hop band Soul Jahz; and country singers Keni Thomas, Craig Morgan and Mark Wills. The USO celebrities also toured various areas of military operations.  Franken was especially moved by a hospital visit he made while on the tour. (Wonder where the Fox News "Patriots" were?)

“I liked going to the hospital in the Green Zone because I’m very interested in some of the lives that have been saved,” Franken said.  “It amazes me how quickly (medical personnel) respond and seeing the medical techniques they apply.” Franken said he is very happy to be part of the USO and the show is just one way to say thank you.

            “We did meet and greets at Abu Ghraib, but we ended up doing an impromptu show for those Soldiers, Marines and Airmen,” Franken said.  “The tour has been great; I have a great group of people I am traveling with and it’s always good to see (the Soldiers).  It is always fun, moving, gratifying and humbling.”

Country singer Craig Morgan interacts with Soldiers while performing during the Sgt. Maj. of the Army’s Hope and Freedom Tour USO show Dec. 21.

 Soldiers laugh during one of the many comedy skits of the Sgt. Maj. of the Army’s Hope and Freedom Tour USO show Dec. 21.

Country singer Mark Wills and Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders Lynlee Allen (left) and Misty Cleveland put on a show for troops during the Sgt. Maj. of the Army’s Hope and Freedom Tour USO show Dec. 21.

Country singer Keni Thomas entertains Soldiers during the Sgt. Maj. of the Army’s Hope and Freedom Tour USO show Dec. 21.

USO Brings Christmas Cheer
Staff Sgt. John R. Rozean, 1/10th Mountain Division PAO

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq –Dec 23, 2005- Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston, with the microphone, and 1/10th Mountain Division Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Carlson introduce celebrities who came to the Riva Ridge Moral, Welfare and Recreation center Dec. 21  to meet with 1/10th Mountain Division Soldiers in an autograph session. The celebrities included actress Trayler Howard, country music stars, Mark Wills, Craig Morgan and Kenny Thomas, the band “Soul Jazz,” comedian Al Franken, and two Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders Misty L. Eubanks and Lynlee Allen. 

1/10th Mountain Division Soldiers, Spc. Chanelle Mikel, solder left, and 1st Lt. Shirley Zisen, both of 10th Brigade Support Battalion, talk with comedian Al Franken Dec. 21. Franken and other celebrities visited the troops in the Riva Ridge Moral Welfare and Recreation center a few days before Christmas.

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq ─ 1/10th Mountain Division Soldiers take photographs with actress Kelly Hu Dec 22 at the Camp Liberty Riva Ridge Moral Welfare and Recreation Center.

1/10th Mountain Division Soldiers prepare photos to be autographed by actress Kelly Hu who visited them at Camp Liberty’s Riva Ridge Moral Welfare and Recreation Facility Dec. 22. 

Performer, Mitch Allen, sings for 1/10th Mountain Division Soldiers at Camp Liberty’s Riva Ridge Moral Welfare and Recreation Facility Dec. 22.

Four Terrorists Killed in Separate Incidents
2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO

BAGHDAD─ Sgt.1st Class Dillard Johnson, and Staff Sgt. Jared Kennedy of C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, stand in front of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle in east Baghdad. The NCO’s led their unit in a gun battle with terrorists Dec. 14, resulting in four terrorists killed while taking no casualties of their own.   (U.S. Army Photo)

BAGHDAD─Dec. 20, 2005- Elements of 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, working with the 3rd Public Order Brigade (POB) of Iraq’s Ministry of Interior, engaged and killed four terrorists in two separate incidents in Salman Pak, Dec. 14.At about 3 p.m. a patrol from C. Troop, 3-7 CAV, was visiting a POB headquarters building to share information when small arms fire was heard outside.

“One of the POB Soldiers came down from the roof of the building and told us they were receiving small arms fire from across the Tigris River, about 800 meters,” said Sgt. 1^st Class Dillard Johnson, a platoon sergeant in C Troop. Johnson immediately deployed his Soldiers to see if the threat was still present. He placed his Soldiers on the roof tops.
While positioning his Soldiers, they started to receive small arms fire from across the river. “I used my laser rangefinder to give me the distance to the enemy location, it was 852 meters exactly, a long shot,” he said. Johnson, directed his Soldiers to orient on the location of the enemy. They observed two terrorists in the prone position. The enemy had a truck with what looked like a two person observation team to help them identify their targets and probably to provide emergency egress, he said. The enemy shooters hit pretty close to them, “some rounds landed within six inches of us as we moved to our own firing positions,” said Staff Sgt. Jared Kennedy, a Bradley commander.

The enemy proved no match for the well trained marksmen of 3-7 CAV. “I engaged one enemy shooter with my own rifle. My first round fell short but it must have scared him because he stood up to run away. The next round I fired, hit him and he went down,” Johnson said. At that point the other enemy shooter stood up. It looked like he was going to make a dash for his truck, Kennedy said. He hit the other shooter in the chest as he started to run away, said Kennedy. ‘I positioned a team of Bradley’s to observe the other side of the river,” he said.

About 11 p.m. a Toyota pickup truck was observed moving into the location where the small arms fire had originated, Johnson said. “The truck was suspicious and it looked like it had a mortar tube in the back of it,” he said. Shortly after the truck stopped the suspected terrorists fired two mortar rounds in the direction of the U.S. Forces. “As soon as they fired at us, I had our Bradley’s open up on them.  The enemy fired one more round before two of them were killed. The truck was able to drive away but I was able to direct an Army helicopter to track it down.  I could see where the truck stopped, in front of a farm, but it was too far away to engage; without risking injury to innocent civilians,” he said.

“Shortly after the helicopter arrived on station it located the enemy vehicle and destroyed it without damaging the homes around it,” Johnson said. “My platoon performed very well.  We outgunned and outperformed the terrorists in every phase of this engagement,” he said.

Paladins Fire from Speicher for the First Time
Sgt. 1^st Class Thomas Mills, 1^st BCT PAO

FOB SPEICHER, Iraq -Dec. 20, 2005- Glory’s Guns in the form of 1st Platoon, Battery A, are making their presence known at Forward Operating Base Speicher near Tikrit.  The platoon, from 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were stationed at FOB Summerall near Bayji.

The move was made soon after the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade took over the Bayji sector, said Cpt. J.T. Townsend, assistant fire support officer, 1st BCT. “They were brought down (to FOB Speicher) because of the increased indirect fire threat,” said Townsend.  “Once Danger closed there was a higher indirect fire threat (to the Division Headquarters on Speicher).” Their coverage of Bayji since their move to Speicher from Summerall has not changed significantly, said Townsend.

1st Platoon was busy during their tenure at Summerall.  While there, Townsend said, they shot the second highest number of rounds in the 1st BCT area of operations.  They were also one of only two platoons to conduct artillery raids.During one raid, said Staff Sgt. Donnie Neal, a Memphis, Tenn. native and the 4th Section chief, the platoon rolled outside the gates of Summerall to the outskirts of Bayji.

“It was fast and furious,” said Neal.  “We pulled in, shot and then left.”

Besides the occasional artillery raid Neal admitted that manning the gun day in and day out “gets kind of old.”“(Operation Iraqi Freedom I) was different,” said Neal.  They moved fast and reacted to where the enemy was, he said.  “OIF III it was more planned out.”

1st Lt. William Dennison, 1st Platoon platoon leader, said living at Summerall wasn’t bad at all.  “We were totally detached (from our battalion),” said Dennison.  “It was just me and the platoon sergeant.  We were on our own.”“(The platoon’s deployment to Iraq) was what we expected,” he said, “except maybe not to shoot so much.”

Bomb Disposal Team Blows Up Munitions
Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO

BAGHDAD -Dec. 12, 2005- Pfc. Roy Crowell, 710th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, and Staff Sgt Jason Cox, 21st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, prepare Iraqi tank rounds for demolition at Butler Range near Baghdad Dec. 10. Butler Range was formerly a training area for the Iraqi Army, and is littered with U.S. and Iraqi munitions. EOD Soldiers destroyed five tank rounds, six mortar rounds, 130 40-millimeter grenades, and various fuzes, rockets and small-arms cartridges during their sweep of the range. EOD also brought along a damaged M136 AT-4 antitank weapon and destroyed it safely.
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

BAGHDAD — A ball of flame shoots skyward as Soldiers from explosive ordnance disposal teams detonate unexploded ordnance during a routine mission at Butler Range near Baghdad Dec. 10. Butler Range was formerly a training area for the Iraqi Army, and is littered with U.S. and Iraqi munitions.
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

Raider Soldier Masters Odd Jobs
Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Mills
1st BCT PAO-Dec.7, 2005

Flexibility is the key to being a Soldier in today’s Army, especially for non-commissioned officers.
For Sgt. Sherrie Cooper, a fuel handler with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, being flexible is her main occupation. If you ask Cooper what she does for a living the answer isn’t as simple as it would seem. She holds, Cooper said, “odd jobs” around the company.

 The list of odd jobs is long: HHC equal opportunity small group facilitator, safety NCO, weight control NCO for females, hazardous material transportation NCO, combat life saver, mail handler and all around helper in the motor pool. While the 1st BCT was headquartered at Forward Operations Base Dagger, a small palace just south of Tikrit that was recently turned over to the Iraqi Army, Cooper ran the tiny Post Exchange as well. Occasionally she’ll handle fuel, said Cooper.
“I refuel the refuel van, keep the (tanker pump unit) full, and we go to bulk fuel to pick up fuel,” said Cooper. But day to day there isn’t much to do, said Cooper, hence the odd jobs.

“There’s not much of a mission for fuelers here,” said Sgt. Frank King, HHC 1st BCT motor NCO. King said Cooper is a big help in the motor pool because she takes care of a lot of the extraneous things, which frees up he and his mechanics to turn wrenches.
Cooper also sees her roll there as moral support. “They (the Soldiers in the motor pool) work really hard,” said Cooper, “and I try to be the one who brightens their day.”
Cooper’s sense of humor is something that sets her apart.
“She’s very funny,” said Ray Williams, Department of Army Civilian, 1st BCT safety officer. “She has an honest way of speaking that is kind of shocking because she’ll say something outrageous in a normal tone and it’ll stop you.”
“She’s hilarious,” said Sgt. 1st Class David Hoag, 1st BCT Air Defense, Airspace Management Cell non-commissioned officer-in-charge. Hoag should know. Recently he fractured his right foot in an accident and Cooper has become his nurse of sorts.
Cooper has made sure Hoag gets to breakfast, lunch and dinner each day while he recuperates. “She won’t let me sleep,” joked Hoag.
Williams said Cooper’s sense of humor doesn’t take away from the fact that she likes to stay busy.
“I think the thing with her is that she seems to be trying really hard to improve herself all the time,” said Williams.
Always industrious, Cooper has two degrees, medical assistant and medical transcriptionist, from the Atlanta College of Medical and Dental Careers. Cooper joined the military in Atlanta at the age of 26, she said, to see the world.

“When I joined the military I was trying to get away,” she said. Since then she’s gotten away to Korea, Fort Lewis, Wa., Fort Drum, NY, and twice to Iraq.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom I Cooper was with the 528th Quartermaster Battalion from Fort Lewis, April 2003 to April 2004. The 528th QM worked mainly out of Logistic Support Area Anaconda near Balad during OIF I where Cooper helped set up the Fuel Supply System Point, a huge field of fuel points, which is still in use. The FSSP, Cooper said, serviced the endless trains of resupply convoys during OIF I.
Cooper said the difference between OIF I and III has been significant.
“During OIF I, I really had to do my (military occupational specialty),” Cooper said.
On top of that during OIF I Cooper was stuck on LSA Anaconda. With her current unit, 1st BCT, 3rd ID, she spent much of her time on tiny FOB Dagger near Tikrit.
There Cooper had to pull guard duty and go on combat patrols outside the wire, a big difference from life on LSA Anaconda.
Because of that Cooper said that the leadership in 1st BCT has been much different than her old unit during OIF I.
“With this unit you have to soldier harder,” Cooper said. Despite the differences Cooper said she really can’t complain. “Both have been good deployments. So far this has been a good deployment.”
Cooper said she fully expects to come back to Iraq in the future. “I feel like it’ll be a lot better next time,” she said. “I’ll have a lot more knowledge next time.”
Though she expects the next deployment to Iraq to be a good one, it won’t be easy because, Cooper said, “There’s always something you’ll have to overcome.”

During Operation Iraqi Freedom I, Cooper was with the 528th Quartermaster Battalion from Fort Lewis, April 2003 to April 2004. The 528th QM worked mainly out of Logistic Support Area Anaconda near Balad during OIF I where Cooper helped set up the Fuel Supply System Point, a huge field of fuel points, which is still in use. The FSSP, Cooper said, serviced the endless trains of resupply convoys during OIF I.
Cooper said the difference between OIF I and III has been significant.
“During OIF I, I really had to do my (military occupational specialty),” Cooper said.
On top of that during OIF I Cooper was stuck on LSA Anaconda. With her current unit, 1st BCT, 3rd ID, she spent much of her time on tiny FOB Dagger near Tikrit.
There Cooper had to pull guard duty and go on combat patrols outside the wire, a big difference from life on LSA Anaconda.
Because of that Cooper said that the leadership in 1st BCT has been much different than her old unit during OIF I.
“With this unit you have to soldier harder,” Cooper said. Despite the differences Cooper said she really can’t complain. “Both have been good deployments. So far this has been a good deployment.”
Cooper said she fully expects to come back to Iraq in the future. “I feel like it’ll be a lot better next time,” she said. “I’ll have a lot more knowledge next time.”
Though she expects the next deployment to Iraq to be a good one, it won’t be easy because, Cooper said, “There’s always something you’ll have to overcome.”

BAGHDAD – 1st Lt. Richard Paco, an assistant civil military operations officer with 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and a native of Nogales, Ariz., looks at a generator U.S. Soldiers brought to a water distribution facility in Jisr-Diyala, Iraq. 
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

BAGHDAD – Staff Sgt. Chris Sherlock, Spc. John Murphy and 2nd Lt. Kyle Hemminger, all of A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, search a farm in Baghdad for signs of terrorist activity Sept. 23.  Murphy is from Monroe La.; Sherlock is from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and Hemminger is from Port Clinton, Ohio. 
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

BAGHDAD – Sgt. Matt Parker, 301st Psychological Operations Company, and a native of San Diego, paints over terrorist graffiti during a night patrol in Baghdad Sept. 22. 
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

BAGHDAD – 2nd Lt. Kyle Hemminger, a tank platoon leader with A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, searches an abandoned building in Baghdad for signs of terrorist activity Sept. 23.  Hemminger is from Port Clinton, Ohio.  (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

BAGHDAD – 2nd Lt. Kyle Hemminger, Staff Sgt. Chris Sherlock and Spc. John Murphy, all of A Troop, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, search an abandoned building in Baghdad for signs of terrorist activity Sept. 23.  Murphy is from Monroe, La.; Hemminger is from Port Clinton, Ohio; and Sherlock is from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.;  (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

BAGHDAD – Capt. Onni Hynninen, of 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, and a native of Seguin, Texas, speaks with members of the Mahdi Militia at a checkpoint in Baghdad Sept. 20. 
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

TAWAITHA, Iraq – Soldiers from F Company, 26th Forward Support Battalion, toss stuffed animals to children during a humanitarian aid mission in Tawaitha, Iraq July 23. 
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

BAGHDAD – Col. Joseph DiSalvo (left), commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and an Iraqi Army officer confer about security measures near a polling site in Adhamiya Oct. 15.  Iraqi Soldiers were at the forefront of security during the Constitutional Referendum vote, while U.S. Soldiers from Task Force Baghdad assisted with outer perimeter security. 

BAGHDAD – 1st Lt. Sean Gavin, a platoon leader with B Troop, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, pulls security atop his tank during a patrol in Baghdad Nov. 13. 
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

BAGHDAD – Tankers from 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry prepare their tanks for an early-morning patrol in Baghdad Nov. 13. 
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

BAGHDAD – Tankers from 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry scan the roadway during a patrol in Baghdad Nov. 13. 
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ben Brody, 2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO)

Lt. Col. Robert Butts (right), executive officer, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Brigade Troops Battalion, serves turkey to Sgt. 1st Class Keith Jamison (left) and Staff Sgt. Alexis Morales (center) both of 1-3 BTB, while Lt. Col. Douglas Victor, 1-3 BTB commander, moves down the line, November 24 at FOB Speicher, Iraq. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Mills

1st Sgt. William Lee, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Brigade Troops Battalion, dispenses mashed potatoes for a Soldier during Thanksgiving, Forward Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, November 24.
Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Mills

Sgt. Sterling Tyler, petroleum and supply specialist, Co A, 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, guides a vehicle in at Forward Operating Base Summerall near Bayji, Iraq, to pick up a load of Hesco baskets for transport.
Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Mills

2nd Lt. Jennifer Blair, 3rd Forward Support Battalion, observes as Soldiers unload a load of Hesco barriers from a Palletized Load System at Forward Operating Base Summerall, Bayji, Iraq.
Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Mills

Soldiers from the Iraqi army’s 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Division, get ready to convoy to Samara, Iraq from Forward Operating Base Speicher Oct. 25, 2005. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Joshua R. Ford

Today, Veterans Day (11 Nov 05), 1BCT dedicated Building 1000 on FOB Speicher to the memory of Military Police CPL Aleina Ramirez (1-3 BTB) who was killed in a rocket attack on FOB Dagger, Tikrit, on 15 April 2005. Building 1000 is currently the headquarters of 1BCT.

Click on this link to read story and see WTOC video of dedication

Col. Mark E. McKnight, commander, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and staff members of 1st BCT, listen to the invocation at a building dedication and Veterans Day ceremony held November 11 at FOB Speicher, Tikrit Iraq. The 1st BCT Headquarters building was dedicated to the memory Cpl. Aleina Ramirez, a Soldier in 1st Bde, 3rd ID, Brigade Troops Battalion, who was killed in action April 15 during an indirect fire attack on FOB Dagger near Tikrit.

Lt. Col. John Charvat, executive officer, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, attends the building dedication and Veterans Day ceremony for 1st BCT at FOB Speicher, Iraq, November 11. The 1st BCT Headquarters building was dedicated to the memory Cpl. Aleina Ramirez, a Soldier in 1st Bde, 3rd ID, Brigade Troops Battalion, who was killed in action April 15 during an indirect fire attack on FOB Dagger near Tikrit.

The 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Brigade Troops Battalion color guard stands ready during a building dedication and Veterans Day ceremony at FOB Speicher, Tikrit, Iraq. The 1st BCT Headquarters building was dedicated to the memory Cpl. Aleina Ramirez, a Soldier in 1-3 BTB, who was killed in action April 15 during an indirect fire attack on FOB Dagger near Tikrit.

From small arms to M-1 Abrams tank weapon systems the 3^rd Forward Support Battalion, 1^st Brigade Combat Team, 3^rd Infantry Division Armory can fix just about any U.S. Army weapon.  Then the order came down recently to refurbish 88 AK-47’s, most taken from insurgents or found in illegal weapons caches in Salah Ad Din province, and the armorers were up for the challenge. Photos by Joshua R. Ford

Chief Warrant Officer Pedro Munoz, armament and repair technician, 3rdforward support battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division works on an AK-47 in his shop.

Spc. Philipp Arthur, small arms repairman, 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, assembles an AK-47 at logistics support area Anaconda.

Pfc. Curtis Lindula, Bradley mechanic, headquarters and headquarters company, 1st battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, raises a humvee with a jack pump.

Spc. Scot S. Sheftz, headquarters and headquarters company, 1st brigade troops battalion, 1st brigade, 3rd infantry division, plugs a generator into a humvee.

I was surfing your site and I was thinking you might want to check these out. These guys are out of Ft. Stewart, Georgia, home of the 3rd I.D.. Although they are not members of the 3rd I.D., they are attached to the 86th C.S.H. (combat support hospital) Screaming Eagle Medics out of Ft. Campbell, KY. They are re-enlistment pics for Sgt. Peet, who re-enlisted on Christmas Day, pretty cool. My brother-in-law is the 2nd from the right in the pic with the 4 soldiers under Saddam's sabres. His name is Sgt. Carl Hineman, and I love him every bit as though he were my brother. About 2 months ago, Sgt. Peet was hit in the head by sniper fire while on patrol, but only sustained a concussion. Gotta love the kevlar!
Jenny
From: Jennifer Burk

Spc. Kenneth Jones, a 1/3 BTB measurement and systems intelligence analyst, raises the 1st Brigade Combat Team's colors up a flagpole in front of the 1st BCT tactical operations center while 1st BCT Soldiers watch during a remembrance ceremony Sept. 11. Photos by Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr.

An Iraqi soldier asks passenger in a suspected mock VBIED to exit the vehicle. The passengers were IA soldiers as well, participating in a react to VBIED attack at FOB Vanguard .

An Iraqi soldier calls for backup and an ambulance over the radio after a mock VBIED explosion . The IA conducted the exercise as part of a TOA that will take plce in the near future at FOB Vanguard.
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An Iraqi soldier plays dead in a cloud of green smoke during a mock VBIED attack exercise at FOB Vanguard. The exercise was a step in the relief in place process in which CF will turn operations of the FOB over to the IA.

Iraqi soldiers load a mock casualty into an ambulance after a mock VBIED attack at FOB Vanguard. IA soldiers practiced dealing with casulaties and reinforcing their security during the exercise.

A Bradley Fighting Vehicle assigned to 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment races down a street in Samarra towards a scene of enemy contact August 27.

 A civilian vehicle comes to a stop as two Bradley Fighting Vehicles assigned to 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment move toward an intersection in Samarra Aug. 27.

Spc. Shim Welch, a Company B, 3-69 Armor Regiment team leader and a native of Asheville N.C., watches the sun rise over the city of Samarra from a rooftop.

Pvt. Jeremiah Johnson, a Company B, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment squad automatic weapon gunner from Carrolltown, Pa. watches a street in Samarra from a rooftop August 27.

Spc. Shim Welch, a Company B, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment team leader from Asheville, N.C., tells Pfc. David Campbell, a Co. B, 3-69 Armor grenadier from Tampa, Fla. where to fire a grenade from his M-203 grenade launcher at the enemy during a firefight in Samarra Aug. 27.

Soldiers from the Army's 3rd Brigade Reconnaissance Team,
3rd Infantry Division drive their Humvee on a path through the trash surrounding a village on the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 11, 2005. The soldiers will talk with the residents of the village to make sure no insurgents have sought refuge, while also handing out school supplies, toys and candy to the children. DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. Russell E. Cooley IV, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

U.S. Army Maj. Dan Hibner and Fallujah Water Department Director Hamed Munster go over the
drawings of a proposed new water main in Fallujah, Iraq, on Aug. 22, 2005. Hibner is the officer in charge of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Central
District Fallujah Office. DoD photo by Norris Jones, U.S. Army. (Released)

Maj. Mike Moore, commander for Company E, 50th Main Support Battalion, 42nd Inf. Div., shows Iraqi Army Soldiers of 1st Bn., 1st Bde.

Iraqi Soldiers from 1st Bn., 1st Iraqi Army Bde. load
boxes of medical supplies donted by the 42nd Inf. Div. DMSO August 24 at FOB Speicher.

Photos from our Friend Jan en Ans Bos from the Netherlands

A pair of safety glasses belonging to Sgt. Derrick White rest on top of a humvee after being hit by shrapnel in an IED attack near Balad. White said the glasses saved his vision. Copyright2004 Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr

An Iraqi Soldier from the 4th Iraqi Army Division stands by to greet a group of dignitaries arriving on a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter for a Transfer of Ownership ceremony at Forward Operating Base Dagger August 14. Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr.

Coalition Forces and Iraqi color guard stand at attention during a Transfer of Ownership ceremony at Forward Operating Base Dagger August 14.

U.S. Army Doctor Capt. John Fulk listens to an Iraqi man's heart in the White Gold Village of West Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 5, 2005. Medical personnel and soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, 256th Brigade Combat Team are providing medical assistance and toys to residents of the village.
DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Jorge A. Rodriguez, U.S. Air Force.

U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Firszt from Task Force 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, secures an area during a routine patrol in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, on Aug. 2, 2005.
 DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day, U.S. Air Force.

The following five photos could be from the FX TV show "Over There" but they are not! These are actual Army photos of the action going on in Iraq.

An AH-60 Apache helicopter stirs up a cloud of dust around the vehicle of a suspected insurgent while engineers (not pictured) race to get to the scene. The individuals in the vehicle were suspected of making a hole in the road to plant an IED.
Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr.

An Apache AH-64 helicopter flies over a spot on the highway where Co.C, 103rd Engineers and civilian security forces stopped to look at a hole in the road where they think insurgents were digging to place an IED.

Staff Sgt. Beatty, a searches the trunk of a car during a traffic stop near Ash Sherkat August 6.
Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr.

Spc.Justin Schumm, a team leader with C Co., 103rd Engineers, holds his hand up to keep an Iraqi man from advancing toward him while an interpreter talks to three other men during a traffic stop near the city of Ash Sherkat.
Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr.

Civilian security contractors watch as First Sgt. Duane Sundstrom, Co. C, 103rd Engineers first sergeant, digs in a hole made by suspected insurgents on the highway near FOB Summerall.
Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr.

Capt. Ralph Elder, B Troop, 5/7 Cav. commander, talks with IA Soldiers inside the IA compound in Balad before going out on mission July 9. Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr.

An Iraqi Soldier rushes through a fruit grove in pursuit of a possible insurgent outside of Balad.

Iraqi Soldiers race to defensive positions after a warning alarm has gone off during a react to indirect or direct fire training exercise at FOB Dagger July 30.
Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr.

Coalition Forces and Iraqi Soldiers stand around a picture of Saddam Hussein found in a house during a raid.

Maysa Saud Muhammed has her pulse taken by Staff Sgt. April Williams, a medic with the 228th Command Support Hospital during a visit to FOB Speicher. Maysa was seen by Coalition Forces medical providers for scarring from a burn she suffered when her house was on fire. Photo by Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr.

Sgt. 1st Class Brian Faltinson, Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, talks with an Iraqi man during a combat patrol near Balad Iraq May 17, 2005.
Photo by Army Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey/22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Spc. Corey Braunschweig, a rifleman with Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, pulls security while Sgt. 1st Class Brian Faltinson, Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, talks with an Iraqi man.

Photo by Army Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey/22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Pvt. Adam Rodrigez, Compnay C, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment,hands out new clothes and a stuffed animal to an Iraqi girl during a joint patrol May 19, near Balad, Iraq. Company C, distributed more than 60 boxes of clothes, shoes and school supplies they had recieved from people back in the United States.
Photo by Army Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey/22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment  

Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, and 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Division of the Iraqi army hand out new shoes and clothes to Iraqi children during a joint patrol May 19, near Balad, Iraq. Company C distributed more than 60 boxes of clothes, shoes and school supplies they had received from people back in the United States.
Photo by Army Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey/22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

A cache consisting of a few hundred rounds of unexploded ordnance is destroyed in a controlled blast near Balad, Iraq May 13, 2005. The UXO's were discovered buried in adjacent fields at the Tarmiyah Poultry Farm.

Sgt. 1st Class Jean Briggs, a civil affairs team sergeant witht eh 411th Civil Affairs Battalion, Danbury, Conn., explains how a water treatment plant they had installed in a village near Forward Operating Base O'Ryan, Balad, Iraq, purifies the water taken from a nearby canal.
Sgt. Jennifer J. Eidson, 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
 

Spc. Gary Morrissey, uses a mine detector to search for buried unexploded ordnance while Pvt. Mark Hughes waits to dig in a field at the Tarmiyah Poultry Farm near Balad Iraq, May 13. The Soldiers part of a group of eight combat engineers from 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment had been tasked to assess from May 10 to 14 how many UXOs were still buried in the fields and dispose of as much as possible. As of May 13 more than 2,000 57mm and larger rounds had been destroyed.
Photo by Army Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey/22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Senior Airman Mark Maschka, 184th Ordnance Batalion lays down C4 explosives on top of a row of 57mm rounds in order to destroy a cache of unexploded ordnance while Staff Sgt. Evan Knight, 184th Ordnance Battalion, looks on May 13, 2005 at the Tarmiyah Poultry Farm near Balad, Iraq. More than 2,000 rounds 57mm and larger have been dug up and destroyed in adjacent fields at the farm since May 10.
Photo by Army Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey/22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

A Task Force 1-128 Soldier observes an Iraqi army soldier inspecting a vehicle May 14 at a traffic control point near Forward Operating Base O'Ryan, Balad, Iraq.
Sgt. Jennifer J. Eidson, 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

An Iraqi army soldier inspecting the identification of some local nationals May 14, at a traffic control point near Forward Operating Base O'Ryan, Balad, Iraq. 8960E-1601
Sgt. Jennifer J. Eidson, 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SSG Brian M. VanNote, 3rd Squad Leader,2nd Platton, Troop K, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment talks with Iraqis during a stop on a combat patrol near Balad Iraq May 11, 2005. VanNote from Smyrna, Tennessee was looking to talk to the town elder but he was not around.
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Army Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey/22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Specialist William Fisher, an infantryman with 1st Platoon Company A, 128 Infantry Regiment, listens as 2nd Lt. Andrew Lorsung, 1st Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, talks to an Iraqi army squad leader (left) from 1st Platoon, Company B, Iraqi army, with the help of a translator before going out on a joint patrol May 11. The Task Force 1-128 Soldiers are working to transition the IA soldiers into taking over combat operations near Forward Operating Base O'Ryan, Balad, Iraq.
Army Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey/22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Photos and caption by Army Sgt. Matthew Acosta, 22nd MPAD, Fort Bragg. NC

Staff Sgt. James Elmer, aid station NCOIC, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry, Task Force Liberty, shows the medics in his unit a video on the proper use of the new Hemcon bandage which bonds to the broken body tissue to stop heavy bleeding.

Staff Sgt. James Elmer, aid station NCOIC, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry, Task Force Liberty, applies the new Hemcon bandage to Spc. Raymond Hall, medic, as part of a demonstration on using the bandage to treat a severed limb.

Iraqi Army soldiers searched the village of Al Julaam, Iraq, looking for wanted men suspected of supporting the insurgency.
Reports said the suspects were known to wear "suicide belts" (explosives) to avoid capture.

Iraqi Army soldiers searched houses in the town of Al Julaam, Iraq, looking for wanted men suspected of supporting the insurgency.
Reports said the suspects were known to wear "suicide belts" (explosives) to avoid capture.

Scout Platoon
By Sgt. Matthew Acosta
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MACKENZIE, Iraq - Ocean-like deserts covering areas of Iraq can be easily overlooked when conducting reconnaissance missions.  Due to the inhospitable nature of the area, communities can go unnoticed, creating a safe haven for enemy forces.  
However, the scouts of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1^st Battalion, 15^th Infantry, Task Force Liberty, seek out the hard to reach locations to search for insurgents.

During many raids the Task Force 1-15 scouts conduct, they often have to travel through the austere desert environment. This travel can take it's toll on the vehicles. The deep sand can bog vehicles down, cause the vehicles to over-heat and clog air filters.

Staff Sgt. Fritz Autenrieth (left), scout section leader and Spc. Curtis Winston, scout, HHC, 1st Bn., 15th Inf., Task Force Liberty, walk towards a small farming community to search for weapons caches and bomb making materials.

Close Air Support
Ad Duluiyah, Iraq -- Soldiers and airmen from 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Liberty, destroyed a suspected Anti-Iraqi Forces weapons cache near Ad Duluiyah with an air strike on May 31.
Coalition forces identified the target, a pontoon on a small low-lying island in the Tigris River, as a possible weapons cache after Anti-Iraqi Forces fired rockets from there. The Fire Support Element from 1-15 Infantry directed bombs from Air Force jets onto the site to destroy the pontoon and deny Anti-Iraqi Forces the ability to use it to hide weapons and ammunition.

Photos from PV2 Adam Patterson, 6/8 CAV Charlie Co

Hello, I'm Private Patterson and my mother sent me an email and asked me to send you some pictures of 6-8 Cav. Well I'm in Charlie troop, the only troop with Bradleys. We started off doing mission like patrols and clearing buildings, but now we are training the Iraqi army and take them out on patrols to see how they do. I'm not sure if we will get another sector to patrol after this group or still train. Well enjoy the pictures.

PV2 Patterson Adam

Courtesy of Vicki Hester of the Ft. Stewart Museum

The "Row of Rifles" photo depicting grunts in the prone lined up on the firing line of a rifle range under the section "Courtesy of Vicki Hester of the Ft. Stewart Museum" is of soldiers in my unit:

C Company 1 BN 184th Infantry (AASLT) 29th BDE, California Army National Guard on Udari Range in Kuwait during January 2005 before we pushed up into Iraq as a part of the newly formed 4th BDE Combat Team, 3rd ID. The photo was taken by an Australian photographer Ken James who was embedded with us from the time of our train-up at Fort Polk in January until either the April or May time frame of our tour in theater.
Not that this is proof, but note the lack of the "broken television" 3rd ID patches that would normally be sewn into the sides of a 3rd ID soldier's K-Pot and the "glint tape / IR tape" that is taped onto the top of the K-pots of some of the troops--an SOP in my squad.
Thanks,
Sergeant Patrick G Hildebrand
1/184 INF (AASLT)

CORRECTION: A few years ago I contacted your site about a "Row of Rifles" photo that was "courtesy of Vicki Hester" at the Fort Stewart Museum with some information regarding the soldiers who were in that photo.  Well, I am afraid to tell you that my information (and that information that was subsequently published on your web site) was slightly off of fact.  It was brought to my attention by fellow veterans of my unit that this picture does not show soldiers of C Co, 1/184th Infantry, although every other word of the caption published on your site is true.

The soldiers in the photograph are members of HHC 1/184th Infantry (AASLT) 29th Infantry Brigade.  1/184th Infantry was the National Guard Infantry augmentation to the newly formed 4th Brigade 3rd Infantry Division--one of three infantry battalions within the brigade, the other two being active duty infantry battalions organic to the brigade's TO&E. In 2005 4th Brigade was the first of its kind fully formed and sent into the combat zone with all of its active, reserve, and national guard force multipliers.

Imagine the delight infantrymen have in finding that one of their own had mistaken a whole company of support personnel for 11 Bravos.  Anyway, I stand corrected and I hope that you will see fit to correct the description of the photograph.  Thank you very much for your time.

P. Hildebrand
former Army Sergeant 1/184 Infantry

CSM Bob Gallagher with members his crew