BAGHDAD, Iraq —

Leading more than 160,000

troops through a historic transition of authority from coalition

forces to the interim Iraqi government is more of an art than a

science, says the commanding

general for Multinational

Corps-Iraq.

Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz said

that art comes in the delicate

balance of reassigning

resources for changing priorities, providing security and

working with the Iraqis to

rebuild their infrastructure.

For some of our troops, he 

Vol. 2, No. 27 Baghdad, Iraq July 2, 2004

Inside this week ...

Providing cover

Air Force NCOs call in air cover for Army

patrols, help train Iraqis

Page 9

Lucky ring to it

Marine wears VMI ring when he feels he needs

a little luck

Page 13

SCIMITAR

Ambassador L. Paul Bremer

and Iraqi Deputy Prime

Minister Barham Saleh bid

farewell to each other at

Baghdad International

Airport before the ambassador makes his final departure from Iraq Monday.

Earlier in the day, the

ambassador signed the

Iraqi Sovereignty document

that gave full governmental

authority to the Iraqi interim

government. 

Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, U.S. Air Force

Final

farewell

flight

After transition,

mission continues

By Air Force Master

Sgt. Karen Petitt

Multinational Corps-Iraq

Public Affairs

See MISSION, Page 10

WASHINGTON — Sovereignty in

Iraq passed from the Coalition

Provisional Authority to the interim Iraqi

government Monday, two days ahead of

schedule. 

In a 10-minute ceremony inside the

heavily fortified “Green Zone” where

coalition headquarters is located in

Baghdad, CPA administrator Ambassador

L. Paul Bremer III read a letter he had

signed which dissolved the CPA. 

“As recognized in U.N. Security

Council Resolution 1546, the Coalition

Provisional Authority will cease to exist

on June 28, at which point the occupation

will end and the Iraqi interim government

will assume and exercise full sovereign

authority on behalf of the Iraqi people. I

welcome Iraq’s steps to take its rightful

place of equality and honor among the

free nations of the world,” Bremer read. 

Bremer boarded a helicopter shortly

after the ceremony and later left the country aboard a military C-130 Hercules

transport plane. It was unclear when

newly appointed U.S. Ambassador John

D. Negroponte would arrive in Baghdad

to take charge of what will become the

world’s largest U.S. Embassy. 

“This is a historic and happy day for us

in Iraq,” said Iraqi President Ghazi alYawar after receiving the transfer documents. “It is a day that all Iraqis have been

looking forward to. This is the day that we

take our country back into the international community. We want a free and democratic Iraq, and we want a country that is

a source of peace and stability for the

whole world.” 

Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who

reportedly sought the early transfer,

expressed confidence in his government’s

ability to stabilize the violence-wracked

country. “This is a historical day,” he said.

“We feel we are capable of controlling the

security situation.” 

A poll cited in a Defense Department

document called “Five Steps to

Sovereignty” said 68 percent of Iraqis

have confidence in the interim Iraqi government, and 79 percent think the interim

government will make things better for

Iraq. The new government has an 80-percent approval rating among Iraqis, 73 percent of whom approve of Allawi and 84

percent of whom approve of Yawar. 

The document said the interim government will operate under the rules defined

in Iraq’s Transitional Administrative Law,

which it called “the most liberal basic

governance document in the Arab world.” 

At a farewell meeting June 27 with the

city, regional and provincial councils in

Baghdad, Bremer expressed confidence

in the new government’s ability to take

over Iraq’s affairs. 

“When I arrived in Baghdad in May last

year, the city was still on fire from the

looters,” Bremer said. “There was not a

single policeman on duty in the entire

city. Not in Baghdad, not in Basra, not 

Occupation ends; Iraqis resume sovereignty

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service 

See SOVEREIGNTY, Page 10

Let freedom reign
MANAMA, Bahrain —

Navy Mobile Security Force

Det. 21 relieved the Interim

Marine Corps Security Force,

Bahrain, June 5 aboard the

Khawr Al Amaya and Al Basrah

Oil Terminals (KAAOT and

ABOT) in the North Arabian

Gulf.

The Marines had been aboard

the terminals since May 29,

when they relieved Bahrain’s

Fleet Anti-terrorism Security

Team, which deployed to

enhance terminal security hours

after the failed April 24 insurgent attacks on the terminals.

Comprised of approximately 70

Sailors, MSF Det. 21 will fill

the same role, but with additional weaponry and gear. 

Commissioned in February

2003, MSF Det. 21 is the first

operational unit in the Navy’s

newly created Mobile Security

Force.

“We provide point defense for

any high-value asset, be that an

aircraft, oil platform, USNS or

USS ship. Anything the Navy

deems high value, we protect,”

said Lt. Brian Vandiver, the

MSF Det. 21 officer in charge.

Twenty-four hours a day,

MSF Det. 21 Sailors stand

strategic watch positions across

both platforms and maintain a

reaction force on each. The

detachment works in cooperation with civilian Iraqi security

forces and thousands of other

military and contracted forces

as part of Task Force Shield, the

initiative established to protect

the terminals and pipelines from

saboteurs.

“The only way [Iraqis] are

going to get the money they

need to rebuild is through their

oil, and almost all of their oil

comes through these platforms,”

said Vandiver. “If we — the

ships, Mobile Security and

[Naval Coastal Warfare] —

can’t keep these platforms safe,

then we’ve failed everyone

ashore, including the roughly

130,000 Army Soldiers and

Marines who have been in there

for a year. All they’ve accomplished is useless if there’s no

way to get this oil to market and

improve Iraq’s economy.”

Sailors from Naval Coastal

Warfare Group 2, deployed

from Norfolk, Va., remain

aboard the terminals while

training MSF 21 to operate their

surveillance and communications gear.

But MSF Sailors are well

accustomed to intensive training.

All the Sailors in MSF attend

basic master-at-arms training

regardless of their military occupational specialty, as well as a

myriad of specialized Navy security, force-protection and combat

schools. All also attend Marine

Corps crew-served weapons

training, and many have patrolboat training or special aircraftsecurity training.

In addition to the specialized

forces aboard the terminals,

increased security measures

around the terminals include a

2,000-meter exclusion zone and a

warning zone that extends to

3,000 meters. The zones are

enforced by a number of coalition

warships under the command of

Task Force 55 commander.

“The ships out here are

great,” said Master-At-Arms

Seaman Apprentice Stephen

Mallery. “They really give us a

lot of support, bringing us food

and taking us on board to check

email and wash clothes. Plus it

just feels good to look out there

and see one of those gray hulls

coming around. You feel a lot

better when you see them sitting

out there.”

“It’s a dangerous job, but this

is what MSF was made for,”

added Petty Officer 2nd Class

Robert Looney, an engineman.

“Our design and all our training

prepares us for going into a hostile environment and providing

the fleet with 360-degree security for a high-value asset.”

Since July of 2003, KAAOT

and ABOT have pumped more

than 450 million barrels of oil

to more than 280 tankers, resulting in more than $11 billion in

revenue for the Iraqi people.

“Our goal is still the same - to

protect the terminals at all costs,

given their vital importance to

the future of the Iraqi people,”

said Capt. Kurt Tidd, the commander of TF 55 and the coalition maritime security forces.

Page 2 Scimitar July 2, 2004

Navy takes over Iraqi oil terminal security

Story and photos by 

Petty Officer 2nd 

Class Wes Eplen

U.S. Naval Forces Central

Command/U.S. 5th Fleet

Public Affairs

Petty Officer 2nd Class Joe Pearson, an engineman

stands watch on the North end of Al Basrah Oil Terminal.

Pearson arrived with Navy Mobile Security Force

Detachment 21, June 5 to relieve Interim Marine Corps

Security Force Bahrain. 

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Robert Looney, an engineman, stands watch on the

North end of Al Basrah Oil

Terminal. 

WASHINGTON — Recent adjustments

made to improve Iraqi security forces are working, a senior U.S. officer in Baghdad said

Sunday. 

Ongoing changes “are gradually but markedly improving the quality of Iraqi security

forces,” Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the

chief of the Office of Security Transition in

Iraq, reported during a Pentagon Channel interview. 

For example, he noted, some Iraqi Civil

Defense Corps troops often didn’t report to

work. Because of a lack of base camps and

infrastructure, ICDC members were “almost

treated like day guards, where they would walk

to work in the morning and then walk home at

night,” Petraeus explained. Some ICDC members and their families, he noted, became targets

for intimidation by terrorists. 

“On the days when they were really needed,”

the general continued, “it was tough for them to

get to work or they didn’t show up.” 

The ICDC, Petraeus said, has since been

reorganized into the Iraqi National Guard. Now

the members are treated like soldiers, he said,

rather than security guards. 

“That concept is starting to bear fruit,”

Petraeus reported, though he added the quality

in the Iraqi National Guard still is uneven. 

“But, there are also areas where we see considerable success,” he pointed out. For example,

he said, Iraqi security forces had months ago

assumed a variety of important security tasks

from coalition forces in the north and south of

the country. And in the aftermath of deadly terror bombings, Petraeus noted the Iraqi public is

seeing Iraqi police, emergency workers and

firefighters assisting others and saving lives. 

“They are on the job, along with (the Iraqi)

National Guard at those locations, side-by-side

with coalition forces, or in come cases, not even

asking for coalition-force backup,” Petraeus

said. “That is a sign of progress.”

According to a Coalition Provisional

Authority poll conducted in June and referenced in a Defense Department document

titled “Five Steps to Sovereignty,” 52 percent

of Iraqis cite security as the most pressing

issue facing their country, with rebuilding the

infrastructure identified as the second-mosturgent priority.

Security forces improved

By Gerry J. Gilmore

American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Iraq —

Mosques throughout Sadr City

declared over their publicaddress sytems June 24 that

attacks against coalition forces

should cease. 

The broadcasts addressed

specifically insurgent fighters

affiliated with Muqtada al-Sadr

and the general populace of Sadr

City.

“These announcements about

stopping illegal Mahdi Army

attacks are a positive sign,” said

Col. Robert Abrams, the commander of the 1st Cavalry

Division’s 1st Brigade Combat

Team located in eastern

Baghdad.

With the call for calm in eastern Baghdad by its religious leaders, Abrams noted that his troops

would continue to conduct operations within the district.

“We will continue protecting

key infrastructure and government buildings, training and

integrating Iraqi police, Force

Protection Services and the Iraqi

National Guard,” Abrams said.

“We will continue to strive to

bring essential services to all the

people of Sadr City.”

The 1st BCT commander said

he is optimistic about the

mosque declarations.

“The announcement by the

mosques last night is definitely a

step in the right direction,”

Abrams said.

Call for calm

By Capt. Brian O’Malley

1st Brigade Combat Team

Public Affairs 

Optimism 

follows calls

for peace
WASHINGTON — Army senior leaders have the same concerns as Soldiers

about multiple and long unit deployments, but they’re letting Soldiers know

that changes to lessen those concerns are

on the way.

The Army sent out 100,000 compact

disks with multimedia briefings known

as the Army Campaign Plan to inform

active-duty, Reserve and National Guard

Soldiers and their families that the Army

is significantly changing while it is at

war.

“We are an Army at war, supporting a

nation at war. This is not business as

usual,” said Sgt. Maj. of the Army

Kenneth Preston. “If you look at in the

long term, that isn’t going to change. The

good news is that we’re going to grow

our deployable combat forces by 30 percent.”

But that growth of modularizing the

Army — going from 33 combat brigade

teams to 48 brigade-sized units of action

— is going to take some time, said Army

Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker in

one of the three video presentations on the

Army Campaign CD.

The three videos target separate audiences. Schoomaker addresses the active

Army Lt. Gen. James Helmly, chief of the

Army Reserve, talks to Reserve troops,

and Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the

National Guard, and Maj. Gen. Roger

Schultz, director of the Army National

Guard, address Guard Soldiers.

In addition to the videos, the campaign

includes slide presentations for each of

the audiences and an additional brief for

family members. Preston said that a single briefing wouldn’t work as the active

force, Army Reserve and Army National

Guard all have separate issues that impact

them.

The briefings are for officer and enlisted leaders down to company-level so that

they can chain teach.

“There is big interest out there about

what does transformation mean,” Preston

said. “I tell Soldiers that is about predictability and stability for you and your

family.”

In addition to modularity, the active

Army video and briefing discuss force

stabilization. The initiative is about

Soldiers being based at one installation

for most of their careers rather than moving from fort to fort every two to three

years. It also includes assigning Soldiers

as a unit at the same time for a three-year

period.

There are several advantages to force

stabilization, Preston said. Unit readiness

is increased as Soldiers have the stability

of working with the same team members

and same leaders rather than constantly

losing people due to a Cold-War era individual replacement system. Though

Soldiers will likely deploy several times

in a career, spouses know the community

and can keep on working in a career

instead of having to start all over again in

a new job with the constant moves the

older system required.

“There are some concerns about getting stagnant or not getting the right

positions needed for promotion by staying at the same installation,” Preston

said. “We recognize those concerns and

are working to ensure that those concerns do not turn into issues.”

Preston said he had spent seven years in

one unit at one point during his 29-year

career with no ill effects. He said that he

has many friends who have spent their

entire career with the XVIII Airborne

Corps and advanced through the ranks at

the same rates with their contemporaries

who constanly moved from fort to fort

every two to three years.

The biggest issue for the Army National

Guard is modularizing into mirror combat

formations with the active force while

continuing to fulfill each unit’s state militia mission, according to the Army

Campaign Plan briefing.

For the Army Reserve, the issue is

becoming more expeditionary while

reducing the number of units to staff the

remainder at 100 percent with Soldiers

fully qualified to deploy.

“As the Army grows, we can make

some other changes to do something

about deployments –- maybe cut them to

nine months or maybe back to six,”

Preston said.

The briefings and video presentations

are available online at www.army.mil/thewayahead/acp.html.

July 2, 2004 Scimitar Page 3

Pentagon fields 100K campaign CDs

By Joe Burlas

Army News Serivce

Weapons check 

Senior Airman Bryan Fletcher, a vehicle operator with the 2632nd Air Expeditionary

Force Transportation Company, checks an M2 .50-caliber machine gun prior to the

arrival of a convoy in Iraq June 12. The 2632nd is responsible for providing security to military and civilian convoys as they transport supplies to forward operating bases throughout Iraq.

Tech. Sgt. Scott Reed, U.S. Air Force

The Department of Defense

and the U. S. Postal Service are

launching a series of initiatives

intended to expedite the delivery of absentee ballots to U. S.

military personnel abroad for

this year’s general election.

Postal employees at the local

level will contact each of the

approximately 3,000 county

election offices throughout the

country to coordinate the mailing of absentee ballots.

County election officials are

currently accepting voter registrations and requests for

absentee ballots. Once ballots

are prepared for mailing, local

post offices will facilitate the

initial mailings of ballots via

overnight Express Mail to the

three military gateways (San

Francisco, Miami and New

York). This will take place

approximately 30 to 45 days

prior to Election Day.

After the initial ballot mailings, remaining ballots will be

expedited on a daily basis from

local post offices to military

gateways.

USPS will determine the

number of ballots per location

at the gateways, sort by destination, and then place in specially marked containers providing visibility to give the

highest priority while being

transported to their destination.

The Military Postal System

will then take over to ensure

that ballots are given priority

handling at overseas destinations and will make every

attempt to deliver as expeditiously as possible. The MPS

is a division of the DoD and

operated as an extension of the

USPS.

The MPS will ensure each

completed ballot is given a

proper, legible postmark at the

time of mailing and will also

place balloting materials in

easily identifiable containers

to ensure they are given priority in transportation back to the

USPS gateways. 

The ballots will then be

given priority processing for

delivery back to county election officials.

This ambitious initiative is

intended to give every service

member the opportunity to

vote so that his or her ballot

can be counted.

DOD, postal 

service announce

ballot initiative

Service members are encouraged to 

submit stories and photographs to the Scimitar.

Email your submissions 

to cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com
Page 4 Scimitar July 2, 2004

Editor in Chief

Staff Sgt. Christopher Land

Managing Editor

Sgt. Brian Stockhoff

Staff

Spc. Jeffrey Hillery 

Marine Cpl. Craig Stowell

MNF-I Commanding General

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez

MNF-I PAO

Rear Adm. Gregory J. Slavonic

Command Information Chief

Capt. Patrick A. Swan 

The Scimitar is an authorized publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of this

paper are not necessarily the official views of or endorsed by the U.S. Government or Department of

Defense. The editorial content of this publication is the responsibility of the Public Affairs Office of

the Multi-National Force - Iraq. Stars and Stripes newspaper is not affiliated with MNF-I and acts only

as a distributing source for the Scimitar. Questions and comments should be directed to the editor at

cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com.

The Scimitar welcomes units to

submit their own Unsung Heros.

Photos and short summaries of

accomplishments should be sent to

cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com

The Scimitar can also 

be viewed on the web at

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/coalitionnews/publications.htm

Suicide is tragic and irreversible.

Sadly, about 30,000 Americans are

known to kill themselves each year and

many other unexplained or unusual

deaths are also probably due to suicide.

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of

death among US adults and is as frequent a cause of death as diabetes or

homicide. Although the rate of suicide

among American adults

has been dropping over

the past 40 years, it has

actually been rising for

people 18 to 30.

Among those who are

15 to 24, suicide is

now the third leading

cause of death. 

With early and effective intervention, the

number of suicides in

the US would go down.

An important way of

lowering the risk of

suicide is to recognize

the factors that tend to

be associated with it.

At the same time, everyone should also

be aware that some suicides occur with

no warning signs being present. Those

close to the suicide victim should never

try to second guess about what they

may or may not have seen in the person

that could have suggested the possibility of suicide. 

Several factors have been related to

risk for suicide.(see sidebar). These

conditions are often cumulative, meaning that the higher the number of individual risk factors present, the greater

the risk of suicide.

Many of these risk factors are straightforward, but three merit special comment. They are loss of a meaningful relationship, the role of a support network

and alcohol as a factor in suicide. 

Service members often get emotionally involved with another person very

early and tend to get married at a very

young age. Not surprisingly, the rate of

separation and divorce for young married troops is quite high, especially if

they are on long or frequent deployments. This group is at particular risk

of suicide due to the breakup of a significant relationship. 

Having a positive

support group and at

least a few people with

whom one can talk

“from the heart” and

whom the person

knows genuinely care

about his or her welfare can be a real aid in

dealing with life’s

stresses in constructive

ways rather than in

self-destructive ones.

Alcohol is related to

suicide in several

ways. Twenty percent

of those who commit

suicide are dependent on alcohol, and

the risk for suicide by an alcoholic is at

least 60 times that for a non alcoholic.

From 3 to 7 percent of alcoholics eventually commit suicide. Fortunately with

successful treatment for the alcohol

problem, the risk of suicide goes down

— although it tends to rise again if the

person relapses to drinking.

Consistent heavy drinking, even

without being dependent on alcohol,

adds to suicide risk. One large study

showed that the rate of suicide for

people who averaged six or more

drinks a day was more than 6.3 times

as high of that for people who did not

drink at all.

Finally, alcohol intoxication increases

risk of suicide. Being inebriated makes

people more impulsive and they may

act on suicide urges that they could

control when they were sober.

How to deal with someone you

think may be at suicide risk:

Often there are things you notice in

someone close to you that make you

suspicious that something serious is

going wrong. If you suspect that a person may be thinking about suicide, you

should not be afraid to directly ask.

You should, of course, do this with delicacy and compassion. It is always

important to be yourself when you talk,

to be supportive and understanding and

to be a good listener. You should

always avoid preaching at the person.

If you think that there is a chance that

the person may attempt suicide, immediately make a referral to a mentalhealth provider. Don’t leave the person

alone and be sure there are no means

around for committing suicide. You

should also try to get the person to

make a commitment to not commit suicide within a given period of time. One

of the things you might mention to the

person is that almost all people who

have tried to commit suicide, but failed

to do it, are grateful later that they are

still alive.

The military services are deeply concerned about suicide and have taken

steps to remove any possible stigma for

seeking help from a mental-health

counselor. The tragedy of suicide can

not be overestimated. Effective treatment is available for suicide risk.

Suicide: An often avoidable tragedy

Examples of factors

associated with suicide

Demographic factors

Male

White, Native American or 

Alaskan vs. being Hispanic or 

African American

Being an aging white male

Coming from a family with a 

history of suicide 

Divorced, widowed or living 

alone

Psychiatric factors

Depression

Alcoholism or relapse in 

alcoholism recovery

Past suicidal attempt

Other psychiatric problems 

(especially anxiety or 

personality disorders)

Life stressors

Loss of a meaningful personal 

relationship

Military disciplinary action

Financial or legal problems

Behaviors that often 

precede suicide

Recent visit to a physician 

Heavy alcohol consumption or 

drug use

Obsession with death

Plans for suicide

Discussing suicide

Obtaining a weapon

Giving away one’s 

possessions

Lack of Coping Resources

Lack of a social support 

network

Lack of religious involvement

PERSPECTIVES

Guest Column

Lt. Col. John P. Allen

Lt. Col. John P. Allen is an Army

Reserve officer assigned to the

785th Medical Company (Combat

Stress Control). He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and

recently retired from the National

Institutes of Health.
July 2, 2004 Scimitar Page 5

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The 1st

Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment

“Headhunters” of 3rd Brigade

Combat Team, 1st Cavalry

Division checked off three community projects here June 16.

The Fine Arts Institute, alMa’Aree Primary School and a

playground were officially

opened that day.

Nearly $400,000 was put into

the three projects. The unit

hired Iraqi contractors for each

one. The Fine Arts Institute

Project employed more than

100 Iraqis.

Beginning in the morning,

Soldiers from 1-9 Cav. convoyed

to the al-Ma’Aree Primary

School. Members from the

neighborhood advisory council

joined the Soldiers in a ribboncutting ceremony to mark the

completion of construction,

which began May 18. The

school needed electrical, plumbing and masonry work done.

“Basically, we want a safer

environment for the kids to go

to school,” said Staff Sgt. Terry

Bacon, the civil affairs noncommissioned officer in charge for

1-9 Cav. “It’s better than the

broken windows and doors.”

Leaving the school, the

Soldiers headed to the newly

built playground, where members of the NAC were putting

up a sign that says in English

and Arabic, “Resourced and

supervised by 1st Cav. (1-9

Cav.) and the NAC of Sheikh

Junaid.”

The playground was “a big

pile of trash and rubble,” Bacon

said. “That’s all it was.”

Now, the playground includes

24 pieces of equipment, trash

containers and a security fence.

2nd Lt. Pat Miller and Capt.

Jason Kniffen played with the

children on a merry-go-round,

seesaw and slide while they visited the playground.

“There are a lot of kids,”

Bacon said. “Basically, on that

road there are four schools. It

gives the kids a place to play in

a safe and clean environment.”

The last and biggest of the

three projects was the Fine Arts

Institute. Construction began in

mid April. Lt. Col. Thomas

MacDonald, the 1-9 Cav. commander, attended the event.

Members of the NAC and the

school gave a tour of the school,

after which the Iraqis brought all

the Soldiers into a room filled

with a feast of Arabic food.

Before a construction project

can be started, the unit tasks

engineers to check the project

and give an estimated bid,

Bacon said. But the unit doesn’t want to interfere with the

children’s schoolwork.

“We want to hold off on starting projects until they complete

their final exams,” Bacon said.

The Headhunters said they

are happy about what they are

doing for the community and

the rebuilding of Iraq.

“I think it’s going pretty

good,” Bacon said. “We’ve

done some projects on schools,

fine-arts and trash. I think it’s

having a pretty good impact.”

‘Headhunters’ open schools, playground

Story and photo by 

Spc. Bryan D. Kinkade

1st Cavalry Division 

Public Affairs

Capt. Jason Kniffen, civil affairs officer for 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, seesaws

with an Iraqi boy at the playground in the Sheikh Junaid neighborhood June 16.

Getting

at

home

on the

range

First Sgt. Gilbert M. Stewart observes an Iraqi National Guard soldier firing

an M4 carbine during small-arms range training his company conducted

with the ING’s 30th Brigade June 15. The 1st Cavalry Division’s

Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade combat team conducted the training

that included range safety, range duties, range conduct, primary marksmanship instruction and crosstraining on M16/M4 rifles and AK47s.

The ING soldiers “were very professional and were quick to learn and

adapt to our range procedures,” said Capt. Jeyanthan Jeyasingam, the

company commander.

Submitted by 1st Infantry Division

BAGHDAD, Iraq — One hundred Iraqi Police Service officers

from Najaf will began special “military operations in urban terrain”

training at the Kurkush Military

Training Base east of here June 19

as the third IPS iteration to negotiate the specialized instruction.

Two previous iterations of the

six-day highly specialized tactical

“city fighting” instruction at the

base has run an additional 141IPS

officers from Karbala and Baghdad

through the training.

The fourth iteration will again

involve additional officers from

Baghdad as part of the Civilian

Police Assistance Training Team’s

original plan to send some 400 IPS

servicemen through the training.

“This training is in direct

response to the type of fighting we

have seen in Najaf, Fallujah and

other places,” said CPATT

Operations Officer U.S. Army Lt.

Col. Robert K. Byrd.“This training

is necessary to give the IPS the

skills they need to increase their

own survivability and to be more

effective in the type of warfare we

have seen in recent weeks. It provides them with the city fighting

skills that they normally would not

have.”

The training will be followed by

additional special-operations training in designated units. In the

course of that instruction, officers

learn special movement, building

defense, room and building

entrance and clearing techniques

and other special skills.

CPATT, the police arm of the

Office of Security Transition, is

specifically tasked with the training, equipping and mentoring of the

Iraqi civil security forces.

“This is just another small step in

a much larger training strategy that

CPATT is planning to execute,”

Byrd said. “Iraq is a dangerous

place right now, and it is only

through the dedication and sacrifice

of the IPS that Iraq will survive this

phase and move on to be a free, safe

and prosperous country.”

Iraqi Police Service

begins specialized 

military training

By Sgt. Jared Zabaldo 

Office of Security Transition

Public Affairs
Page 6 Scimitar July 2, 2004

TAJI, Iraq — For the Soldiers of

Company B, 2nd Battalion of the 162nd

Infantry Regiment, June 10 started like

any other day. 

The mission was to convoy to Forward

Operating Base Gunslinger linking up

with an element from 3rd Battalion of

the 153rd Infantry Regiment to perform

a battlefield hand off. 

“Our whole day was just meant as a sort

of right-seat ride for 3rd of the 153rd as

we turned over some of our area to them,”

said 2nd Lt. Everett Perrin, the fire support

officer for Bravo Co., 2-162, 2-7 Cavalry,

1st Cavalry Division. “As we were driving

down River Road, I noticed a gentleman

standing in the middle of the street trying

to wave us down. A person standing in the

road waving at us is nothing unusual, but

as we pulled closer, we noticed the blood.”

Wary of the recent car bombings and

ambushes, Perrin pulled his convoy to

the side of the street approximately 300

meters away from the individual.

Upon reaching the man, Spc. Joseph

Kennedy, a combat life-saver with six

years experience, began assessing him as

the interpreter tried to figure out what

happened.

“I immediately noticed he had been shot

at least twice,” Kennedy said. “The guy

was pretty shook up, and as far as I could

tell, he was mumbling something about

his brother in a vehicle down the way.”

Working side by side with Kennedy,

the team’s interpreter learned that the

brother in question was one of four others, all members of the man’s family.

The man and his family were traveling

down the road when several unidentified

individuals stepped out from behind

some bushes and opened fire on their

sport utility vehicle. The attack blew out

all the windows, causing the driver to

lose control of the vehicle, which rolled

off the road and down an embankment.

The Soldiers did not know if the

wounded man was part of a ruse to

attack coalition forces. 

“If Anti-Iraqi forces are willing to

commit suicide to attack us, certainly

they would be willing to take a few bullet wounds to drag a group of American

Soldiers into an ambush,” Perrin said.

Deciding the situation warranted the

risk, Perrin had his troops remount their

vehicles and move to the position indicated by the wounded man.

“We pulled back a bit from the exact spot

the guy had told us to go to, and I had [the]

men form a really tight security perimeter,”

he said. “My team is really good and

focused at what they do, but I advised them

of the situation and my concerns and cautioned them to be extra sharp.”

Taking the team to the location, Perrin

observed the vehicle at the bottom of the

embankment. As the wounded man had

said, the vehicle was completely shot up. 

“As we were moving down the

embankment, we could hear the painful

cries of someone coming from the

truck,” Perrin said, “so we picked it up a

notch and quickly got to the scene.”

When they arrived at the truck, they

found another individual lying in the

back seat.

“The second guy was in pretty bad

shape,” Kennedy said. “As soon as we

got there, we began doing everything we

could to stabilize and treat him.”

While Kennedy worked to treat the

man in the truck, Perrin heard another

cry coming from behind a concrete barrier. Running to the barrier, Perrin discovered another victim. Before he could

shout “medic,” Kennedy was on the

scene treating the patient.

“At this point, the situation was starting

to get bigger than we were able to maintain,” Perrin said. “With only 20 guys on

the patrol, security and treating patients

was starting to stretch us a little thin,

especially after the first guy told us he

thought the individuals responsible were

still in the area. It was about this time that

word came down that one of my guys had

started calling in a [medical evacuation].”

Staff Sgt. Kevin Hassett of Eugene,

Ore., relied on his experience and training to determine to evacuate the wounded even before the order was given.

“I’ve seen situations like this before,

and these guys were in a really bad way

that needed serious treatment immediately

or they were going to die,” Hassett said.

Hassett said the Soldiers immediately

jumped in giving grid coordinates, number of casualties,and identifying an

acceptable landing zone.

“Once we found out the birds were

coming, we began getting the casualties

onto litters and preparing them for transport,” Perrin said.

The next problem the Soldiers faced

was trying to figure out how to get the

wounded to the landing zone. Fortuitously,

a truckload of Iraqi Police pulled up and

helped move the wounded to a field where

the helicopters could land. 

Once the helicopters landed, Perrin

and his Soldiers assisted the flight crew

in loading the casualties. After they were

loaded, the team began the convoy back

to Camp Cooke.

“I’m really proud of the way my guys

reacted and worked together in this

whole incident,” Perrin said.

Life saver

Story and photo by 

Cpl. Benjamin Cossel

122nd Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

Soldiers of Company B, 2-162 Infantry help a flight crewman load victims of an assault onto a helicopter for

medical evacuation June 10. Company B was performing a battlefield hand-over of locations within their area

of operation to 3-153 Infantry when they came upon a man who had been shot and stopped to render aid. 

Routine operation becomes life-saving mission

Worship is at 332nd Air Expeditionary

Wing Chapel, unless otherwise noted.

Catholic Daily Mass: Tuesday through

Friday, 6 p.m.

Vigil Mass: Saturday, 6 p.m.

Confessions: 5-5:30 p.m. in the Blessed

Sacrament Room

Sunday Mass: 8 a.m.

POC: Chaplain Martin King at 459-0038

Protestant Traditional: Sunday, 9:30 a.m

Liturgical Communion: Sunday, 10:30

Gospel Service: Sunday, 11:45 p.m.

Contemporary Choir practice: Sunday, 6 p.m.

Contemporary Worship: Sunday, 7 p.m.

POC: Chaplain Michael Warner at 459-0038

Latter-Day Saints Lay-Led Service:

Friday, 8 p.m.

POC: Chapel staff, 459-0038

Jewish Lay-Led Service: Friday, 8 p.m.

POC: Chapel staff, 459-0038

Muslim (LSA Adder Chapel) Prayer:

12:30 p.m. and sunset daily

Bible Studies

Women’s: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. (chapel)

Men’s: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. (chapel annex)

Catholic: (RCIA) Thurs, 6:30 p.m. (chapel

annex)

Catholic Sunday: 6:30 p.m. (chapel annex)

Men and Women

Thursday 7:30 p.m. (chapel annex)

LDS Study Thursday, 7:30 p.m. (chapel

annex)

Tallil Air Base Religious Worship Services
July 2, 2004 Scimitar Page 7

Iraq in Brief

Marine programs, contracts aid 

Al Anbar province

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq — Marines in Al Anbar province

are in the midst of projects that will infuse $235,000 into the

local economy and provide improvements to local policing, Iraqi

National Guard programs, community centers, a school and a

local mosque.

Marine civil military operations projects in the province

include:

— A literacy program intended to ensure up to 2,000 local

Iraqi police are proficient in reading to at least the 6th-grade

level. 

— A civil affairs training course to familiarize ING officers

with civil affairs, law of war and area assessment for militaryassisted improvements to communities. 

— Improvements to a primary school, a youth center, a recreation center and a mosque. 

TF Danger Soldiers find weapons caches

TIKRIT, Iraq — Task Force Danger Soldiers found two

weapons caches in northeast Iraq June 16.

The first cache was discovered south of Tuz at around 10:30

a.m. and consisted of an anti-tank mine and a surface-to-air missile. An Iraqi citizen led Soldiers to an anti-tank weapon system,

complete with five missiles, near Ad Dujayl around 1:30 p.m. 

Both caches were transported for destruction.

Marines aid in Iraqi quality of life, security projects

AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq — Marine civil affairs teams

here recently signed contracts and donated vehicles as part of a

quality-of-life improvement initiative for province residents.

Marines in Fallujah awarded contracts totaling more than

$75,000 to renovate three local schools. In addition, Marines

donated a car to police in Nassir Wa Al Salaam and contracted

for an ambulance for Saqlawiyah. Marine civil affairs teams also

purchased more than $23,000 worth of seeds for Iraqi farmers. 

Marines, Soldiers fund civil affairs 

projects, donate supplies

AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq — Marines and Soldiers

recently contributed nearly a quarter million dollars worth of civil

affairs projects and supplies to cities here, including Habbiniyah,

Khalidiyah and Ar Ramadi. 

More than $248,000 went to pay for everything from supplies

and labor for water projects and school improvements to medical

furniture and generators for health clinics. An additional $50,000

worth of medical supplies, books and training aids were donated

to the Ar Ramadi General Hospital.

Senior Iraqi NCOs graduate from academy

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Four hundred twenty-one Iraqi army

senior noncommissioned officers recently graduated from the

Kurkush military training base's NCO Academy Senior NCO

Course. The class was the fourth to graduate. 

The six-week course included infantry, leadership, land navigation, fitness, combat orders and weapons training in addition to

logistics and other combat-service-support training. 

NCO graduates now report to Iraqi army brigades as unit cadre

members. They will be assigned to battalions preparing to run

newly enlisted recruits through their initial-entry basic training at

training bases throughout the country.

The course was the Coalition Military Assistance Training

Team's final senior NCO course at the base's academy as the

prior to the transition transition of sovereignty Monday.

The Kurkush academy offers other NCO-development courses

including a squad leaders' course and military skills training

instruction in areas such as communications, maintenance and

supply. The base also conducts battalion basic training for the

Iraqi army.

WASHINGTON — No longer will the media in

small towns nationwide need to wait for CNN or

FOX to get news from Iraq. 

They can now do it themselves.

In late June the Army launched a $6.3 million

project called the Digital Video and Imagery

Distribution System.

DVIDS allows Army news crews in Iraq, Kuwait

and Afghanistan — called mobile public affairs

detachments — to beam text, photos and footage to

a “teleport” in Atlanta.

DVIDS users in the states, ranging from the civilian media to military personnel seeking to acquire

information from the field, will then be able to

acquire the real-time, broadcast-quality products

from a centralized, archived database via the satellite

feed. Or, if they want to conduct live press briefings

or interviews, they can request it, officials said.

The service is free.

The principle benefit of the system, said Col. Rick

Thomas, the public affairs officer for Third Army,

based at Fort McPherson, Ga., is to provide

deployed commanders and concerned groups the

ability to keep in touch with each other, whether

through press briefings, interviews or other medium. 

“The speed is the critical thing,” said Lt. Col. Will

Beckman, the public affairs officer in charge of the

project for Third U.S. Army. “There's nothing new in

this. We can just do it much, much faster and at

greater quality.”

Additional benefits include “enhancing the quality of the products and the ability to distribute those

products both internally and externally,” said

Thomas.

Anyone can sign up for the service, but requests

for high-quality broadcast video can only be sent

through fiber-optic wire or a domestic digital satellite. 

“We don’t do tapes. We don't do CDs,” said

Beckman. Any requestor looking for more than still

images or print would have to have a satellite-downlink capability or a fiber wire.

Once on the system's distribution list, clients

By Justin Ward 

Army News Service

‘Devil docs’ celebrate 106th

See DVIDS, page 10

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq

— Twenty-one Medals of

Honor, 174 Navy Crosses, 942

Silver Stars, 1,554 Bronze Stars

and thousands of other personal

decorations awarded to hospital

corpsmen confirm the dedication and fearlessness shown by

corpsmen throughout their 106-

year history. 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

corpsmen here at Camp

Fallujah reflected on their predecessors' heroic achievements,

captured by Vice Adm. Harold

Koenig, former Navy surgeon

general, on the 106th birthday

of Navy corpsmen. 

The corpsmen celebrated

their birthday at the Camp

Fallujah chapel June 17 with a

ceremony that began with a

speech from Col. John A.

Toolan, the commanding officer

of Regimental Combat Team 1. 

Toolan spoke about the selfassurance that corpsmen display throughout the Navy and

Marine Corps. 

“When [corpsmen] bring that

level of confidence to the

Marine team,” that corpsman

becomes a Marine’s best friend,

said Toolan.

After his remarks, Toolen

participated in the traditional

cake-cutting ceremony, serving

the oldest corpsman and the

youngest corpsman present the

first pieces of cake. 

In his statement on the

corpsmen birthday, Chief of

Naval Operations Adm. Vern

Clark said, “When (injured

servicemembers) become ill,

injured or wounded in battle, a

hospital corpsman has always

been nearby to heal and provide solace.”

The ceremony concluded

with the ringing of a bell, commemorating all fallen corpsmen

from past and present wars. 

“Being out in the field, I

think, represents an essence of

what the Hospital Corps is all

about,” said Chief Petty Officer

Paul E. Jones, a corpsman with

Bravo Surgical Company, 1st

Force Service Support Group. 

During Operation Vigilant

Resolve, the corpsmen here

proved themselves time after

time. More than 200 wounded

Marines, soldiers and sailors

were treated during April alone.

It was a sight unlike what some

saw a year ago during the initial stages of Operation Iraqi

Freedom.

“It’s different this year,” said

Navy Lt. Kevin R. Poole, a

physician assistant with the surgical company. “Last year we

were removed from the sounds

of war. This year we are trying

to take care of these guys while

the mortars are coming in. I

call it organized chaos.”

For some, that organized

chaos helps them understand

the value of their traditions.

“Being out here makes me

happy to be a corpsman, out

here doing what I’ve been

trained to do,” said Seaman

Arthur J. Samot, 19, a corpsman with Bravo Surgical

Company, 1st FSSG, and the

youngest sailor at the ceremony. “I love the green side.”

Story and photo by 

Lance Cpl. J.C. Guibord

1st Marine Expeditionary

Force Public Affairs

Seaman Holly A. Jordan, a hospital corpsman with Bravo

Surgical Company, 1st Force Service Support Group,

rings the bell in memory of fallen "devil docs" of past

American wars during a celebration of the 106th birthday

of Navy corpsmen June 17.

Army beams media imagery to U.S.
Page 8 Scimitar July 2, 2004

TAJI, Iraq — A bead of sweat rolled down the

Soldier's forehead as he twisted the screwdriver, knocking

away months of dust and oil, slowly removing the screw. 

“Looks like the alternator is bad,” sounded his voice

underneath the raised hood of a military vehicle. “We’ll

have to deadline this one until we can get a replacement

part. But we have to make sure we get those guys something they can use before the day is over.”

Working 24-hour shifts, mechanics of Headquarters

Company, 3rd Battalion 153rd Infantry ensure that

vehicles needed by their infantrymen counterparts are

fully functional.

“If we don't do our job, and do it right, our Gunslingers

can't go out the gate and do their job,” said Spc. Paul

Parson, a mechanic with Headquarters Company.

With 13 years experience as a mechanic, the Searcy,

Ark., native has seen almost everything that can go

wrong with a military vehicle and can quickly diagnose the problem.

“I do this both on the civilian and military side, so I’ve

seen most problems numerous times over,” Parson said.

“On average we get about eight or so trucks a day in here.

Most are really easy fixes, needing the air filter dusted

out, a new tire, something like that. But we get the big

problems too, like this one,” he said pointing to a humvee

with its hood open and parts laid out on the workbench

next to him. “We need to replace the pulley system on the

alternator, and that’s going to take a little bit of time.”

Working to ensure that the mechanics can do their

job stands tall, 18-year- old Pfc. Chris Crosby of

Headquarters Company.

“I dispatch all the vehicles, make sure all the parts are

available, order parts when the guys need them and keep

inventory of everything we have in this shop,” Crosby

said.

The Warren, Ark., resident starts looking for a piece of

paper indicating the number of bolts in the shop.

“We’re running a little low, and the guys have been on

me to order some more,” Crosby said. “They’re a nice

group of fellows I really enjoy working here.”

As Crosby reviews his paperwork, the sounds of a cutting torch firing fills the air, mixing with the scent of

melted steel. 

Across the room local Iraqis are busy cutting steel

sheets to mount on the side of a vehicle.

“We’ve been working with the locals since we got here

about three months ago,” said Spc. Bill Kellems, also a

mechanic and resident of Searcy, Ark. “They do everything with us, from working on the trucks to getting us

the occasional part when we’re running low. Their biggest

contribution has been their welding skills, helping us uparmor some of our vehicles.”

Kellems said working with citizens of the area has

another benefit.

“Working with the folks from this area really helps

build a sense of community with us on the base and

citizens in the villages right outside the wire,” he said.

“Plus, it gives them a job enabling them to put money

back into the economy buying food for their family

and taking care of basic needs.”

Working and living together has welded this group of

mechanics into an ironclad team.

“Working together and then playing together helps

form a really tight unit,” Kellems said. “That’s what we

are, a really tight unit making sure our [infantrymen] can

do what they need so we can all go home.”

Story and photos by Cpl. Benjamin Cossel

122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

TAJI, Iraq — Several heavy thumps

of incoming rounds thunder in the distance. 

“Corporal, get on the radio and find

out what is going on over there,” an officer ordered. 

“I can’t raise anyone, sir. The radio

must be broken.”

In modern-day warfare, battles are

fought as much by computers, phones

and radios as they are by ground troops,

rifles and explosive ordnance. Keeping

the 4th Brigade Combat Team’s communication and electronic equipment in

good working order falls to an 11-man

team of repair technicians. 

“We have what I think is one of the

most important jobs in the Army,” said

Spc. Mike Wiley, a computer automations repair technician with the communications and electronics shop, Bravo

Company, 615th Aviation Support

Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st

Cavalry Division. “If people can’t communicate, they can't work.”

Given the hot, dusty environment,

their small unit size and that they provide all communications-repair support

for the 4th BCT as well as the Division

Support Command, the 615th has a

seemingly insurmountable task.

“We support all the ground maintenance for Camp Cooke,” explained

Warrant Officer Larry Melvin, the officer in charge of the 615th. 

The Force XXI Battle Command

Brigade and Below (FBCB2) systems,

the vehicle mounted battle-tracking

computers, also fall under the 615th’s

area of responsibility. 

“That computer system gives you hazards, known enemy locations as well

friendlies,” said Melvin. “You can touch

a point on the screen and get whatever

information you need. Without the

FBCB2, you are navigating by map and

PLGR,” or precision lightweight GPS

receiver.

Melvin went on to explain that all

equipment repair requests come into

their shop with a high priority level. 

“We are required to turn it around

operational within 72 hours,” he said. “I

have a group of stellar performers. Like

any other Soldier, they get the job done.

I have a take-charge shop foreman and

noncommissioned officer in charge; they

take care of business.”

The shop repairs single channel

ground to air radio systems, night-vision

goggles, phones, switchboards, power

supplies and what we call computer-offshelf equipment. 

“For the time we have been here, we

have repaired over 400 pieces of equipment,” said Staff Sergeant Richard

Fairley, the shop foreman and a Mt.

Olive, Miss., native. “We are the only

unit in theater that is able to repair communications-security equipment. We are

the only unit able to repair the ANCDs,”

or automated net control devices.

The volume of work caused by the

extreme conditions and the stress of

short turnaround repair times has provided a unique opportunity for the junior

enlisted troops.

“I like the section I'm in; that is what

makes me like my job,” said 19-year-old

Pfc. Ryan Scully, a special electronics

repair technician from Phoenix. “The

NCOs are knowledgeable, open-minded

and give good training.”

The training the Soldiers of the 615th

bring to the repair table is made up of

five military occupational specialties.

The small team is made up of radio

repairmen, special-electronics-device

repair technicians, communication-systems maintainers, wire systems installation/repair technicians and computersystems repair technicians.

“We are really diverse,” said Melvin.

“We stress cross training. It makes the

whole shop run smoother when everybody can do everybody else’s job.”

Picking up a set of NVGs from the

worktable, Scully explained to Wiley the

necessary troubleshooting steps to identify the problem. The light banter and

easygoing manner with which the team

members treat each other is indicative of

their level of camaraderie.

“We are a tight knit group,” said

Fairley. “We are like family. We try to

keep each other’s spirits up because it's

not always about the mission - it is also

about taking care of the Soldiers.”

By Sgt. Merrion LaSonde

122nd Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

Repairmen keep 1st Cav communicating

Mechanics keep ‘Gunslingers’ rolling

An Iraqi citizen working at Forward Operating

Base Gunslinger cuts a piece of metal that will

be part of an armor kit for a humvee.

Spc. Paul Parson, a mechanic with

Headquarters Company, 3-153 Infantry, works

to remove a part from a humvee recently parked

in the shop for repairs.
July 2, 2004 Scimitar Page 9

BAGHDAD, Iraq — More than 200

non commissioned officers have

become a vital Army asset by providing

air cover for patrols who protect convoys, perform raids, respond to mortar

and road bomb attacks and train Iraqis

to provide for their own security. 

They’re part of a Tactical Air Control

Party, which is a self-supporting team

made up of communications, weather,

radio, intelligence, logistics and special

forces members. With their combined

efforts, they can call in an F-15 to perform a show of force, an AC-130 gunship to eliminate nests of insurgent

forces or an unmanned aerial vehicle to

bring in surveillance intel, among other

missions.

“Our role is to support the coalition

ground forces in order to set the stage

for a new Iraqi government to eventually become independent.,” said Lt. Col.

Neil Roghair, the Air Support

Operations Center director. “We are

using air power in very unconventional

ways to support an unconventional mission. At the heart of our mission are

highly skilled NCOs who bring the

right assets to the right people at the

right time. This used to be an all-officer job, but Air Force took a chance

years ago by allowing NCOs to control

air. It has paid big dividends and they

have emerged as the stars of the show

in Iraq. The missions here involve

bombs and bullets, but they also

include surveillance, car chases and

flying airplanes over tense situations to

send a message. Our TACP NCOs

make incredilbe things happen over

here, and very few people are aware of

them.”

It’s NCOs such as Tech. Sgt. David

Novak, a satellite communications

expert, who ensures that the teams on

the ground and in the air can talk to

each other through multiple venues.

He deployed with a new communications package that the Department of

Defense wanted to field test, and in 30

days he taught himself the system and

had it operational. They’ve also used

new equipment to beam communication

lines through the air instead of having

to rely on ground cable.

“The toughest part about our job has

been venturing into some unknown territory with this new technology,” said Novak.

“But that’s been the greatest reward as

well. We've found solutions for the first

time that didn't have ‘book answers.’”

It's also NCOs such as Tech. Sgt.

Christopher Bates, who has become the

“go-to guy” throughout Iraq for radiomaintenance issues. He's assigned to

the 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort

Hood and ensures that their patrols

have reliable communications.

Then there are NCOs such as Tech.

Sgt. Kevin Davis, a special operations

team member who provides “eyes on

target” to call in close air support and

who coordinates air assets for training

the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force.

Training the Iraqis to provide for

their own security needs has become a

focus of the Coalition mission this past

year as Iraq prepares for the transition

of sovereignty June 30. Working security issues come from TACP units in

various ways. 

Lt. Col. Joseph Snow said a majority

of their missions within the 9th

Expeditionary Air Support Operations

Squadron have been to provide surveillance capabilities for the Coalition and

for Iraqi security forces.

“We’re able to respond to threats in a

quick, timely manner thanks to our

TACPs. For instance, one of our camps

came under mortar attack in May, injuring

several people. Our TACPs coordinated a

quick response from two F-15 fighters

which then passed off intel to helicopter

units and to Iraqi and U.S. military police

units that detained the perpetrators. We

haven’t had any mortar rounds going off

there since then. We may not be actually

dropping bombs on target, but we're definitely making a difference in keeping our

people safe,” said Snow.

TACPs such as Davis who serve within the special-operations arena do call in

the firepower and have done so with the

Army since Sept. 11. This is his second

tour to Iraq after having also served in

Afghanistan. This time, though, Davis is

working with the Army to train Iraqis to

perform similar missions. The Iraqis

acquired $65 million of Saddam's money

that is being used to buy weapons, gear

and vehicles and to build facilities and

bring in support capabilities for the

ICTF. Team members from the ICTF

were selected from throughout Iraq and

have gone through a selection process

before being assigned to the ICTF.

“They’ve come a long way in their

training. When we were first teamed up

several months ago, we had the lead on

all logistical, operational and planning

issues. Now they’re the ones planning

and starting to take the lead in these areas.

We still have a ways to go, but this group

of soldiers will be the future trainers and

leaders of the ICTF,” said Davis, who

coordinated helicopter support for fastrope training with the Iraqis recently.

One Iraqi soldier said his goal was to

be the best-trained unit in the Middle

East. Another Iraqi soldier, who had

never been in the army before, said,

“Our motto is to lead with an iron fist.

We want to be the best. This training is

very good, and we thank you America

for bringing this training to us.”

During March and April, Coalition

Forces saw some of its heaviest fighting

this year, and TACP teams saved lives on

several occasions. As the Army braces

for a rise in violence, TACP teams will

be needed more than ever. After the

transition, the Interim Iraqi Government

will have the lead on how they want the

Army and the TACP units to assist them

in providing security for their country.

“We could stay busy or we could

completely change directions,” Roghair

said. “I don’t know what ops tempo

the future brings, but what I do know is

that our men and women for the past

two years have done a phenomenal job

out here and are to be commended.”

Air Force members who belong to Tactical Air Control Party teams coordinate air assets for training members of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism

Force. This group is getting ready for fast-rope training, just one of the

many skills being taught jointly by Air Force special operations members and Army special forces teams.

Air Force provides cover from every angle

By Air Force 

Master Sgt. Karen Petitt

Multinational Corps-Iraq 

Public Affairs

Keeping satellite receivers free of debris is just part of a daily checklist for

Tech. Sgt. Davi Novak, the noncomissioned officer in charge of satellite

communications throughout Iraq. He's deployed here as part of a Tactical

Air Control Party team that calls in air support for Army missions.

Pfc. Bryce Dubee, U.S. Army

Spc. Joshua Joyce, U.S. Army 

Tactical Air Control Party NCOs

call in air cover for Army and

train Iraqis for security mission
Page 10 Scimitar July 2, 2004

MISSION

Continued from Page One

said, the transfer of power will not change their

day-to-day mission, but for others it will be a

very visible shift in focus. 

“We will definitely see an increase in our

efforts to help Iraq become more secure, and

much of our effort will be behind the scenes,”

he said. “We’re looking to the Iraqi people to

take the lead in many areas, but it’s not all

going to happen by July 1. It’s a capacity that

we will have to grow over the next several

months.”

He said the transition means that the coalition

force is now a partner to Iraq and that MNC-I will

continue to conduct operations against anti-Iraqi

forces. As time passes, the Iraqi Security Forces

will communicate its readiness to take the lead

and coalition forces will begin to draw back.

While the command has been instrumental in

restoring electricity, building sewage-treatment

facilities, re-opening schools and numerous

other civic projects, its number-one concern is

the security of Iraq.

“The biggest gain we’ll have after the transition, I believe, will be the amount of human

intelligence we’re able to gather,” said Metz.

“With Iraqis taking the lead, I think we’ll see a

greater amount of success in rooting out these

thugs, criminals, former regime members and

insurgents. Our ticket out of here is a safe and

secure Iraq, and this transition brings us one step

closer.”

He said joint coordination centers are being set

up in provinces throughout Iraq and that security

committees will oversee the safety of their areas. 

There will be some coalition presence in these

JCCs, but only for training and coordinating.

Some forward operating bases will be realigned

or closed, but the coalition will always maintain

the capability to re-enter an area full strength

should the need arise, he said.

One indicator of a safe and secure Iraq will be

if the national elections scheduled for December

can be done without violence, said Metz.

The general said having armed guards at every

polling place as Iraqis turn out to vote is not a

sign of success. 

There needs to be security, he said, but it

shouldn’t resemble a battle zone.

“If we can achieve that right balance of security and freedom,” he said, “then we have achieved

success here. We will continue to stay as long as

we’re needed.” 

As the ISF takes the lead, they’re becoming

victim to more attacks, he said.

“We’ll be here to protect them until the threat is

eliminated,” the general said.

Metz, who took command of MNC-I May 15,

said that he appreciates the hard work and dedication of the coalition members during this time.

“I’m proud of [the coalition members’] professionalism and discipline,” he said. “We put you in

complex situations and your work has strategic

importance. Together we can accomplish this

mission safely and ensure freedom prevails.”

Do the right thing.

Remember General Order

Number One.

DVIDS Continued from Page Seven

will have access to “pretty much anything in

the archives,” said Beckman. 

They will also receive “daily bulletins and

e-mail alerts for fast-breaking stories,”

reported the DVIDS Web site, www.dvidshub.net.

“Our responses with the media have been

very, very good,” said Beckman. “Over time,

however, the product will prove itself.”

Before the system’s launch, it had received

flak for being a conduit of propaganda.

Thomas equated the negativism with that of

critics of embedding media prior to Operation

Iraqi Freedom. 

DVIDS, Thomas said, is “another tool that

news [organizations] can use from which to

pull products to support ongoing news. It is

not an attempt to offer anything more than

what we’ve provided so far.”

The system currently uses six portable KUband satellite transmitters positioned with

Army public affairs units in Iraq, Kuwait and

Afghanistan to get the products out, said

Thomas. 

“The band used in the satellite is different

than those being used by other organizations,” Thomas said.

Eventually, more transmitters will be needed, Beckman said. “The appetite is growing.

When the appetite grows, we’re going to

need more capability.”

The system arose out of a plan to standardize broadcast equipment being used in operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

The military wanted a more consistent way to

get news stories to the states and began studying the Norsat NewsLink 3200 satellite system from Norsat International, Thomas said. 

“Equipment-wise, it was pretty bad,” said

Beckman about Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“The chokepoint was the inability to transmit

video products.”

The technology afforded by the Canadian

tech company’s Norsat NewsLink 3200 system, already being used by the Coalition

Press Information Center in Baghdad, looked

promising, Beckman said. It allowed the

Army to transmit high-quality broadcast

pieces quickly. The Army then began constructing the DVIDS system.

The six deployed mobile public affairs

detachments, or MPADs, currently using

DVIDS each have portable news-gathering

technology, including Sony PD 170 camcorders, Nikon D2H still cameras, and laptop computers with Avid Express DV editing software. These MPADs include the

139th MPAD in Mosul, Iraq; the

Washington State National Guard’s 122nd

MPAD in Baghdad, Iraq; the 204th MPAD

in Baghdad, Iraq, at the press information

center there; the 196th MPAD in Tikrit,

Iraq, with the 1st Infantry Division; and the

Kansas Army National Guard’s 105th

MPAD, in Afghanistan.

While the system was supported and funded by the U.S. Army, it is to be used by all

services of the Department of Defense.

SOVEREIGNTY

Continued from Page One

anywhere in the country. We were

producing 300 megawatts of electricity in the entire country. Alot has gotten better.” 

Iraq now has 100,000 police officers on duty across the country,

Bremer said. “There are not enough

yet in Baghdad,” he added. “Schools

and clinics and hospitals have been

reopened, though much has to be

done to improve health care in

Baghdad and in the country.” 

The now ex-administrator

expressed optimism to the council

members for Iraq’s future. “I am very

confident that Iraq in fact will get

through this process of political

development and will wind up as a

beacon for countries in the region as

Iraq has so often been in its very long

5,000-year history,” he said. “The

reason I’m confident is because of

people like you, people all over the

country who are willing to take up

the job and the responsibility for Iraq,

because the most important thing that

happens when sovereignty returns to

the Iraqi government is responsibility returns to the Iraqi people.” 

Bremer assured the Iraqi leaders

that they won’t have to go it alone.

“We will still be here to help you,” he

said. “The multinational forces will

still be here to help with security until

the Iraqi forces are able on their own

to deal with security. The American

government will be here in the form

of a very large American Embassy,

which will help work with Iraqis to

oversee the reconstruction projects

which are now beginning already to

make an impact on the Iraqi economy.” 

The United States will spend

almost $19 billion in Iraq over the

next 15 to 18 months, Bremer said,

much of it on rebuilding of old infrastructure like electricity, water and

sewage systems. 

Another transfer took place earlier,

as all five Iraqi armed forces recruiting centers formally were placed

under the Iraqi defense ministry. The

ceremony was conducted on a 227-

applicant recruiting day – a singleday high for June, officials said. The

transfer was largely a formality, officials added, as the recruiting efforts

at the country’s stations in Baghdad,

Basrah, Mosul, Sulaymaniyah and

Irbil have been almost entirely Iraqirun for nearly two months. 
July 2, 2004 Scimitar Page 11

BAGHDAD, Iraq — In July 2000

the Marine Corps Martial-Arts Program

was designed to improve the war fighting capabilities of the Marines by

increasing self-confidence and esprit de

corps. 

Since January, MCMAP training has

been available to any member of the

U.S. armed forces or coalition partners

at Camp Victory South mornings and

evenings seven days a week.

“MCMAP is based on three basic

principles, called pillars,” said blackbelt instructor Marine Maj. Shaun

Fitzsimmons. “Those pillars are physical, mental and character disciplines.”

Each discipline is steadily broken

down into sections at each belt level.

Every student should experience some

growth within each area before advancing to the next belt. Belts range from

tan belt to sixth-degree black belt. 

“The things I like the most about

MCMAP is that it teaches control and

fundamentals that are necessary in combat,” said Marine Maj. Pat Hernandez.

In addition to selfconfidence, benefits

of MCMAP include unit cohesion and

combat effectiveness, said Fitzsimmons. 

“I have learned a lot from MCMAP,”

said engineer plans officer Guy Coursey.

“It is an all inclusive program that displays

the image that the Marine Corps wants to

present. Members of other branches that

have participated in MCMAP wish that

theirs had a similar program.”

The eagerness of the Soldiers and

other students to learn is very impressive, Fitzsimmons said. They all manage to find time in their hectic schedules to come out.

“I love MCMAP because it focuses

on more than just a physical aspect and

requires a lot of thought,” said Marine

Capt. Leonard Levine. “It provides the

tools and knowledge to apply when

engaged in combat fighting.”

“There is a genuine desire and need

for MCMAP in this area,” said

Fitzsimmons. “Hopefully within the

next rotation, there will be an instructor

willing to pick up the ball. 

Many people have observed us training and want to be involved. I wish

more people would’ve gotten involved

sooner. I enjoyed teaching, and I hope

that I instilled some of the desire I have

for martial arts into my students.”

Martial arts program

boosts confidence

Story and photos by

Spc. J. Tashun Joycé

Multinational Corps-Iraq

Public Affairs 

Marine Maj. Guy Coursey practices

his ground techniques with partner

Marine Capt. Leonard Levine during MCMAP training.

Marine Corps Martial Arts Program students execute throwing techniques

during their morning class.

KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq —

Second Brigade Combat Team, 25th

Infantry Division (Light) has

involved itself with educational concerns since it assumed responsibility

of the Kirkuk area in February. 

One of the most recent 2nd BCT

projects is the adoption of Operation

Crayon, which is being coordinating

through the 2nd BCT Unit Ministry

Team. Operation Crayon is an outreach project that has already been

implemented in other parts of Iraq,

Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo to

assist deployed Soldiers whose mission is to help children in need.

“It’s one part of a huge effort for

America to reach out across the

world,” Maj. Jonathan Etterbeek, the

2nd BCT chaplain, said about the

Operation Crayon project on Kirkuk

Air Base.

The purpose of Operation Crayon

is to seek school supplies so that

American troops can distribute them

to needy children in the countries

where they are deployed. It offers an

approach for posts, units and family

members to support their troops as

they promote goodwill in war-torn

countries.

Currently, 2nd BCT Soldiers and

Airmen are volunteering their time in

this joint operation to stuff bags of

school supplies that are given to

every student in the Kirkuk area.

“Our goal is to provide every child

in our [area of responsibility] with a

school-supplies bag by September,”

said Chief Warrant Officer Randall

Reynolds, an officer with the 2nd

BCT information operations cell who

has volunteered his time to Operation

Crayon.

There are more than 300 schools

and 30,000 students inside 2nd

BCT’s area of operation. So far, the

chaplain’s office has received about

270 packages and has filled 500 bags

of school supplies.

“We still have a long way to go,”

said Staff Sgt. Warren Cotton,

Etterbeek’s assistant.

Operation Crayon supports Iraqi children

By Spc. Sean Kimmons

25th Infantry Division (Light)

Public Affairs

Marine Corps Martial Arts Program

improves warfighting capabilities, 

esprit de corps for deployed troops

Need cash?

The 230th Finance Battalion is on

Steadfast and Loyal Street next to the

bombed-out palace in Tikrit.

Hours of operation:

Mondays — Saturdays

9 a.m.— 5 p.m.

Sundays

10 a.m. — 2 p.m.

Check-cashing limit is $200 per week and the

casual-pay limit is $350 per month.

A DA Form 2142 (pay inquiry) signed by an E-7

or above is needed for casual pay.
Page 12 Scimitar July 2, 2004

After Capt. Alexander Rasmussen gave one of the children at the AlWoede Nursery a water gun, the boy squirts one of the staff members.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — “It starts with the

community,” said Capt. Henry Alvarez,

the Company C commander, 3rd

Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment. 

“It” is Alvarez and his unit attempting

to improve the lives of local Iraqi people

through assistance projects.

His company donated $10,000 worth of

equipment and office supplies to the AlWoede Nursery June 20 to help the teachers, staff and children.

New air conditioners, water heaters,

computers, scanners, printers, copiers,

refrigerators and other office supplies

were part of the supplies they donated.

They also handed out toys to the children. The toys were sent from families of

the scout platoon in 3-8 Cav. to be donated to the children. 

This is just a small part of the company’s mission to help rebuild Iraq. To do

this they work closely with the local

neighborhood advisory council.

“Basically, the NAC comes up with

proposals to help the community and the

[civil and military operations] gets projects approved,” Alvarez said.

All of the equipment is locally purchased through Iraqi contractors. Capt.

Alexander Rasmussen said they try to

send the bid out to as many contractors as

possible to get the best quality equipment. 

He said the funds came from the commander’s emergency response program

and were donated to the Iraqi government.

“It doesn’t solve everything, but this

helps the kids with sanitary [issues] and

the computers help the headmistress,”

Rasmussen said.

Just recently, the unit finished renovations on two local schools. He said they

are working hard to help the teachers and

staff of the community.

“We’re also trying to get the emergency

generators working, so when the power

goes out, the plumbing will still work,”

Rasmussen said. “And we’re paving the

roads.”

3-8 Cav. continues to work in this community, attempting to assist in the rebuilding of Iraq one neighborhood at a time.

3-8 Cav. helps nursery staff, children

Story and photos by 

Spc. Bryan D. Kinkade

1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

Spc. Brian Salyer, the assistant projects manager with 3rd Battalion, 8th

Cavalry Regiment, gives a toddler a toy at the Al-Woede Nursery June 20.

The toys were sent from families of 3-8 Cav.'s scout platoon to distribute. 

Capt. Henry Alvarez hands out toys at the Al-Woede Nursery June 20. 1st

Cavalry Soldiers adopted the nursery as a project.

Local Iraqis unload supplies and equipment for the Al-Woede Nursery.

The equipment and supplies included computers, water heaters, air conditioners and other assorted office supplies to enhance the staff's and

children's morale, education and sanitation.
July 2, 2004 Scimitar Page 13

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq —

Marine Cpl. Christopher R.

Bowers has a little ritual he performs before every patrol. It

doesn't seem like much, but, it's

tradition he's done hundreds of

times.

Bowers reaches into his cargo

pocket while other Marines from

2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine

Regiment gear up. He pulls out a

ring and slips it on his finger, the

ring he earned when he graduated from the Virginia Military

Institute in Lexington, Va.

“Whenever I wear that ring,

things seem to work out for the

best, so I only wear it for special occasions where I think it

might be needed,” Bowers said

with his aristocratic southern

drawl.

The motor transport operator

earned the steel ring when he

graduated from VMI in 1997.

It’s accompanied him around

the globe and has seen at least

two combat tours.

Despite his almost religious

adherence to wearing the ring,

he doesn’t claim to be a superstitious man.

“I’ve never put much stock in

good-luck charms,” Bowers

said. Still, he's never without

the ring on a patrol. 

He’s a VMI graduate who

enlisted in the Marine Corps;

while VMI has a military curriculum, there is no service obligation for graduates of the statesupported school. Bowers

earned a history degree that

helps him keep his eyes peeled

in the land considered the cradle

of civilization.

“I really loved studying

archeology in college, so I'm

always on the lookout for old

ruins or artifacts out there,”

Bowers said.

The five-foot, seven-inch tall

corporal stands shorter than

many of his comrades, but he

commands a presence all the

Marines around him notice.

“He does what good corporals

are supposed to do — when he

completes a job he comes back

and asks what else there is for

him to accomplish,” said Staff

Sgt. Thomas D. Shaw, the 34-

year-old battalion motor transport chief from Bartlesville,

Okla. “He is the politest guy

you could ever meet. A true

southern gentleman.”

Shaw said Bowers’ typical

southern goodness goes to

even his thick accent, reminding him of Foghorn Leghorn,

the oversized cartoon rooster

of Looney Tunes.

“When we crossed the border

into Iraq last year, I looked over

and saw him slip his ring on,”

Shaw said. “It’s pretty much

expected at this point for

Bowers to have his ring on.”

“If I didn't have the ring on

when I was doing something, it

wouldn’t feel right to me,”

Bowers said.

Bowers keeps the ring in a

small zippered pouch in his

cargo pocket. When he takes it

out, he looks at it almost nostalgically with his grayish-blue

eyes. Although he still has plans

of accepting a commission, he

is content with his place in life.

“I’ve got a very idealistic

view of why I serve. I do it for

all the classic reasons -- for

mom and apple pie and all

that,” Bowers said with a grin.

“You form bonds with the guys

you work with. As long as

you're working with honest people, it's honorable work, no matter what you're doing.”

Stepping up to the plate is

nothing new for the sandyblond-haired Marine.

“He’s always looking for

work to do; I wish I had a

whole platoon of guys just like

Bowers,” said Gunnery Sgt.

Mark A. Massey, Company G’s

company gunnery sergeant, who

is from Lansing, N.C. “He’s got

more respect for people, both

high and low ranking, than I’ve

ever seen anywhere else. He’s

an outstanding human being.”

“In the future, I envision

Bowers retiring to his front

porch, sipping on a mint julep

as the sun sets in the distance,”

Shaw said. “He’s going to go

far in his life no matter what he

does. It’s his nature.”

It’s likely that ring will be

with him the entire way.

Story and photo by 

Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes

1st Marine Division 

Public Affairs

Lucky ring ‘works out for the best’

Cpl. Christopher R. Bowers, a 29-year old motor transport operator and team leader from Richmond, Va.,

wears the ring he earned as a cadet at the Virginia

Military Institute. 

USS KEARSARGE, At Sea —

Ancient cultures referred to Gibraltar

as the end of the earth, where the god

Atlas held up the world and kept it

from collapsing. For Sailors today, the

Strait represents the end of the 3,348-

mile transit across the Atlantic Ocean. 

USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), which

surge deployed to transport elements

of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit

to the U.S. Central Command area of

responsibility, completed the first leg

of its transit June 20 when it entered

the Mediterranean Sea, passing

through the Strait of Gibraltar.

“I was looking forward to seeing it,”

said Seaman Jonathan Clark an operations specialist. “It felt good seeing

some land after crossing the ocean.”

“You know you’re somewhere else

when you pass through the Strait,”

said Petty Officer 3rd Class Kate

Savage, an electronics technician who

passed the Strait for the third time in

her career. “You have Europe on one

side, Africa on the other. You realize

you're not in America anymore.”

Petty Officer 3rd Class Carla

Randazzo, a personnelman whose parents grew up in Italy and Sicily, has

seen the Rock of Gibraltar several

times from the land when visiting

Europe. This transit was the first time

she has seen it from the sea. 

“I was surprised seeing it from sea

for the first time because of its size,”

she said. “When you see it from land,

the size doesn’t really hit you because

it kind of blends in. It was really cool

seeing it from the ship, because you

could see all of it.”

Several crew members came out on

the flight deck to enjoy the warm, sunny

weather and the view as Kearsarge

passed between Spain and Morocco.

“This time was enjoyable, because it

was clear and sunny, and you could see

the Rock [of Gibraltar],” said Savage.

“The last two times I passed it, it was

cloudy and you couldn't see anything.”

Even the more experienced Sailors

who have passed the Rock several

times during their careers confess that

it's still an impressive sight.

By Chief Petty Officer

Dave Nagle 

USS Kearsarge Public Affairs

Amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge passes by the Rock of Gibraltar as

the ship sails into the Mediterranean Sea. Kearsarge is surge deployed to

transport elements of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Central

Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and

the global war on terrorism.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Angel Roman-Otero, U.S. Navy

Kearsarge Sailors enjoy view of ‘The Rock’
Page 14 Scimitar July 2, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Some

guitars, a drum kit and somebody

to blare out vocals is all it took

for five members of this coalition

forward operating base to get

things started. 

What the 1st Cavalry Soldiers

started was their band, called

Headhunter Main after their

FOB.

“Not only is it a morale booster for us to play, it’s a morale

booster for everyone on the

FOB,” said Spc. Travis Conway

from headquarters company, 1st

Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment.

The band started up a month

and a half ago and is preparing

for its first concert in Baghdad.

They will be playing for the

Soldiers on FOB Headhunter for

their 4th of July party outside

“Toby’s Favorite Bar.”

“We just ran into each other

and started playing,” said 2nd Lt.

Pat Miller, Headquarters and

Headquarters Company, 1-9 Cav.

The musicians play mainly

slow, alternative rock music from

bands such as Staind, Incubus

and Nickelback, but they also

play some country from Garth

Brooks to Toby Keith.

“When we’re in there. We’re

not in Baghdad anymore. We’re

above the world,” Conway, the

lead guitarist and vocalist, said

during a practice.

The band practices in the

camp’s chapel as often as it can.

Their ensemble is made up of

five troopers, including lead and

backup guitars, bass guitar,

drums and vocals.

Miller said they work everything though their battalion’s

command sergeant major.

“We told him we wanted to do

a concert, and it just happened to

be on the 4th of July, when we’d

be ready,” the lead vocalist said.

Headhunter Main will be the

main show for the concert, but

another band will open for them. 

The Homeland Security Band,

which is a trio comprised of

Arkansas Army National Guard

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion,

153rd Infantry Regiment, 39th

Brigade Combat Team, plays

similar music, but a little harder.

Their music selection consists of

Nirvana, Weezer and other rock

bands. 

The bands practice for their

upcoming jam session and

morale concert on the fourth,

where they will be playing off

and on with each other. The

band members say this is an awesome morale booster.

“This kind of gives us a release

and some place to go,” Miller

said.

“It makes the time fly by 100

times faster,” Headhunter Main

drummer Cpl. Robert Heckler,

HHC, 1-9 Cav., added. “I never

thought in a million years that I

would be in a band in Baghdad.”

Soldiers ‘band’ together for relaxation

Story and photo by 

Spc. Bryan D. Kinkade

1st Cavalry Division 

Public Affairs

Cpl. Robert Heckler, the drummer for the band Headhunter Main, jams to one of the

band’s songs during a practice at the camp's chapel. 

TAJI, Iraq — It is easy to walk past the 4th Brigade

Combat Team “Warriors” legal office without notice or

thought to the importance the Soldiers who work there

play in the daily operations of the brigade. 

Made up of Soldiers from the Division Support

Command and the units of the 4th BCT, the Warriors

legal team is responsible for nearly all facets of legal

counsel to the First Team’s commanders and Soldiers.

“We do everything here except trial defense services,” said Capt. Michael Tierney, an attorney with the

team. 

He said his office has three major focuses. 

“Of highest concern is the implementation of military

justice — prepping court-martial documentation, processing Article 15s, things of that nature,” he said.

“Next is to provide council to commanders on changes

to the interpretation of existing [rules of engagement]

and laws of war. And finally, we provide legal counsel

and assistance to Soldiers. That may mean processing a

power of attorney, helping a Soldier to draft a will, citizenship applications.”

As the office hummed with activity, Pfc. Estraead

Kuartei, a paralegal specialist with 1st Battalion, 25th

Aviation Regiment, noted that busy days and long hours

are not out of the norm.

“Some days are slow, and maybe I only have to type up

one Article 15 or a power of attorney,” the 21-year-old

native of Guam said. “But usually, it’s slammed in here. 

From preparing court-martial documentation, which

in itself can be an all-day process, to typing up wills

and everything in between, we definitely stay busy. But

it’s OK. We have a very talented group of individuals

here, and the ability to learn from all of them is just

incredible.”

Paralegal Pfc. William Stanley attributed the ability to

learn and good working relationship described by all

the Soldiers in the office to outstanding leadership.

“Not only do [our leaders] understand every facet of

our job and help us there, they understand that there is

more to developing a Soldier than just their job,”

Stanley said. 

“My senior [noncommissioned officer] knows my

wife, knows about my

home life and knows my

goals and aspirations,” he

said, “so, if I come to one

of them with a problem or

concern, they already know

the background and can

offer guidance that perhaps

they wouldn’t otherwise be

able to.”

Taking a moment from

advising the brigade’s

executive officer, Tierney,

ever the lawyer, added to

Stanley’s comments.

“While exceptional

Soldiers are typical of the

paralegal field, I am fortunate to have such an exceptional group working for

me,” he said.

Tierney said his

Soldiers have set goals for

themselves.

“Several have been accepted into officer training programs,” said Tierney.

He said It takes a special kind of Soldier to be a paralegal. 

“With a 110 GT [general knowledge on the Army’s

aptitude test] score requirement, it makes it difficult to

get into this field in the first place,” he said. “I wouldn’t

be able to do my job if not for the team I have working

with me.”

Paralegals keep the law in order

Story and photo by Cpl. Benjamin Cossel

122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Pfc. Estraead Kuartei, a paralegal specialist with the 1st Cavalry’s 1st

Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, prepares a power of attorney document for a Soldier waiting outside his office. 
July 2, 2004 Scimitar Page 15

Unsung Heroes 

Marching the extra mile across Iraq

Maj. Flint Spc. Thieme

Maj. Bruce Flint is an optometrist and the

only Army eye doctor at Logictics Support

Area Anaconda. 

Before being activated, Flint worked at an

eye specialty center in eastern Washington

where he did surgery and treated various types

of eye diseases.

Flint joined the National Guard seven years

ago in Idaho and transferred to the 81st

Brigade when he moved to Washington. 

“I feel like everybody should make a little

contribution to their nation,” he says.

Flint also takes care of other units' soldiers. 

“We truly are an Army of One,” he says.

“When I have the time and the resources, I will

provide services to everyone I can, regardless

of which unit or which branch of the military

the patients are in.”

CPA Palace Military Pay Office

Hours of Operation

Military pay inquires

Saturday - Thursday

9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Cashier

Everyday but Friday

9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Located in the basement at the rear of the CPA palace. Also

located at the Joint Contracting Finance and Resource

Management Office near the 31st Combat Support Hospital.

Maj. Bitneris

Maj. David E. Bitneris serves as operations

officer for the Restore Iraqi Electricity

Directorate of the Gulf Region Division, U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers.

In addition to coordinating constant convoy

movements by civilian engineers and security

to project sites throughout theater, he was the

driving force in maintaining the sense of

urgency to “put megawatts on the grid,” an

effort to increase the overall capacity of the

Iraqi power grid. 

He often consulted with a variety of contractors to work around hurdles in the field and integrate creative solutions to meet mission needs. 

Supported by an army of DoD civilians and

contractors, he has been the momentum

behind the $1.3 billion effort to eventually add

2000 MW to Iraq’s power grid.

Pfc. Nunn

Pfc. Andrew Nunn, from Dodge City, Kan.;

enlisted in the Army in 2003. He is a combat

medic attached to the 2nd Brigade

Reconnaissance Troop. 

While staging in Kuwait, Nunn used his experience as a medic to help train the BRT in combat lifesaver and advanced trauma skills. 

He was the primary line medic on 11 raids in

the Bayji area and assisted in the capture of 15

anti-Iraqi forces and countless weapons and

contraband caches. He also provided direct lifesaving care for three seriously wounded U.S.

Soldiers and three local nationals during a combat mission in the Task Force 1-7 area of operations. 

“Pfc. Nunn truly lives up to being a combat

medic, working to conserve the fighting

strength,” said 2nd Lt. Moore-Velbis, the treatment platoon leader

Spc. Phillip S. Thieme, 21, is a field artilleryman with B Battery, 4th Battalion, 27th Field

Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team,

1st Armored Division at Forward Operating

Base St. Michels south of Baghdad. 

Thieme, from Shamong, NJ, has been in the

Army three years.

He said that he has learned a lot about his

job while in Iraq, and though he had the opportunity to operate as an infantryman during his

first year in Baghdad, he really prefers the

excitement of field artillery.

Staff Sgt. Kevin B. Winston said that

Thieme is a model Soldier. 

“Whatever I ask of him, he does it, and as

a field artilleryman, I couldn't ask for any

better. Whenever a mission comes down, he's

right on it.”
Page 16 Scimitar July 2, 2004

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq —

For many of the Marines and Sailors in

Iraq with 1st Marine Division, this

deployment is an opportunity to shed a

few unwanted pounds.

But Navy Lt. Christina J. Gondusky, surgeon for Headquarters Battalion, 1st

Marine Division, warned these Marines

and Sailors to avoid turning to dietary supplements like fat burners for “quick and

easy” results.

The Internet is home to nearly 400,000

Web sites for fat. Each claims to reduce

appetites, increase energy and support

weight loss.

Not so, said Gondusky.

“A lot of people don't realize that fat

burners haven't even been proven to work

at all,” she explained. “They're usually not

even tested out on human beings before

they’re put on the market.”

Using these products, especially in the

dry, desert Iraqi climate, can be harmful to

a service members health.

With temperatures reaching between 110

and 120 degrees, people working here are

already at a higher risk for suffering from

dehydration or heat injury.

“Half of the Marines and Sailors who

come in for heat injuries are using some

sort of fat burner,” Gondusky explained

Many of them participate in convoy

security, patrols or other combat operations

during the hottest times of the day.

Wearing armor-plated vests and helmets

also increases their body temperatures,

which adds to the danger fat burners

already pose.

She told of a Marine who was taking

part in the Marine Corps Martial Arts

Program recently. He had been training all

morning but did drink enough water. As

the day wore on, he began to vomit and

then passed out.

“We gave him some fluids and an IV,

which made him feel better,” she

explained. “He told us he had been using

Xenadrine to lose weight.”

She said many Marines and Sailors are

not aware of the risks associated with using

fat burners in an extreme climate like that

of Iraq.

These substances can cause a number of

unwanted side effects such as heart irregularities, seizures, personality changes and a

whole host of other problems, she said.

“Fat burners work by increasing the

metabolism, the heart rate and the body’s

core temperature,” said Gondusky. “Out

here, the body is already having to work

harder to keep itself cool. When you add a

fat burner, you're just increasing your risk

of becoming a heat casualty.”

Common heat illnesses include heat

cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke,

which is the most serious and can be

deadly.

“Suffering from a heat injury is not only

dangerous, but it can also lead to an administrative separation from the military,”

Gondusky added.

Still, many service members run the risk

by taking these substances.

Cpl. Jim Sissom, who described himself

as “chunky,” began using a fat burner a little over a month ago.

“I’m not too worried about the side

effects,” the mechanic said. “I’ve known

several people who took this stuff, and

they never had any problems. And I

make sure to drink plenty of water so I

don't get dehydrated.”

Sissom said since he's started to use

the fat burner, he's lost 15 pounds and

won’t stop taking the product until he

loses 15 more.

But, according to Gondusky, he may be

setting himself up for a dangerous fall.

“You should set a goal to lose about one

or two pounds a week,” she said. “Any

more than that is dangerous. It’s probably

just water weight.”

Instead of turning to fat burners,

Gondusky suggested that service members

stick to a well-balanced diet and get plenty

of aerobic and anaerobic exercise.

That’s exactly what Sgt. Jenny M.

Castro, an embarkation noncommissioned

officer in charge, plans to do.

“A lot of people use fat burners because

of peer pressure. They want to look like the

models in magazines, but fat burners are

just not healthy,” she said. “Especially

somewhere like Iraq.”

Story and photos by 

Cpl. Paula M. Fitzgerald

1st Marine Division Public Affairs

Docs warn against using fat burners

Cpl. Jim Sissom, a mechanic with 1st Marine Division, weighs himself

during a workout session. Sissom said he started using a fat burner

about a month ago to lose weight.

Lance Cpl. Rudy Guzman of the 1st Marine Division works out every day

to lose weight. He said he stays away from fat burners, which doctors say

can cause serious heat-related illnesses.