BAGHDAD, Iraq — Task Force 1st Armored

Division cased its banners and flags, signifying its departure from the Operation Iraqi Freedom area of operation

in a brief, early-morning ceremony July 4. 

The longest deployment of a division in Iraq, the 1AD

spent 15 months in a combat zone. Task Force 1st

Armored Division was the largest division-based task

force in U.S. Army history, 1AD officials said. They said

it secured some of Baghdad’s roughest neighborhoods

and brought stability to the city and its surrounding countryside.

Since last year, the task force protected and improved

the quality of life for more than 5 million residents in

Baghdad. 

After turning the city over to the 1st Cavalry Division

April 15, the task force headed south to pacify the cities

of Najaf, Diwaniyah, Al Kut and Karbala.

“Your performance in Baghdad showed a clear indication of the kind of professionalism that Iron Soldiers

have always had,” Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, the MultiNational Corps – Iraq commander, said. 

“Iron Soldiers have great discipline, great precision,”

Metz continued. “I can assure you that the world

watched as Iron Soldiers etched a place in history during

your extension. Military history will note the tremendous

tactical maneuvers of the Iron Soldiers. You can be very

proud of that.”

The morning ceremony saw representatives from the

division’s units give honors to the accomplishments of its

Soldiers and then roll and sheath their units’ flags and

guidons. 

Afterward, 1AD Commander Maj. Gen. Martin

Dempsey applauded his Soldiers and remarked about the

significance of their accomplishments. 

“Fifteen months ago,” Dempsey said, “Iron Soldiers of

1AD and Dragoons of 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment

formed a Task Force and set out to make the world safer

for their fellow Americans and provide an opportunity

for the Iraqi people to be free. They did that.”

Dempsey reminded the Soldiers after handing

Baghdad to the 1st Cavalry Division that his words to the

Cavalry were brief and to the point: “talking ain’t fighting. Let’s get about that business.”

The task force was to “continue mission” in a new

location, he said.

“Three months ago,” Dempsey continued, “the same

group of soldiers were asked to remain in Iraq to defeat 

Vol. 2, No. 29 Baghdad, Iraq July 16, 2004

SCIMITAR

Soldiers of the 1st Armored Division case colors

and flags representing units of the 1AD task

force in Iraq.

‘Iron’ Soldiers case colors, prepare for departure

Story and photo by Staff Sgt. Tony Sailer

1st Armored Division Public Affairs 

WASHINGTON — Troop

levels will stay the same for the

next rotations of operations Iraqi

Freedom and Enduring

Freedom, Defense Department

officials said July 8. 

Army Gen. John Abizaid, the

commander of U.S. Central

Command, has requested

138,000 troops in support of 17

brigades for Iraqi Freedom 3. He

also requested about 20,000

American soldiers for

Afghanistan in support of three

brigades for Enduring Freedom 6. 

The military has expanded the

window for troop rotations into

and out of the country. In fact,

the so-called OIF-3 rotation really has already started. Soldiers of

the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain

Division and Marines are beginning to flow into the region to

relieve the Army’s 1st Armored

Division and 2nd Armored

Cavalry Regiment. Elements of

those units were extended in

country following an upsurge in

violence in the so-called

“Baathist Triangle” and from

illegal militias in the southern

part of Iraq. 

The active duty and reserve

units have been given a long lead

time for the deployment. Army

officials said the longer the lead

time, the better prepared the

units. Also, it allows soldiers in

the reserve components to prepare their families and their

employers for their absence. 

“We’ve learned lessons from

the past,” said an Army spokeswoman. “We’re applying them

now.” 

The two big units in OIF-3 are

the 3rd Infantry Division, based

at Fort Stewart, Ga., and the 42nd

Infantry Division, of the New

York National Guard. The 3rd

Division will be making its second trip to Iraq. The unit was on

point in March and April 2003

and took Baghdad. The 3rd

Infantry Division headquarters

will command two brigades of

the division and the 256th

Infantry Brigade of the Louisiana

National Guard. The division

will relieve the 1st Cavalry

Division in and around Baghdad. 

The other two maneuver

brigades of the 3rd will come

under command of the 42nd

Infantry Division. Also with the

42nd will be the 116th Cavalry

Brigade out of Boise, Idaho. The

42nd will relieve the 1st Infantry

Division. 

The 42nd Infantry will begin

flowing into Iraq in December.

The 3rd Infantry will begin flowing into the country in January. 

The 3rd Armored Cavalry

Regiment, from Fort Carson,

Colo., also will return to Iraq,

beginning in February. The 2nd

Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division,

from Camp Hovey, South Korea,

will begin flowing into Iraq next

month. 

The “Black Horse Cav” – the

11th Armored Cavalry Regiment

– will stop serving as the opposing-force training unit at the

National Training Center in Fort

Irwin, Calif., and will join with

the 155th Armored Brigade of

the Mississippi Guard. They will

begin entering Iraq in January. 

The 1st Brigade, 25th

Infantry Division, at Fort

Lewis, Wash. — the Army’s

second Stryker brigade — will

relieve the 3rd Brigade, 2nd

Infantry Division in Mosul

beginning in September. 

The Tennessee Guard’s 278th

Armored Cavalry Regiment will

roll into Iraq beginning in

November. The 56th Infantry

Brigade of the Texas Guard and

the 29th Infantry Brigade of the

Hawaii National Guard will

begin providing theater security

in February. 

Marine units will begin their

rotation in March. 

In Afghanistan, the Southern

European Task Force based in

Vicenza, Italy, will take command from the 25th Infantry

Division in March. The 173rd

Airborne Brigade and elements

of the 18th Airborne Corps will

be part of the command. The

76th Infantry Brigade of the

Indiana National Guard will take

over responsibility for training

the Afghan National Army at the

same time. 

By Jim Garamone

American Forces 

Press Service 

Iraq, Afghanistan troop-rotation plans announced

Thund-Her-Struck 

rocks Iraq

Bazaar major

Army officer 

manages market

Trailer beats Soldiers produce music 

from Camp Victory trailer

Page 12 Page 14

See 1AD, Page Two

Page 16
WASHINGTON — As the Iraqi people become more

confident in their new interim government, more of them

will cooperate in the government’s efforts to end the violence plaguing the country, Defense Secretary Donald H.

Rumsfeld said here July 7.

The secretary made his comments in a question-andanswer session with reporters after he, Secretary of State

Colin Powell and their Australian counterparts announced

cooperative defense agreements between the two countries. 

Rumsfeld said he believes the Iraqi people ought to

feel reassured now that a sovereign Iraqi government is

in place, making decisions and exercising its authority.

Noting that most of the recent violence in the country is

taking the lives of innocent Iraqi men, women and children, the secretary said he expects that the Iraqi people

will increase the pressure to bring it to an end. 

“It seems to me that at a certain point, the Iraqi people

will decide that they’re against that,” Rumsfeld said, “and

that they will be supportive of the government.” The secretary added that he believes Iraqis increasingly will dissuade

people from engaging in the insurgency and will report

those who do to the Iraqi authorities so the country’s security forces can take appropriate action. 

The secretary said it’s too early to tell what role U.S.

or multinational forces will play in any given area or situation in Iraq under new security measures adopted by

the Iraqi government. 

Page 2 Scimitar July 16, 2004

Rumsfeld expects Iraqis will help government end violence

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service 

WASHINGTON — The Defense

Department’s new Reserve Pay Center

of Excellence has officially opened for

business. 

The operation, part of Defense

Finance and Accounting Service, will

further improve service “to the men

and women who defend America,”

according to a DFAS news release. 

It will offer “better productivity” to

a “key military customer group,” the

release said. 

The move centralizes payroll activities for all Army and Air Force

National Guard and reserve elements,

as well as the Naval Reserve, in

Cleveland. 

DFAS said it expects “significant”

productivity gains from running these

operations from an established, centralized pay-support site. 

“DFAS is constantly striving to

improve the way it serves its customers,” said Pat Shine, the director of

the agency’s military and civilian pay

services business line. 

“The Reserve Pay Center of

Excellence will make us even more

responsive to the needs of a critical

component of America’s defense —

the Reserve and Guard,” he said.

According to the release, centralized

pay and customer-service operations

began for the Air Force Reserve in

May. The Air National Guard, Army

Reserve and Army National Guard

accounts will follow. 

The Cleveland center already had

been servicing the Naval Reserve

before the consolidation. 

The new center’s opening didn’t

cause any job loss. Reserve and Guard

Denver workers “have been reassigned to other high-priority military

pay tasks,” noted the release. 

“No loss of jobs will occur,” the

release said, when Army National

Guard and Reserve functions move

from Indianapolis. 

Finance agency opens 

new Reserve pay center

Submitted by American 

Forces Press Service

TINKER AIR FORCE

BASE, Okla. — Posting his

resumé online seemed like a

savvy move for one Airman here

who plans to separate in August,

move to Dallas and start college.

However, instead of leads to

gainful employment, the experience took Senior Airman

Christopher Kissell dangerously

close to the unwanted role of

scam victim. Now he wants his

experience to be a warning to

other service members re-entering the civilian work force.

“It’s a terrifying situation,”

said Kissell, a medical administrator with the 72nd Medical

Group. “How many like me are

out there? A percentage of people, I’m sure, will fall for it.”

Kissell said it all began when

he posted his resumé online. The

resumé included the fact that he

speaks Chinese.

“I got a reply from this company saying they were looking

for someone to help out with

international relations,” he said.

That initial e-mail referred

glowingly to the resumé. Kissell

was informed that Chempacon

GMBH, the purported company

in Lautenbach, Germany, did not

require him to have a college

degree, just a willingness to

work. The position required

someone who was bilingual and

experienced at working with

peers in other countries.

Kissell received a condensed

application to fill out and fax to

the company, which included a

request for faxed copies of his

driver’s license and social security cards. He complied, but first

he blacked out the numbers.

“All this time, I was going

through an ‘interview’ process

and would get e-mails from

company contacts,” he said.

“They said they’d love to hire

me, but wanted me to give them

my social security number for

tax reasons.”

By then, Kissell said, warning

bells were echoing in his head.

He went to an online search

engine, typed in Chempacon

GMBH and said he was shocked

at what came up.

“Every result I found warned,

‘Beware. This is a scam. Jobseek fraud,’” he said.

Determined to learn more, the

Airman kept his discovery to

himself and e-mailed the company, asking for a job description.

He said what came back

shocked him again. This time,

the company considered him

gullible.

“They were going to send me

foreign checks to deposit in my

personal checking account,”

Kissell said, adding he would

then send the company a wire

transfer for the amount of the

check, less $600.

“I said, ‘No,’” he continued. “It

was my only redeeming remark.”

He had already learned from

his research that the checks for

tens of thousands of dollars were

no good and people who deposited one into their bank account

and then withdrew the funds to

complete the wire transfer were

held responsible for the bank’s

loss when the check bounced.

Kissell alerted the Air Force

Office of Special Investigations

and filed a fraudulent business

complaint with the FBI. He also

complained to employmentsearch Websites.

He said he believes he came

away from the encounter a wiser

man. As a precaution, he canceled

all his credit cards and reopened

accounts with new numbers.

His job search continues, but

he has taken it from online to in

person. On weekends, he drives

to Dallas to hunt for jobs the old

fashioned way.

“You have to research anytime you’re looking for a job,”

he said. “Nothing beats a sitdown face to face with a potential employer.”

Airman warns of employment scam

By Jeanne Grimes

Oklahoma City Air Logistics

Center Public Affairs

a militia uprising and preserve the path to

an Iraqi sovereignty. They did that, too. I

hope you are as proud of what you have

accomplished as I am of you.”

Among the task force’s accomplishments during its 15 months of duty are

planning and executing Operations Iron

Hammer, Iron Justice, Iron Grip,

Longstreet, Iron Bullet, Iron Promise and

Iron Saber. During these task force operations, Soldiers captured more than 700

criminals and former regime insurgents.

They also confiscated thousands of rockets, mortars, tank rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms. 

1AD task force Soldiers also supervised an estimated $2 billion in community improvements in Baghdad, rebuilt

the infrastructure and restored public utilities, facilities and services. They also

refurbished war-damaged buildings and

repaired roads.

Those missions and achievements will

be symbolized by a battle streamer

attached to the division’s colors,

Dempsey said. 

“The colors we have just cased are part

of what defines us,” Dempsey said.

“Sometime soon we will add a battle

streamer to those colors. That simple strip

of silk will represent many things.

“It will represent more than a year of

your life. It will represent your 135 fellow

soldiers who gave their lives for this mission and who made the journey home

ahead of us. It will represent your great

courage in battle. It will represent your

remarkable stamina over these past 15

months.

“It will represent your unshakable

honor tested in the most complex environment imaginable. It will represent

your immeasurable sacrifice and that of

your families.

“Forever more it will represent you,”

Dempsey said. “These are truly your colors now. You have earned the right to

stand tall behind them.”

1AD Continued from Page One

Service members are encouraged to 

submit stories and photographs to the Scimitar.

Email your submissions to 

cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com
WASHINGTON — Several government agencies are working together to

aggressively defend the reemployment

rights of reserve-component service

members. 

Under the Uniformed Services

Employment and Reemployment Rights

Act of 1994, reserve and National Guard

troops cannot lose their jobs or their benefits due to military service. 

In other words, reservists and

Guardsmen who are deployed are guaranteed their previous civilian jobs or similar

jobs with the same level of benefits when

they return. Employers who fail to comply are in violation of federal law and can

be sued by the U.S. government. 

U.S. Special Counsel Scott J. Bloch is

charged with prosecuting federal agencies

that fail to comply with the tenets of

USERRA. Bloch visited the Pentagon

July 8 to pledge his vigilance in these

duties. He signed a statement of support

for the Guard and reserves on behalf of

federal employers. 

Leaders of the National Committee for

Employer Support of the Guard and

Reserve and the Office of the Assistant

Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs

spoke at the ceremony. 

Assistant Defense Secretary for Reserve

Affairs Thomas Hall compared the overwhelming support for today’s troops with

his own days as a Sailor during the

Vietnam era. Hall said that in 21 months in

his current position, he has had the opportunity to speak to at least 120,000 people

around the country and abroad. 

“Everywhere I go, I find a different

spirit than perhaps existed in my younger

years in the Navy. ... Controversy rocked

the country, and many of our young men

and women who came back from Vietnam

... weren’t welcomed,” Hall said. 

“But what is not lacking today,” he said,

“is support from the rank and file, from the

businesses and from the community.” 

ESGR’s national director, Bob G.

Hollingsworth, told those gathered,

“America’s employers have rallied

around (the troops) in an incredible way.”

The employers realize “they are inextricably linked to the national defense of our

nation,” he said. 

Hall explained in an interview that

employers of reserve-component troops

are vital to the future of the National

Guard and reserves and, thus, America’s

interests. “It’s very key to young men and

women having the confidence and their

families having the confidence that when

they go off to answer the call to colors,

when they return they will have a job

waiting for them,” he said. 

Bloch is especially committed to serving as an advocate for service members

because his son, 19-year-old Marine

Lance Cpl. Michael Bloch, is preparing to

leave his home base of Twentynine Palms,

Calif., for a second rotation in Iraq. 

“As a member of the administration, I

support USERRA,” Bloch said before

signing the statement of support. “But I

also support it as a citizen and as a father

of an active-duty Marine. 

Our commitment, he said “is the least

that we can do to send a message to our

wonderfully brave, talented and committed members of the military that we do

support them and we do understand the

sacrifices they’re making.”

July 16, 2004 Scimitar Page 3

Gov’t enforcing reemployment rights

By Kathleen T. Rhem

American Forces Press Service 

WASHINGTON — British

Prime Minister Tony Blair

defended Britain’s role in

Operation Iraqi Freedom before

the House of Commons July 6,

calling his country’s close relationship with the United States

essential in the fight against

global terrorism and rogue

regimes trying to develop

weapons of mass destruction. 

Blair said Britain and the

United States share common

values and the belief that “the

best security we ultimately have

is the spread of freedom and

democracy and justice throughout the world.” 

While acknowledging that no

stockpiles of weapons of mass

destruction have been found in

Iraq, Blair rejected suggestions

they never existed. “We know

Saddam Hussein had weapons of

mass destruction, but we know

we have not found them,” the

prime minister said. 

“I genuinely believe that those

stockpiles of weapons were

there. I think that most people

did, and that is why the whole of

the international community

came together and passed the

United Nations resolution it

did,” Blair said. 

Where those weapons are, he

said, remains a mystery, at least

until results of the Iraq Survey

Group are released. Even that

report, he said, might prove to be

only an indication, not a final

assessment. 

“We do not know what has

happened to them. They could 

U.K. will stand strong 

with U.S. in terror fight

Pvt. Sekove Ratubalavu of Y Company, Princess of Wales Royal Regiment keeps a

watchful eye while on duty at the CIMIC house in Al-Amarah. He is currently serving on a six-month deployment supporting Operation Telic IV. Attacks of various

descriptions are common at Y Company's location.

Cpl. Anthony-Louis Belgrave, British Army

All along the watchtower

By Donna Miles

American Forces 

Press Service 

See STAND, Page 10

WASHINGTON — An Airman’s most important

deployment tool just got better.

The original Air Force Manual 10-100, the “Airman’s

Manual,” published in 1999, has been revised and updated and hits the streets Monday. 

“Within four weeks, we will distribute more than

675,000 copies to every active-duty member, reservist

and guardsman,” said David Epstein, the training and

publications manager for the Air Force civil engineer

readiness branch. An electronic version is already available on the Air Force portal.

A working group of contract writers and active-duty

subject-matter experts from a cross section of Air Force

specialties began the revision in October. The manual

was completed in January and went to press June 9.

One major improvement combines the manual with

Air Force Handbook 32-4014, Volume 4, “USAF Ability

to Survive and Operate Procedures in a Nuclear,

Biological, and Chemical Environment.” This consolidated the two publications from 400 pages to about 250

and put them both into one easy-to-carry booklet that fits

into the battle dress uniform pants cargo pocket.

Another important feature is the addition of about 20

pages of potential life-saving information, Steve Prier

said. He is the Full Spectrum Threat Response publication manager and program manager for the Airman’s

Manual at the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency

at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla. It can even be read using

night-vision goggles.

“The experts reviewed each section to ensure accuracy, then added essential information from lessons learned

from operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom,

or any other items they found to be important over past

five years,” Prier said. 

The team visited Lackland AFB, Texas, to test the draft

manual on basic-training graduates who recently completed Warrior Week.

Every bluesuiter will get a copy of the manual, with

deployed and deploying Airmen getting their copies first

through their unit deployment managers. Certain emergency-essential civilians and contractors will also get them.

“It’s weatherproof, tear resistant and just about indestructible,” Epstein said. “It’s a great medium for this

compilation of existing war skills tactics, techniques

and procedures.”

Rewritten Airman’s Manual coming this month

By Tech. Sgt. David A. Jablonski

Air Force Print News
Page 4 Scimitar July 16, 2004

Editor in Chief

Staff Sgt. Christopher Land

Managing Editor

Sgt. Brian Stockhoff

Staff

Spc. Jeffrey Hillery 

MNF-I Commanding General

Gen. George Casey

MNF-I PAO

Rear Adm. Gregory J. Slavonic

Command Information Chief

Maj. 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 columns, 

commentaries and letters from readers.

Send submissions to

cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com.

We reserve the right to edit for propriety, clarity

and space.

The Scimitar can also 

be viewed on the Web at

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/

coalition-news/publications.htm

On Sept. 18, 1787, the final day of the

constitutional convention, Benjamin

Franklin emerged from Independence

Hall in Philadelphia into a crowd of

curious spectators. The people were

eagerly waiting for news of what form

of government he and his fellow delegates had created for the young nation.

A woman stepped forward and asked

Franklin, “Well, doctor, what have we

got, a republic or a monarchy?”

Without hesitation, Franklin replied,

“A republic, if you can keep it.”

His prophetic reply is just as true

today as it was more than 200 years ago.

“We the people” have a sacred obligation to safeguard “for ourselves and our

posterity” the blessings of liberty our

forefathers fought so hard to achieve.

And the most fundamental obligation is

the responsibility of every eligible citizen to vote.

This November, many Americans will

take part in the democratic process by

going to the polls to exercise their right

to vote.

Sadly, many more will not. In fact, if

this year’s election turnout follows historical trends, more than half of the voting-age population will not bother to

vote.

At stake this fall are the offices of the

president and vice president of the

United States, one-third of the seats in

the U.S. Senate, the entire House of

Representatives, 13 state governorships

and a host of other state and local

offices, initiatives and issues.

Judging by voting statistics, “we the

people” take our right to vote for granted. But the idea that the people should

choose their leaders was once very radical in a world ruled by monarchies and

oligarchies.

Enlightened philosophers like John

Locke and

Thomas Jefferson,

however, argued

that self-government is a natural

right of every person and that governments derive

their powers from

the consent of the

governed.

Our fundamental belief in the right of

self-government, so eloquently

expressed in the Declaration of

Independence, and achieved by the

blood of patriots in the American

Revolution and on every battlefield

since, is the cornerstone of our

American political system. The U.S.

Constitution provides the framework

through which our political system

works and guarantees each state a

“republican form of government,” a

republic being a political system in

which power resides in citizens who are

entitled to vote for representatives

responsible to them.

Elections, therefore, are a crucial

component of our representative democracy.

The right of all citizens to vote, however, did not come automatically, but

evolved gradually — often painfully —

over the course of two centuries.

For example, it is interesting that the

person who asked Franklin what form of

government the new nation would have

was a woman,

because the right to

vote did not extend

to her. In fact, during the colonial

period and early

years of our nation,

voting was generally restricted to

white men who

owned property.

Other people such as women, blacks,

American Indians and even members of

certain religious groups could not vote.

The framers of the Constitution could

not agree on who should be given the

right to vote, so they deferred to the

states. The Constitution, therefore, left

to each state government the power to

decide who could vote. Many of the

early battles over the right to vote took

place at the state level.

Overall, the struggle to achieve universal suffrage for all Americans was a

long, often painful one, attained only by

the heroic efforts of many Americans

who understood the importance of free

elections in a representative democracy.

Today, the right to vote is so universally accepted as our most fundamentally basic of rights that we have forgotten

the sacrifices it took to win that right.

The struggle for universal suffrage

reminds us that those things worth fighting for are also worth remembering,

and, more importantly, exercising.

The right to vote is a symbol of our

equality and the true source of our liberty. We should never forget what it took

to win the right to vote and how important it is to the workings of a free and

democratic society.

By voting, you are not only ensuring

that your voice is heard, you are paying

homage to those brave Americans who

struggled to win that right for all

Americans.

Let us renew our commitment and

pride in our sacred liberties, our governmental institutions and our vibrant political system.

Apathy is never an excuse not to vote.

Your vote counts, so make sure it is

there to be counted.

Voting is not just a right, it’s a duty

PERSPECTIVES

Chief Master Sgt. Manny

Sarmina is assigned to the Air

Force Surgeon General Office at

Bolling Air Force Base in

Washington, D.C., where his

position is the chief of medical

issues for enlisted personnel.

Commentary by Chief 

Master Sgt. Manny Sarmina

The right to vote is

a symbol of our

equality and the true

source of our liberty. 

Register and request your 2004 

General Election ballot now. 

Make your vote count!

See your unit Voting Assistance 

Officer for more information.
ISHAKI, Iraq — The

Ishaki Health Clinic reopened

June 23 after a renovation

spearheaded by multinational

forces.

The clinic, located 20 kilometers west of Balad, is the

main health-care center for the

city and surrounding area with

a population of more than

20,000 people. 

The Ishaki City Council

brought the health clinic to the

attention of Task Force 1-77.

After an initial proposal was

made, the civil affairs team

conducted an on-site evaluation of the facility and made

recommendations to the council for repairs and renovation.

The city council, through its

rebuilding committee, sought

out and selected contractors

and made an official request to

the task force for assistance

with the clinic. 

The clinic renovation was

approved at a cost of $32,000,

and work began April 26. The

project completely renovated

the existing building, providing new examination rooms; a

reception area; new air conditioners in all rooms; a sterilization station for medical instruments; renovation of the bathrooms; and repaired an existing

security wall and gate. The

project was completed June 20. 

Ishaki city government and

health officials along with

Capt. Mathew Archambault,

the commander of Charlie

Company, 1-26 Infantry, hosted the grand opening. The

272nd Engineer Group from

Logistics Support Area

Anaconda attended to provide

donated medical supplies to

the clinic and the civil affairs

team donated medical books

with the help of 415th Civil

Affairs Battalion Public

Health Team. 

July 16, 2004 Scimitar Page 5

BASRAH, Iraq — The

people of the Az Zubayr

township in southern Iraq

participated in Iraq’s first free

elections July 9.

There were 130 candidates

standing for 25 seats on the

local council.

Thousands of people

turned out at polling stations

all around the town to cast

their votes for two candidates

of their choice.

“The elections are a big joy

and a big celebration for the

Iraqi people. It is also the start

of the democracy we want in

Iraq,” said the leader of the Al

Nabhan people in the Az

Zubayr area who was present

at the polling station at the

Gaza Secondary School.

Voters were processed

through a queuing system

where they were checked for

their eligibility to vote. Once

they had satisfied the pollingstation officials that they were

allowed to vote, they made

their choice of two candidates.

Indelible ink was then marked

onto each voter’s hand and

they placed their ballot slips

into the ballot box.

The elections were scheduled for earlier in the year

and the actual date for

polling has been hampered

by security worries. The

township was scarred by two

suicide bombers who struck

in April. The Iraqi National

Guard and the Iraqi Police

Service formed a joint operations room in the police

academy at Az Zubayr to

oversee a security operation

by both services.

Az Zubayr holds elections

Submitted by Press

Information Center

Basrah

A resident of Az-Zubayr in southern Iraq votes for the candidates

of his choice July 9 in Iraq’s first

election since the sovereignty

handover.

TIKRIT, Iraq— Officials from

Task Force Danger and the Tikrit

University Medical School met

July 7 to formalize plans for a new

partnership with Harvard Medical

School.

The Tikrit University College of

Medicine will submit a 200-page

report about the school’s structure

and organization to Harvard, which

will then analyze the report and

prepare a five-year plan, said Capt.

Thamus J. Morgan, who is a veterinarian with the 415th Civil Affairs

Battalion and a faculty member at

Harvard. 

Wherever the battalion’s civil

affairs teams go, the Iraqi people

tell them they want more knowledge, Morgan said. The Harvard

plan will provide for a free

exchange of that much-needed

knowledge. 

Morgan added that Harvard has

similar programs in place at 19 universities worldwide, and the plan is

expected to be similar to those programs.

Iraqi faculty and staff could be

studying in the U.S. in September

as part of a faculty-staff exchange

program, Morgan said. The plan

should have Harvard faculty and

staff in Iraq as soon as the State

Department lifts the ban on U.S.

citizen travel to this country, she

added.

The two schools already share a

common theme in their teaching

methods. The Tikrit medical school

adopted problem-based learning

years ago, and that method of

learning is a hallmark of Harvard,

Morgan said. 

Students are placed in learning

situations from the day they enter

the schools, said Morgan. They

are not expected to simply study

and regurgitate facts; they are

expected to dig into a problem and

find the solution by using all the

resources available to them at the

schools.

The resources at Tikrit

University Medical School should

improve with the program, Morgan

said. All of the universities Harvard

has worked with have benefited

from the partnerships, she added.

“It’s a win-win situation for the

people of Iraq,” Morgan said. She

added that she hopes that “some

day, you will be able to visit Iraq as

a tourist and know there is a worldclass health facility available here.” 

Renovated Ishaki

Health Clinic opens

Submitted by 1st

Infantry Division

Public Affairs

MOSUL, Iraq — Renovations are underway to

turn Mosul Airfield into a commercial airport,

bringing international commerce and trade to

northern Iraq. A ceremony was held July 3 to celebrate the first phase of the airfield construction

and the beginning of the transition.

The planned renovations will bring Mosul

Airport to international standards, officials said,

allowing flights from commercial airlines to fly

into and out of the airport. The airport will bring

business and trade from around the world to

northern Iraq, providing economic opportunities.

It will also provide access to northern Iraq for

tourists who are interested in experiencing Iraq’s

historical sites.

“Mosul is the hub of northern Iraq,” said Gen.

Mohammed Ahmed Abdul-Karim, the director of

the project. “Now people from across northern

Iraq can fly out of Mosul instead of making a long

drive to Baghdad.”

The project icludes remodeling the existing airport terminal and demolishing military-style

bunkers left from Saddam Hussein’s regime. In

addition to this first phase of remodeling, Iraqi and

multinational officials plan to renovate the airport

taxiway, to build a second terminal and a tower and

to update the electrical system, the weather-forecasting equipment and the runway lights.

The Iraqi leaders expect to be able to host international flights within two years. The city council

and governor approved a plan to purchase planes at

the end of the year to begin flights to the countries

that surround Iraq.

Mosul Airfield begins transition

from military to civilian use

Story and photo by Spc. Blair Larson

139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Cpl. Anthony-Louis Belgrave, British Army

Medical school plans

for Harvard partnership

Workers demolish a military bunker at the Mosul Airfield July 3. The work is part of a project to

return the Mosul Airfield to the Iraqi people for use as an international airport.

Submitted by 1st Infantry

Division Public Affairs
Page 6 Scimitar July 16, 2004

KHUZAMYAH, Iraq — When children in this town return to school in the

fall, they’ll be learning in newly refurbished surroundings, courtesy of the

264th Engineer Group.

Soldiers from the Wisconsin Army

National Guard unit repaired the Mohlhl

Primary School here and were making

improvements to a nearby medical clinic

in June. The unit also had a hand in

refurbishing a grade school in Al Alem. 

Prior to the renovations, children had

to travel home just to use the bathroom

because there was no running water at

the school in Khuzamyah, said Maj.

Patrick D. Beyer, the projects officer.

With the bare necessities lacking there,

Beyer said this caused a major disruption

for students and teachers. The Berlin,

Wisc., resident pointed out that education

is critical in the rebuilding of Iraq.

“It’s important to me to bring back

central services,” he said, referring to the

need for everything from electric and

water to education. 

The refurbishing of the two schools

and medical clinic cost $50,000 each.

The projects were funded by the

Commander Emergency Relief Fund.

Each schools consist of six classrooms

and two offices. The medical clinic,

staffed by a doctor and two nurses, is

comprised of a treatment room and doctor’s office. 

While the Mohlhl School will welcome some 500 students in the fall, the

Al Biset School in Al Alem will house

about 150 students in its classrooms.

Beyer said the small clinic serves 12,000

people in the area.

After the official ribbon-cutting ceremonies at each school, Soldiers delivered

about 500 pounds of donated school supplies from Operation Pencil Box.

Sgt. Jake L. Tilseth said he enjoyed

helping deliver the mounds of boxes

filled with everything from notebooks to

folders.

As a member of the South Dakota

Army National Guard, the 26-year-old

built schools in Nicaragua three years

ago. Looking at the happy faces of the

children in Khuzamyah as they scampered around their newly renovated

school, the Menomonie, Wisc., resident

said he felt a certain satisfaction.

“When you get to see the kids, it

makes you feel as though you are doing

something worthwhile,” Tilseth said. 

As small hands tied to grab at the

boxes she was carrying inside the school,

Spc. Robbin J.M. Goettl said she couldn’t help but think of her

4-year-old daughter,

Paige, back home in New

Auburn, Wisc.

“It feels great,” the 24-

year-old said. “I wish I

could do more for them.”

A cook with the 264th

Engineer Group, Goettl

described the experience

as “awesome.”

Beyer said he wouldn’t

mind if more Soldiers

shared in that sentiment.

In fact, they may get that

opportunity.

“I have a boatload of

future projects,” Beyer

said.

Funding is currently

being sought for four

water treatment plants

that will each serve 300

to 500 people in small

villages along the Tigris

River. Money is also

being sought for a waterdistribution project that will serve five

villages and 30,000 people in the

Makhou Valley between Bajyi and

Sharquat. 

Pricetag? About $1.2 million.

Beyer said the 264th Engineer Group is

helping to rebuild Iraq one project at a time.

264th Engineers provide necessities

Story and photo by 

Spc. Sherree Casper

196th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

Spc. Robbin J.M. Goettl, a cook with the 264th

Engineer Group, brings school supplies to help

celebrate a school re-opening.

National Guard

unit improves

school, clinic

BAYJI, Iraq — Local

Iraqi residents and Task Force

Danger Soldiers recently celebrated the first edition of

The Arabic Future, a newspaper printed for the citizens

here.

The newspaper, which published its first edition July 1,

was made a reality by cooperation between the Bayji City

Council, Task Force 1-7 Field

Artillery and a civil affairs

team. The initial cost of the

project was $9,500, and continued production of the

newspaper will rely on profits

gained from the sales of

newspapers and advertising. 

In his first editorial column,

Sa’ad Thamir expressed his

happiness for being able to

finally bring a newspaper to

his city. He promised “to be

neutral in all the information

and articles and will never be

afraid to tell the truth.”

The Bayji newspaper is

printed in Mosul, since there

is no local printing press, and

has a circulation of approximately 3,000 copies per

issue. Thamir and his staff of

10 local men, worked to

accomplish their goal of publishing the first edition in

time to commemorate “the

day of the the government

transference to the Iraqi people,” the editor said.

Bayji opens newspaper

Submitted by 

1st Infantry Division

Public Affairs

Army seeks to recruit 

‘downsized’ Airmen, Sailors

WASHINGTON — After they “cross into the

blue” or “accelerate their lives,” the Army hopes

service members leaving the Air Force and Navy

will join the “Army of One.” 

A new program, Operation Blue to Green, seeks

to recruit Airmen and Sailors leaving their service

due to force reductions into the Army, which is

temporarily increasing its ranks. 

Plans call for the Air Force to reduce its numbers

by 16,000 and the Navy by 7,900 by the end of

2005, officials from the two services confirmed. 

An Army spokesperson called Operation Blue to

Green a win-win opportunity that “will definitely

benefit the Department of Defense as well as these

individuals.” 

Details of the program are still being worked

out, but an Army Website says the program tells

potential recruits it “will allow you to continue to

serve your country, to maintain the benefits of military service and to expand your horizons by gaining new training and trying new things.” 

Candidates for the program are Airmen and

Sailors in grades E-5 and below who qualify for an

honorable discharge from active duty.

Participation in the Operation Blue to Green program, the Website says, “is dependent upon your

service’s willingness to release you from your current active-duty obligation.” 

Marines and Coast Guardsmen interested in the

program must first complete their current activeduty service obligations before enlisting in the

Army, the site advises. 

New soldiers recruited under Operation Blue to

Green will go through a four week “warrior-transition course” being developed by the Army

Training and Doctrine Command. 

“This will further orient them in terms of what it

means to be a soldier in the Army,” the Army

spokesperson said. 

This new course in basic combat skills will substitute for the nine-week course currently used to

train Airmen, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen enlisting in the Army, the Web site noted. 

Bonuses will be offered to recruits for selected

military occupational specialties, although details

were not yet available. 

While the Army finalizes details about the program, it’s wasting no time getting the word out to

potential candidates. An online information form

encourages interested candidates to sign up for

more information. 

However, the site notes, “until formal policies

have been approved, Army recruiters cannot

accept applications, process paperwork or reserve

training seats.” 

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service 
July 16, 2004 Scimitar Page 7

Iraq in Brief

2,000 employed in largest employment project to date

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The 1st Cavalry Division broke ground

on the Al Boetha landfill here July 10.

The $35-million project will be the largest employment effort in

the 5th Brigade Combat Team’s area of operation, providing jobs

for 2,000 Iraqi workers.

Workers, who earn $7 a day, will clear a 3.6 kilometer area for

the landfill and build fences and a road during the two-month

project. They will also dig a canal for water runoff around the

landfill.

To facilitate even distribution of the jobs, neighborhood councils

from six districts provided names to Army civil affairs officials.

In addition to the expected 2,000 employees, 700 additional

Iraqis came to the site looking for jobs, said Staff Sgt. Rodney

Cox, a civil affairs team member in Company A, 489th Civil

Affairs Battalion. 

Iraqi National Guard receives 10,000 sets of armor

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraqi Ministry of Defense received

10,000 sets of donated body armor July 9 as part of the multinational force’s ongoing effort to assist the Iraqi government equip

its security forces.

The armor, donated by the United Arab Emirates and slotted for

delivery to Iraqi National Guard troops in the coming days, will

be followed by another 20,000 purchased sets by the end of the

month. Ultimately, the Iraqi National Guard is slated to receive

nearly 42,000 sets of armor.

“The United Arab Emirates is trying to do their part to facilitate

the security effort in Iraq,” said the Iraqi National Guard logistics

chief, U.S. Army Maj. John Isgrigg. Isgrigg is with the Coalition

Military Assistance Training Team.

The Iraqi National Guard — a security and emergency agency

in Iraq composed of Iraqi volunteers — is currently made up of 45

battalions and 37,371 soldiers, including 2,200 in training.

The force conducts operations with multinational forces to

counter security threats within the country

Marines shepherd improvement projects

AR RAMADI, Iraq — Marines here are involved in several

civil-military operations in the region, including making payments in excess of $80,000 to stabilize the area.

Marines recently attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the

Khandari City Council Building, which was constructed with

multinational force funding using Iraqi contractors and laborers.

The new facility — complete with new furniture — provides the

council with a place to meet in and handle city matters.

A civil affairs team assessed the Iskandariyah Hospital and met

with the staff to review assistance initiatives and discuss plans for

future aid. Another civil affairs team met with Iraqi National

Guard's 502nd Battalion to pay $31,300 for water and electricity

connections for Iraqi soldiers.

Additional payments of $52,124 were made for other civil-military projects that included construction at a school, renovations to

a mosque and repairs to a fire station.

1st ID Soldiers, Iraqi Security Forces team for patrols

TIKRIT, Iraq — Almost 125 of the approximately 375 patrols

conducted by the 1st Infantry Division and Task Force Danger

July 9-10 were conducted with the Iraqi Security Forces.

During the patrols and two raids, troops captured nine people

and confiscated weapons and equipment that included one AK-47

assault rifle, one 152mm round, five 105mm artillery rounds, five

57mm anti-aircraft HE rounds, one mortar round, two rocket propelled grenades and four improvised explosive devices.

Four people, including a high-value individual who was suspected of making threats against the Iraqi National Guard, were captured

by Task Force Danger Soldiers from the 81st Enhanced Separate

Brigade (Task Force Tacoma) during a raid near Ad Dujayl July 9.

The individuals were transported to a multinational detention

facility for questioning. Soldiers confiscated one AK-47 assault

rifle in the raid.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The

Iraqi Army made a wellreceived first foray into the city

here July 1 with a single company from the Iraqi Intervention

Force’s 2nd Battalion conducting foot patrols down the

crowded streets of the troubled

southern district of Abu Deshir.

The operation, originally

designed as a combined Iraqi

Army goodwill and security

mission, eventually erupted into

a jubilant and peaceful celebration for the local residents as

crowds lined the streets.

The patrol marked the beginnings of the Iraqi Army’s combined multinational force, Iraqi

Police Service and Iraqi Army

security efforts in the city. 

“I was very happy to see the

Iraqi people again and see the

situation,” said the IIF’s 2nd

Battalion, 2nd Company commander, Maj. Abbas Jassim

Jebir, one of the leaders of the

patrol.

“The people know about the

new army and the uniforms,

supplies, the treatment of the

soldiers, and they see us in

high-tech equipment, and they

believe the Iraqi Army can provide security,” Jebir said. 

“Most of the men asked us,

‘How can we join this new

army,’” he added.

The operation marks the

beginning of the 2nd Battalion’s

operations in the city after moving lead elements of the force

into the area earlier in the week. 

The unit, after spending several months in service north of

Baghdad at the Taji Military

Training Base, completed two

months of special counterinsurgency training at the base. The

balance of the force will join

the lead group in the coming

weeks and will contribute to the

ongoing security mission in the

city. 

“The intent is to get Iraqis out

to provide their own security

and to get leaders out to meet

local leaders,” said the advisor

support team senior advisor,

Marine Corps Maj. David E.

Lane II – one of only a handful

of American servicemen accompanying the patrolling force in

an advisory role on the mission.

Lane is a member of the

Coalition Military Assistance

Training Team.

“They were really motivated

to see the reaction,” Lane said,

“and with everybody talking to

them, I’d say the Iraqis were

pretty happy to see the Iraqi

Army out today.”

In the coming months, multinational forces will continue to

work with the unit and the rest

of the Iraqi Security Forces as

part of the ongoing effort to

provide a trained and effective

security element in Iraq. 

A small advisor support team

of 10 Marines who have worked

with the force since early March

will continue to provide advisory assistance as needed. The IIF

Story and photo by 

Sgt. Jared Zabaldo

Office of Security

Transition Public Affairs

Soldiers from the Iraqi Intervention Force make their first

patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, July 1. The patrol by the unit

marked the start of the army’s security efforts in the city.

Iraqi Army makes first patrol

into Baghdad streets

TIKRIT, Iraq — The 30th Iraqi National

Guard Brigade received more than 60 brandnew vehicles from multinational forces July 7. 

The handover occurred at Forward Operating

Base Speicker,

Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team

handed over 31 2004-model diesel four-wheel

pickup trucks and 35 Czechoslovakian-made

jeeps. 

The cost for each pickup was $23,000 and

$14,000 per jeep. Funding for the pickup trucks

was supplied by the 1st Infantry Division with

the Multi-National Corps-Iraq covering the

costs for the jeeps.

About 150 of the 2,500 members of the 30th

Iraqi National Guard Brigade were on hand to

pick up the vehicles. 

“This will help to more fully equip the Iraq

Security Forces to do the job that they need to

do here in Iraq,” said Maj. Eric C. Frutchey, the

officer in charge of the Iraqi Security Force for

the 2nd Brigade Combat Team. 

Based in Tikrit, the 30th ING Brigade

umbrellas three ING battalions that provide

security for the region. 

Two pickup trucks can carry an 11-man ING

squad with the option of mounting a machine

gun in the bed of the vehicle. 

Frutchey said by having four-wheel drive

pickups for the rough desert terrain, the ING

has higher mobility.

“They are efficient and reliable,” he said of

the pickups.

30th Iraqi National Guard Brigade

receives new pickups, jeeps

By Spc. Sherree Casper

196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

See ING, Page 10
Page 8 Scimitar July 16, 2004

TIKRIT, Iraq — As Sgt.

Scott M. Van Order held tightly

onto his legs, Spc. Andrew J.

Gilmon teetered precariously

from the back of a humvee.

With one hand, Gilmon gingerly used a wooden probe to

search for explosives through

the coarse dirt. He periodically

laid a poker chip in the area he

was probing – a critical step to

outlining an escape route. 

The combat engineers were

two of 35 Soldiers who took

part in the Explosive Hazards

Awareness Instructor Course at

Forward Operating Base

Danger here. Hosted by the 1st

Infantry Division’s Engineer

Brigade, the three-day course

was designed as a train-thetrainer program for soldiers

stationed at various FOBs

within Task Force Danger.

It’s intended to reduce the

number of causalities as a

result of explosive hazards,

particularly improvised explosive devices, unexploded ordnance and mines in the combat

zone, officials said. 

Members of the multinational force instructed on everything from mine probing and

extraction drills to improvised

explosive device and unexploded ordnance recognition.

“Soldiers tend to pick up

stuff and don’t know what the

hell they are doing,” said Sgt.

1st Class Rey P. Valiente of the

1st Infantry Division’s

Engineer Brigade.

The 40-year-old Los Angles,

Calif., resident said soldiers

who participated in the program will be able to teach a

five-hour block of instruction

on explosive-hazards awareness to troops in their units.

Identifying the hazards of

unexploded ordnance, Valiente

said, is a priority of the course. 

What makes the program

unique is the fact that it’s

taught by multinational instructors, he said.

“If you are going to learn

about IEDs, get different views

on the subject,” he said.

Maj. Craig Madden, of the

Royal Australian Engineers, is

the program’s officer in charge.

His advice to soldiers is “don’t

touch.”

“We show them the key indicators – what to look out for –

and teach them ... so that these

students become more aware of

their surroundings from an

explosive-hazards situation,”

said Madden of Perth,

Australia.

He was chosen for the position because of his extensive

background dealing with IEDs,

he said.

The course culminated with

practical exercises testing

Soldiers’ knowledge of how to

extract themselves from a

minefield. The exercises

included mine-probing drills.

They also had to identify

UXOs and IEDs in separate

lane stations.

Having multinational instructors help in the training was

critical because explosive hazards potentially affect everyone

in the combat zone regardless

of background, officials said. 

“This is a [multinational]

theatre, and so all forces – not

just the U.S. forces – require

this training,” Madden said. “It

has become a [multinational]

team to train all forces in the

explosive-hazards awareness.” 

Staff Sgt. Chris N. Stowe of

the United States Marine

Corps’ 2nd Explosive

Ordinance Disposal out of

Camp LeJeune, N.C., is the

program’s noncommissioned

officer in charge.

“The point of this training is

to save lives,” said the Warren,

Ohio, resident.

Describing himself as “middle-level management” for

EOD in the Marine Corps,

Stowe is based at the Mine and

Explosive Ordinance

Information Coordination

Center at Camp Victory. The

MEOICC counts Americans,

Australians, South Koreans and

Ukrainians among its trainers.

Stowe said explosive-hazards-awareness training is more

crucial than ever.

“The enemy is constantly

learning what we do to combat

their techniques, and they are

changing them,” he said.

He noted that the situation is

very fluid.

“It’s like carrying a handful

of water down the street. You

can’t stay up-to-date fast

enough,” Stowe said. “Things

change with the change of the

wind. The only way we can

combat that is by changing our

tactics, techniques and procedures — TTPs — and getting

that out to the units.”

On the road more than three

weeks out of each month,

Madden and Stowe teach several three-day courses throughout Iraq with the help of

MEOICC trainers. 

Since the program began

nearly a year ago, the duo has

trained some soldiers from

Great Britain, Japan, Poland,

Spain and Ukraine.

The explosive-hazardsawareness training has been

tasked as one of the highest

priorities in theater, Stowe

said.

“This course really does save

Soldiers’ lives,” said Staff Sgt.

Joshua J. Marcum, a combat

engineer with Charlie

Company, 82nd Engineer

Battalion, stationed at FOB

Gabe east of Baqubah, Iraq.

Marcum said he got lucky

and was able to fly to FOB

Danger for the three-day class

rather than convoy up north.

The Morristown, Tenn., resident said he sees at least one

explosive a day in “RPG

Alley,” the route that goes

from eastern Baghdad to Route

5.

Sgt. Daniel Carter is a scout

with Headquarters and

Headquarters Company, 2nd

Battalion, 63rd Armor based at

FOB Scunion, located southeast of Balad, Iraq.

“In this class, we learned

more things that are relevant to

our situation,” said Carter.

“Every (Soldier) needs to know

this stuff.”

Soldiers delve into

instructor skills

Sgt. Scott M. Van Order holds onto Spc. Andrew J.

Gilmon’s legs as the combat engineers practice a mounted-vehicle extraction.

Sgt. 1st Class Richard W. DeMarco, an infantryman with the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry,

practices probing for mines at Forward Operating Base Danger in Tikrit, Iraq.

Story and photo by 

Spc. Sherree Casper

196th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

1st ID engineers host Explosive Hazards Awarness

Instructor Course so Soldiers can teach their own
July 16, 2004 Scimitar Page 9

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq — A fire

ripped through tents here July 7, burning

the belongings of more than 140

Marines just days before they were slated to return to the United States.

There were no injuries or fatalities.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The blaze was brought under control

by Marine and Army firefighters from

Marine Wing Support Squadron 273 and

the Army’s 767th Engineer Team. 

“We saw smoke in the distance, so we

came just to see what it was and turns

out we made a good call,” said Cpl.

Joseph J. Giasson, 21, from Harlan,

Iowa, and the P-19A crew chief with

MWSS-273.

By the time firefighters arrived, two

tents used by Marines as a berthing area

burned and more were in danger. The

smoke was approximately a thousandfeet wide and the flames licked the sky

at 75 feet, firefighters said. 

“We had to hurry and get the water

lines out to fight the fire close to the

other tents,” Giasson said.

“Tent fires are dangerous because they

burn fast,” said Army Sgt. Obie A.

Myers, 27, from Dallas Center, Iowa,

and a firefighter with 767 Engineer

Team. “You have to have respect for it,

and the first thing to do is find the base

of it.”

Adding to the danger was ammunition

left inside the tents. Rounds cooked off

in the searing heat, raising the stakes of

gaining control of the fire. 

“We had to protect the burning assets

and cool off the ammo first,” Myers

said. “Everyone on

duty came as fast as

possible and time

was a huge factor.

Responding quickly

helped us control

the fire.”

“There was a little

confusion at first,

but once we got

together on the

strategy, we took

care of it and did a

good job,” Giasson

said.

Firefighters

fought the summer

desert heat even as

they battled the

flames. Some

paused for water to

cool off and hydrate. 

“I considered

myself in great shape, but the heat made

it difficult,” said Lance Cpl. Matthew D.

Richerd, 23, from Covington, La., a firefighter with MWSS-273. “This was definitely the hardest fire I have ever dealt

with in these circumstances.” 

Marines from 1st Battalion, 8th

Marine Regiment scurried alongside the

firefighters to gather their gear as the

flames crept closer. The battalion recently arrived in Iraq and the blaze threatened to consume their gear, as well. The

flames were as close as 10 feet from

reaching their tent. 

“I grabbed as much as I could and left.

I just ran and got out of the way,” said

Pfc. Donald A. Bills, 22, from Orlando,

Fla., and a machine gunner with the battalion. “I feel bad for the other Marines

whose stuff got lost.”

Not everyone was fortunate to recover

their gear. A total of 141 Marines from

3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment lost

everything they had in their living areas. 

“I’m glad all the Marines made it out

safely and no one was injured despite of

all the loss,” said Cpl. Cedric C. Jordan,

from Abbeville, La., an embark logistics

specialist with 3rd battalion, 4th Marine

Regiment. “That’s all that matters right

now.

“I just feel relieved,” added the 21-

year-old. “It could have been a chaotic

situation if someone would have been

injured. Materials can be replaced, but

Marines can’t. Our brother companies

came together and put in extra gear they

had — including cammies — to share

with everyone who lost everything in the

fire, the way it’s supposed to be.”

Story and photos by 

Sgt. Jose L. Garcia

1st Marine Division Public Affairs

Marines, Soldiers battle blaze

Lance Cpl. Matthew D. Richerd, a firefighter with

Marine Wing Support Squadron 273, douses hot coals

from a fire in Camp Al Asad, Iraq, July 7. Fires

destroyed 10 tents before Soldiers and Marines got

the flames under control. 

Marine and Army firefighters fought a fire for more than an hour in the

heat and through the smoke at Camp Al Asad July 7. The flames were as

close as 10 feet from reaching other tents. A total of 141 Marines from 3rd

Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment lost everything in their living areas.

MOSUL, Iraq — As an infantry team leader stationed here, Spc. Eric Smith from Casper, Wyo., said he

believes in his mission of providing security for the

Iraqi people and rebuilding the country’s security

forces. 

“The people here endured years of hardship under

Saddam Hussein,” said Smith, a member of Company

C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade,

2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team)

based out of Fort Lewis, Wash. “The people have told

me that Saddam kicked them out of their homes and

killed their relatives. I’m proud to have helped bring

them freedom and rebuild their country.”

Smith leads Soldiers on patrols, raids and other combat missions.

Even before sovereignty was transferred to the Iraqi

people June 28, Smith and his fellow Soldiers had been

conducting security operations with the Iraqi National

Guard and Iraqi police.

He said he has a good rapport with the Iraqi soldiers

and police officers, and that he admires the passion they

have for their jobs.

“They are hard-working family men, just like us, and

they want to make a difference in their society,” Smith

said. “Several of them get death threats from terrorists,

but they keep doing their job because they care about

Iraq.”

According to Smith’s leaders, he’s a selfless Soldier

who will one day be a noncommissioned officer. He

passed the Army’s promotion board for the rank of sergeant in May.

“Smith is a hard-working, committed Soldier,” said

1st Lt. Nick Kardonsky, the4 executive officer for

Company C. “From the moment he joined our unit, we

knew he would be promoted ahead of his peers.”

Spc. Eric Smith patrols the streets of Mosul with

Iraqi National Guard soldiers. Smith is a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry

Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

Wyoming native believes in

providing freedom to Iraqis

Story and photo by Sgt. Fred Minnick

139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Page 10 Scimitar July 16, 2004

STAND Continued from Page Three

have been removed. They could have been hidden. They could have been destroyed,” Blair

said. “I have to accept that we have not found

them — that we may not find them.” 

Despite the failure to uncover them, Blair

said such weapons posed a danger in hands of

Saddam, who “was a threat, not only to his

region, but to the entire world. The world is a

safer place without him.”

The prime minister told the House of

Commons that Britain has “played a constructive part” in bringing change to Iraq. He said he

admires the way Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad

Allawi and his interim government have

approached their first days in office since the

June 28 transfer of sovereignty. 

Blair said Britain continues to maintain close

ties with its European allies, including France

and Germany, that did not support Operation

Iraqi Freedom. But, he insisted, he is “not going

to have the relationship with the United States

of America subordinated to the interests of any

other country.” 

Blair said it’s in Britain’s best interest to

maintain a strong relationship with the United

States. 

“Most countries around the world would give

their eye-teeth to have that relationship,” he said. 

ING Continued from Page Seven

unit, though, is tasked by the

Iraqi Ministry of Defense and,

after months of training, formulates its own mission plans

for scheduled operations with

employments continuing to be

coordinated with other multinational forces.

The citizens on hand for the

first patrol reacted immediately to the force on the ground

by honking horns, flashing

lights, clapping and loud

words of encouragement.

Families on balconies,

rooftops and in apartment

windows waved and called to

the excited troops as they

passed by. 

Soldiers interacted with

throngs of children following

alongside as the leaders conducted their goodwill information and interaction missions with the local citizens

and business people working

in the area. 

“People told us their problems and requested help with

these concerns and asked us

about the facts of our mission,” Jebir said. “We told

them that there are more on

the way just like us. And we

told them that we are fighting

for the principles of security,

stability and the reconstruction efforts.” 

For the Coalition Military

Assistance Training Team, a

branch of the Office of

Security Transition specifically tasked with training, equipping and mentoring the Iraqi

armed forces, the event is part

of the ongoing effort to assist

the Iraqi government in the

training of another 24 Iraqi

Army battalions in the coming months to bring the full

complement up to the originally programmed force of 27

battalions divided among nine

brigades and three divisions. 

The effort should be complete by early February 2005.

“It was like when my dad

bought me my first bicycle

and the expression he had

when he took off the training

wheels and I finally rode

down the street on my own,”

said Advisor Support Team

member Marine Corps Staff

Sgt. John McKnight. “I was

hoping they would look at

these guys as the new face of

Iraq, and they did.”

The mission was designed,

in addition to the security

element, to assure local citizens that the army was now

here and more would arrive

in the coming weeks to provide security in the city.

Operations will cover the

gamut of typical line unit

missions including patrols,

traffic-control points, cordons

and searches, and intelligence missions. 

“I feel great about this,”

Jebir said. “This dream is

coming true, day by day.”

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi

contractors completed renovations on Baghdad University and

al-Nahrain University in late

June with the help of the 1st

Cavalry Division’s 1st Battalion,

9th Cavalry Regiment.

The $600,000 projects were

completed by Iraqi contractors

hired by the battalion’s

Company A, attached to 3rd

Brigade’s Arkansas National

Guard unit, 1st Battalion, 153rd

Infantry Regiment.

“It feels good,” 2nd Lt. Robert

Kotecki, the company’s civil

affairs and information operations officer, said. “It’s a sense

of accomplishment.”

The Baghdad University renovations focused on the front

entrance of the campus. They

included a parking lot for 80

buses, plumbing and gardening

improvements and new walkways and lighting.

Before the lot was constructed, buses would park on the side

of the road, the head engineer for

the Karada District said. Traffic

jams would occur frequently, so

the university’s president made a

plan to fix the problem.

The fountains at the campus

entrance were also repaired after

not working for 14 years. 

Baghdad University is considered the most prestigious university in Iraq, with more than

70,000 students attending the

satellite campuses.

The al-Nahrain University.

received a new political science

building, complete with air conditioning, fluorescent lighting,

bathrooms and an amphitheater.

“The building was started

before the war, but it was pretty

much a skeleton structure,”

Kotecki said. “The floor was littered with anti-aircraft rounds

when we first got here.” 

The al-Nahrain University,

formerly the Saddam University,

was an elite school for Ba’ath

Party children, Kotecki said. 

At each university, Lt. Col.

Kendall Penn, the 1-153 INF

commander, cut the ribbon for

the ceremonies. After the alNahrain University ribbon cutting, the Soldiers were treated to

a feast of Arabic food and sodas.

Company A, 1-9 Cav. has several projects on the horizon,

including an allergy and vaccination clinic, the al-Zeweia Health

Clinic and building a gas station

near Baghdad University, which

will be the only one in the area.

Renovations complete

Story and photo by 

Spc. Bryan Kinkade

1st Cavalry Division 

Public Affairs

Two universities

improved by 1st

Cavalry Division

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The

chief of Australia’s Defence

Force, Gen. Peter Cosgrove,

returned July 12 from a three-day

visit to Australian personnel

deployed here for Operation

Catalyst, Australia’s military contribution to the rehabilitation and

reconstruction of Iraq.

Cosgrove was the first armed

forces chief from any of the 31

multinational force countries to

visit Iraq since the transfer of

authority and to meet the new

commander of the Multi-National

Force-Iraq, Gen. George Casey.

The visit gave Cosgrove an

opportunity to reinforce

Australia’s military relationship

with its MNF-I allies and to gain

first-hand knowledge of MNF-I’s

progress in providing a secure

environment for Iraq to prosper.

“Amongst the violence, there

are so many good things happening in Iraq. There is real progress

being made in the quality of life

for the great majority of Iraqis,”

Cosgrove said. 

He saw firsthand Australia’s

contribution to the restoration and

rehabilitation of Iraq and discussed the operation with the

commander of Australian forces,

Brig. Peter Hutchinson, and met

with Australian service members

serving in the Middle East.

“I am continually delighted by

the sense of purpose and cheerfulness of every Aussie I meet in

Iraq,” said Cosgrove. “There’s no

disguising the danger and hardship they face, and I am very

proud of our country men and

women who are giving 110 percent to help rehabilitate Iraq”.

Cosgrove also met a new generation of Australian soldiers

from the Baghdad-based security

detachment who are serving in

Iraq with the same company he

commanded nearly 30 years ago

as an infantry major. The visit was

Cosgrove’s third to the Middle

East since Operation Catalyst

began in July 2003.

Following the transition of

authority to the interim Iraqi government, the Australian Defence

Force continues to contribute to

multinational force efforts to

develop a secure and stable environment in Iraq and assist national recovery programs. About 850

ADF personnel are serving in

Operation Catalyst.

ADF chief visits troops in Iraq

By Australian Department

of Defence Public Affairs

The refurbished entrance to Baghdad University flies an

Iraqi flag while the fountains, which had not worked for 14

years, spray magenta-colored water 25 feet into the air.
July 16, 2004 Scimitar Page 11

BALAD, Iraq — Squeezing the trigger is a last resort for those Soldiers

assigned to protect and defend the combat logistic patrols, but when they do,

it’s with conviction.

“A lot of people have this misconception that gunners are trigger-happy people. I will be the first to tell you that we

don’t want to pull that trigger,” said Spc.

Chris Antoniou, a gunner for third platoon, 660th Transportation Company.

Since arriving in February, Antoniou

has been the gunner on roughly 30 trips

throughout Iraq. His missions have

included escorting fuel, civilian truckers,

foreign national students and military

instructors. All the while, his eyes were

peeled for signs of danger.

“Usually, what I look for as a gunner

is anything out of the ordinary —

[improvised explosive devices], daisy

chains. I look real close,” he said.

Attackers sometimes tip off the gunners about oncoming dangers, said Spc.

Nicholas Guinn of the 1544th

Transportation Company which is stationed at Logistical Base Seitz.

Guinn said they mark IEDs with

shoelaces, shoes on wires, shiny objects

on the side of the road, CDs and mirrors.

“The days we got ambushed, they

tried partially blocking the road with

guard rails, rocks and stones,” he said.

“There wasn’t any traffic on the road,

either. So we tensed up a little bit,

scanned our sectors and waited for the

first shots.”

When the shooting starts, the gunner

has instincts honed by training to rely

on.

“When the situation comes and you’re

there and you have a split second to

think, it goes back to what you’ve been

taught in the Army. You just go with

your instincts. It’s like a split second

reaction. It just happens and you have

just your instincts to go by,” said Spc.

Daniel T. Murphy, a gunner for the

1544th Trans. Co. “You just function.”

“Hitting people and seeing people fall

kind of gets to you when you’re done.

Not while it’s happening, because you’re

trying to save your life and the lives of

everyone in the convoy. It’s crazy,”

Guinn said.

The gunners have assisted in preventing firefights.

“It’s an intimidation factor anyway

you look at it. They know when they see

us coming [in the gun trucks] to get out

of the way,” Antoniou said. “We’re not

out to pull the trigger. “We will give

them every opportunity to get out of the

way before we resort to extreme action.”

Sometimes, intimidation is enough.

By Pfc. Abel Trevino

28th Public Affairs Detachment

Automatic reaction

Gunners watch over convoys

A gunner on a combat logistics patrol looks down the barrel of his M-249

Squad Automatic Weapon as he prepares to provide security for another

resupply mission.

Spc. James Truitt, U.S. Army

MOSUL, Iraq — After completing basic and advanced individual training, Pvt. Robert Sisk

and Pvt. Ian Battan only stayed

at their first duty station, Fort

Lewis, Wash., for a brief stint

before deploying to a combat

zone thousands of miles away

from their homes. 

Sisk, from Lancaster, Calif.,

and Battan, from Vancouver,

Wash., are both here assigned to

Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd

Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade,

2nd Infantry Division (Stryker

Brigade Combat Team).

The Stryker Brigade entered

Iraq in December while both

Soldiers were still in basic training. Sisk crossed the Iraqi border in February and Battan

entered Iraq in June. The two

Soldiers said they felt trained

and ready but didn’t know what

to expect when they crossed the

border.

“I’ll admit, I was nervous,”

said Battan, 19, an assistant gunner. “On my first day of actual

duty with my unit, I went on a

combat mission where we raided

a suspected terrorist’s house.”

Sisk, 20, said Iraq was a

culture shock, but that his fellow platoon members helped

him quickly adapt to his new

surroundings.

“Ever since I joined this unit,

I’ve been welcomed, and they

have taught me how to be a better Soldier,” Sisk said. “In a

way, I’m really lucky because

many Soldiers train for years for

combat, and I’m getting the realworld experience on my first

assignment.”

Since their first days, Battan

and Sisk have patrolled the

streets of Mosul in 100-degree

plus weather, conducted raids

and operated traffic controlpoints. They also work with

Iraqi National Guard soldiers.

“We are preparing the Iraqi

National Guard to take over

when we leave, and even though

I’ve only been here for a couple

of weeks, I’d say the Iraqi

National Guard soldiers are

doing a good job,” Battan said.

“Working with soldiers from

another country is certainly new

to me, but then again, I’m

exposed to something new every

day.”

Sgt. 1st Class Brad Kelley,

Battan’s platoon sergeant, said

they integrated Battan into the

platoon as soon as possible.

“We have a tight-knit platoon,

and we wanted Battan to feel

like a part of the team, because

it’s difficult being away from

home for the first time,” Kelley

said.

For Sisk, his biggest challenge

is being away from his grandparents, Christine and Harry

Ralph, he said, but he overcomes homesickness by putting

things into perspective.

“I really feel like I’m a part of

history,” Sisk said. “I hope I can

look back 20 years from now

and say I helped make Iraq what

it is today.”

Pvt. Ian Battan of Vancouver , Wash., secures his sector of fire from his Stryker vehicle’s

air-sentry hatch. When Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment – Battan’s unit

– entered Iraq, he was still in basic training. Battan was assigned to Company C in Mosul,

Iraq, in June.

Story and photo by 

Sgt. Fred Minnick 

139th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

Soldiers graduate, head to Iraq

Troops’ first assignment is patroling the streets of Iraq
Page 12 Scimitar July 16, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Maj. Annette

Dawson’s job isn’t easy. Today she has to

meet with the one of two wives of a

bazaar vendor who was killed in a robbery

after he left the International Zone, which

was formerly known as the Green Zone.

She feels badly for the needless loss of his

life, but still has to settle what estate the

vendor had remaining at the bazaar she

oversees and manages. 

Before she can even get through the

gates, she spots a group of children. She

singles one out, lifts his T-shirt, withdraws

a half-dozen pornographic DVDs and

breaks them into pieces. The children,

aware of who she is and what she represents, don’t utter a word or offer any

resistance.

The wife of the deceased vendor arrives

and, through her interpreter, Dawson

explains that the remaining estate items at

the bazaar will be divided equally between

the wives, but, to ensure an even division,

both wives have to be present. 

Still, seeing the second wife yet in

mourning reminds her of the recent

tragedy.

“People maybe think he was working

with the [multinational force] because

they see an increase in spending and

lifestyle,” said Dawson, the special projects officer for the 478th Civil Affairs

Battalion here, “but these people are just

trying to make a living.”

Those Iraqi entrepreneurs who have

moved into the bazaar in the International

Zone mostly return to their homes in the

Red Zone, where they are subject to robbery or may otherwise be identified as targets for insurgents who feel they are siding with multinational forces. So far, two

vendors have been killed in robberies after

they left the International Zone.

Dawson is charged with the oversight

and management of the popular bazaar

located about two blocks away from the

Presidential Palace that houses some of

the multinational force’s organizational

activity. As new vendors arrive and stalls

are added, more soldiers visit the bazaar

to shop. 

It may be the vendor’s stall, but it’s

Dawson’s territory.

“I maintain supervision of the market

and ensure the vendors are operating within the guidelines and standards of the

[authorities] and Iraqi people,” Dawson

said. “Other than that, I just try to be honest and fair.”

The market features an array of useful

and eclectic ware, from compact discs and

DVDs, watches, handmade rugs and bags,

soft drinks and ice cream to gold jewelry

and, well, just about everything under the

hot sun here.

The place draws an ever-increasing

crowd of locals, multinational forces, contract workers and government employees

flowing up and down the single aisle that

is sandwiched between twin rows of wood

stalls.

Dawson said there is no rental fee for

stall space, which is provided on a first

come-first served basis, and that most of

the vendors specialize in theme sales

items like music, jewelry or rugs. More

than 300 workers man the stalls, including

six female Iraqis who serve as submanagers for Dawson.

“They help me enforce standards,

update changes and provide input to the

bazaar,” Dawson said. “For instance, this

is the first week we’ve sold melons, and

now we’ll get more fruits and vegetables,

so it works best for everyone.” 

Supply and demand has always formed

the cornerstone of successful centers of

commerce, and the bazaar is no exception.

“I came here for a circular saw,” said

Staff Sgt. David Patterson of the 785th

Combat Stress Detachment from

Minnesota and a regular shopper at the

bazaar. “If you need something, you just

tell one of the vendors what you want;

sometimes we go online and get a picture

of it for them. Then they go into Baghdad

and get it for you and bring it here. Their

prices are reasonable — about what you’d

pay at home.”

Dawson is an educator from Hobbs,

N.M., and also serves as the U.S. military

liaison for the Women’s Center in

Baghdad, where she champions the struggle for gender equality and equal opportunity. She tries to encourage Iraqi women

to move toward the future and join the

workforce.

“They’ve lived under these traditional

roles for a long time,” Dawson said, “but

as times change ... these roles must

change. These changes are coming, and

I’m proud to be helping these women.”

Dawson said the evolution of the

woman’s role in Iraq and in the new

nation’s workplace will ultimately help

Iraq become more productive. She sees

the bazaar as a microcosm of how things

might operate on a grander scale and

dreams that it may break the confines

between the International and Red zones

and better serve all residents of Baghdad.

“I really like working with the vendors,” Dawson said. “I would like to see

some of them get a small business going

from this,” and she is always watching for

those vendors who may be ready to make

such a step; she said so she can refer

them to the Iraqi Business Center for further assistance.

From Patterson’s perspective, the bazaar

also provides people with a much-needed

place to unwind.

“It’s a relaxed atmosphere and offers a

change of pace,” said Patterson. “It’s a

great place to interact with others and get

a little [rest and relaxation] away from the

line. People need to take time to care for

themselves. It’s like a battery – you can’t

keep running and running it without a

recharge.”

As the duty day begins to close, foot

traffic down the center aisle picks up.

Somewhere outside the International

Zone, a mortar round explodes, reminding

everyone of the deadly reality yet alive

and well in Iraq.

“The bazaar should be a safe area

where people are able to make a living,”

said Dawson. “It should be a place where

people can walk freely and not fear for

their lives.”

Story and photo by 

Master Sgt. Jack Gordon

U.S. Army Reserve Command

Public Affairs Acquisition Team 

Army officer manages street bazaar 

Maj. Annette Dawson meets with vendors at the bazaar inside Baghdad’s

International Zone, which was formerly known as the Green Zone.
July 16, 2004 Scimitar Page 13

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A

Soldier from the Iraqi National

Guard’s 304th Battalion walks

up to a gate in the Saddiyah

neighborhood here, bangs on it

and waits.

Eventually a man answers and

the Soldier asks him questions

ranging from what the man

thinks of the new Iraqi interim

government to his electricity

needs.

Up and down the street other

ING soldiers do the same while

U.S. Soldiers from

the 1st Cavalry

Division’s Battery

A, 1st Battalion,

21st Field Artillery

Regiment provide

security. This type

of mission is what

1st Lt. Ryan

Swindell, a platoon leader in

Alpha Battery,

calls a “target IO”,

or information

operations, patrol. 

Every few days, the Soldiers

of his battery conduct these surveys in the Saddiyah neighborhood of Al Rashid district here. 

As the July 1 patrol organized

itself after arriving at the designated street, Swindell explained

that the goal of the questionnaire

was for the multinational force to

learn the state of the infrastructure — electricity, sewage and

garbage — and the residents’ living conditions.

“It’s a great way. When you

put boots on the ground, you get

a much better sense of how the

community is,” he explained.

“The people are a lot more

receptive to you because they

know you’ve taken the time to

go visit them, to go out into the

heat and go out into the danger

of the city and see how they’re

living.”

The mission has slowly

changed over the last three

months since the battalion arrived

in Iraq, Swindell said. The INGs,

then known as the Iraqi Civil

Defense Corps, weren’t actively

questioning the residents then, he

said. Now they are. 

“Letting the INGs do this just

adds to the overall transition of

power —

letting the

Iraqis know

the ING are

in charge

now,” said

Swindell.

ING soldiers questioned residents of

about 40

homes that

evening.

They asked what the power situation was, how often trash was

collected and if the sewage was a

problem.

The joint patrol handed out

stickers and flags to the area

children. Children asked for

“chok-a-lata” and soft drinks.

Their parents smiled and waved. 

They spoke with the Soldiers,

posed for photographs with them

and thanked them for visiting. 

Saddiyah is a relatively

wealthy area of Al Rashid, said

Sgt. Tim Buttz, a member of

Swindell’s platoon. Many of the

residents are middle or upper

class. Some were in the old Iraqi

military and continue to serve in

the new Iraqi security forces.

Others work in the national ministries downtown. 

One man, an engineer in a

government ministry, said he

was aware of the many projects

the multinational force has done

for the area — soccer fields,

playgrounds and sewage

cleanup. The man, who asked

not to be identified, went on to

say he was hopeful about the

handover of sovereignty that had

taken place a few days before

would be peaceful. 

“I wish the future is very good

for Iraqi peoples,” the man said

in broken English. “In the past

was no good life. Now everything is good, and I hope it

change for good.”

For example, the man said,

now people can buy cars, his

salary is good and food prices

are low. 

For the future? He wants good

projects to develop his community and country, he said.

The presence of American

Soldiers is “very necessary” and

“they remain here a long time,”

he said.

To Swindell and his Soldiers,

it’s the “face time” with the

locals that counts the most.

While patrolling, they play with

the children and talk with adults. 

Buttz, an Operation Desert

Storm veteran, laughed as he

passed out Iraq flags to children. 

“You’ve already got three of

them!” he said to one.

These patrols are for the kids

because “they’re the future here,”

he said. The father of one back

home said talking to the local

children, even if they have little

understanding of English, makes

the deployment easier on him.

The locals, both children and

adults, wave to the Soldiers during daytime patrols, but that

changes at night.

“It’s at night you never know

what’s going to happen,” Buttz

said. “But a lot of things have

changed; it’s not as bad as it was

when we first got here.”

Just three days before this mission, sovereignty was handed

back to the Iraqis. Buttz said it

has already helped calm down

things. The neighborhood has

more electricity now, the sewage

problems are being fixed and the

residents realize they’re in

charge now, he noted. 

“They see its happening now,”

Buttz explained. “They notice

things are being done.”

The IO missions will continue

and eventually the ING will conduct them alone, Swindell said.

At some point, the neighborhood

will be safe enough that his unit

and other units in the 1st Cavalry

Division will transition from

combat patrols to do more IOtype patrols, he explained.

“That’s what everybody wants

— less ambushes and more IO

operations,” Swindell said.

An Iraqi National Guard Soldier talks with a resident of the

Al Rashid District in Baghdad, Iraq, during an informationoperations patrol the evening of July 1.

Story and photo by 

Cpl. Bill Putnam

122nd Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

Survey says . . .

Most Iraqis pleased with sovereignty

“In the past was

no good life. Now

everything is

good, and I hope

it change for

good.”

The place to access the latest 

MNF-Iraq news and information is online.

Check out www.mnf-iraq.com to stay

informed.

— Baghdad resident
Page 14 Scimitar July 16, 2004

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq — Marines

here from 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine

Regiment are currently testing lower

body armor developed by the Marine

Corps Warfighting Laboratory in

Quantico, Va.

The Kevlar shorts were designed to

repel razor-sharp shrapnel from improvised explosive devices detonated along

transportation routes throughout the

country.

According to Lt. Col. Lance A.

McDaniel, the battalion’s executive officer, the artillery unit received 10 pairs of

the shorts from the Warfighting Lab.

The shorts arrived in late June and were

distributed among the battalion’s batteries.

“The gunners in our vehicles seem to

be the most exposed to shrapnel,”

McDaniel said. “We’ve had a lot of

Marines receive injuries to their buttocks

and upper thighs.”

He said these shorts make the gunners,

who man crew-served weapons on top of

the vehicles, less vulnerable to serious

injury during IED attacks.

“The Marines wear flak jackets which

protect their backs and chests,”

McDaniel said. “It only makes sense to

have protection for the legs,”

The one-size-fits-all shorts are worn

over a Marine’s uniform and are held up

with built-in suspenders. Each pair of

shorts weighs close to 5 pounds.

Lance Cpl. Mike C. Suchevich and

Pvt. Luis R. Mejia have both tried the

shorts a few times.

“The other Marines made fun of me

the first I put them on,” Mejia said. “I

guess they thought it was a joke. They

are really funny looking.”

The shorts have already acquired a

few nicknames from the battalion. One

Marine referred to them as “lederhosen,”

and others call them “fishing shorts.”

Still, the two Marines said they are

grateful to have the new gear.

“They’re not very comfortable, and

they’re hard to move in,” Suchevich

explained, “but I do feel a lot more protected than before, and that’s definitely

more important than comfort.”

So far, the shorts have not been put to

the test during any attacks, but the

Marines said they believe it’s just a matter of time.

“I think all gunners should have a

pair,” Mejia said. “I feel safer wearing

them. They can’t stop bullets, but they

can stop shrapnel.”

Several of Mejia’s fellow gunners

have been wounded during IED attacks

and he said he wants to avoid earning a

Purple Heart here.

According to Mejia, the shorts take

about a minute and a half to put on and

the same to take off. He said if he could,

he would make a few modifications.

“They’re not too bad to wear,” he said,

“but if I could change anything, I would

have quick-release straps for the suspenders.”

He also said the pants fit comfortably

around his waist, but they are too loose

near his knees.

McDaniel said the Warfighting Lab

will solicit input from the Marines for an

undetermined amount of time.

“If the idea proves to be a success,”

McDaniel explained, “I suspect they will

be mass produced and sent out throughout the Marine Corps.”

Story and photo by 

Cpl. Paula M. Fitzgerald

1st Marine Division Public Affairs

Marine gunners test Kevlar shorts

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Sometimes, you have to bring

your own fun. 

“When it was time to come out here, I knew there

wasn’t going to be much going on for the year. And

everyone else I knew was bringing their [video games]

and stuff. So I took my tax return and bought myself a

mixer, a keyboard and microphone,” said Spc. Robert

Burke of Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division. 

With this equipment, Burke set up a recording studio

in his trailer at Camp Victory North here, out of which

he and some of his friends from HHC, 1st Cav. Div.

record music for their rap group, Eclectic.

Burke is the producer for the band, creating beats,

recording the voice tracks and editing to create their

final products. He said turning out a new beat every couple of days isn’t a struggle; he has been creating beats

back home since 2000. 

“Everything has a certain mood to it,” he said. “One

night, I was going over the beats I had started in Kuwait

and when we first got here to Iraq. You can hear the

change in what I was feeling every time.” 

Burke’s groupmates don’t take for granted what he

brings to the group in knowledge and talent. 

“This guy’s a genius,” said Spc. Bryan Clark, the lyrical master of the group. “Every time we do a track, he’ll

get on here and find something that could be done better.

So our material is always getting better and better.”

But setting up the studio turned out to be a little more

difficult than the members of Eclectic had originally

thought. 

“We would have had this going a long time ago, but

when we first got here, we had a problem with the

power situation,” said the group’s comic relief, Spc.

Adrian Tucker. “We didn’t have a transformer.” 

But they soon got a transformer, enabling them to

finally set up their studio. Now, all they needed was

some lyrics. Burke said that writing the lyrics for

Eclectic’s songs is a group effort. 

“The writing of the songs is a culmination of everybody. But each one of us is naturally good at something,

too,” he said. “Clark will come up with a lot of ideas.

And he can come up with some lyrics in a snap. I’ll be

feeling a certain way, and I won’t be able to express it

through words, so I’ll make a beat for it, and Tucker

keeps us motivated.”

The members of the group, who have been working

together for the last three months said they plan to put

out a CD of their music during their time in Baghdad.

They also intend to try to get their music played in the

Morale Welfare and Recreation tent on Camp Victory

North. And Clark plans to perform at the Equal

Opportunity-sponsored talent show July 24.

To the three HHC Soldiers, creating music is a definite escape from long days at work. 

“It’s definitely a stress reliever,” said Tucker.

But the members of Eclectic take their music seriously. When they sit down to work on their music, they’re

trying to improve on what they‘ve been working on for

a while, they said.

“Its always a work in progress,” Burke said. “We talk

about our lyrical content. We like what we do now, but

we think we could come a little bit better from our

hearts. It’s not really a matter of if we can do it or not.

It’s if we try to do it or not.”

Story and photo by Spc. Marie Whitney

122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Soldiers produce beats from trailer

Spc. Robert “Sticky” Burke of Headquarters

Company, 1st Cavalry Division looks for a good

beat to freestyle to from the collection of beats

he has created on his computer. 

Spc. Adrian “Tuck” Tucker of Headquarters

Company, 1st Cavalry Division freestyles on the

mic in the studio of Spc. Robert “Sticky” Burke,

also of HHC, 1st Cav. Div. Tucker, Burke and

Spc. Bryan Clark have a rap group called

Eclectic that they began while in Baghdad.

Lance Cpl. Mike C. Suchevich, a

gunner with Battery L, 3rd

Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment,

wears his lower-body armor. The

shorts are made of Kevlar and were

designed to repel shrapnel from

improvised explosive devices.
July 16, 2004 Scimitar Page 15

TIKRIT, Iraq — Building bridges

may not have been what the Soldiers of

the 216th Engineer Battalion expected

to be doing in Iraq, but with the help of

Marines from 6th Engineer Support

Battalion, they are participating in the

$4 million Tikrit Bridge rebuilding

project here.

“Bridge work is an extension a little

beyond our normal scope of activities,”

said Maj. Wayne Moening, the 216th

Engineer Battalion operations officer.

“Usually, we’re more involved in road

building, quality-of-life improvement,

carpentry and force protection.”

While building bridges may not be

their specialty, the Soldiers of the 216th

were ready for the challenge.

“Building bridges is an engineer mission, so we’ll be up to the task whether

it’s our primary job or not,” said Sgt.

Todd Kristoff, the noncommissioned

officer in charge of bridge inspections

for the 216th Engineer Company. To

aid them in the bridge-rebuilding

process, the 216th Soldiers worked

together with Marines from the 6th

Engineer Support Battalion.

“We’ve conducted a few operations

of bridges like this before,” said Marine

Staff Sgt. Martin Kenny, the staff

NCOIC for Bridge Company Bravo, 6th

Engineer Support Battalion. “We’re one

of only two bridge companies in country right now, so we work with engineers who may not have as much experience on bridges. We’ve had good success working with them in the past.”

Kristoff said he’s confident this project will be no exception.

“The relationship between us and the

Corps is very strong. We should definitely be able to complete this job in

time,” he said.

In addition to getting help from the

Marines, the 216th Soldiers also

received a three-day class on bridge

building at Forward Operating Base

Anaconda in Balad, Iraq, before beginning the project.

According to Sgt. 1st Class Abraham

Johnson, the 216th Engineer Company

1st Platoon platoon sergeant, there was

a manufacturer’s representative from

the bridge company the engineers will

be working with to answer any questions they had about the process. The

Soldiers from the 216th have also been

doing bridge maintenance lately to get

familiarized with the manufacturer’s

units. 

Rebuilding the bridge will be a

three-phase project, Johnson said.

The first part will be to move the

temporary bridge that’s covering the

holes in the main bridge now out of the

way. 

Next, Iraqi workers will place beams

over the gaps and put the temporary

bridge back in place to allow for twolane traffic on the bridge. 

“This is the main crossing over the

Tigris river in this area,” Moening said.

“It was bombed during the war, and

we’re restoring it to eventually give

back to the Iraqi people.” For now, the

temporary bridge will provide the support for almost any military or civilian

vehicle that needs to cross the bridge,

he said.

The final phase of the project,

Johnson said, will be for the engineer

to return to the bridge site later in the

year to lay asphalt in place of the temporary bridge.

Story and photo by Spc. Joe Alger

1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

Bridging services, bridging nations

Soldiers, Marines work with Iraqis on $4 million Tikrit Bridge rebuilding

Soldiers from the 216th Engineer Battalion lower a piece of a ramp from

the Tikrit Bridge in Tikrit, Iraq.

TAJI, Iraq — Arkansas’ 39th Brigade Combat

Team recently received nearly 150 replacements

from the states to backfill units that have lost

troops due to combat - and noncombat-related

events. 

“The reality is this: you’re in combat now,” said

Command Sgt. Maj. Larry Isbell, the 39th Brigade

command sergeant major, while briefing incoming

Soldiers of their new surroundings.

The new Soldiers sat through a series of briefings that explained the rules of engagement, promotions, pay and theater-specific operations. 

New arrivals to the Baghdad International

Airport were “welcomed” with incoming mortar

fire July 2. Mortar rounds impacted on the base as

Soldiers moved off the plane single file, gathering

on the flight line for further instructions. 

The freshly arrived Soldiers grabbed their gear

as Isbell, who came to greet them, directed troops

to scatter in an effort to prevent casualties.

“People, now would be the time to disperse,”

Isbell said. 

Pfc. Ryan Thackeray, 19, of Corvallis, Ore., was

briefed on the flight line that the mortar attacks

were nothing new.

“It was definitely something to fear,” said

Thackeray, who is catching up to his company

after being left behind in Fort Hood, Texas, on

medical hold for a broken ankle. “It was what I

was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting it so soon.”

In the first week after their arrival, the Soldiers

were slated to requalify on their weapons and

receive further training on convoy, close-quarter

combat operations and clearing buildings before

being released to their new units.

Pvt. Joshua Lunsford, of Dequeen, Ark.,

fills out paperwork along with other

replacements upon arrival in Taji, Iraq. 

Soldiers arrive in Iraq to

backfill 39th Brigade

Story and photo by 

Staff Sgt. Rebekah-mae Bruns

39th Brigade Combat Public Affairs
Page 16 Scimitar July 16, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq — First Team

Soldiers at Camp War Eagle here took a

break July 2 when entertainers from the

United States stopped by to perform as

part of an Independence Day holiday

Morale, Welfare and Recreation tour. 

Under a bright summer sun, hundreds

of 1st Brigade Soldiers crowded around

the stage they had built in front of the

2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment

(Task Force Lancer) headquarters to listen to the jokes of comedian Dan Smith

and the rock ‘n’ roll sounds of ThundHer-Struck, an all-female AC/DC - tribute band from Los Angeles. 

The entertainers said it was an honor

for them to entertain the troops at War

Eagle, which is located in one of the

most dangerous areas of Baghdad.

Smith, who has family in the military,

said that he always requests to do shows

in areas like this one when on an MWR

tour.

“Wherever it’s hot, wherever it’s dangerous, that’s where I request to go,” he

said. “I know those are the guys that

need it most.” 

When the women of Thund-HerStruck heard they were going to Camp

War Eagle, said their manager, Dwayne

Ulloa, he told them to be prepared for

anything and everything. The band wasn’t deterred by the idea of going into a

combat zone, though. 

“[I said], ‘I can tell you that I know

the military doesn’t mess around when it

comes to our safety, and they are going

to do their utmost to provide us as much

safety and security as they can. But

we’re going into the belly of the beast,

so to speak,’” Ulloa, the event promoter,

told the band. “And [the band members]

put their flak jackets and their Kevlar

helmets on and hopped in the ‘copter,

and said, ‘Let’s go rock their world’.”

At the show, Soldiers were set to rock

‘n’ roll as they crowded around the front

of the stage, pumping their fists in the

air, some of them singing along.

Between songs, band members passed

out T-Shirts and compact discs and

joked with Soldiers in the crowd. All the

while, Camp Eagle Soldiers were getting

a break from the rigors of life in a combat zone. 

“I think it was real good for everybody,” said Sgt. 1st Class Timothy

Gordon, a platoon sergeant with

Company C, 2-5 Cav. “It was a nice

break for everybody. We got to just chill

out for a little bit and kind of forget

about everything.”

After playing a full set of classic

AC/DC tunes, Task Force Lancer

Commander Lt. Col. Gary Volesky went

on stage to present the comedian and

band members with certificates of appreciation. Then, following an encore performance, the band members stayed well

into the night to sign autographs for

Soldiers who lined up for a chance to

meet with them. 

Sgt. Michael Philips, a gunner with

Task Force Lancer’s Outlaws platoon,

asked the members of Thund-Her-Struck

to add their signatures to the guitar he’d

brought from home. 

“I’ve always been a music buff.

Everything is guitar orientated. I know a

lot about guitars, different people, what

they play, what their strings are, what

their amps are and their settings,”

Philips said. “I thought it was kind of

neat...I can say I have all their signatures

on my guitar. That guitar’s value could

go up.”

Stephanie Leigh, the Thund-HerStruck drummer, said the show was the

most interesting she’s ever played. Her

band is accustomed to playing at Los

Angeles night clubs and indoor entertainment venues. She said coming to

Camp Eagle was a way for the band to

show respect to Soldiers serving in Iraq. 

“We’ve done several different tours,

like to the Balkans and stuff, but when

you’re asked to come to Iraq to play for

the troops, it’s like, oh, you have to

think about that for a second,” Leigh

said. “But it’s an honor to come out.

[These Soldiers] spend so much time out

here, doing what [they] do for our country, that for us to come out and entertain

and do such a small stint, it’s an honor.

[These Soldiers] totally rock!”

Story and photos by 

Spc. Andy Miller

122nd Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

‘Thund-Her-Struck’ strikes Camp Eagle

Stephanie Leigh, the Thunder-Her-Struck drummer, performs for Soldiers

at Camp War Eagle in eastern Baghdad, Iraq, as part of a Morale, Welfare

and Recreation tour to celebrate the U.S. independence holiday in Iraq.

Above: Soldiers hold up signs around the stage as members from the allfemale band Thund-Her-Struck belt out AC/DC cover tunes at Camp War

Eagle.

Right: Thunder-Her-Struck singer Dyna Shirasaki tosses out compact

discs to Soldiers at Camp War Eagle during a July 2 concert.