BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi

Armed Forces recruiting centers

continue to be flooded with

thousands of eager Iraqi volunteers as the Office of Security

Transition prepares to transfer

control of the stations to the

Iraqi Ministry of Defense on

June 25 – five days before Iraqi

sovereignty.

Since standing up the first

recruiting center in Baghdad in

July 2003, the IAF has enjoyed

a fairly consistent stream of

recruits at the country’s soonto-be six recruiting centers, and

the numbers continue to rise as

does the presence of Iraqi personnel assigned to the locations

— an early sign of the transition of authority.

OST, the organization specifically tasked with training and

equipping the IAF and Iraqi

police forces, has established

three active, fully staffed and

equipped recruiting stations

throughout the country in

Baghdad, Basrah and Mosul.

Two more are under construction – operating on a limited

basis – in Sulaimaniya and

Erbil in Northern Iraq with a

final station on the way in

Ramadi. 

“I believe the increased interest is due in large part to this

streamlined process,” said

Baghdad Recruiting Center

Chief Bill Best, an American

civilian contractor and former

Marine Corps colonel working

for the OSC.

“At one time, we had to have

applicants wait for long periods

of time between completing

processing and shipment to

training,” Best said. “Now they

have a guaranteed job right

away.”

Volunteers go through an initial vetting process that screens

applicants for medical and

background reasons before

approval. In some cases, candidates can ship out that same day

to one of the Iraqi army basic

training sites in the country. 

“The army can only benefit

from more centers and more

locations,” said an Iraqi officer

working in the recruitment program. Similar to the aftermath

of 9/11 when some U.S. military personnel did not use their

full names and did not allow

themselves to be photographed

by the press, terrorism in Iraq a

prevents Iraqi military personnel from using their full names

and showing their faces. 

After a slow February recruiting month where less than 500

soldiers volunteered for duty,

the months of March, April and

May have seen a dramatic

increase in the numbers turning 

Vol. 2, No. 24 Baghdad, Iraq June 11, 2004

Inside this week ...

New Tricare benefit

New retail pharmacy program expands

options for servicemembers and families

Page 3

War Eagle gets improvements

Heavy engineer battalion projects

improve quality of life for troops

Page 6

Fire

Local firefighters heat up training to

secure Iraq’s future

Page 7

Born in Iraq, raised in America

1st Cav Soldier returns to help rebuild

the country of his birth

Page 11

SCIMITAR

COALITION

Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus

puts an arm around Maj. Gen.

Paul D. Eaton during a

change-of-command ceremony

June 6. Petraeus took over for

Eaton as the commander of

the Office of Security

Transition. The OST, formerly

known as the Office of

Security Cooperation, is

Petraeus’ second command in

Iraq. He returns after commanding the 101st Airborne

Division for almost two years,

and commanding them during

their deployment in Iraq.

Photo by Sgt. Brian Stockhoff, 204th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Screaming eagle back in Iraq

Iraqis flood recruiting stations

By Sgt. Jared Zabaldo 

Office of Security 

Transition Public Affairs

See RECRUITS, Page 10

Iraqi volunteers flood through the Hesco barrier security gates at the Basra

Recruiting Center May 4 to enlist in the Iraqi army. The Iraqi Armed Forces are seeing large turnouts for the recruiting efforts at the country's three recruiting stations

as the Office of Security Transition hands its recruiting duties over to the Iraqi

Ministry of Defense.

Photo provided by the Office of Security Cooperation Basra Recruiting Center staff
TIKRIT, Iraq — Iraqi Civil

Defense Corps soldiers from the

1st Infantry Division’s area of

responsibility began the first 10-

day leadership class May 29 at

the new regional training center.

The center is designed to house

basic training and primary leadership development training on

Forward Operating Base Danger.

Big Red One Soldiers, U.S.

Army drill sergeants and a group

of current ICDC cadre conduct

the training. The students are

junior enlisted soldiers, picked

from the ranks of the ICDC for

their leadership potential. 

The class is based on the U.S.

Army’s Primary Leadership

Development Course, a prerequisite for junior-enlisted Soldiers

advancing into the noncommissioned officer corps.

The Iraqi students come from

many ethnic backgrounds and

will train side by side in an

effort to unify the ICDC, said

Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Hoover, a

Fort Sill, Okla. drill sergeant

from Bravo Battery, 1st

Battalion, 79th Field Artillery.

About 240 soldiers arrived and

were processed into the first

course. The training began

Sunday. The course consists of

physical training, leadership

classes, soldier skills and drill

and ceremony. 

The philosophy behind the

course, as in its American counterpart, is to provide a train-thetrainer environment, said Maj.

Scott R. Bemis, the training center commandant. 

“Our overall goal is to give the

ICDC the leadership skills and

confidence to be able to secure

their own infrastructure, economy, people and borders,” said

Bemis.

The goal is to turn the training

program over to the ICDC,

Bemis said. Every member of the

center’s staff has an ICDC shadow. From supply sergeants to

classroom instructors, ICDC

members will learn from their

American counterparts and will

soon take over the training center

and run the show.

ICDC cadre already run much

of the out-of-classroom activities. The students sing Arabic

and English cadences as they

march – a sign that the U.S. and

Iraqi partnership is melding

into one.

Page 2 Coalition Scimitar June 11, 2004

ICDC training center

welcomes first class

Story and photo by 

Sgt. 1st Class Chuck Joseph

196th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

A platoon from the first class to attend the

Primary Leadership Development Training at

the new North Central ICDC Training Center

stands in formation May 29.

IPCC opens office in Tikrit

TIKRIT, Iraq — Iraqis who had

their land seized under Saddam

Hussein now have a legal way to get

it back.

The Iraqi Property Claims

Commission opened for business May

25 in an old Iraq Ministry of Justice

building. Citizens who had land taken

will receive compensation, be it the

land or cash.

If landowners still have the title or

other documentation, the case is easy,

according to Capt. Dan Stigall, the 1st

Infantry Division’s legal liaison to the

Coalition Provisional Authority. But

if they don’t have the proper documentation, the commission can help

them get it, Stigall added.

Anyone who had land taken by the

Ba’athist regime though April 9,

2003, is eligible for compensation.

“Often times, the land was just taken

by Saddam Hussein,” Stigall said.

“Sometimes, they were forced into a

contract where they were given a

petty sum for the land.”

The center will deal with claims of

property seized by Saddam but not

property destroyed in war. Those

claims are handled by the regular

Army claims process, Stigall said.

Besides providing a measure of justice, the commission will be an initial

step in greater Iraqi autonomy,

according to Stigall.

“This is going to be an Iraqi commission run by Iraqis,” he said. “It’s a

good example of what’s going to happen in the rest of the country. We

helped get it started, but after today, it

will be run by Iraqis for Iraqis. There

will be very little Coalition involvement. We will offer assistance, but it

will be a very behind-the-scenes

role.”

Saddam gobbled up so much property during his quarter-century land

grab that estimates of how many

Iraqis are due compensation invariably fall short, Stigall said.

“Every time we try to come up

with an estimate, we find out there

were more than we thought,” Stigall

said. 

Besides the legal benefits, Stigall

said he thinks the commission will

yield cultural dividends as well.

“When Saddam Hussein took people’s land and displaced them, it created ethnic tension in society,” he

said. “Rather than take a gun and

have the victim turn into a criminal,

this gives them a legal way to get

back what was taken, and gives them

a degree of healing. They deserve

some measure of justice, and this provides that. It helps people know when

they were wronged, it didn’t go

unnoticed.”

Submitted by 196th Mobile

Public Affairs Detachment

Members of the Correctional Emergency Response Team “capture”

an “uncooperative prisoner” during the final day of training at the

Mosul Regional Confinement Facility. Correctional officers were

taught how to search and clear prison courtyards and how to apprehend delinquent prisoners within the cell blocks. The program, the

first of its kind in Iraq, graduated 32 CERT officers May 27.

Photo by Spc. Aaron Ritter

Correctional training
The Department of Defense

announced the new Tricare Retail

Pharmacy contract for Tricare beneficiaries located in the 50 United

States, the District of Columbia,

Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands

and Guam. The TRRx program took

effect June 1.

The contract, awarded last year to

Express Scripts Inc. of Maryland

Heights, Mo., has approximately

53,000 civilian pharmacies in the

nationwide network. Express Scripts

operates the Tricare retail pharmacy

for all beneficiaries, except those

enrolled in the Uniformed Services

Family Health Plan administered by

the designated providers.

In the past, the Tricare regional

managed care support contractors

provided retail pharmacy services.

Most beneficiaries should not notice

the change in services with the new

contract. To use the new retail pharmacy program, as with all other

DoD health programs, beneficiaries

must be eligible and enrolled in the

Defense Enrollment Eligibility

Reporting System, or DEERS.

“The new single contract integrates the previous regional contracts into one uniform retail pharmacy benefit across all Tricare

regions,” said Army Col. William

Davies, the director of DoD pharmacy programs.

The TRRx program has many new

enhancements. Pharmacy claims

processing is now centralized, and

beneficiaries no longer have to mail

pharmacy claims to multiple sites

for processing or call various telephone numbers to get assistance filling a prescription when using the

retail network. Patient safety has

also been enhanced by use of the

Pharmacy Data Transaction Service

to process all pharmacy claims,

including paper claims.

For a single copayment of $3 for

generic or $9 for a brand-name prescription, eligible TRRx beneficiaries may continue to receive a 30-day

supply of their prescription medication from the new network of retail

pharmacies. To use this benefit, a

written pharmacy prescription and a

uniformed services identification

card are required. Tricare beneficiaries who used a retail pharmacy

last year will receive, by mail, a

pharmacy identification card, a

TRRx benefit guide and a letter listing the twelve network pharmacies

close to their home.

The TRRx benefit is now portable.

Beneficiaries traveling outside of

their designated Tricare region who

need to fill a prescription are no 

longer required to pay the full prescription price or file a Tricare

claim to get reimbursed for their

out-of-pocket expenses when they

use a Tricare retail network pharmacy. Pharmacy copayments are the

same in every location where the

TRRx is available.

To locate a network pharmacy,

beneficiaries may use the Tricare

pharmacy locator service available

on the Express Scripts Web site at

http://www.expressscripts.com/TRICARE, or they may

call (866) 363-8779 or, using the

letters on the telephone keypad,

spell (866) “DoD-TRRx.”

For eligible beneficiaries with

other health insurance, Tricare pays

after all other insurance plans have

paid. To use Tricare as the secondary payer or to obtain reimbursement for their out-of pocket pharmacy expenses, beneficiaries will

need to submit a Tricare claim form

(DD Form 2642) and a receipt for

their prescription medication to

Express Scripts for processing. If

the medication under the beneficiary’s OHI is not a covered benefit or

if the beneficiary’s prescription coverage has ended for the year, Tricare

will pay as the primary insurance

payer.

The TRRx benefit is not available

for beneficiaries who reside or

travel outside the U.S. or its territories. These beneficiaries are encouraged to use a military treatment

facility, if available, or the Tricare

Mail Order Pharmacy program to

fill their prescription medications.

Express Scripts can mail prescription medications to any U.S. postal

address or to an APO/FPO address.

However, Express Scripts cannot

send prescriptions to a private, foreign address. Prescriptions mailed

to beneficiaries in overseas locations must be prescribed by

providers who are licensed to practice in the United States.

June 11, 2004 Coalition Scimitar Page 3

Editor in Chief

Sgt. Christopher Land

Managing Editor

Sgt. Brian Stockhoff

Staff

Spc. Jeffrey Hillery 

Marine Cpl. Craig Stowell

MNF - I Commanding

General

Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez

MNF - I PAO

Col. Jill E. Morgenthaler

Command Information

Chief

Capt. Adam W. Hackel

Coalition 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 MNFI and acts only as a distributing source for Coalition

Scimitar. Questions and comments should be directed to the editor at cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com.

Coalition Scimitar welcomes units

to submit their own Unsung Heros.

Photos and short summaries of

accomplishments should be sent to

cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com

The Coalition Scimitar can also 

be viewed on the web at

http://www.cjtf7.com/coalitionnews/publications.htm

DoD begins Tricare retail pharmacy program

Courtesy of DoD Website

www.dod.mil

A downloadable Tricare

claim form is available on

the Express Scripts Web site

at http://www.expressscripts.com/TRICARE or

on the Tricare Web site at

http://www.tricare.osd.mil

/claims. 

Pharmacy claims filed

with Express Scripts should

be mailed to: Express

Scripts, P. O. Box 66518,

St. Louis, Mo., 63166-

6518.

Beneficiaries residing in

overseas locations other

than Puerto Rico, Guam and

the U.S. Virgin Islands do

not have access to Tricare

retail pharmacy networks.

Therefore, they must pay

for their prescription medications upfront and submit

a claim with Tricare overseas claims processor to be

reimbursed. For reimbursement rates or assistance

processing a non-network

overseas retail pharmacy

claim, beneficiaries may

contact the overseas Tricare

Service Center at

http://www.tricare.osd.mil

/overseas/index.cfm.

Additional information
Page 4 Coalition Scimitar June 11, 2004

QAYARRAH, Iraq — When Lt. Col. Ali Hussein

was growing up here, he admired his uncle, Fahthel, a

former warrant officer in the Iraqi army. He and his 11

siblings would gather at Fahthel's home and listen to

courageous war stories. 

"Everything about my uncle fascinated me, and early

on, I knew I wanted to be a soldier just like him," said

Ali, 40, who now commands the Iraqi Civil Defense

Corps' 102nd Battalion, in Qayarrah. "He looked so

good in his uniform, and he was always excited to

serve Iraq."

Thirty years after choosing his career path, Ali

shares his uncle's love for Iraq and the honor of being a

soldier. His military career began in 1984 at the

Baghdad Military Academy, where he trained with

future officers from Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon and Saudi

Arabia. A veteran of three Iraqi wars, Ali commanded

three battalions for the former Iraqi army and conducted secret operations in the Iran-Iraq War. 

Today, Ali is fighting a different type of a war. The

enemy hides in crowds and fires on Soldiers and Iraqi

security forces; he plants roadside bombs on streets

where innocent Iraqi citizens drive every day.

Terrorists are keeping Iraq from reaching its potential,

he said, but he does not plan on letting the terrorists

succeed. 

Ali's men conduct daily patrols throughout the Tigris

River Valley area. They have successfully completed

five major raids and captured more than 20 people suspected of attacking Iraqi and Coalition forces. The

102nd Battalion soldiers also escort fuel trucks and are

occasionally integrated with Coalition forces for largescale missions. 

"We've been on raids that the ICDC soldiers led us

directly to the target house and there would be five

people in the home. They knew exactly who we needed

to detain, because this is their backyard, and they know

the area well," said Capt. Matthew Lillibridge, the

ICDC liaison officer for 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry

Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker

Brigade Combat Team). "All of the things the 102nd

has accomplished can be directly attributed to

Lieutenant Colonel Ali."

At first, working with Coalition forces was difficult

for Ali. 

"When I first began to work with Coalition forces,

my people called me a traitor to my country," Ali

remembered. "Now after they've seen all the good

things we're doing, they compliment me and thank my

soldiers for protecting them."

In April, residents of Qayarrah were protesting the

events in Fallujah. To avoid a confrontation, Ali called

a meeting with the political, religious and tribal leaders

of the area.

"After this meeting, the activity really died down,"

said Capt. Ed Larkin, the civil affairs officer for 5-20.

"Whatever he said to them, he fixed the problem."

Ali simply reassured his people that they were safe

under his watch, he said.

"This battalion is ready to handle all of the security

issues in this area," he said. "I am so proud of my men.

When we escort the fuel trucks, we are in control, and

when we conduct raids, we are sending a message to

the terrorists. I have no doubt that my men can handle

any responsibility given to them."

The pride Ali has for his men is felt by all who serve

under him. During a meeting of ICDC soldiers and

Coalition leaders, Ali was given a gift from his

Coalition counterparts. A crowd of 200 soldiers, both

ICDC and Coalition, stood on their feet and applauded

as he received a rare Arabic saber that symbolizes

bravery. 

"Ali is the type of commander who will not eat or

take a day off unless his soldiers have had the opportunity to do so," Lillibridge said. "He's just a good man."

Ali's five children believe in their father as well.

Much like the colonel admired his uncle as a child,

Ali's 11-year-old son, Akmed, begs to go to his father's

workplace and meet with soldiers. 

"I think he wants to be a soldier when he grows up,"

Ali said. 

Why shouldn't Akmed want to be a soldier? It is a

family tradition.

Story and photos by Sgt. Fred Minnick

139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

ICDC commander continues legacy

Lt. Col. Ali Hussein (right) congratulates his soldiers for successfully clearing a building during a

training exercise. Ali is the commander of the 102nd Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Battalion.

Lt. Col. Ali Hussein (left) watches his soldiers move into position during a training exercise. Ali

is the commander of the 102nd Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Battalion. 

Following in the foot-steps

of his uncle, Lt. Col. Ali

Hussein has spent his adult

life proudly serving Iraq
MOSUL, Iraq — Not many

people have the power to give

like the Soldiers from the 416th

Civil Affairs Battalion. 

While many Soldiers in Iraq

are working to restore security

to the country, members of the

civil affairs teams are working

to rebuild the country and assist

its people.

Soldiers from the 416th, an

Army Reserve unit from

Norristown, Pa., recently provided the Irbil governate with

$117,000 worth of equipment,

including computers, printers,

copiers, buses, pickup trucks,

backhoes and dump trucks.

Members of the Civil Affairs

Team North work throughout

three of the districts in the governate - Mergassor, Choman and

Seran. The team travels

throughout the area, sometimes

driving as much as three and a

half hours, to assess conditions

in the villages. 

Money from various funding

sources is available to assist

local communities from

Coalition forces and the

Coalition Provisional Authority.

In the three months they've been

in Iraq, the team recommended

and received funding totaling $4

million to complete projects for

the residents in this area.

"When they found out there

was extra money for the area,

they asked us how we thought

they should use it," said 1st Lt.

Timothy Hilfiger, the team

leader for the Civil Affairs Team

North. "We knew there were

some things the local leaders

had been consistently asking for

and we thought these items

would be the most useful to the

people."

The donation of 15 buses

complemented a larger ruraleducation project the team is

spearheading in the area. This

education project will bring 12

new schools to the three districts. The buses will be distributed to the districts so the children from the smaller villages

have transportation to attend

school.

The pickup trucks, backhoes

and dump trucks will be given

to the districts' electric and

water departments to enable

them to perform their own

maintenance in the future.

"We're looking for ways to

help them to be more self-sufficient," said Hilfiger. "If they

can do some of their own maintenance, they will have to rely

less on us and, later, on the central government."

The computer equipment will

be used to network the local

government departments

together and to give them the

ability to better serve their people.

"The new computers will

allow us to advance to new

technology," said Abdulwahid

Guany, the mayor of Choman

district.

The team has moved its focus

from the cities and towns to the

smaller, rural, war-torn villages. 

"We want to concentrate on

the rural areas that otherwise

may not see any improvements

for a couple years," said Hifiger.

New equipment is essential

for these small villages to maintain themselves.

June 11, 2004 Coalition Scimitar Page 5

BAYJI, Iraq — The Soldiers of 1st

Battalion, 33rd Field Artillery Regiment

have, perhaps, one of the most dangerous

assignments in Northern Iraq.

The unit is responsible for hauling captured enemy ammunition and weapons

throughout the region to Ammo Supply

Point Arlington. The weapons and ammunitions are stored on the FOB and subsequently destroyed, said Staff Sgt. Adam

Bolton of the battalion's Charlie Battery.

Up to 100,000 pounds of ammunition

are transported daily, and the mission

takes place six days a week. Since taking

on the assignment in February, the unit has

destroyed about 1.5 million tons of ammunition, Bolton said.

Charlie Battery uses heavy expanded

mobility tactical trucks and palletized

loading system vehicles to move the

ammunition. Bolton said during the convoys, there are not only the natural dangers, but also the uploading and downloading that can create a priority of high

risk. 

"What we're hauling could be an asset to

the enemy," Bolton said, adding that the

regiment has escorted engineers to non

secure cache sites to be destroyed in place.

Some of the weapons and ammunition

the battalion has captured and destroyed

include mortars, land mines, surface-to-air

missiles, AK-47s and rocket propelled

grenades, Bolton said. 

Destroying enemy weapons and ammunition is an important mission because it

decreases the amount of damage insurgents can inflict on Coalition forces, he

said.

Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Ken

Boehme agreed, adding that his Soldiers

also have numerous other duties, which

they also do well. 

His troops are assigned to target-acquisition teams, escort and fire-and-effect

missions, force protection, quick-reaction

force and harassment interdiction,

Boehme said.

Most of the Soldiers in the regiment are

cross-trained to do several of the jobs that

the unit has. Boehme attributes his

Soldiers' versatility and their missions'

success to the support they receive from

the maintenance, communication and

security-protection sections. 

Additionally, the battalion supports the

community around the surrounding area

by giving the people clean water, repairing

their vehicles and the like to, Boehme

said. 

In the process, Soldiers are winning the

locals' trust, and the Iraqis have helped the

troops locate weapons and ammunition.

The 1st Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 33rd Field Artillery Regiment

collects insurgents' weapons, ammunition and munitions and destroys

them at Ammunition Supply Point Arlington.

Story and photo by 

Capt. L. Paula Sydenstricker

196th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

More than 1.5 million tons of ammo moved

Story and photo by 

Spc. Blair Larson

139th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

1st Lt. Timothy Hifiger inspects boxes of computer supplies that will enable local government agencies to operate on a network and to maintain vital records.

Civil Affairs team presents equipment to Irbil governate
Page 6 Coalition Scimitar June 11, 2004

MOSUL, Iraq — Three

months ago, 50 Iraqi men signed

up to be the best soldiers in the

Iraqi Civil Defense Corps. They

underwent five weeks of the

toughest training available in the

ICDC, training that tested their

mental and physical abilities.

Instructed by U.S. Army Special

Forces, the course transformed

Iraqi civilians into well-trained

soldiers who now make up the

quick reaction force of the 102nd

Battalion of the ICDC. 

"The training was very hard,

but we got through it together,"

said Cpl. Kamiran Rejaf, a team

leader with the quick-reaction

force platoon. "During the training, we woke up every morning at

4 a.m. and worked on physical

fitness, infantry skills and teamwork. By doing this stuff together, we developed a special bond."

Upon graduation of the course

in April, each QRF soldier

received a patch in the shape of a

parachute to wear on his chest.

This badge symbolizes the best of

ICDC, according to Coalition

officials.

"You can tell by the way they

carry themselves that they are the

best of ICDC and that they like

being around each other. They're

definitely not in this for just the

paycheck," said Capt. Nathan

Terra, the interim ICDC liaison

officer for the 5th Battalion, 20th

Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade,

2nd Infantry Division (Stryker

Brigade Combat Team). "Their

cohesion is a big reason why they

were so successful in training and

on the battlefield. Since they have

completed the training, they have

had an excellent track record."

In May, the QRF platoon controlled a large crowd rioting outside of the Qayarrah Police

Station. In recent weeks, the platoon has detained five people suspected of terrorist activity and

killed three during firefights

while suffering no injuries or

fatalities. 

"The people in the area know

these guys are a legitimate security force," Terra said.

Many residents of the Qayarrah

region know the QRF soldiers by

name, as well. The ICDC recruits

its soldiers locally and allows soldiers to serve in their hometown.

Many of the soldiers knew each

other before joining.

"After going through the hard

training and completing missions,

we are all brothers now,"

Kamiran said. "And we are happy

to fight for a free, democratic

Iraq."

CAMP WAR EAGLE, Iraq —

There's nothing like taking a hot shower

to wash away the dust, sweat and fatigue

that accompanies life out on patrol, if

you can get it. 

Making these showers available for

the troops is the job of Company A,

411th Combat Heavy Engineer

Battalion, a Army Reserve unit from

Hawaii.

"Currently, we have been assigned to

build a force-protection wall and fix the

plumbing problems in the barracks,"

said 1st Lt. Kelly Heth, the general-construction platoon leader. "The carpenters

we brought along with us are also building benches for the showers and making

other small improvements in order to

help improve the Soldiers' quality of

life."

In addition to renovating the showers,

his Soldiers have had an opportunity to

practice their skills as plumbers, carpenters and electricians, and even learn new

trades, Heth said.

Staff Sgt. Mel Mizukami, a squad

leader with the company, said his squad

is responsible for taking the barracks

water tanks out of the ground and building cement platforms to place them on.

"The problem with where the tanks

are now is that they were not placed

properly, so there is a lot of seepage, and

the water is getting contaminated,"

Mizukami said, "so by taking the tanks

out of the ground, you end up with a

cleaner water system."

But the unit couldn't get the work

done without teamwork.

"My squad is prepping the hot-water

heaters by replacing the wiring and piping them in," Staff Sgt. Stuart Duke, a

squad leader, said. "I've got a great

bunch of Soldiers. I have a lot of confidence in them because they are engineers and, whatever they get tasked to

do, they make it work."

Outside of the Army, Heth said many

of the Soldiers in the battalion are construction contractors with their own

businesses, college students or have

other diversified careers. And as diverse

as their skills are, so are their nationalities.

"In our battalion, we have people who

came from all over the United States,"

Heth said. "We have just about every

nationality you can think of and they all

came here to serve their country. They

are all well educated, and we work

together more as a team because we

have to brainstorm a lot to get the job."

As for Company A, Heth said, each

squad has its own idea on how they do

business, and at War Eagle they get

every chance to prove what they can do.

"When we first got here, the plumbing

in the barracks was in pretty bad shape,"

said Sgt. Mel Tabion, a plumber with

Company B. "Some of it was okay, but it

was all built very quickly and for the

short term. We'll have the plumbing in

good working order before we leave."

A line of quick-reaction force soldiers moves into a building in a recent training exercise during which they focused on battle drills.

Story and photo by 

Sgt. Fred Minnick

139th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

Training helps ICDC platoon perform

Spc. Dale Balsis, a heavy-equipment operator with Company A, 411th

Engineer Battalion, helps guide an Alaskan barrier into place. 

Spc. Chelsea Evangelista, a carpenter/mason, and Staff Sgt.

Fertom Ariquitoke, a plumber, both

from Company A, 411th Engineer

Battalion, measure and cut to fit

rebar that will be used to build

platforms for new water tanks. 

Story and photos by 

Sgt. Dan Purcell

122nd Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

War Eagle gets improvements
June 11, 2004 Coalition Scimitar Page 7

Iraq in Brief

Iraqi citizen's tip leads Soldiers to weapons cache

KIFRI, Iraq — Acting on information from an Iraqi citizen,

Task Force Danger Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 252nd Armor

Regiment found a weapons cache near here around 9 a.m. May 28. 

The cache contained a machine gun, a mortar tube, nearly 3,000

rounds of assault-rifle and machinegun ammunition, 12 rocket-propelled grenades and 23 mortar rounds. 

The cache was moved to a military holding area for destruction.

Coalition improves life for Al Anbar residents

AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq — A variety of Coalition initiatives designed to improve the quality of life for residents of the

Al Anbar province are currently underway.

A Fallujah liaison team is evaluating contractors to manage a

1,200-man cleanup and restoration contract. Coalition leaders

expect that workforce to increase as contractors get settled and

increase their hiring capacity. Currently, the total workforce

employed by Coalition-led projects in Fallujah is 2,880.

In addition, Marines delivered 36 wheelbarrows, picks and shovels for distribution to farmers in Al Kharma and civil affairs teams

in Ramadi paid out a contract for 503 soccer balls, five ball pumps

and 20 soccer nets.

In the western Al Anbar province, Marines paid $16,000 for

damages caused during recent fighting with terrorist forces.

Marines also provided toys and school supplies to local Iraqi children.

1st MEF awards contracts worth $280K

AL ANBAR PROVINCE, Iraq — The 1st Marine

Expeditionary Force recently awarded a $215,000 contract for an

emergency generator at a copper mine and a $65,000 contract for

security services for a water pipeline in Iraq's western desert. 

The first contract, for delivery and installation of a 1,000-KVA

diesel generator, will provide emergency power for a water station

at a copper factory in Al Ameria. The contract was awarded to the

Al Thaqeef Company.

The second contract, signed with the Ministry of Western Desert

Irrigation, provides security services for water pipelines.

1st MEF officials said the contracts are part of an on-going effort

to help the Iraqi people become self-sufficient as they work toward

a prosperous future.

1st ID Soldiers find weapons caches

TIKRIT, Iraq — 1st Infantry Division Soldiers detained two

individuals and confiscated several weapons caches throughout

north central Iraq May 31 and June 1. 

In total, Soldiers discovered six caches near Mansuriyah,

Baqubah, Tikrit and Balad. Together, the caches contained more

than 400 artillery rounds, 101 anti-aircraft rounds, 57 mortar

rounds, 47 rocket-propelled grenades, an RPG launcher, a machine

gun and other munitions.

The caches were either destroyed or secured for destruction and

the detainees, who were suspected of involvement with one of the

caches, were turned over to Iraqi police for questioning.

1st ID Soldiers seize weapons cache

BAQUBAH, Iraq — 1st Infantry Division Soldiers detained

three suspected anti-Coalition insurgents and seized two weapons

caches in Baqubah May 16. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 63rd

Armor Regiment detained three suspects following a mortar attack

on a Coalition base near here around 12:54 p.m. A combat patrol

followed a white pick-up truck to a house where the suspects were

among a group unloading a cache of weapons. 

The cache included two machine guns, approximately 2,600

rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 13 shotgun shells, one shotgun and

three AK-47 magazines. Soldiers from the 105th Engineer

Battalion discovered a cache of weapons near the city around 9

a.m. The cache included 55 90mm mortar rounds, 40 82mm mortar

rounds, 45 120mm mortar rounds, 20 107mm rockets and one

rocket-propelled grenade. The cache was destroyed at the site.

MOSUL, Iraq — For the first time, a group of

Iraqi Airfield Firefighters from the Mosul Fire

Department suited up next to a group of firefighters

from the 1440th Engineer Detachment as they prepared to train on interior-firefighting tactics. 

This training was not always a possibility for the

Iraqi firefighters, who just recently received selfcontained breathing apparatuses allowing them to

fight fires from inside the smoke filled buildings.

Since the arrival of the new equipment and with the

training from the Coalition forces, the Iraqi firefighters are moving one step closer to becoming a

self-sufficient firefighting force.

"Iraq is currently developing a training standard

for all fire departments, which they didn't have

before," said Staff Sgt. Todd Dittenber, the fire

chief of the 1440th, headquartered in Grayling,

Mich. "There shouldn't be any difficulty in getting

the Iraqi Airfield Firefighters to meet and exceed

those standards."

Teams of Iraqi and Coalition forces firefighters

train side by side, entering the building that has

been built specifically for training. Each man entering the smoke-filled building has to rely on the firefighter next to him to accomplish his job safely.

Once they enter the building, they go through each

room, looking for casualties and the source of the

fire as they work their way to the back of the building. Since the exercise is focusing on interior

movement tactics only, once the fire is found the

exercise is complete, and the next team can go in.

"The Iraqi firefighters received the training very

enthusiastically," said Dittenber, who is from Au

Gres, Mich. "Many of them were firefighters for

the city of Mosul prior to liberation so it's not a case

of us retraining them, it's us working together with

them to improve." 

The training has recently focused on extinguishing structural fires from inside the building as

opposed to only fighting it externally. Firefighters

also train on tasks such as entering a burning building, search and rescue, hydraulic ventilation, hose

operation and aircraft fires, since the firefighters

work on an airfield.

"This training will be complete by September

and our fire chief will be able to sign off saying

these Iraqi firefighters have met the standards that

are being developed," said 1st Lt. Gary J. Beelen,

the 1440th fire marshall, who is from Madison

Heights, Mich.

The Iraqi firefighters who train with the

Americans every day do not speak fluent English

but it is obvious that camaraderie has developed

between the two groups.

"Ever since the Coalition forces arrived here they

have done nothing but help us train to be a better

firefighting team than we were before," said

Mohammad Azez Mahmod, a team leader for the

Mosul Airport fire department. "We have better

equipment and we are being properly trained on

how to use it and how to maintain it. I have nothing

but thanks for the Coalition forces; it has been very

exciting for us in the last couple of months."

As the IAF continue to gain experience on their

new equipment, the Coalition forces look forward

to having them take responsibility for their city's

fire safety.

By Spc. Gretel Sharpee

139th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Local firefighters heat up FIRE: training to secure Iraq’s future

Top: The five-man American and Iraqi firefighting team moves into a smoke-filled

building to locate a fire in a training exercise held recently at the Mosul Airfield.

Right: The first Iraqi firefighter enters a

smoke-filled building carrying the water

hose during a training exercise at Mosul

Airfield. Photo by Sgt. Charles Hale, 1440th Engineer Detachment

Photo by Spc. Gretel Sharpee
Page 8 Coalition Scimitar June 11, 2004

CAMP AR RAMADI, Iraq — The 4,500 residents of

Teabon and Qutnyah villages have never had their own

potable water source.

Soldiers with Army's 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry

Regiment, working in support of 1st Marine Division,

stepped in a few months ago to fix that problem.

During Saddam Hussein's reign, Teabon's Mahal Tribe

and Qutnyah's Assaf Tribe were neglected and denied

clean water.

"The previous regime didn't see fit to give these people water," said Army Lt. Col. Thomas S. Hollis, the battalion's commander. "The sheiks asked for assistance, but

to no avail."

The sheik of Teabon, Gen. Hardin, had been an outspoken critic of Hussein and his regime.

Once the Coalition ousted Hussein's notorious Ba'ath

Party, the leaders of the two villages sought help.

"We began this series of water projects about five

months ago," Hollis explained. "We knew we needed to

get it done."

Up until now, the villagers have been hauling buckets

of cooking, bathing and drinking water from the

Euphrates River and irrigation canals.

Both sources are highly polluted, causing many birth

defects among the villagers.

"Not having fresh water makes the people very susceptible to disease," Hollis explained.

Bidding for the projects ended early this year and construction on new water purification and distribution sites

began almost immediately.

"Of the seven million dollars we have to spend on civil

military operations in our area of operations, $165,000

went to Teabon and $145,000 went to Qutnyah," said

Army Capt. Jeffrey E. Flach, the battalion's civil affairs

officer.

The two companies in charge of the projects were

awarded the contracts based on their reputations and

their "price tags."

"A lot of the companies bidding were asking for two or

three hundred thousand dollars," Flach added. "These

two companies came in with very reasonable offers."

Since construction started, nearly 5 kilometers of pipe

has been installed in Teabon and 7 kilometers in

Qutnyah.

Both water facilities — built from the ground up — are

state of the art and are similar to those found in the

United States, said Flach, who has visited both sites to

check progress.

"There's not too much room for improvement at either

site," he said. "Now the focus is getting the water distributed to the homes."

According to Hollis, that will take time, but it will

allow for growth.

"This project is not something that will serve just for

now," he said. "It'll serve in the future, as well. As the

area expands and more families migrate here and more

buildings pop up, fresh water will be available."

Project brings clean water to villages

By Cpl. Paula M. Fitzgerald

1st Marine Division

Army Lt. Col. Thomas S. Hollis, commander of 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, talks with

some of the leaders of Qutnyah, Iraq, at their fresh water facility. The battalion has been working

closely with the villages of Quthyah and Teabon to help provide potable drinking water sources.

Spc. Amanda Adams makes

friends with Iraqi boys in

Baghdad, Iraq. Adams is with

the 428th Military Police

Company from South Bend,

Ind. 

Photo by SrA Jorge A. Rodriguez

Making

new 

friends

Photo by Pfc. Brandon E. Loveless
June 11, 2004 Coalition Scimitar Page 9

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND,

Iraq — Marines and Sailors

here took an udderly different

approach to helping an Iraqi

man. 

She's got big, brown eyes and

an unmistakable sway when she

walks. She's a bit young, but to

those who know what to look

for, she's got just what an Iraqi

farmer wants.

She's a special cow - the milking kind.

The 1st Marine Divisions

Government Support Team

bought the cow with the help of

Spirit of America, a nonprofit

organization based in Los

Angeles.

"We were meeting with the

governor when he commented

about this poor farmer's cow

being killed," explained Lt. Col.

Alan G. Burghard Sr., the GST

commander. "The farmer had

medical ailments that required

him to eat dairy products and

there was no way to find a way

to honor the claim."

It all started when Marines

and enemy forces were shooting

it out on a farm near Ramadi a

few weeks ago. The farmer's

cow was caught in the crossfire

and well... bought the farm. It's

a sad story that's even sadder

because the farmer literally

relied on the cow for his health.

"The farmer had medical ailments that required him to eat

dairy products, and there was no

way to find a way to honor the

claim," said Burghard.

But buying a cow wasn't as

easy as it sounded, because

there are rules and regulations

against directly buying goods

and, well, cows. Marines could

hand the farmer a check, but a

check wasn't going to put milk

in his glass and cheese on his

table.

So Burghard approached Jim

Hake, the director for Spirit of

America to see if he could help.

Spirit of America had already

assisted Marines in Iraq by

donating millions of dollars in

school, medical and dental supplies. 

Livestock, though, was something different.

"I related the story to Jim, and

I got a one-sentence response,"

explained Burghard, a 45-yearold from Parsinippay, N.J. "He

said, 'Buy the cow.'"

Buying a cow in Iraq, though,

isn't like heading down to the

local livestock show or 4-H

Club. Burghard asked the local

Iraqi governor to help him

locate a cow that was relatively

young and already producing

milk. 

Still, he admitted he didn't

know the first thing about buying the right cow.

"All I know about a cow is

hay goes in one end and milk

comes out the other," he said.

That's where Navy Chief

Petty Officer Ron E. Heinen

stepped in. He's a hospital

corpsman and emergency medical technician and knew a thing

or two about cows. Being from

Dayton, Texas, and raising a

few cows of his own made him,

well, the udder expert.

"I wanted to check it for age,"

explained 58-year-old Heinen.

"You do that by checking the

teeth."

Doing that, though, requires a

handful of bovine snot. The

trick, he explained, is to get the

cow by the nose - one finger in

one nostril and a thumb in the

other - and squeeze.

"When you do that, they pretty much just freeze," Heinen

said. 

What Heinen saw was a bottom set of pearly whites and a

top row just starting to come in.

It indicated that the cow was

about three years old. A check

over the rest of the animal

showed him she was in good

shape.

"She was a healthy cow," he

said. "She had good udders. It

looked like a good deal."

Burghard said he had to trust

Heinen's word. Looking at the

cow, he thought he was getting

a couple extra parts thrown in

for free. 

"I forgot dairy cows had

horns," he said. "I saw it at first

and thought there was something wrong with this picture."

Heinen said the price was

right too. Heinen said he bought

a similar cow not too long ago

and paid $750. Marines got the

cow for the rock-bottom price

of $520.

Burghard explained that the

cow will not only be able to provide the dairy products the Iraqi

farmer needs, but excess can be

traded for other goods. Plus, the

cow is healthy to breed and has

the potential to provide a long

line of dairy cows for the

farmer's family.

"What we're doing isn't just

building bridges," Burghard

added. "It's building bridges

between people. Creative solutions are being found by units."

For Heinen's part, he'd gladly

do the dirty work of inspecting

livestock again.

"When I looked at the cow's

teeth, the Iraqis kind of

relaxed," he explained. "It was

like, 'Hey, this guy knows what

he's doing.' I actually saw this

guy jump in the air as we

walked away."

By Gunnery Sgt. 

Mark Oliva

1st Marine Division 

Marines treat farmer to bovine therapy

Lt. Col. Alan G. Burghard Sr., the commander of 1st Marine

Division's Government Support Team, pays for a milk cow

the Marines bought for an Iraqi farmer.

Navy Chief Petty Officer Ron E. Heinen, a hospital corpsmen from Dayton, Texas, puts

his experience raising cows to use as he checks a cow's teeth to estimate her age.

Marines and Sailors with the 1st Marine Division's Government Support Team, along with

Spirit of America, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, bought the cow for an

Iraqi farmer.

Photo courtesy of Lt. Col. Alan F. Burghard Sr.

Photo courtesy of Navy Chief Petty Officer Ron E. Heinen
The patch of the 1st Cavalry Division has a history as colorful as its design, reflecting the

proud heritage of the United States cavalry in a timeless manner.

The insignia selected for the First Team patch was designed by Col. Ben Dorsey and his wife.

The colonel was then commander of the 7th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bliss, Texas. Mrs. Dorsey

related that the combination of the golden sunset at Fort Bliss and the traditional colors of the

cavalry -- blue and yellow -- were a great influence on the background color and the insignia.

The choice of the horse's head for the insignia was made by the family after they observed a

mounted trooper ride by their home on a beautiful blue-black thoroughbred. Later, to improve

visibility, the color scheme was modified, replacing the blue for black, the symbolic color of iron and armor.

1st Cavalry Division units have served the nation from 1855 to the present, building a history rich in pride with solid ties to the traditions and heritage of the United States cavalry. 

The famed 1st Cavalry Division was baptized by fire and blood on the

western plains in an era of horse-mounted cavalry. Dubbed the “First

Team” by Maj. Gen. William C. Chase, the division has always strived not

only to be the first, but to be the best. 

With the initiation of the National Defense Act, the 1st Cavalry Division

was formally activated on Sept. 13, 1921, at Fort Bliss, Texas. That day, the

7th and 8th Cavalry Regiments were assigned to the division. The 5th Cavalry

Regiment was assigned on Dec. 18, 1922. 

After six months of training in Australia, the division got its first taste of combat. On Feb. 29, 1944, the men of the division sailed for the Admiralty Islands and

stormed ashore in an amphibious landing at Los Negros Island. After a fierce campaign in which the enemy lost some 7,000 combat soldiers, the division could look with

pride on its first combat test of World War II. 

One of the First Team's most noted feats was accomplished during the fighting for Luzon. On

Jan. 31, 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur issued the order, “Go to Manila, free the prisoners at

Santo Tomas, take Malacanan Palace and the legislative building.” 

The next day, the “flying column,” as the element came to be known, jumped off to slice

through 100 miles of Japanese territory. Hours later, the 1st Cav was in Manila and the prisoners were freed. The First Team was "First in Manila." 

On July 18, 1950, the 1st Cavalry Division plunged ashore at Pohangdong, South Korea, to

successfully carry out the first amphibious landing of the Korean conflict. 

Within 90 days of becoming the Army's first air-mobile division, the First Team was back in

combat as the first fully committed division of the Vietnam War. 

Their first real combat test came during the Pleiku campaign, 35 days of continuous air mobile

operations beginning Oct. 29, 1965. The troopers destroyed two of the three regiments of a North

Vietnamese Division, earning the first Presidential Unit Citation given to a division in Vietnam. 

The division's Vietnam service ended in 1972 when its last brigade began withdrawing. The

1st Cav had been the first division to go and the last to leave. 

“Firsts” had become the trademark of the First Team.

In January 1975, the 1st Cav. was once again reorganized, becoming the

Army's newest armored division.

Since the fielding of the M-1 Abrams main battle tank in 1980, force modernization has continued as a major division focus. The First Team became the

first division to field the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, M2 Bradley Fighting

Vehicle, the High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle and the Multiple

Launch Rocket System. 

During exercise REFORGER (Return of Forces to Germany) '83, the First

Team became the first unit to train as a division-size element in Northern Europe.

In August 1990, the 1st Cav was alerted for deployment to Southwest Asia as part

of the joint forces participating in Operation Desert Shield. The focus at that time was

the defense of Saudi Arabia against potential Iraqi attack. 

On February 20, 1991, in Desert Storm's first major mounted ground engagement, the

division's 2nd (Blackjack) Brigade attacked 10 miles into Iraq, confirming and destroying

enemy positions. Success exacted its price. During this engagement, the Blackjack Brigade

suffered the agony of the first three Army soldiers to be killed in action. 

During Operation Desert Storm, the First Team had several firsts: First to defend along the

Saudi-Iraq border, first to fire Copperhead artillery rounds in combat and first to conduct mounted combat in Iraq. 

The hard-riding spirit of the U.S. cavalry is alive and well in the 1st Cavalry Division. The

17,000 soldiers combine the spirit of the Cav’s heritage with the challenges facing an alert, combat-ready, armored division. The First Team remains ready to fight anywhere, anytime and win.

Page 10 Coalition Scimitar June 11, 2004

out for service. April alone produced more than

2,000 applicants and, since the first call almost a

year ago, more than 25,000 Iraqis have been

processed through the stations.

“Now the first individuals they encounter are

squared away Iraqi army personnel,” Best said, “and

they can see and actually talk with the soldiers who

have completed training.”

The recruiting centers have been fully staffed with

members of the IAF in preparation for the handover.

To that end, the OST has worked to specifically train

all of the recruiting station chiefs and deputies at the

Baghdad Recruiting Station. 

Training addressed organization, principal duty

and responsibility assignments, daily processing routines, administration policies and procedures and

reports, security, logistics, personnel management,

asset and resource management, vetting procedures,

documents and forms, day to day topical functioning

and basic recruiting ethics. Iraqis at the center have

additionally been “shadowing” the contractors as the

OST begins to pull out of the operation.

“We had the civilian contracting recruiters and the

Iraqi staff working side by side for over a month,”

said OST Recruiting Office Head of Recruiting

Marine Corps Maj. Timothy Fitzpatrick. “And then,

over the last two weeks, the contractors have stepped

back and given more and more control and decision

making over to the Iraqi staff,” he added.

The recent increase in IAF salaries is good, in fact,

said Best, when compared to available civilian occupations. Many people are finding military service is

a viable option to provide for their families. 

“The opportunity is very, very good and people

know that they have a good chance for a future by

joining the army. Not only for their country, but for

their families too,” another Iraqi army officer said.

“The recruits in Baghdad, for example,” he added,

“are not just from Baghdad. They are from everywhere — Tikrit, Naja, Kirkuk.”

Ultimately, when the Iraqis get more locations and

more bodies in those locations, the numbers will be

big, he said.

Fitzpatrick said believes there are other motivations for the interest being shown from the Iraqis in

their new army.

“I think a lot of people are looking at the opportunity to serve their country and ensure its freedom,”

Fitzpatrick said. “And as July 1 continues to get

closer, I think the people of Iraq are looking to the

future and want to see this country become great and

ensure it is safe for their families.”

Indeed the reasons are important as the Coalition

enters the final push to the army’s initial goal to

stand up 27 fully trained regular Iraqi army battalions. Currently four battalions have completed training and will come on line as the basic foundation for

the army’s push for a full force. The other 23 battalions enter service in the coming weeks and months

as “battalions-in-training” with the final pieces coming together at the end of the year.

“The Iraqi people – most of them like the army,”

commented another Iraqi army recruiting officer

working with the OST in standing up and staffing

the IAF recruiting centers since his induction into the

new army in February. “They want to enjoy the

army,” he said.

“Many people say it will be good and some say it

will be worse,” he added. “But that is only short

term. For the long term, all of us are sure that it will

be a very great Iraq. Not ‘great,’ but very great.”

Kirkuk Airbase Chapel Schedule

FRIDAY

5 a.m., 7 p.m. — Islamic Prayer

9 a.m. — Catholic Mass (Sky Soldier chapel)

SATURDAY

7 p.m. — Catholic Mass

SUNDAY

8 a.m. — Gospel Service

9 a.m. — Catholic Mass (Sky Soldier chapel)

10 a.m. — General Protestant

11:30 a.m. — Catholic Mass

1 p.m. — Latter-Day Saints

2 p.m. — Catholic Mass (Sky Soldier chapel)

7 p.m. — Protestant Service

TUESDAY

6:30 p.m. — Growing as a Chrsitian: Studying the

Book of James

WEDNESDAY

8 a.m. — The Bible in Light of Current History and

Local Events

5:30 p.m. — Building Your Faith: Studying the

Book of Hebrews

*All services are held at the Ten Days From

Tomorrow Chapel unless otherwise noted. Times

subject to change. Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and

others should contact chapel administration for

updates of their religious requirements and support.

First Team

RECRUITS

Continued from Page 1
June 11, 2004 Coalition Scimitar Page 11

QAYARRAH, Iraq — Pfc.

Husam Razaq Almusowi was

born in Iraq but was raised in

Dearborn, Mich. 

When asked: Where are you

from, he replies “That’s a difficult question.” According to his

fellow Soldiers in the 5th

Battalion, 20th Infantry

Regiment, Almusowi’s journey

to become an American Soldier

is an unforgettable tale of

courage and sacrifice. 

A young boy

Born in the southern Iraq city

of Samawi, Almusowi lived the

life of a prince. His room was

covered in marble and his peers

treated him like a god. In the

Arabic culture, the name

Almusowi is of great prominence. All Almusowis are

thought to be descendents of the

Islam Prophet Mohammed.

Even when he was a child,

grown men would stand to their

feet when Almusowi walked

into a room and call him sir.

“My family name garners great

respect from Muslims, both the

Shia and Sunnis,” he said. 

His father commanded a tank

division for the Iraqi army, a

position that contributed to the

reverence of the Almusowi

name. Although he was a

brigadier general in Saddam’s

army, Almusowi’s father did not

believe in Saddam Hussein’s

leadership. 

“My father never had a bad

thought of any man except for

Saddam,” he said. “All I knew

about Saddam was that he was

not good for Iraq.”

Almusowi’s father knew a lot

about Saddam Hussein and, he

didn’t hide his feelings about

the former dictator. Weeks

before the first Gulf War in

1991, he and several other men

attempted to overthrow

Hussein’s regime and end the

decade of tyranny his people

had endured. 

Saddam’s Republican Guard

discovered the general’s plan,

and a judge sentenced

Almusowi’s father to death. 

“The judge told my father that

he would do him a favor by

hanging him while he was

young, so he wouldn’t sit in

prison for the rest of his life,”

Almusowi said.

On day one of the Gulf War,

the United States bombed Iraqi

military facilities in Samawi

and the prisoners escaped during the chaos. The general was

scheduled to be hung on the day

he walked out of prison, but he

would not see his wife, three

sons and two daughters for

another five months.

The journey

As the bombing continued in

the first days of the war,

Almusowi could feel the impact

of bombs and could see the billowing clouds of smoke from

the window of his room. 

“I was just a kid,” he remembers. “I was too young to know

what was going on, and too

young to be scared.”

Escaping the bombs, large

groups of Iraqis, mostly women

and children, fled to Saudi

Arabia, where they hoped to

find safety at a refugee camp.

Almusowi remembers the journey as if it were yesterday.

“We hitchhiked and walked

all the way across the desert,”

he said. “We camped out in the

desert of southern Iraq, and in

the desert, you can’t see anything at night. I remember finding a star and didn’t know what

it was.”

When Almusowi awoke, he

still had the metal insignia of a

star in his hand. The morning

light revealed the horror of their

surroundings.

“There were dead soldiers all

around us, and the star was an

officer’s rank,” he said. “We

spent the next day burying

them, and then we continued to

move toward the border.” 

Once they reached Saudi

Arabia, the group was lost. 

“All we saw was desert, but

we kept moving, hoping we’d

find somebody or one of the

camps.”

With little water and food, the

women and children walked

through the endless desert for

five days. Then, when it felt like

his feet couldn’t take another

step, Almusowi heard a thumping sound from a distance.

“American Soldiers driving

Bradleys found us,” he said.

“They were so kind to us. My

father always spoke highly of

the Americans.”

Almusowi’s first introduction

to an American was a U.S.

Army Soldier handing him a

“meal ready to eat”.

“I’ll never forget it. I ate the

Skittles,” he said.

The Soldiers transported

Almusowi and his group to

Rafah, Saudi Arabia, where he

would spend the next 10 months

living in tents, away from the

only country he knew and separated from his father. He was 11

years old.

The United States

Almusowi can’t remember

the exact day he was reunited

with his father, but he does

recall being overwhelmed with

emotion.

“When my uncle and father

showed up in our camp, I was so

happy,” he said. “My family

was together again.”

As he’d done for so many

years, Almusowi’s father comforted his children, assuring

them every thing would be all

right. He was right.

Each family at the refugee

camp selected a country where

they wanted to live. Almusowi’s

father selected the United

States.

“Dad chose the United States

because it was like the promised

land, where nothing was impossible,” Almusowi said.

The day the Almusowi family

boarded a plane to the United

States was also the first time

Almusowi saw the earth from

the clouds.

“My first plane ride was for

three days all the way around

the world,” he said. 

When Almusowi’s feet

touched American soil, he

began to embrace his new surroundings. 

“The first week we were

there, a bunch of the Iraqis went

to the beach,” he said. “It wasn’t

a culture shock seeing women

in bikinis for the first time, but

it was definitely different. Iraqi

men jumped in the ocean in blue

jeans. We were all just so happy

to be in the United States.”

The Almusowi family moved

to Dearborn, Mich., where

there’s a large Arabic population. Almusowi began to learn

English immediately.

“The first thing I saw on TV

Pfc. Husam Razaq Almusowi keeps an Iraqi flag in his room, but wears an American flag

on his U.S. Army uniform every day. Almusowi immigrated to the U.S. as an 11 year old

after Operation Desert Storm.

Pfc. Husam Razaq Almusowi (front) and Capt. Matthew

Lillibridge exit a Stryker vehicle after returning from a mission where Almusowi translated Lillibridge’s conversation

to Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers. Almusowi and

Lillibridge are Soldiers with the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry

Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

Born in Iraq, raised in America

Story and photos by 

Sgt. Fred Minnick

139th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

See RAISED, page 14
Page 12 Coalition Scimitar June 11, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Every day, hundreds of thousands of people move from

place to place throughout Baghdad tending to their business. Chances are, hidden

in the midst of friendly Iraqis, there are

more than a few anti-Iraqi forces making

coalition troops targets of opportunity for

their aggressions.

To help deter this threat, coalition

forces have begun to field a new weapon

throughout Iraq. Not the type of weapon

that shoots bullets or lobs grenades,

though, but one that “sniffs” for explosives.

“The Vapor Tracer 2 is a new piece of

equipment that has been deployed here in

Iraq in the last month or two,” said Chris

Miller, a security technical specialist for

the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in

Saudi Arabia. 

It was designed by General Electric Ion

Track and is a hand-carried device

designed with an innovative type of technology that can detect and identify vapors

and particles produced by numerous

forms of explosives and narcotics. It uses

a unique, atmospheric sampling technique

that is not only extremely sensitive but

speedy, as well. Its detection time averages a response in four to 10 seconds per

sample.

Last week, Soldiers from the 3rd

Brigade Combat Team took the opportunity to train with the Vapor Tracer to see

how it works and how to maintain it.

“The training we did has mainly centered on maintenance of the equipment,”

Miller said. “We felt that maintenance

was key to getting it deployed; it’s an

important piece of equipment.”

Currently the Vapor Tracer 2 is being

used at all of the checkpoints around the

Green Zone to help make them more

secure.

“The checkpoints have been letting a

large number of people through,” said

Roy Patrick, a security-engineering officer for the Coalition Provisional

Authority. “Not just State Department

people, not just DoD, but civilians –

everything. And it’s in our best interests

(the State Department) to work as a team

with the Department of Defense for

everybody’s safety.”

It would be especially useful with the

insurgents and anti-coalition forces that

may try to enter the Green Zone according

to Master Sgt. Nathaniel Foreman, the

2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery’s intelligence noncommissioned officer in

charge and a member of Miller’s class. “I

think that the Vapor Tracer would be really helpful. It will give us a little more

reaction time if our soldiers can detect

that someone is involved with explosives

and trying to get through a checkpoint.”

“I think it’s a great piece of equipment

– very useful,” added Spc. James Otero, a

wheel mechanic from the New Mexico

Army National Guard assigned to 1st

Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment. “I

haven’t used it out in the field yet, but I’m

looking forward to using it.”

Soldiers from Troop F, 9th Cavalry

Regiment used the Vapor Tracer 2 earlier

this month on a mission to find a suspected cache of explosives. Though the cache

was not the explosive material it was

reported to be, the Vapor Tracer 2 did positively identify a substance that could be

used in explosives.

“We found a large number of mediumsized drums and clear plastic bags with a

white power in them,” said Spc.

Christopher Maust, a scout with the troop

that was operating the Vapor Tracer during the mission. “I tested it. It came up

positive for a possible explosive and we

called [an explosive ordnance team].”

Once the EOD crew arrived, they determined that the powder, although reading

positive on the Vapor Tracer, was not an

exceptionally high quality type of substance used in bomb making.

The detection system is designed to

provide high reliability with little down

time after a large detection of explosives

or narcotics. It’s currently being used in

civilian airports throughout the United

States to check people, baggage, vehicles

and cargo for explosive substances.

Spc. James Otero uses a thick alcohol swab to clean a membrane in the

Vapor Tracer’s inner nozzle.

Story and photo by 

Sgt. John Queen

3rd Brigade Combat Team 

Public Affairs

Vapor Tracer 2 keeps troops safe

More than 500 Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and

Airmen crowded around a stage in front of

the post exchange on Camp Victory North

June 5 to hear Toby Keith and Ted Nugent.

Before they performed, Nugent and Keith told

the crowd that they, along with everyone

back home, are proud of what the troops are

doing and give them their full support. Keith

and Nugent then spent the next 45 minutes

playing some of their biggest hits. In between

songs, the duo talked to the crowd. At one

point, while Nugent was telling the crowd

about how he and Keith had already performed for Soldiers in Kosovo, Germany and

Italy, he gave some encouragement to the

crowd,. “You guys are doing a great job over

here,” he said. The performers then left the

stage and signed a few autographs for the

troops before they left. The stop was one of

several for the duo, who are visiting Iraq as

part of a USO tour.

Baghdad gets rocked

Photo by Pfc. Bryce S. Dubee
June 11, 2004 Coalition Scimitar Page 13

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Henry Rollins of

the Rollins Band and the 1980s punk

band Black Flag visited the Black Jack

Dining Facility May 26 to sign autographs and meet with the Soldiers. 

Rollins has appeared in movies such as

“Bad Boys II” and “The New Guy,” and

has written several books. Currently, he

is starting his own record label and is the

host of a Los Angeles-based morning

radio show.

Rollins spent about an hour and a half

signing autographs onto pictures, books,

magazines, or whatever Soldiers brought

to him. 

“The heat here is incredible,” Rollins

said to one Soldier while signing his picture, which was handed out to the individuals free of charge.

“I’ve been a big fan for the last 11

years,” said Spc. Greg Taber, a radar

repairman with Headquarters Battery,

4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery

Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. “I’m

really glad to see one of my idols.”

“A lot of artists are willing to volunteer their time to do this,” said Tracy

Thede, a United Service Organizations

tour producer traveling with Rollins.

Thede works with Armed Forces

Entertainment to bring stars overseas. In

the past, she has helped bring artists such

as Robin Williams, Colin Quinn and

Drew Carey to Iraq.

“There are celebrities out there that

want to support the Soldiers,” Thede

said.

Many of Rollins’ fans showed up to

the autograph signing, including 1st Lt.

Chad Harlow of 3rd Bn., 82nd Field

Artillery Regiment.

“I’ve been a fan since about ’92 or

’93,” he said. “This is a cool one they

have here.”

Dressed in a white t-shirt, brown pants

and black sneakers, Rollins spoke with

the Soldiers as he signed his picture. 

When one Soldier asked him how long

he had been in Iraq, he replied, “Only

three or four days, not long term like

you.”

After signing countless autographs,

Rollins was whisked away to visit more

Soldiers in the Baghdad area. The

Soldiers were pleased, especially Taber,

who said, “I never thought I’d come to

Iraq and see someone I really like.”

Henry Rollins of the Rollins Band signs a shotgun shell for Spc. Phil

Valliant, an infantryman with 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, during an autograph signing at the 2nd Brigade Black Jack Dining Facility

May 26.

Rocker Rollins visits Camp Black Jack

By Spc. Michelle Newbold

1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

TIKRIT, Iraq — A May competition at Forward Operating

Base Danger marked the first

time in about two months that

Spc. Brian Huddleston had completely taken apart and reassembled his M16.

But that would have been hard

to tell from his performance at a

weapons assembly contest in the

Morale, Welfare and Recreation

theatre.

Huddleston finished first in

the M16 category with a time of

one minute, 45 seconds. Other

winners in the contest, sponsored

by MWR and KBR, were Pfc.

Christopher Dodd in the M249

(1:17) and Spc. Robert Hoffman

in the M9 (0:32). 

“I was a little nervous,” said

Huddleston, a carpenter with C

Co., 216th Engineer Battalion.

“It’s been a while.”

But Huddleston displayed few

jitters, deftly disassembling the

rifle, then putting it back together just as quickly. 

“Cleaning it every day helps,”

he said. “Just know the pieces of

your weapon.”

Hoffman came primarily for

the M249 competition, but left

with the glass trophy for first

place in the M9.

“I hold the record in my company for the SAW, so it was like,

‘you’re gonna do it, right,’” said

Hoffman, a turret gunner with

2nd Battalion, 19th Military

Police Company. “I’m a 240

gunner. I haven’t played with the

SAW in a

while.”

Regardless

of weapon,

the most

important factor remains

practice. 

“The key is

repetition.

You’ve got to

keep doing it

and doing it

the same way

every time,”

Hoffman said.

“You want to

find the

sequence that

works best for

you.”

It was a

matter of finding two sequences that work for

Dodd, the only Soldier to place

in two categories. Besides his

victory in the M249, Dodd took

second in the M9 with a time of

1:03.

“I felt pretty good coming in. I

had all the guys here rooting for

me,” Dodd said. “And I couldn’t

ask for better competition.” 

As to how he became proficient with weapons so different

in size, Dodd said, “Just keep

practicing and working with it.”

Spc. Garbriel Harvey echoed

that belief. Harvey, a carpenter

with C Co., 2-16, entered the

M249 contest.

“Usually

when I practice, I go for

sequence

first,” he

said. “Then

on the third

or fourth

run, I go for

speed. You

have got to

make sure

your

weapon is

well maintained. The

cleaner it is,

the easier

it’s going to

be. And

keep calm.

If you’re excited, you’re gonna

make mistakes.”

Harvey normally carries an

M16, but he signed up for the

M249 contest. 

“It’s something fun to do,” he

said. “I just happen to like the

SAW and play with it every

chance I get.”

COMPETITION

RESULTS

M9

1. Spc. Robert Hoffman, 0:32

2. Pfc. Christopher Dodd, 

1:03

3. Spc. Michael McGuire, 

2:14

M16

1. Pfc. Brian Huddleston, 1:45

2. Spc. Sharma Jenkins, 2:46 

3. Spc. Terry Pounders, 3:36

M249

1. Pfc. Christopher Dodd, 1:17 

2. Spc. Shawn Arnold, 1:24

3. Spc. Patrick Cox, 1:26

Story and photo by 

Sgt. W. Wayne Marlow

1st Infantry Division 

Public Affairs Office

Competition gives chance to shine

Spc. Robert Hoffman lays out an M249 piece by piece during a weapons competition May 18. Later that night,

Hoffman took first place in the M9 event at Forward

Operating Base Danger.

A Weapons assembly competition at

Forward Operating

Base Danger gives

troops a chance to

show thier skills

and raises morale

Photo by Spc. Bryan D. Kinkade
Page 14 Coalition Scimitar June 11, 2004

MOSUL, Iraq — Prior to landing in

Northern Iraq four months ago, Task Force

Danger chaplains vowed to nurture the living, care for the wounded and honor the

dead each day of their yearlong deployment.

On April 29, they broke that vow, but for

a good reason. 

Brigade chaplains and chaplain assistants

took a break from their daily duties to attend

the first Unit Ministry Team Training

Conference at Forward Operating Base

Danger. The day and a half meeting was

hosted by 1st Infantry Division Chaplain Lt.

Col. Mike Lembke. Nearly all of the task

force’s chaplains attended the event, he said.

The purpose of the conference, which

will be held quarterly, is to evaluate the

chaplains’ services to the task force Soldiers

and look at new ways to meet the troops’

needs. 

“I realize that as chaplains, we need to be

able to decompress, get out of the FOB and

step away,” said Col. Bruce M. Fredrickson,

the 264th Engineer Group chaplain. The

conference “was very renewing.”

The division has a large area of responsibility, which makes it difficult to

coordinate travel and

schedule regular meetings, particularly

because of the

chaplains’ many

responsibilities. But hosting the conference

quarterly

will allow

them to interact in person

rather than by

cyberspace and

the telephone.

The meeting

focused on professional

development, and many of

the chaplains’ questions regarding

how to handle certain information and situations were addressed in depth.

Additionally, the division clergymen gave

updates on morale, counseling trends and

worship programs on their FOBs. The

reports enabled the brigade chaplains, also

referred to as major subordinate

chaplains, to get an overall

picture of how effective their services

are and whether

or not to make

adjustments. 

“This conference

helped identify some

challenges

we have and

showed us

things we need

to continue

doing,”

Fredrickson said,

adding that it was productive, and the idea was an

excellent one.

Lembke intentionally scheduled the conference about 45 days after the 1st ID officially took responsibility for Northern Iraq

to give chaplains time to get acquainted

with Soldiers and their needs, he said. 

That transitional period was crucial, the

chaplains said.

“We found that the high operation tempo

is taking a greater toll on our Soldiers than

we thought,” Fredrickson said. “Within the

three to four month time period, there has

been a significant amount of cumulative

stress. These are attributed to the strain of

being gone and the proximity of leaving,

which is in the distant future.

He urged Soldiers not to “suffer in

silence.” Instead, they should get help

immediately when problems arise.

Battle buddies and leaders also should

carefully watch their troops and get them

help if the leaders sense that something is

wrong, he said. 

“We have to let the Soldiers know that we

have resources, like combat stress teams, to

help them,” he said.

Lembke added, “Soldiers are engaged in

the mission, they understand what they do is

very important. We support Soldiers by

offering quality service and by being available for them.”

Story by Sgt. Roland G. Walters

196th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

was the show ‘Cops’, and the

words to the song Bad Boys

were the first words I ever

spoke in English,” he said.

The next 11 years of his life

would be much different from

his first 11. Almusowi became

an artist, played soccer for

Fordson High School and

received a bachelor’s degree in

history from Michigan State

University. He married and witnessed the birth of his child. He

was living the American dream

as a citizen, yet his homeland

remained in shambles.

Returning to Iraq

Almusowi

joined the U.S.

Army when the

United States

was threatening

war against the

regime of

Saddam Hussein

in an effort to

give something

back.

“I wanted to

give back to the

country that gave

me so much

opportunity and

to help the country that gave me life,” he said. 

In basic training, drill sergeants frequently asked

Almusowi if he was ready to go

to war in Iraq. Almusowi always

said yes, but with a follow-up

statement.

“I always said we’re not at

war with Iraq. We are at war

with Saddam Hussein, the

Ba’ath Party and the terrorists,

who do not represent Iraq,” he

said.

When he re-entered the country seven months ago with the

3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry

Division (Stryker Brigade

Combat Team), Almusowi drove

through his hometown of

Samawi as the convoy headed

north.

“During the convoy from

Kuwait to Iraq, I was speechless

and, to this day, can’t fully

explain what it feels like being

back in Iraq,” he said. “I

absorbed every little thing on the

trip – from the rocks to the houses to the people

on the streets

waving at us.”

But the

longer he’s

stayed in his

place of origin,

the more he

realizes his

homeland’s

plight.

“I see so

much hunger,

pain and

destruction,” he

said. “This is

not the Iraq I

remember.”

As an interpreter, Almusowi

does not settle for what he sees.

He’s in Iraq to make a difference. 

On many occasions,

Almusowi is the lead interpreter

for important meetings between

Coalition leaders and top Iraqi

government officials.

Considering Arabic and English

are complex languages with few

similarities, his leaders place a

lot of faith in his abilities.

“He’s a great interpreter and a

good kid,” said Capt. Matthew

Lillibridge, the Iraqi Civil

Defense Corps liaison officer for

5-20. “He definitely has a lot

more responsibility placed on

him than your average private

first class.”

There are times when

Almusowi doesn’t sleep because

he’s translating letters thought to

be written by terrorists. In his

spare time, he teaches ICDC soldiers how to read and write

Arabic and English. In the town

of Qayarrah, Lillibridge said

Almusowi has won over every

Iraqi he’s spoken to. 

“He receives instant respect

from the Iraqis because he’s an

Iraqi and an American Soldier,”

Lillibridge said. “Almusowi is

an invaluable asset to our efforts

in Iraq because they can see the

passion he has for the Iraqi people when he talks to them. He’s

won the respect of his fellow

Soldiers as well for his commitment to the United States.”

Almusowi’s passion for the

present comes from his past.

“I don’t want what happened

to me to happen to another kid.

If I can make a difference in one

person while I’m here, I’ve done

my job,” he said. “Who knows

where I would have ended up if

the American Soldiers didn’t

find us 13 years ago? 

“The way I look at it, I’m

doing my duties as a Soldier and

a little bit more because I am

Iraqi.”

Pfc. Husam Razaq Almusowi teaches an Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldier how to write

the phrase “I like my country” in English. In his spare time, Almusowi teaches ICDC soldiers how to read and write in Arabic and English. He is an interpreter for the 5th

Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

RAISED 

Continued from page 11

Training conference gives chaplains fresh ideas

“I always said we’re

not at war with Iraq.

We are at war with

Saddam Hussein, the

Ba’ath Party and the

terrorists, who do not

represent Iraq.”

Pfc. Husam Razaq

Almusowi

Photo by Sgt. Fred Minnick
June 11, 2004 Coalition Scimitar Page 15

Unsung Heroes 

Marching the extra mile across Iraq

Sgt. Fults Capt. Finnerty

The traveling finance support team of 9th Finance Battalion

Sgt. Troy Fults is serving in Iraq with the

4th Aviation “Warrior” Brigade, 1st Cavalry

Division.

The Cleveland, Texas, native maintains and

repairs attack helicopters.

He is an AH-64 Apache helicopter crew

chief assigned to Company A, 615th Aviation

Support Battalion. He ensures that combat

power is always available by providing maintenance support. 

Fults’ maintenance team enabled the

brigade's Apaches to fly more than 1,900

hours without accident or incident due to

maintenance since arriving in theater. 

“The game is on, and we get faster and better every day,” Fults said.

Capt. Sean Finnerty, from Boardman,

Ohio, is the executive officer for the Fort

Lewis-based Headquarters and Headquarters

Company, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division

(Stryker Brigade Combat Team). Finnerty

has been in the Army for eight years. He has

been deployed to Iraq since November 2003.

He is also the convoy commander for

many of the logistical convoys that move

back and forth across Mosul.

“The biggest reward of my job is that I still

get to work directly with the Soldiers,” said

Finnerty. 

“Captain Finnerty does the things nobody

else wants to do, and he does them well,” said

Capt. Vincent Bellisario, the HHC company

commander. “It's guys like him that make a

big difference.”

They may only be open for business from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on any given day, but nobody

can accuse the Soldiers of the 9th Finance Battalion of working bankers’ hours.

The finance specialists of Detachment B (Forward) are based at LSA Diamondback in

Mosul, but they spend six days a week on the road bringing their services to every forward

operating base throughout the Multinational Brigade-North area of operations.

"It's stressful to be responsible and accountable for large sums of cash while traveling,"

said Spc. Jennifer McClendon, a military pay specialist who is also a driver for her team.

The finance support teams travel in convoys and provide their own vehicles for most

missions. Like all Soldiers traveling in convoys, they are responsible for assisting with force

protection. The team pictured includes Spc. Ronald Oyardo, Spc. Shane Hall, Sgt. Randy

Rautos and Spc. Jennifer McClendon.

"By sending a finance support team to a different camp each day, we not only provide

every Soldier an opportunity to use our services, but we also save them from having to alter

their missions and risk their lives traveling to our location," said Capt. Paul Pellegrino, the

commander of Detachment B (Forward).

CPA Palace Military Pay Office

Hours of Operation

Military pay inquires

Saturday - Thursday

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

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

Cashier

Everyday but Friday

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

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

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

located at the Joint Contracting Finance and Resource

Management Office near the 31st Combat Support Hospital
Page 16 Coalition Scimitar June 11, 2004

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — Whenever Sgt. 1st

Class Bill Breeding deploys overseas, he brings a

United States flag with him, something he can take

home to remember the experience. 

He intended to take the flag he brought with him to

Iraq back for his 9-year-old son Joshua. 

The last person he ever expected to give it to was the

governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The request for the flag came about when 1st Sgt.

Grant of the 729th Postal Company, 63rd Regional

Readiness Command, U.S. Army Reserve based in Los

Alamitos, Calif., was contacted by Schwarzenegger’s

office. 

Schwarzenegger wanted a U.S. flag flown by troops

is Iraq so that he could present it to the people of

California to show appreciation for California and U.S.

troops serving in Iraq. The flag was to be presented

during a Los Angeles Dodgers game on June 3.

The 729th did not have a flag with them, so a search

began throughout Camp Victory to find a flag.

While working with Multinational Corps-Iraq public

affairs on a different assignment, Grant asked if they

knew anyone who had a flag. The PA office pointed

them in the direction of Breeding, a member of 3rd

Army Headquarters and Headquarters Company, psychological operations/information operations.

Breeding was informed of the situation and said he

would be more than willing to help out as long as his

son approved. Both Breeding and Joshua are Dodgers

fans, so Joshua said he had no problem giving the flag

to the Dodgers and the people of California, as long as

his mother could send another flag over to his dad in

Iraq.

Breeding took down the flag from his office and

gave it to the 729th, who sent it along with pictures and

a letter of authenticity from Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, the

MNC-I commanding general, to Schwarzenegger.

Story and photo by Pfc. Bryce S. Dubee

MNF-I/MNC-I Public Affairs

3rd Army Soldiers Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Powell

and Sgt. 1st Class Bill Breeding fly the

American flag at Camp Victory.

Soldier donates flag from Iraq

FORWARD OPERATING BASE

ROUGH RIDER, Iraq — It may not be

open 24-hours-a-day like its civilian

counterparts, but Wong-Mart provides

just as much convenience to Soldiers

here.

A take off on Wal-Mart, the giant discount retailer, Wong-Mart is the product

of several innovative Soldiers on this forward operating base. Essentially, they saw

a need and filled it.

“If you stock it, they will come,” one

Soldier said.

And stocking the shelves at Wong-Mart

is no problem. In fact, Soldiers regularly

volunteer to pitch in and unload items in

record time from trucks, which arrives

about twice a month brimming with

everything from potato chips to DVD

players. 

“It’s not a one-person operation; it’s a

lot of team effort,” said Sgt. 1st Class

Kevin R. Wong, who oversees the improvised post exchange that also bears his

name. Wong is a member of the West

Virginia Army National Guard based in

Beckley, W.Va.

“It’s a whole FOB effort,” he said.

“They work very hard. Soldiers chip in to

unload the trucks and get the merchandise

stocked.”

From sundries to sweets to microwaves

and digital cameras, the small PX offers

an array of much-sought-after goods.

Inventory is taken twice a week. 

Opening on Easter Sunday, Wong-Mart

averaged about 40 to 50 customers an

hour its first day. Wong said average daily

sales ring in between $5,000 to $6,000.

The busiest day netted more than

$12,000.

Sitting behind the check-out counter,

Spc. James R. Smith makes change for a

purchase.

The 36-year-old chaplain’s assistant

hails from Welch, W.Va., where he is a

minister. He likes providing the service to

fellow Soldiers and volunteers to man the

metal money box, he said. Customers

shopping at Wong-Mart have the option

of paying with cash, check or credit

card.

“Welcome to Wong-Mart,” Smith pipes

up to a Soldier entering the PX.

Sometimes patrons come in the wrong

end of the tent, but that’s no big problem.

Once in there, Smith will give them traffic directions with a smile.

Wong said he also gets regular help in

the PX from Spc. Chris Whitt and Sgt.

Victor Campos. 

Sgt. John Bellamy, a cook with

Headquarters and Headquarters

Company, 1st Battalion, 150th Armor,

was responsible for making the wooden

“Wong-Mart” sign that greets customers

at the tent’s entrance.

Spc. Frank Turley, a tanker with Charlie

Company, 1st Battalion, 150th Armor,

makes his selections and makes his way to

the checkout counter.

“They’ve got what we need here,” said

the Charleston, W.

Va., resident. 

Looking around

during his brief

shopping excursion, Spc. Joshua S.

Bish eyes a case of

soft drinks. A

Princeton, W.Va.,

resident assigned to

Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 150th

Armor, the tanker reached for his wallet.

“It’s pretty good, especially the cheese

dip,” Bish said of the selection of merchandise. 

About twice a month, a truck convoys

several hours to Baghdad International

Airport where items are purchased from

AAFES. In turn, the goods are sold for the

same price to Soldiers back at FOB

Rough Rider. No profit is made.

“The money we bring in is the amount

we spend on the next trip,” Wong said. 

Wong, an assistant operations sergeant

with Headquarters

and Headquarters

Company, 1st

Battalion, 150th

Armor, said $30,000

in impress funds

through AAFES

started the ball

rolling for the small

FOB’s PX. 

A stocking clerk for the supermarket

chain Kroger, Wong marks his 29th year

with the company in October. He said he

often has the same headaches with those

that stock the PX here as those back

home.

“It’s just as hectic trying to get the guys

to stock like items alike,” he said. 

Before Wong-Mart opened, Soldiers

didn’t have access to any type of “pogey

bait” while at FOB Rough Rider. Capt.

Donald Rakes suggested to the armor battalion’s executive officer, Maj. Roy

Bourne, that a PX be created for Soldiers

at one of the most remote FOBs in Task

Force Danger.

The rest, as they say, is history. 

Wong tries to keep patrons happy by

making sure the eight shelves, cooler,

freezer and a large wooden pallet in the

center of the tent are chock-full of essentials.

And if Soldiers don’t find something

they want, they can always put in special

requests. 

“Whatever shows up most frequently,

we try and get,” Wong said. 

“We can’t please everyone,” he said,

“but we do the best we can with what

(AAFES has) available. If they’ve got it,

we’ll have it here.”

Story and photo by 

Spc. Sherree Casper

196th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

Sgt. 1st Class Kevin R. Wong of Charleston, W.Va., stocks the innovative

post exchange at FOB Rough Rider that bears his name as fellow "clerk"

Spc. James R. Smith looks on.

Wong-Mart fills in for AAFES

“It’s not a one-person

operation; it’s a lot of team

effort.”

Sgt. 1st Class 

Kevin R. Wong