BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Iraq – The Bradley armored fighting vehicles rolled away from the gate, signifying a final transition of control from

multinational forces to the government of

Iraq which took place at Baghdad

International Airport August 25.

“Once the tanks roll away, the airport

belongs to the government of Iraq,” Col.

Chuck Betack, the chief of maneuvers for

Multi-National Force–Iraq, said. Betack

was on site to witness the final changeover.

“The transfer is done. The airport now

belongs to the Iraqi government, with the

exception of the small pieces of the airport

they are allowing us to occupy.”

The process started June 15, with a turnover of the air traffic control tower and

checkpoints to a final exchange of the main

gate. Prior to the exchange, the airport was

controlled completely by the multinational

force, Betack said, and was, therefore, very

limited in commercial traffic. The only

flights at BIAP were military and charter.

“This turnover is the first step towards

re-establishing an air international hub

back into Iraq,” Betack said. “Now the airport belongs to the Iraqis, so you’ll see

more forms of transportation, with the

Iraqi’s trying to set up their own commercial airlines at this time, so it will be a great

morale boost for the entire economy, as

well as for its people. This allows them to

become a prominent nation once again, to

get back into the proper levels of commerce, trade and international travel.”

Gate security is being run by a contractor

hired the Iraqis. 

“The training of [the contrator’s]

employees is separate by that organization,” Betack said. “There was a security 

Taken hostage

Marine shares experiences 

from Rio de Janeiro

WASHINGTON – Iraq’s security

forces are improving and assuming a

growing role in establishing law and

order across the country, a senior U.S.

military officer stationed in Baghdad

said Aug. 27. 

“The Iraqi security forces, every day,

are proving themselves more capable

and more fit,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Erv

Lessel, the multinational forces’ deputy

operations director, told Pentagon

Channel journalist Air Force Tech. Sgt.

Sean Lehman. 

In fact, Lessel said, Iraqi security

forces are slated to take on the law and

order mission in Najaf as Muqtada alSadr’s followers stack arms and depart

the city’s Imam Ali Shrine as part of a

peace deal brokered Aug. 26 by senior

Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini alSistani. 

Lessel noted that Iraqi security forces

will move in to maintain and “take full

control” of the shrine, as well as to

establish order in Najaf and the nearby

city of Kufa. 

U.S. troops in the area will maintain

their present positions, Lessel noted,

until the interim Iraqi government can

confirm that their security forces are in

control of Najaf and that Sadr’s militia

has laid down its arms and left. 

Besides being called in to restore law

and order in Najaf and elsewhere across

the country, Iraq’s security forces also

have been responsible for discovering a

number of explosive devices and

weapons caches in recent weeks. 

For example, Iraqi National Guard

members found a huge cache of

weapons and ordnance Aug. 26 during a

joint raid conducted with U.S. Marines

on a home near Haswah, according to a

Multi-National Force-Iraq news release. 

About 132 107 mm rockets were

seized during the raid, the release stated,

as well as seven 57 mm rockets, 10 AK47 assault rifles, seven 125 mm tank

rounds, five rocket-propelled-grenade

launchers, 124 RPG rounds, 200 mortar

rounds, bomb-making materials and

improvised explosive devices. 

The Marines, from the 24th Marine

Expeditionary Unit, took five suspected

militants into custody for questioning

after the raid, the release said. 

Meanwhile, Lessel observed that

training of Iraqi security forces moves

forward as equipment “has continued to

flow in” for Iraqi police, National Guard

and other armed forces. 

The relationship between Iraqi security forces and U.S.-multinational troops

continues to improve, Lessel said, citing

the “close coordination” between the

interim Iraqi government and multinational force officials and the partnership

Vol. 2, No. 36 Baghdad, Iraq Sept. 3, 2004

SCIMITAR

Convoy guardians Convoy guardians

‘Steel Dragons’ keep convoys safe

and rolling on Iraq’s roadways

Page 14

Iraqi security forces proving more

capable, assume growing role

By Gerry J. Gilmore

American Forces Press Service 

See BIAP, Page 10

See CAPABLE , Page 10

Page15

Armor all Armor all

Add-on armor kits Add-on armor kits

provide protection provide protection

Page 12

Multinational force turns over Baghdad’s airport

By Spc. Crista M. Birmingham

Multi-National Corps – Iraq 

Public Affairs

A Bradley armored fighting vehicle rolls away from a gate at Baghdad

International Airport, signifying a final transition of control from multinational forces to the Iraqi government.

Spc. J. Tashun Joyce'
MOSUL, Iraq — More than 2,000 body

armor vests and 1,600 protective helmets

were given to members of the Facilities

Protection Services here August 24.

The equipment was purchased by the

Task Force Olympia Provost Marshal’s

Office and cost approximately $1.6 million.

The funds came from the Commander’s

Emergency Relief Program, a program

designed to assess needs determined by

community leaders to improve security conditions and promote safety.

“FPS employees have the training and the

weapons but not the advantage of protection

from the enemy,” said Capt. Adam

Cronkhite, the deputy provost marshal for

Task Force Olympia. “We hope this body

armor will give them that advantage.”

The security forces in the Mosul area

work and train to improve security conditions throughout the region.

WASHINGTON — The most recent deployment for the Air National

Guard’s 107th Fighter Squadron was one of firsts, the unit’s commander said

here Aug. 24. 

Lt. Col. Glenn Schmidt said the 107th became the first F-16 Fighting Falcon

unit to be based in Iraq when it established its base in Kirkuk when it deployed

for three months in February. It also was the first F-16 unit to employ the

Theater Airborne Reconnaissance System, or TARS, as well as the first to

employ the Litening advanced targeting pod, he added. 

TARS collects intelligence information from the battlefield’s second echelon

and beyond, in adverse weather and all light conditions. Litening, a multipurpose targeting and navigation system, gives tactical aircraft 24-hour precisionstrike capability against both land and sea-based targets. 

Weapons officer Lt. Col. Nate Dickman, pilots Lt. Col. Leonard Isabelle and

Maj. Brian Bracken and maintenance operations officer Maj. David Spehar

joined Schmidt at the Pentagon to discuss the firsts and their mission in Iraq. 

When the squadron – based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich. —

got word it was being sent to Iraq, it was in the middle of close-air support

training. The squadron flies mostly CAS and reconnaissance missions. 

The combination of TARS and Litening allowed the group to be flexible in

its mission. Not only could the F-16s help ground troops out of sticky situations, they could do reconnaissance at the same time, the officers said. 

For example, Bracken said, if the unit was called upon to hit a target, the

TARS pod on one F-16 would take “before” and “after” images to document

exactly what kind and how much damage was done. Images taken while flying

CAS missions were also used to update maps used for planning ingress and

egress routes. The images were processed within 30 minutes of landing. TARS

will have data-link capability for real-time imaging sometime next year,

Schmidt said. 

The squadron didn’t have planned targets, Schmidt said. Missions were

Air Guard makes mark

MOSUL, Iraq – Following a

demonstration of the skills

learned over the last three

months, 22 civil defense firefighting graduates accepted their

diplomas with great pride as they

prepare to put their training to the

test. 

These 22 graduates will

become trainers to the more than

650 civil defense members

throughout the Ninevah Province,

who will then make up the backbone of firefighting in the communities throughout the river valley.

The training, which took place

at Mosul’s Public Safety

Academy, included new fire

fighting techniques and training

on more than $500,000 worth of

newly purchased equipment,

funded through the Commander’s

Emergency Relief Program. The

training was conducted by the

416th Civil Affairs Battalion

Public Safety Team from

Norristown, Pa. and the 268th

Engineer Detachment

(Firefighters) from Columbia,

S.C.

Before the graduation ceremony, the firefighters demonstrated

the hydraulic-extraction equipment, their interior-firefighting

skills and how the snorkel truck is

useful to put out fires in high

places. The snorkel truck is a fire

water truck with a platform lift

able to elevate personnel and

water support up to 60 feet in the

air.

“This training is critical to the

education of the Ninevah civil

defense firefighters so they are

ready to protect the area against

fires and other hazards,” said

Brig. Mohammed, the director of

Ninevah Province civil defense.

“I look forward to great things

after seeing such an excellent display of skill.”

Other skills learned throughout

the course, but not demonstrated,

were enhanced explosive ordnance disposal, advanced first aid,

aerial rescues, vehicle rescues and

communications.

The skills learned by these firefighter trainers will be passed to

the civil defense firefighting community, increasing safety for the

agricultural and urban communities within the Ninevah Province.

Civil defense trainers

show superior skill

Story and photo by 

Spc. Jessika Ross

Task Force Olympia 

Public Affairs

Col. Muatax Taga, the commander of the Joint Coordination Center in Mosul,

Iraq, inspects the new body armor vests his organization received Aug. 24.

Ninevah Province civil defense firefighters extinguish a

fourth floor structural fire using a “snorkel truck” during a

demonstration. The truck is the only one of its kind in all of

northern Iraq and is used for fighting fires in buildings that

would be too difficult or dangerous for firefighters on foot. 

By Samantha L. Quigley

American Forces Press Service 

FPS receives body armor

Story and photo by 

Spc. Blair Larson

139th Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

See GUARD, Page 10

Twenty-two Ninevah civil defense firefighters

who graduated from a three-month course will

become trainers for the more than 650 civil

defense members throughout the province

Sept. 3, 2004 Scimitar Page 2
MANNHEIM, Germany – In the

courtroom at the Legal Center on Taylor

Barracks in Mannheim, Germany,

Article 39a hearings were held for four

members named in the Abu Ghraib

Prison abuse investigation.

Article 39a hearings are typically

used by the military judge to arraign the

accused, to hear and decide on motions

raised by the defense or the prosecution,

or to perform other procedural functions. At the 39a session, the military

judge, the prosecutor, the defense counsel and the accused are present.

Specialists Megan Ambuhl and

Charles Graner appeared before Col.

James Pohl A. 23, and Staff Sgt. Ivan

Frederick and Sgt. Javal Davis appeared

before Judge Pohl Aug 24.

Frederick, Davis, Graner and Ambuhl

made motions before Pohl. All of the

accused had civilian attorneys present

for the sessions, as well as appointed

military defense lawyers.

Each defense team made motions to

compel discovery. Pohl gave the U.S.

Government until Sept. 10 to provide

the defense with the requested reports

and documents, which included the

Fay/Jones and Church reports. The

judge also ordered the release of a report

to the defense about the Army’s

Criminal Investigational Division’s

investigation procedures and the

Schlesinger Report.

Davis and Graner both made motions

to suppress evidence, which included

statements they made while being interviewed by CID agents. The judge

denied both of these motions.

Attorneys for Frederick and Graner

made motions requesting change of

venue. Both motions were denied. The

basis for the requests was because some

witnesses could not be compelled to

come to Iraq to testify. The judge

explained in his ruling that video testimony and depositions could be used.

Both Frederick and Davis defense

attorneys made motions to the judge to

grant immunity to several individuals so

they may testify for the defense. These

motions were denied.

The defense attorney for Davis

requested the judge to compel Secretary

of Defense Donald Rumsfield to be

interviewed. The judge denied the

motion, stating that the defense failed to

make a connection between the accused

and actions and orders from Rumsfeld. 

Defense teams for Frederick and

Ambuhl made motions to request the

expert testimony of specialists from the

psychiatric community. Frederick’s

team’s request for Dr. Frank Zimbardo

to be added to the defense team was

granted. Ambuhl’s team requested Dr.

Craig Haney to assist in their defense,

but the motion was not approved. The

judge did order the government to supply a psychology expert by Sept. 2.

Ambuhl also had three additional

charges dismissed without prejudice:

one count of conspiracy and two counts

of maltreatment of detainees. The prosecution may have these charges reinvestigated and added back into the original

charges.

The next hearing dates are scheduled

for Oct.20 for Frederick, Oct. 21 for

Davis and Grainer and Oct. 22 for

Ambuhl. Each of the hearings for the

accused will be held in Baghdad.

WASHINGTON — The Army is not

offering free face-lifts, tummy tucks and

breast enhancements to everyone in uniform, medical officials said, adding that

recent articles in national publications

may be misleading.

“The spectrum of plastic surgery most

people see are the shows on TV, extreme

makeover shows, and they think that’s

plastic surgery,” said Lt. Col. Joseph

Kolb, Walter Reed Army Medical

Center’s Plastic Surgery Service chief.

“We are primarily a reconstructive service.” 

Less than 20 percent of the plastic surgery cases at Walter Reed are for elective

cosmetic procedures, Kolb said.

The entire Army has only about a dozen

plastic surgeons, Kolb said, adding that

plastic surgery is far from a luxury service

offered to military beneficiaries.

“The Army keeps us around for reconstructive procedures,” Kolb said. “In addition, we operate on children with congenital defects like cleft lip, cleft palate and

other defects to the head and neck.”

Kolb said Walter Reed’s four plastic

surgeons are very intimately and actively

involved in treating wounded from the

war in Iraq. One, Lt. Col. Andrew

Friedman, is currently deployed to Iraq as

a general surgeon. “He ends up doing a lot

of acute hand injuries over there.”

“Hand function is really very dependent

on the timeliness of repair,” Kolb

explained, “so having a hand surgeon in

Iraq can make a difference in having a

functional hand after an injury and not

having a functional hand. It’s that important.

“We also have nasal reconstruction

patients — people who have part or all of

their nose blown away,” he said. “And

we’ve all been involved in some very difficult head and neck traumas with Iraq

going on. Those are always very difficult

to do because of the complexity.”

“There are some injuries where you’re

never going to make a person look normal

again, and, unfortunately, some of the

injuries we’ve seen [from Iraq] are in that

category. But we make them function.

Obviously, saving the patient’s life is

important. Functional considerations are

much more important than cosmetic,”

Kolb explained. “Luckily, we’ve had

some good results with the reconstruction,

and I think it will return people to certain

levels of duty in some cases.”

The spectrum of plastic surgery goes

from the very simple, purely cosmetic up

to the very complex micro-vascular surgery, Kolb said.

“Using micro-vascular techniques, surgeons can move a piece of tissue with its

artery and vein to another part of a

patient’s body and hook into a different

artery and vein,” he said. This is something Walter Reed plastic surgeons perform regularly.

Despite supporting deployments and

spending long hours in the operating room

to treat the war wounded, “We have maintained our support of the Breast Center

and of cleft lip, cleft pallet and cancer surgery in general,” he said. “We’ve been in

a little bit of a squeeze and our ability to

do cosmetic surgery has been compromised a certain bit. But, we’re still offering most every service we’ve always

offered — certainly the waiting times

have increased, though.”

Walter Reed plastic surgeons also find 

Sept. 3, 2004 Scimitar Page 3

Plastic surgery no luxury for most Soldiers

By Michael E. Dukes

Army News Service

Abu Ghraib hearings

held in Germany

Multi-National Force-Iraq 

Press Release

Spc. Joel Jimenez, Company A "Warriors," 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry

Regiment, stands watch at an observation point in an abandoned

home on the outskirts of Sadr City. Jimenez, a member of a 1st

Cavalry Division quick-reaction force, was one many 2-5 Cavalry

Soldiers who responded to a mission to extract a disabled vehicle in

the city.

Sgt. Dan Purcell

Standing Watch 

See SURGERY, Page 10
History has taught us many lessons on

what to do after a war is won. Germany

and Japan are just two examples of defeated countries that rose from the ashes of

defeat to become leaders in the international community with the direct assistance of

the United States. In no small respect, the

US military’s noncommissioned officers,

or NCOs, and their troops became the

ambassadors of goodwill in these countries

and played a major role in winning the

hearts and minds of the people. Earning

the trust of the people is essential if any

reconstructive effort or peacekeeping mission is going to be successful.

Today’s problems in Afghanistan and

Iraq are similar. The NCOs and their

troops are the ones seen everyday on the

streets of the cities and towns. It is their

behavior that shapes the views of the local

population and reflects what America is all

about. One of the hardest tasks for the

NCO is to not blame all the people for the

acts of a few. We have trained our Soldiers

to be war fighters, and justifiably so, but

America’s Soldiers are still filled with

compassion for children and the downtrodden.

It is difficult for the NCOs to see their

Soldiers attacked by insurgents and not

become cynical toward the populace. But,

thank God, our NCOs have proved they

have the values and ability to put those

feelings aside and perform the acts of

kindness we see them doing the world

over, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cynicism only undermines our ability to

build a rapport with the population.

The NCO is instrumental in ensuring

that the populace understands America’s

values and that it is a truly compassionate

country. In Vietnam, our Soldiers built

orphanages and schools, treated the sick

and spent untold hours assisting the

Vietnamese, even while being attacked

daily by insurgents. US Soldiers have performed similar deeds in every conflict our

country has been involved in, and the

NCO has always been at the forefront of

these activities. Without the noncommissioned officer, many of these endeavors

would not have succeeded, or even existed. The NCO has to be the positive influence in both peace and war. NCOs make

things happen.

The NCO must always remember that

planning is done at a higher level, but

implementation of orders is an NCO

responsibility. The NCO is responsible for

teaching and training his or her subordinates, not only in war fighting techniques,

but also how to approach the populace,

how to understand and appreciate their

culture and how to treat them as they

would want to be treated. Trying to understand the rules they live by is as foreign to

our culture as ours is to theirs. A smile to

civilians from one of our troops is a language that anyone can understand and lays

a foundation that reconstruction can build

on.

NCOs and their troops are crucial to

showing the population that America liberates, not conquers; and that we truly want

to help their people gain a better life. It is

imperative that NCOs realize that they are

the key to winning not only wars, but also

the peace. 

Page 4 Scimitar Sept. 3, 2004

Editor in Chief

Staff Sgt. Christopher Land

Managing Editor

Sgt. Brian Stockhoff

Staff

Spc. Jeffrey Hillery 

Marine Cpl. Clinton Firstbrook

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

PERSPECTIVES

Commentary by 

Roger W. Putnam

The role of the NCO in the War on Terror

Editor’s note: Roger W. Putnam is a

retired command sergeant major who participated in the occupation of Japan, the

Korean War, two tours in Vietnam and

who also served as the VII Corps CSM in

the early 1980s.

The United States of America and the U.S. Army

have the responsibility to serve the community, country

and world with services of moral and strong ethical

principles. The Global War on Terror has been a great

challenge and has tested our moral character. Our great

history has always shown that the U.S. Army has continuously mobilized to a philosophy of good morals and

objectives toward the quality of life for all mankind. 

Our values have always been with good intent, but

history has shown that ethics and moral values of war

can be questioned. Armies of the world have performed

hideous and malevolent acts under the illusion of good

moral and ethical values. 

Ethics and morals of the military would never be an

issue if it weren’t for the unethical and immoral practices in today’s unnatural environment. Unethical practices have caused humanity extreme hardship with

unchangeable damage to the world. 

Many laws, treaties and constitutions have been

created to enforce ethical and moral obligations of

the military, but the real enforcement of ethics and

moral values comes from the men and women of the

U.S. armed forces.

Soldiers of the U.S. Army take the oath to serve the

United States of America, with the Constitution of the

United States as our guide. With education and communications as our tools, we can curb illegal or immoral

practices through out the world.

Our community is shaped with good morals and

strong family ties that produce our codes and laws.

Using communications and education, we can spread

our beliefs and way of life to the world and reinforce

these intense ethic codes and moral values. 

What is morality in the military? Standards of moral

and ethical issues (right or wrong) judged by principles.

The United States Military has strong moral principles

that align the fighting force behaviors and promotes

loyalty and teamwork. Moral examples set by officers

and NCOs are often reflected.

Subordinates can substantially enhance society, promoting growth with meaning. During time of war, a

line NCO makes decisions based on ethical and moral

standards and must justify every action taken. When a

decision violates moral standards or laws, penalties

under UCMJ will be enforced. All soldiers must take

full responsibly for their actions and follow the code of

ethics. 

Soldiers’ moral reasoning usually involves an understanding of what moral standards required or prohibited. When an order has been received that appears

immoral or illegal, a Soldier should inform his supervisor and request clarification. If the order is not withdrawn and still shows illegal or immoral contents, then

every Soldier must take responsibility for his own

actions. A full report must be generated and forwarded

to the proper authority. 

Society will always question the ethics and morals of

the Soldier when he has a weapon in his hand and his

decision to take another human life has been made. It

is impossible to draw a straight line of ethical and

moral value during time of war. As American Soldiers,

we must rely on our obligation to humanity and our

hopes of sovereignty and peace. Ethics and morals are

all we have. Laws and codes are distorted, and we must

trust our own values. The American people can have

peace and good will for all mankind with the use of

strong ethical and moral principals. 

As the America Soldier takes his oath to be loyal to

the constitution and proves that he is trustworthy to the

United States of America, the soldier pays his duty to

society and takes the responsibility handed to him. He

must show he is courteous to the people as he protects

and defends the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and is obedient to our cause. The

Soldier uses his morals and ethics to guide his decisions. His selfless service will show his courage and

honor him as an American Soldier.

Ethics of America and the U.S. Army

Commentary by Command Sgt. Maj. 

Mark B. Duwel

478 Civil Affairs Battalion
Sept. 3, 2004 Scimitar Page 5

BAGHDAD, Iraq—Soldiers of the 2nd

Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st

Brigade Combat Team spearheaded a task

force that included elements of the 1st

Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment and the

2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment—

both from the “Iron Horse Brigade” —

when they kicked-off Operation Iron Fury

August 17.

Command officials characterized the

operation as an all-out effort to root out the

radical “Mahdi Army” forces that have

been terrorizing the local civilian population in eastern Baghdad.

“The objective of Operation Iron Fury

was to reduce the Mahdi Army’s influence

in Sadr City and provide a secure and stable environment for the people,” said Capt.

Anthony Martinez, the public affairs representative for 2-5 Cavalry.

Since insurgents launched a second

wave of violence in Sadr City August 5,

shops and government offices have

been closed down in

the heavily populated

area. U.S. Armysponsored humanitarian missions have

also come to a standstill.

“This operation is a

combined effort conducted by the 1st

Brigade,” said

Command Sgt. Maj.

Donald Battle, 1- 12

Cavalry. “We want

the law-abiding citizens [of Sadr City] to

know that we are here

and that we will do

what it takes to support a legitimate government so that all Iraqis can live a normal

life.”

During the initial phase of the operation,

Soldiers from 2-5 Cav. pushed into the center of the city to secure their company’s

objectives. 

Capitalizing on the brigade’s foothold in

the city, 1-12 and 2-8 Cav. commenced

their respective attacks the following day.

“This is the largest operation I’ve been

on,” said Spc. Thomas Jeffcoat of

Headquarters Company (Maverick), 1-12

Cav. “We should have done this a long time

ago, because the Mahdi Army has just been

running wild out here.”

“This is my first time out here in Sadr

City, and it’s a lot different from [1-12

Cav.’s] regular area of operations: There’s

more activity, more improvised explosive

devices and rocket-propelled grenades,”

Spc. James Garcia of Headquarters

Company, 1-12 Cav., added.

By day three of Iron Fury, the 1st BCT

had exceeded its initial expectations for the

mission, pushing blocks past their planned

objectives despite mounting opposition

from the insurgent forces.

“The operation is going exceptionally

well,” said Battle. “The tempo has been

very high, and I have been very impressed

with the way the Soldiers have conducted

themselves.”

To keep the front-line troops moving,

Iron Horse Brigade’s forward support elements gathered at a location several kilometers from the fighting. These elements

included Company C, 115th Forward

Support Battalion, a team of medics from

1-12 Cav. and two Civil Affairs teams from

the 478th Civil Affairs Battalion.

“This is a full-spectrum operation, so we

are staying focused,” Battle said. “This is

the first time we have conducted an operation of this scale here, but it needed to happen and it’s paying big dividends.”

“I think that that when this is all over we

will get a lot of thumbs up from the civilian

population,” he added. “The key thing here

is we are bringing peace [back] to Sadr

City so that the people won’t be afraid to

walk down their streets.”

By Sgt. Dan Purcell 

and Pfc. Erik Ledrew

122nd Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment An armored personnel carrier and Soldiers belonging to Headquarters

Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment slowly work their way

down a main Sadr City thoroughfare during Operation Iron Fury.

Operation Iron

Fury pushes

insurgents out

Pfc. Miguel Miranda of White Platoon, “Comanche”

Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment exits a

building during Operation Iron Fury in Baghdad. 

BAQUBAH, Iraq Soldiers from Alpha Company,

415th Civil Affairs Battalion, donated a portable defibrillator, about 30 medical textbooks and dozens of small stuffed

animals during two hospital visits here Aug. 19.

Maj. Mike Hert, the provisional government liaison officer for the Civil Military Operations Center in Baqubah,

spearheaded the donation efforts. A member of the

Kalamazoo, Mich., Reserve unit, Hert works as a business

development manager for Aurora Health Care. 

The Oshkosh, Wisc., resident said his employer has been

very supportive of his deployment in support of Operation

Iraqi Freedom II and wanted to help the people of the wartorn country in some way.

“They made a point of asking, `Hey, Mike, what do you

need?’” Hert said.

After he shared his observations of Iraq’s health-care

system with physicians and staff at the Oshkosh, Wisc.,

based company, they decided to pool together and donate

the textbooks, stuffed animals and portable defibulator,

which is valued at about $20,000.

Sgt. 1st Class Kevin A. Rowe, a Soldier with the 415th

Civil Affairs Battalion and a firefighter with the Chicago

Fire Department, demonstrated to doctors at Baqubah

General how to operate the lifesaving machine. He said its

purpose is threefold. The defibrillator can be used as a heart

monitor, pacemaker or to restore a heartbeat. 

Rowe said it restores a normal heart rhythm through

electric shock when a heart is not beating properly. He said

the one donated by the physicians and staff of Aurora

Health Care is designed for a mobile setting like an ambulance but can also be used in a hospital.

“The country of Iraq won’t change overnight,” Rowe

said, adding that humanitarian efforts help to fill voids.

Rowe said daily contact between Iraqis and Americans

help strengthen their trust in one another. He said the contact has “changed both sides for the better.” 

“Anytime you can get people relating on a human basis

is always a good thing,” Hert said. “I think that’s what we

achieved today.”

He said that he was just fortunate to be “the messenger”

in the donations. More medical supplies from his employer and community are expected in the future.

Hert said a lot of medical research from a decade ago has

not reached Iraq. Iraqi doctors are in “dire need” of medical

information, he said. 

“They sent the latest and greatest medical journals as

well,” Hert said of the small mound of donated textbooks,

which he called “priceless.”

“To be able to come into a health-care clinic with the

most current research is invaluable because the physicians

love the information and it helps them in their practice.

Ultimately it helps the Iraqis,” he said.

Hert said the donations by co-workers back home would

go a long way here.

“People have to remember what may be obsolete or second generation back in the States is cutting-edge here,” he

said. “Something left in a basement or storage room back

in the States will be used here. We do have the ability to

make a difference.”

Health firm donates equipment to Iraqi hospitals

Story and photo by Spc. Sherree Casper

196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Sgt. 1st Class Kevin A. Rowe, the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Civil Military

Operations Center in Baqubah, Iraq, demonstrates how to use a defibrillator to a doctor at

Baqubah General Hospital. 

Sgt. Dan Purcell

Pfc. Erik LeDrew
WASHINGTON — The Office of the

Judge Advocate General is accepting applications from Aug. 1 to Nov. 1 for the Army’s

annual Funded Legal Education Program.

Under FLEP, the Army projects sending up

15 active-duty commissioned officers to law

school and paying 100 percent of their

school expenses.

Eligibility is determined by chapter 14, AR

27-1 and cannot be waived. Applicants must

be commissioned officers in the grades of

second lieutenant through captain and must

have at least two but not more than six years

of total active Federal service at the time

legal training begins. Submission of Law

School Admission Test results is required.

Applicants select the law school they wish

to attend but are encouraged to choose

schools with in-state tuition, said Yvonne

Carr, the FLEP manager. Those law schools

have to be approved by the American Bar

Association.

“If a junior officer wants to stay in the

Army and has the desire and dedication to

get a law degree, then there is no better program available,” said Maj. Patrick Barnett,

who graduated from FLEP in 1997. “FLEP

provides the opportunity to get a great education, to continue your service and then to

apply the knowledge and experience from

your first years in the Army to provide great

legal support to Soldiers and commanders.”

Interested officers should contact their

local Staff Judge Advocate for more information.

WASHINGTON — Word

Records recording artist Mark

Schultz performed “Letters from

War” and other songs at the

Pentagon Courtyard Aug. 25 to

highlight the Army’s “Be Safe!”

campaign.

Schultz partnered with the

U.S. Army Safety Center earlier

this year and donated his song

“Letters from War” to the

Army’s effort of reducing accidental deaths by 50 percent by

October 2005.

Every 32 hours the Army

loses a Soldier to an accidental

death, according to officials.

The “Be Safe” program educates soldiers about potential

hazards, emphasizing those connected with operating motor

vehicles. The program also

informs the general public about

the need to help Soldiers be

safe.

“Letters from War,” from

Schultz’s current album “Stories

& Songs,” is about a Soldier

safely returning home from war.

His great-grandmother’s diaries

of her three sons who fought in

World War II, was the inspiration for the song. 

“I can’t imagine not growing

up with my great uncles,”

Schultz said. “The emotions [in

this song] are the same in 1940

as they are today. If a song can

be used to save lives, touch families and inspire soldiers, I wanted to be a part of that.”

Since Schultz’s partnership

with the U.S. Army Safety

Center, the public has become

more familiar with the “Be

Safe!” campaign. The center’s

web site has received 1.4 million hits.

The idea to use Schultz’s song

to promote safety stemmed from

the need to try a different promotion approach, said Col.

Willie Gaddis, deputy director

for Army safety. “The song

makes safety personal,” he said.

Audience reaction to Schultz’s

song echoed Gaddis’ comments. 

“This song is definitely a fit

for the Army safety campaign,”

said Val Nelson, Department of

Defense contractor for Detainee

Affairs. “It’s strange sometimes

what we put our hope in, but her

hope was in his letters and this

is what brought her son home.

Our belief in the soldiers is what

motivates them to hold on.”

Page 6 Scimitar Sept. 3, 2004

Artist spreads Army safety message

By Raini Wright 

Army News Service

U.S. Army’s FLEP

accepting applications

through October

Word Records recording artist Mark Schultz perfoms to help spread the Army’s safety

message before a crowd gathered in the Pentagon Courtyard.

By Raini Wright

Army News Service

PENSACOLA, Fla. — The Navy

is now accepting applications for the

2005 Officer Scholarship Program.

Under the program, officers enroll

in graduate school on a full-time

basis, receive full pay and

allowances and are reimbursed for

permanent change-of-station costs. 

“This can be an excellent way to

pursue a graduate degree,” said Billie

Colonna, the Officer Special

Education Programs manager.

“Many of the top universities actually recruit scholars, and there are

scholarships available for those who

search. We currently have program

participants at M.I.T., Oxford, Johns

Hopkins and Purdue, to name a few

schools.”

Tuition must be paid by a nonNavy funded scholarship obtained by

the service member. The scholarship

must be equal to or greater than 50

percent of tuition costs, and

Veteran’s Administration benefits,

such as the Montgomery GI Bill, can

be used in conjunction with the

scholarship.

Officers must be available to start

studies before Sept. 30, 2005, and

have 24 months or less to complete

their coursework. Candidates will be

selected based on performance

records, needs of the Navy, promotion potential, academic qualifications and field of study. Designator

and subspecialty of individual applicants will determine areas of study

available through the program.

Applicants must receive approval

from their commanding officer.

Officers receiving command

endorsement should forward application packages to the Commanding

Officer, Naval Education and

Training Professional Development

and Technology Center (NETPDTC),

Code N2A2, 6490 Saufley Field

Road, Pensacola, Fla., 32509-5204.

The deadline to apply for the program is Sept. 10.

Selected applicants will incur an

additional obligated service equal to

three times the length they were in

the program, served concurrently

with any other obligated service they

may have.

Specific guidelines, additional

requirements and detailed program

information can be found in

NAVADMIN 192/04 and OPNAV

Instruction 1520.24B.

U.S. Navy’s Officer

Scholarship Program

accepting applications

By Naval Education and

Training Command 

Public Affairs

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 former Presidential Palace.

Also located at the Joint Contracting Finance and Resource Management

Office near the 31st Combat Support Hospital

U.S. Embassy/MNF-Iraq

Military Pay Office hours of operation
BAGHDAD, Iraq — The

newly formed Combined Review

and Release Board considered

the detention of 300 security

detainees during its first week of

deliberation ending Saturday.

The board will consider the

release, release with a guarantor

or the continued detention of

nearly 3,700 eligible security

detainees. 

The nine-member board brings

together six representatives from

the Interim Iraqi Government’s

Ministries of Justice, Interior and

Human Rights with three senior

officers from the multinational

force to determine which

detainees remain a security

threat.

The CRRB conducted its first

meeting Aug. 21 and meets at

least three days per week. The

board will continue to meet as

long as it is deemed necessary for

Multi-National Force-Iraq to

hold security detainees as authorized by the United Nations in

U.N. Security Council

Resolution 1546. 

The UNSCR provides the basis

for review, stating the “multinational force in Iraq shall have the

authority to take all necessary

measures to contribute to the

maintenance of security and stability in Iraq.” This includes

“internment where this is necessary for imperative reasons of

security.” 

The new process replaces the

previous MNF-I board consisting

of three senior officers, providing

greater oversight by the Iraqi

government in the review process

and further ensuring that the circumstances surrounding a

detainee’s capture are reviewed

impartially to determine whether

he should continue to be held. 

The CRRB considers several

factors when reviewing each file,

such as the circumstances of the

detainee’s capture, the length of

detention prior to review, the

level of cooperation by the

detainee and the detainee’s potential for further acts of misconduct

if released.

The final approval for all

releases rests with the MNF-I’s

deputy commanding general for

Detainee Operations, Maj. Gen.

Geoffrey Miller, who will make a

decision after consultation with

the Iraqi minister of Justice.

Miller has vowed to accept the

board’s recommendations unless

substantial additional information about a detainee becomes

available that would cause the

file to be sent back to the board

for further review. 

Currently, the multinational

force detains about 5,300 individuals for imperative reasons of

security. A legal review of all

files is conducted before they are

sent to the CRRB to determine if

criminal charges are warranted.

About 700 detainees are subject

to criminal charges that will be

prosecuted in the Central

Criminal Court of Iraq and will

not be considered by the board.

Many of the individuals who will

not be recommended for release

by the board are also likely to

face criminal charges for their

activities. 

The CRRB gives the interim

government a strong hand in

determining which individuals

remain a threat for insurgent

activities, such as possession of

illegal weapons, attacks on multinational forces, producing and

emplacing improvised explosive

devices and the financing of

insurgent activities. 

Sept. 3, 2004 Scimitar Page 7

Iraq in Brief

Iraqi Border Patrol receives night vision

goggles and new vehicles

MOSUL, Iraq- Members of the Iraqi Border Patrol

battalion in Diyanah, Iraq, received 25 sets of night vision

goggles and 10 Jeep Libertys August 28 from multinational forces.

The night vision goggles were purchased by Task Force

Olympia with funds from the Commander's Emergency

Response Program and cost approximately $101,000.

The goggles will be used to assist the IBP in conducting

night patrols to capture smugglers near the border.

The vehicles were donated by Multi-National CorpsIraq so the IBP soldiers will have enough vehicles to conduct multiple missions at the same time. 

Until now, the companies only had enough vehicles to

conduct one mission at a time.

1st Infantry Division Soldiers break

ground for school

1st Infantry Division Soldiers broke ground on the AboSeffa School in the village of Isahki Aug. 4. The Soldiers

began work on the school as part of a program called

Operation Tiger Cub.

It is one of nine schools that Soldiers from 1st

Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment and 272nd Engineer

Battalion will complete this year. The Soldiers are planning deliveries of school supplies to the children in

September.

Iraqi National Gaurd develop new soldier skills with 1st Infantry Division help

Soldiers from the 204th Iraqi National Guard Battalion

trained with 1st Infantry Division Soldiers Aug. 28 to

learn how to detect mines in preparation for an upcoming

joint operation near Baqubah.

The soldiers from the ING and 1st ID were preparing to

locate and destroy weapons and ammunition caches in the

area.

The new skills will help the ING soldiers protect themselves and Iraqi citizens from the threats of mines and

improvised explosive devices.

Iraqi, U.S. engineers commission seventh

generator this month

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A new generator is turning this

afternoon in central Iraq, producing enough electricity to

service nearly 100,000 Iraqi homes.

The 33-megawatt generator at the Qudas Power Station

north of Baghdad is the seventh generator Iraqi and U.S.

engineers have brought on line this month, bringing the

national electricity capacity to more than 5,300

megawatts - a level that exceeds the country's pre-war

capacity of 4,400 megawatts.

Iraq and U.S. engineers have reduced the shortage this

month, adding 202 megawatts to the national grid.

Despite the addition of power to the country's national

grid, the demand for electricity in Iraq continues to grow

as the Iraqi economy ramps up, according to a fact sheet

published by the Iraq Ministry of Electricity.

Iraqi National Guard soldiers from

Samarra graduate from basic training

More than 300 Iraqi National Guard soldiers from the

202nd ING battalion graduated from basic training Aug.

16.

The unit is the first cohort ING battalion, meaning all of

its members came from the Samarra area. The soldiers

trained together and will serve together alongside

American troops. Typically, ING soldiers come from various cities and are assigned to units across the country.

The soldiers went through a four-week basic course in

which they learned basic soldiering skills. The training

included rifle marksmanship, first aid and common tasks

training.

Detainee Release Board

reviews 300 cases 

during first week

Submitted by MultiNational Force-Iraq

Detainee Operations

Public Affairs

BAGHDAD, Iraq – An electricity generator

that had fallen into disrepair after two decades of

neglect and war went bak online Aug. 29 in northern Iraq, producing enough electricity to service

51,000 Iraqi homes.

The 17-megawatt generator at the Mullah

Abdullah Power Station in the Tameem

Governorate is one of seven generators that Iraqi

and U.S. engineers brought online in August.

“This is very good news,” said Raad Shalal, a

senior Iraq Ministry of Electricity official. “This

will help to reduce the shortage of electricity

across the country.”

Iraqi and U.S. engineers added 202 megawatts

to the national grid in August, bringing the national total to more than 5,300 megawatts – enough to

service 15.6 million Iraqi homes. The pre-war

electricity level was 4,400 megawatts.

“We know how important electricity is to the

safety and security of the Iraqi people, and we continue to work on their behalf with the ministry to

bring the country additional electricity,” said Lt.

Col Jeffery Ogden, the director of the U.S. Army

Corps of Engineers’ Restore Iraqi Electricity

Directorate. “We continue to work in partnership

with the Ministry of Electricity and the Iraqi people to bring more electricity to the country.”

Despite the addition of power to the country’s

national grid, the demand for electricity in Iraq

continues to grow, according to a fact sheet published by the Iraq Ministry of Electricity.

“With more than half a million new jobs created,

new industries and new factories coming online

and with the sale of thousands of home appliances

such as washing machines and air conditioners,

Iraq has experienced a rapid increase in electricity

demand,” the fact sheet reads. “The increase in

demand is a good sign of a thriving economy

emerging from three decades of isolation.”

Since beginning its work in the country nearly a

year ago, the Corps has added 1,574 megawatts to

the Iraqi national grid.

Rehab of generator brings

electricity to 51,000 homes

Submitted by U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, Gulf Region Division 

Public Affairs
KIRKUSH, Iraq – To give the

Multi-National Security Transition

Command—Iraq’s commander added

flexibility, a team of 12 service members came together in February and

formed a special multi-service convoy

security team.

After driving two and a half hours to

the convoy range here Aug. 27, the

newly named “Rough Riders” were

able to take their training environment

to the next level for the first time since

their turnover. At thge range, they were

able to hone their skills through livefire exercises and react drills. 

“This training is helping us find out

what the guy next to you is going to do

and how he’ll move in a real-life,

rounds coming at you situation,” said

.50 cal gunner Army Cpl. Kelly

Meggison. “It’s like the saying, ‘The

right hand needs to know what the left

hand is doing at the same time.” 

Before conducting their exercises out

on the convoy range, squad members

were able to basic zero their weapons

and go through a stage of familiarization fire to make sure their weapons

were serviceable.

“I wasn’t able to fire my weapon

before I came out to Iraq,” said M-203

gunner Marine Lance Cpl. Tyler

Stephenson. “I feel much more confident now that I know my shots are

going to hit what I’m aiming at.” 

While each member of the convoy

security team was trained to send

rounds down range in boot camp, this

is an additional duty for this squad of

Soldiers, Sailors and Marines during

their deployment.

“Everyone on our team asked to

come aboard and be a part of this

group,” said Marine Master Sgt.

RoderickWelsh, the convoy commander. “Nobody was assigned to do this or

‘volun-told.’ Our goal is to get out

twice a month to conduct live-fire exercises while performing react drills. That

way we can keep up on our training,

which is for the worst possible scenario.” 

Currently, only three of the original

group are left and, while new recruits

have jumped on this opportunity, the

“Rough Riders” still have two slots to

fill. 

Within the next month or so, the

team hopes to be back up to a fourhumvee-crew unit, said Welsh. 

Although they may be short on manpower, that hasn’t stopped this joint

unit from completing 16 missions and

providing their support on several others.

“Right now, everything is still falling

into place and actions upon enemy contact are becoming muscle memory,”

said Welsh. “There were a few things

we have found that we need to improve

upon, but, overall, the team has been

performing admirably.”

Page 8 Scimitar Sept. 3, 2004

Story and photo by 

Marine Cpl. Clinton Firstbrook

Scimitar staff

‘Rough Riders’ train for 

‘worst possible scenario’

When the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq needs to

get from point A to point B and local units can’t support them, they often

turn to a multi-service convoy security team called the “Rough Riders”

Army Spc. James Brackin fires his M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon during a traing excersice in Kirkush, Iraq.
Sept. 3, 2004 Scimitar Page 9

Above: Army Cpl. Kelly Meggison looks over his Dragunov-SVD sniper rifle after one of his

fellow Rough Riders fired a M-203 smoke round into one of the Kirkush range’s targets.

Left: Rough Riders Marine Sgt. Jose Bernal and Army Staff Sgt. Thomas Edens send

rounds down range at a simulated threat on Kirkush’s convoy-training site.

Right: SAW gunner Spc.

James Brackin provides

rear security as rifleman

Army Master Sgt. Johnny

Carpenter lays down supresive fire during a simulated

blocked convoy attack at

the Kirkush convoy range.

Below: One of the Rough

Rider convoy crews goes

through a dry run on the

Kirkush range before moving on to the live-fire portion

of the excersice.

Top right: Marine Master Sgt. Roderick Welsh lies in the prone position

while zeroing his M-16A2 service rifle on the Kirkush weapons range.

Above: Lance Cpl. Tyler Stephenson runs out of one of the Rough Riders

humvees to engage a simulated threat to the right of their convoy while

Army Cpl. Kelly Meggison provides support with his .50 caliber machine

gun.
Page 10 Scimitar Sept. 3, 2004

between the multinational forces

and Iraqi police, National Guard

and other military members. 

And, as Iraqi police and troops

improve their capabilities, Lessel

noted, fewer joint patrols are taking

place with U.S. and multinational

troops, giving way to independent

Iraqi patrols. 

“Originally, there were primarily

multinational force patrols that

were going out,” Lessel said. As the

new Iraqi security forces were created and trained, he continued, they

participated in joint patrols with

U.S. and other troops for on-the-job

training. 

And as Iraqi security forces

gained experience “those joint

patrols became separate patrols,”

Lessel explained, noting that more

and more Iraqi security forces

today are conducting independent

patrols. 

Iraqi patrols “are probably a

more successful way of doing business,” Lessel acknowledged,

because “the Iraqi people will trust

(and) interact more with Iraqi security forces, sometimes, than they

will with the multinational forces.” 

However, he pointed out, U.S.

multinational force troops remain

available for backup assistance if

the Iraqis request it. 

American military civil affairs

units in Iraq, Lessel noted, continue

to be involved in “a pretty extensive effort” to rebuild the country

and restore its infrastructure. 

“They are out there engaging”

with and helping Iraqi citizens,

Lessel said. “We’ve got many

school construction projects going

on” as the start of a new academic

year approaches, he added. 

Other U.S. reconstruction projects, he said, involve building up

and administering soccer events for

Iraqi children, whose natural interest for the sport was likely reinforced by Iraq’s participation in the

Athens Olympics. 

Yet, “this is not just a U.S.

effort,” Lessel asserted, noting that

more than 30 countries are contributing personnel and other kinds

of support for Iraq rebuilding projects. 

“All of these countries are coming together to support the Iraqi

people, to support the security

environment and to help the Iraqi

people move forward to a brighter

future,” Lessel noted. 

However, violence continues in

Iraq, as 12 Task Force Baghdad

Soldiers were reported wounded

Aug. 27 when several hand

grenades were tossed at their

patrol, according to a MNF-I press

release. Eight persons suspected in

connection with the grenade

attacks were detained. 

And in Mosul Aug. 27, an

exploding car bomb injured one

American soldier and wounded 10

Iraqi civilians, according to a

MNF-I news release. One Stryker

vehicle was damaged in the attack. 

CAPABLE

Continued from Page One

assessment made, however, and all

security recommendations have been

addressed.”

Deployed military need not worry

about getting home, since a small portion of BIAP has been held for military

flights. 

“We have an agreement with the

Ministry of Transportation to allow us to

occupy a portion of the airport to allow

us to bring in military aircraft,” Betack

said. “We have a security perimeter

around the airport by coalition forces,

and the Iraqi government has hired a private security firm to put checkpoints and

security on the airport.”

BIAP Continued from Page One

driven by need, and were mostly reactive in nature, he added. 

“We quickly became (the ground

troops’) number-one go-to squadron for

support,” he said. “They would ask for us

by name.” 

When the squadron was told it was

being sent to Iraq, the call for volunteers

went out. Schmidt said there were more

volunteers than spots to be filled and

there was no need to mobilize anyone.

The 107th finally deployed with 280 personnel and 10 aircraft. “I didn’t want to

take additional people and put them in

harm’s way,” Schmidt said. The group

racked up around 3,000 flight hours in

more than 800 sorties. 

Spehar said that during the threemonth deployment, about a year’s worth

of flying was logged. This required

another first for an F-16 unit: heavy

maintenance while deployed in a war

zone. 

To keep the sand from doing more

damage than the repairs were doing good,

the maintenance crew used hardened aircraft shelters, Spehar said. He added that

Selfridge and an Air National Guard unit

based in Richmond, Va. — the only other

Air Guard unit to have the TARS pods —

are constantly writing and rewriting

guidelines for field maintenance. 

In addition to their close-0air support

and reconnaissance successes in Iraq, one

fact made the squadron’s largest deployment since the Korean War especially

successful: Everyone came home. 

Most of the 107th arrived home June 4.

By June 10, all deployed squadron members were back in Michigan.

GUARD Continued from Page Two

time for research. “We are on a [Food and

Drug Administration] protocol for using silicone-gel implants for breast reconstructive

work,” Kolb said. This allows doctors in the

Walter Reed Comprehensive Breast Center to

send their breast cancer patients to plastic surgery for a consult for breast implantation.

To help maintain the surgeons’ skills in all

areas of plastic surgery, Kolb said services are

sometimes provided in other areas. Walter

Reed gets thousands of plastic surgery consults for beneficiaries wanting some type of

cosmetic surgery. “The demand is tremendous,

and we don’t have the OR time to devote to all

of them,” he said. “Because of that, I personally have to go through all of the consults that go

to the service and prioritize them.” Children

and patients with cancer who need reconstructive surgery come first. 

Because of Walter Reed’s vast expertise in

plastic surgery, medical students from the

Uniformed Services University of Health

Sciences come to the hospital’s Plastic Surgery

Service to conduct research. 

The service also offers a unique opportunity

for the USUHS residents. “We’re also restarting humanitarian trips down to Central and

South America in fiscal year ’05,” Kolb said.

SURGERY Continued from Page Three

Editor’s note: Michael E. Dukes

writes for the Stripe newspaper at

Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Do the right thing. Remember

General Order Number One.
BAGHDAD, Iraq —

August was an important

month for the fledgling Iraqi

government. The entire world

watched as conferences were

held to determine important

aspects of how this country

will be run without a dictator

at its helm.

With the International Zone

here packed with hundreds of

journalists covering the conference, even one unfortunately

placed mortar round could

make international headlines,

giving the world an image of a

violent country with no hope

of peace and prosperity.

For that reason, the

“Headhunters” of the 1st

Battalion, 9th Cavalry

Regiment and the rest of Task

Force 1-9 stepped up area

patrols. Their goal was to disrupt and destroy insurgent

cells, whose aim is to impede

the political progress being

made despite their violent

actions.

Talil Square, the junction of

two main Baghdad arterials

and an area known for its

insurgent activity, was the

focus of a great deal of the

Headhunters’ firepower.

“Neutralization of anti-Iraqi

forces in Talil Square is essential to a safe Baghdad

[because] it is very close to the

government seat of power [in

the International Zone],” said

Lt. Col. Thomas MacDonald,

the commander of Task Force

1-9’s Headhunters. The

Headhunters’ area of operation

borders the International Zone

and has been the origin of

insurgent mortar fire into the

International Zone in the past.

“What we’re doing is we’re

absolutely saturating the area

with patrols, trying to change

our patterns up with a combination of mounted patrols, dismounted patrols [and] sniper

emplacements to keep the

enemy off balance,”

MacDonald said. “[The

enemy] can’t predict when he

has a safe time to operate.”

The efforts of the Soldiers of

the task force proved a great

success. Twenty-nine suspected insurgents were arrested,

and five caches containing

rifles, rocket-propelled

grenades and other assorted

arms were seized from Aug. 15

through Aug. 19, when the

conferences ended. Most

importantly, no mortars were

fired from this area into the

International Zone during the

high-level meetings.

“We’ve been very successful

in disrupting their activities

this week,” MacDonald said.

Sept. 3, 2004 Scimitar Page 11

Task force keeps insurgents on their

heels during Baghdad conferences

Story and photo by 

Spc. Jan Critchfield

122nd Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

Iraqi National Guardsmen of Task Force 1-9 move out during operations near central

Baghdad’s Talil Square.

Above: Medic Spc. Mohammed Adams of Company C, 1st Battalion, 9th

Cavalry Regiment, takes a breather after treating three Iraqi National

Guardsmen wounded in a grenade attack at the Al-Jauyifer police station

during operations near central Baghdad’s Talil Square.

Right: Soldiers of Task Force 1-9 lead a group of suspects through a slum

south of Talil Square during a raid. The teenagers, typical of the age and

gender of anti-Iraqi insurgent fighters, were spotted talking in a group

and pointing at multinational forces with a known, “black-listed” suspect.

All of the teens were subsequently released after being searched. The

known suspect was detained for further questioning. 
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq

— To prevent injuries and deaths

from small-arms fire and improvised explosive devices, add-on

armor kits are being installed

onto many 2nd Brigade Combat

Team, 25th Infantry Division

(Light) high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles here.

An eight-Soldier maintenance

support team from the 267th

Ordnance Company, Nebraska

National Guard, affixes the kits

onto humvees six days a week.

As part of their mission here

since April, the MST has

installed more than 350 add-on

armor kits, 100 ballistic windshields along with a long list of

other up-armor needs for 2nd

BCT units.

Spc. Marcos Moreno, a heavywheel mechanic for the 267th

Ordnance Company, has played

a part in this vast mission and

knows what his team does out

here will help shield fellow

Soldiers who go outside the

gates.

“There are a lot of hazards out

there,” Moreno said. “You’ve got

people shooting AK-47s at you

and IEDs going off, so it’s good

to have some sort of protection.”

The armor in the AOA kits has

been tested to withstand a .50

caliber gunshot while the kit’s

windows can take a shot from a

7.62 mm round.

A two-door AOA kit can be

installed in about 45 minutes and

adds another 900 pounds to a

humvee.A four-door AOA kit

can take up to two and a half

hours to mount and adds 1,300

pounds.

The AOA kits were established in response to an operational need statement from U.S.

Central Command’s Combined

Joint Task Force 7, which

requested increased survivability

for Soldiers mounted in nonarmored humvees operating in theater.

Before the AOA kits, Soldiers’

only defense against insurgent

actions was their body armor,

Kevlar helmets and the humvee’s

soft doors.

The kits are armored steel

plating designed to be installed

in the field.

They reinforce the need for

armor in theater where there are

not enough M-1114 up-armored

humvees to go around. 

Sgt. 1st Class Stephen

Stanislav, the MST noncommissioned officer in charge, said he

enjoys putting on the AOA kits,

as he has heard of their success

against insurgency. 

“We have been told four or

five times that we’ve saved

somebody’s life from these uparmor kits,” Stanislav said. “That

makes our mission worthwhile.”

Spc. Alan Davenport, a .50

caliber machine gunner for

Company A, Task Force 1-21

Infantry, recalls an IED incident

when the armor doors protected

some of his fellow Soldiers in

his convoy.

“The added armor helped

when we got hit by an IED,”

Davenport said. “No driver or

truck commander was injured in

the attack.”

Because of their reputation,

the armor kits have increased the

confidence of Soldiers when

they are out on their missions.

“I feel a little more confident

and safer when I go out on

mounted patrols within the city,”

Pfc. Lance Holley, a combat

medic with Co. A, Task Force 1-

21 Infantry, said about the armor

kits.

“I’m glad to have the added

armor, as they’ve been proven to

save lives against small-arms fire

and IEDs,” Holley said. “The

armor doors may also help in

rollovers, too.”

Besides the AOA kits, the

MST team also installs armored

seatbacks and reinforced floors

to further protect Soldiers inside

humvees. Recently, the MST

team has started to put armor

plates on the back of cargo

humvees and will begin to up

armor light medium tactical

vehicles.

“I feel we are contributing to

the whole peace mission out

here,” Stanislav said. “Even

though we are not on the outer

skirts getting shot at, we are still

helping the guys who do go out

the fence ... survive.”

Page 12 Scimitar Sept. 3, 2004

Add-on armor provides

added protection for

2nd BCT Soldiers

By Spc. Sean Kimmons

25th Infantry Division

Public Affairs

Staff Sgt. Leonard Bergantzel, a track mechanic for the

286th Ordnance Co., uses a blow torch to fabricate a piece

of side armor inside the maintenance support team's workshop on Kirkuk Air Base Aug. 18. The side armor will be

used to protect Soldiers in the rear of cargo humvees.
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Working in the heat can quickly

drain your body of fluids if you do not replenish them.

Therefore, proper hydration is always an issue pushed on

troops working in a desert environment. 

While all troops know they need to hydrate, the amount

of water needed to be fully fit for duty sometimes is subject to opinion. 

“The amount of water I drink each day varies depending on what I’m doing, but on average I usually drink

about [five liters] of water,” said Marine Sgt. Irvin

Schultz.

Outside in the heat, individuals should drink at least

one to two quarts of water every hour, according to medical officials. Inside, they should still drink one quart of

water of every hour. 

“You should always have at least three bottles of water

in your system, but you shouldn’t just drink water all the

time because that will flush out your system,” said Sgt.

Xavier Fields, a healthcare noncommissioned officer.

“You should add [a sports drink, such as] Gatorade, to

keep your electrolytes up. Adding salt also works.”

Even though service members are constantly told to

hydrate, the 31st Combat Support Hospital here still

comes across heat casualties. 

“Within the last few months, we’ve treated 20 to 30

people for dehydration from around the area,” said Capt.

Jason Williams, a nurse at the 31st CSH. “Most of those

were just minor cases, but some were for severe heat

exhaustion. On the other hand, there are more cases that

have been reported from those who are out in the field all

of the time.”

One way to tell if you are about to become a heat casualty is when you stop sweating. That shows that your

body has used up all of its fluids and is no longer able to

cool itself. 

“When you start feeling exhausted, sit down somewhere in the shade, take your gear off and slowly take

small slips of water,” said Williams. “If you can’t take any

water, seek medical help right away.” 

Other symptoms of heat exhaustion include dizziness

and diarrhea, but those are not the only ones service members can look out for.

“It sounds kind of disgusting, but another way to tell if

you’re dehydrated is to pay attention to the color of your

urine,” said Fields. “It should be white to light yellow, but

if it starts turning an amber color then you know you’re

not as hydrated as you should be.”

JUNCTION CITY, AR

RAMADI, Iraq — Since the

deployment of 331st Signal

Company nearly a year ago,

they have provided mobile-subscriber equipment in support of

1st Brigade, 1st Infantry

Division and its supporting

units.

“Bringing people together is

the primary mission of the

331st”, said Capt. Richard

Wellman, the 331st Signal commander. “We provide worldwide

voice-data connecting to brigade

commanding officers and battalion commanding officers so

they can accomplish their missions.”

Many of the services provided

by the 331st, as well as other

signal companies, often go

unnoticed, though all military

phone and Internet connections

are made possible through signal operations. 

When placing a call, the number goes out into a network to

see where the number is located.

Someone on the other end

acknowledges that they have

that number and the call is routed to the switch that has that

particular number and connects

the call.

Soldiers are connected to the

World Wide Web or the world

wide SIPR web. Satellites send

information to the U.S., allowing battalion commanders to

contact family readiness group

leaders via email, get branch

assignments or classified intelligence from SIPR, explained

Wellman.

“We provide the equivalent of

a city’s worth of communications through our wide-area network,” he said.

The battalion level taps into

this wide-area network, breaking it down into a local-area network for their battalion commanders.

“We do everything on the tactical side that MSN or Earthlink

would do for you back home,”

said Wellman.

There is somewhat of a difference, however. The source must

be secure so the enemy can’t

intercept or jam it. It must also

be completely reliable.

“The commander doesn’t

have time to wait for the phone

or e-mail to be fixed. It has to

happen right there,” said

Wellman. “That’s the standard

we operate by. We’ve connected

over six million calls as a company.”

The 179 Soldiers of the 331st

operate on three other camps

besides Junction City, and once

operated on eight, said Wellman.

One of the unique contraptions that makes the 331st’s

mission possible is known as the

node center switch, said

Wellman.

“Providing e-mails and phone

access for 16 different site

switches is done through our

main node here in Ramadi,”

said Staff Sgt. Andrew Johnson,

the switch section chief in the

node center. “I support, operate,

install and maintain the functions of the node center. I also

assist in trouble-shooting database programs and network

planning.”

All operational orders, frag

orders and other operational

data come through the node center, said Johnson.

The node center relies on the

operations of the transmission

team to complete its mission.

By linking to the node center,

information is processed and

data is received faster for network links by sending different

bandwidths, said Sgt. Eddie

Flournoy, a team chief in the

node center.

“We bring information to and

from where it needs to be and

make sure links from extensions

send back and forth,” said

Flournoy. “We provided the

capabilities for the Internet and

phone calls long before the

phone center was built.”

“I’m very proud of my

Soldiers for making things happen,” said Wellman. “When it

works the best, you’re recognized the least. We’ve never had

a big issue.”

“Our job is about doing what

we’re supposed to do; so we’re

not looking for credit,” said

Flournoy. “We take pride in

helping. You can talk about us,

but you can’t talk without us.”

Sept. 3, 2004 Scimitar Page 13

Staying connected with the 331st

Story and photo by 

Spc. J. Tashun Joycé

Multi-National Corps-Iraq

Public Affairs

Signal Soldiers with the 331st Signal Company provide 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-aweek connectivity for the 1st Infantry Division and its supporting units. The 331st has

been providing computer network and telephone services in Iraq for nearly a year. 

In the desert, water is your best friend

Symptoms of heat injuries:

-Muscle cramps of the arms, legs or abdomen.

-Thirst.

-Profuse sweating with pale, moist, cool skin.

-Headache.

-Weakness.

-Dizziness.

-Heat cramps.

-Nausea, with or without vomiting.

-Urge to defecate.

-Chills (goose flesh).

-Rapid breathing. 

-Tingling of the hands and/or feet. 

-Confusion.

-Loss of consciousness.

-Seizures.

-Weak and rapid pulse and breathing.

Heatstroke must be considered a medical

emergency which may result in death if treatment is delayed. Cooling measures should be

started immediately and should be continued

while waiting for transportation and during

evacuation.

By Marine Cpl. Clinton Firstbrook

Scimitar staff
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Driving through

the streets of Baghdad, a four-vehicle

column of M1114 armored humvees

escort Iraq’s new arrivals from the international airport to their new duty station.

Each gunner scans through the oncoming traffic and surrounding area searching for anyone who would seek to

assault the convoy.

These are the soldiers of the 1st

Cavalry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 82nd

Regiment “Steel Dragons.”

Based out of Fort Hood, Texas, the

Steel Dragons’ primary mission in Iraq

is to conduct embassy escorts whereever

that might lead them; from the

Iraq/Turkey border to as far south as

Kuwait.

“We usually handle one long or three

short trips each day, but it varies

depending on the day,” said Steel

Dragons truck driver Pfc. Willie Vogl. “I

joined the military to do this, because I

always liked to drive around back home.

Plus, in this job, I also get to go out and

see a variety of different places all over

the country. 

Though their objectives in Iraq

revolve around convoy security, what

makes this unit unique is that their original military occupation is field artillery. 

“We arrived in country March 15, and

there wasn’t a huge need for a lot of

artillery as the end of the conflict had

already been reached,” said 4th platoon

patrol leader 2ndLt. Waylon Gross.

“However, there was a need for security

escorts as Coalition Provisional

Authority officials were becoming easy

targets for terrorists.”

While these two jobs are different, the

men and women of the Steel Dragons

have adapted to their new occupation

and new responsibilities continuing to

take care of business. 

“From Dec. 2003, we worked on general dismounted/mounted, close quarters

and urban warfare tasks, which all ended

up being applicable to the current mission,” said Sgt. Juan Gallo of the 4th

Platoon “Hellraisers.” “Coming over

here and functioning in a different area

of expertise has definitely given us a

new experience and gets us ready for

just about anything on any upcoming

deployments.”

Since arriving in Iraq in May, the

Steel Dragons have seen their fair share

of excitement while on the road.

“We have been attacked by insurgents

a few times, but [improvised explosive

devices] are the biggest thing we have to

deal with,” said Gross. “My platoon has

been hit by 10 of them since I arrived.

Thankfully, no one has been seriously

injured.”

One Steel Dragons humvee crew has

learned first-hand that there is never any

way you can know if you’ll be in the

wrong place at the wrong time.

“Myself and my two other crew members have taken five IEDs alone,” said

4th Platoon Hellraisers gunner Pfc. Jared

King. “For some reason, we’re always

the guys that get hit no matter where

we’re at in the convoy.”

Although faced with danger each day,

the Steel Dragons Soldiers push on with

their duties and take their tour in Iraq

one day at a time. 

“It’s stressful doing this every day not

knowing what’s going to happen, but

you still go out and do what you need to

do,” said King.

Page 14 Scimitar Sept. 3, 2004

Steel Dragons provide convoy 

security as they roll through Iraq

Story and photo by 

Cpl. Clinton Firstbrook

Scimitar staff

BAGHDAD, Iraq — When the Khashoom Hellan

clinic was bombed and looted during the war last year,

poverty stricken villages dependant upon the clinic were

left without medical care. 

In less than an hour, Soldiers from Company C, 118th

Area Support Medical Battalion, an Ohio National

Guard Unit, 2nd Medical Brigade, a reserve unit out of

Calif., and the 16th Military Police Bde., out of Fort

Bragg, N.C., transformed the empty structure into a temporary clinic August 17 to provide basic medical care to

those who have been without for more than a year. 

“This is the second time [the units] have been out

here to provide basic medical care to the locals,” said

Lt. David Keiser, a Company C, 118th, nurse, and the

officer-in-charge of the Camp Victory South troop medical clinic. “The first time was [mid-July].” 

The nearest hospital, at least 30 minutes away by car,

might as well be halfway across the world from the people living in the poor, agricultural community of 5,000,

because even the price of a taxi ride to the small hospital is too much of an expense for most families.

“We are the poor people,” said Um Ali, a villager who

came to the clinic seeking treatment for a sore throat

and leg pain. “We have no medical care. We have to go

to another city by taxi. It costs a lot of money. It is

15,000 [Iraqi] dinar to see a doctor. I prefer to have pain

than pay for a doctor. I will not take money from my

children; I can take the pain for the sake of my children

... I am happy to get care from the Americans.”

For nearly five hours, a staff of six medics, one doctor

and one nurse treated more than 100 villagers, many of

whom started filling up the clinic’s small waiting room

even before it was open, mostly seeking treatment “for

minor aches and pains,” explained Sgt. Thomas Hewitt

of the 21st MP Co., 95th MP Bn., 16th MP Bde. 

“With the poverty levels in this area, it’s hard for most

of the locals to get decent medical care,” said Hewitt,

who, as a Gulf War veteran, is no stranger to this part of

the world. “We have the resources to help them ...

doing so also helps build trust with the local population.”

“We’re trying help the local people improve their

health, which has suffered long before we came here,”

Lt. Col. Mark Tranovich, the head physician with the

118th. “We want to make them aware there is a healthcare system being stood up in this country. Coming out

here also helps us assess the health of the community so

we know how to prepare for further missions.” 

In the near future, the plan is to have a permanent

clinic set up for the community, so that villagers like

Um Ali will not have to worry that paying for a doctor

will mean they cannot feed their children. Until that

happens, “we’ll keep coming out here,” said Keiser.

4th Platoon “Hellraisers” gunner Pfc. Jared King scans the streets of

Baghdad while standing in the turret of his M1114 armored humvee during one of the Steel Dragons’ security convoys. 

Medics provide care

Story and photo by Sgt. Brianne Pippin

Multi-National Corps-Iraq Public Affairs Office

Army medic Sgt. 1st Class Lowayne Etzler, Co.

C., 118th Area Medical Support Bn., Ohio

National Guard, performs a check-up on an Iraqi

man who came to the Khashoom Hellan clinic

Aug. 17 complaining of shortness of breath. 
BAGHDAD, Iraq — In Rio

De Janeiro, a Marine security

guard was on the last set of his

workout in the Marine House

weight room when a masked

assailant armed with pistols in

each hand burst into the room

forcing him to the ground face

down. 

Around 6 p.m., Feb. 19, Sgt.

Nicholas Simmons was taken

hostage by members of the

Commandos Vermehlos (Red

Command). He survived the

ordeal, but not without some

trying moments. Today he

relieves his encounter to inform

his fellow Marines that they too

can find themselves in this situation.

“When the first guy charged

into the room, I was in shock for

a second,” said Simmons. “I

dropped my

weights, and I

started back

pedaling

toward an

open area in

the room. I

was completely submissive

but, as a natural response, I

put my hands

up to a fighting stance. He

tried to pistol

whip me, but I

dodged his

strike. Then he

took a few

steps back and told me in

Portuguese to get on the floor.”

While Simmons was lying on

the ground, four more individuals came into the room, each

with a pistol drawn and pointed

at Simmons.

“My first reaction was to not

look at any of them, then I

thought that it would be smarter

to get a good look at each of

them so I could describe them to

police,” said Simmons. “The

first guy that came in got upset

that I was looking around so he

slapped me upside my head and

put one of his pistols to the back

of my skull and told me to keep

my face down.”

In broken English and

Portuguese, Simmons was asked

if he lived at the residence and if

there was anyone else in the

house. 

“My thoughts then were that

this guy is going to shoot me no

matter what happens,” said

Simmons. “My heart was still

pounding out of my chest. Here

I am in Rio De Janeiro and this

is happening to me. It was unreal.”

After one of the terrorists pistol whipped one of the guards

and took his uniform, they set

up sniper positions around the

area, cut the power and phone

lines and took over the compound’s watch towers.

“They told me that they had

actually staked out the place for

about three

months, so

they knew

where everything was and

how everything

worked,” said

Simmons.

“They also

knew that we

were military

because of

our hair cuts,

and they said

they also saw

us running

outside the

building with

our react gear in black bags for

drills. That was the only reason

why they took us, because they

thought there were weapons in

the bag.”

Meanwhile, as the night crew

showed up to relieve the other

guards, they were also taken

hostage and brought down to the

weight room. 

“The guys who were watching

us just wanted to make sure we

stayed cool, and as long as we

didn’t do anything stupid, they

wouldn’t kill us,” said Simmons.

“One of them took a round out

of his weapon and tossed me

one of the hollow-point bullets

to show us he meant business.

When this was happening, I was

just making peace with God,

because I thought it was all

over.”

After the hostage takers

couldn’t find any weapons, they

started asking for money and

anything of value, Simmons

said. They broke into all of the

rooms and stole compact discs,

clothing and anything they could

grab.

“This is going on until about

9:15, then they got us up and

walked us down and locked us

in the bathroom,” said

Simmons. “Before they shut the

door, they told us not to come

out until 30 minutes had gone

by or else they were going to

kill us. I nodded my head to

show us that I understood. I

thought that they were still

going to kill us, but we waited

our 30 minutes, then busted out

of there.”

Simmons’ story is not the only

one of its kind. Marine security

guards were also taken hostage

in 1979 during the Iranian

hostage crisis and in 2002 at the

capital of Ivory Coast. 

Since being taken hostage,

Simmons has spoke at dozens of

events about his hostage experience, but attending his first class

was the most difficult, he said.

“The first time I was asked to

describe what happened to me, I

didn’t really want to talk about

it,” said Simmons. “I didn’t

want to relive those thoughts

and memories, but after the first

class I spoke at, I have tried to

get to every PME concerning

this subject and throw in my two

cents. I get a lot of people that

ask what it’s like, were you

scared, but it’s nothing like that.

You don’t have time to think

those things. You just want to

survive.”

“Firsthand experience is the

best attention getter,” said

Baghdad Detachment

Commander Gunnery Sgt.

Lance Swan. “There is no one

better to give a class on this subject. He took an unfortunate situation and put a positive spin on

it to help those he interacts with.

He did exactly what he

should’ve done. That’s what the

Marines take away when he

talks about his experience.”

“I was stationed at the Costa

Rica embassy when it happened,” said Cpl. Joshua

Anderson. “When I first came to

Baghdad, I talked about it with

[Sergeant Simmons.] It made

me realize that it doesn’t matter

where you’re at, something like

this can happen to you.

Sometimes you feel invincible

because you’re a Marine, but

you still need to be on your

guard.”

As terrorists continue to

intimidate countries through

hostage situations, Simmons

stresses the importance of knowing what to do is this type of situation. 

“I know I’m a lot more cautious now no matter where I

am,” said Simmons. “I constantly look over my shoulder, and I

always lock doors — all of my

doors — just because it makes

me feel safer. This subject is

very important to talk about

nowadays because it’s occurring

more and more. If I can help

someone survive with honor by

talking about my experience,

then I am glad I went through

what I did.”

Sept. 3, 2004 Scimitar Page 15

Marine uses hostage experience

to help raise awareness

Story and photo by

Marine Cpl.

Clinton Firstbrook

Scimitar staff

Marine security guard Sgt. Nicholas Simmons stands watch

at one of the posts in the Baghdad embassy.

“They told me

that they had actually staked out the

place for about

three months, so

they knew where

everything was

and how everything worked.”

Sgt. Nicholas Simmons

Make your vote count

See your Voting Assistance Officer
BAGHDAD, Iraq — The first

Baghdad International Freedom

Marathon began Aug. 20 with the sounds

of rockets and mortars exploding across

the Tigris River, AK-47 fire in the distance and helicopters patrolling overhead.

Thirty-five of the military and civilian

personnel stationed in the International

Zone here would not let the insurgents

take away something that they had been

planning and training for for more than

two months.

When the idea for the marathon was

first being developed, for safety reasons,

it was decided that the field would be no

more than 150 participants. The original

plan had three races — a full marathon, a

half marathon and a five-person relay.

The goal of the race was to create a

morale booster for the troops, organizers

said. Within five days of advertising the

races, all 150 slots were filled.

Relay teams that included members

from each of the services, contractors

and international personnel immediately

formed up and people were hitting the

gyms and pounding the streets getting

ready. Teams were formed at Camp

Victory, located on the other side of

Baghdad, where people planned to convoy over in bulletproof buses the night

before and sleep in tents so that they

could be fresh for the morning of the

race.

Even the bases for the trophies, made

from broken pieces marble and granite

from a bombed out building, were gathered and prepared for the nameplates.

The race was going to be sponsored by

the Morale, Welfare and Recreation

Department, and they did a tremendous

job in getting everything ready.

Not wanting to give the insurgents an

inch or allow them to take away even

one of our liberties, this group of warrior/runners lined up at 5 a.m. on the

starting line and with the shout of the

“go,” the first Baghdad International

Freedom Marathon commenced. About

a third of the people just wanted to run

their longest distance, a third the half

marathon and the rest the full.

The route was one that most runners

will never experience. The morning of

the race was perfect for Baghdad standards. There was a light breeze, the sky

was clear, and the temperature at race

time was about 89 degrees.

The race started under the arch leading

to one of the grandest and most historically rich palaces in Baghdad.

Competitors ran past “Assassin’s Gate”

at the north end of the International

Zone, by battle-hardened Abrams tanks,

along miles of barbwire-topped blast

walls and past machinegun fortified

bunkers.

It ended under the arch in front of the

bombed out palace that once was the

Ba’athist Party headquarters building.

The route was run from checkpoint to

checkpoint on the perimeter of the

International Zone. Between the checkpoints, armed volunteers riding the route

passed out water and provided protection.

Ten runners finished the full marathon.

Wonder Musademba from California

won the race with a time just over three

hours, 25 minutes and the last marathoner came in at seven hours, five minutes.

Several people had some of their best

times, they said.

Page 16 Scimitar Sept. 3, 2004

Runners pound the pavement near “Assassin’s Gate” during the first

Baghdad International Freedom Marathon Aug. 20. Runners lined up at 5

a.m. to participate in the event, which followed a route that connected

checkpoints in Baghdad’s International Zone.

Running proud in the combat zone

By Navy Capt. Hank Domeracki

Baghdad International Freedom

Marathon organizing committee

Service members and civilians pass an Abrams main battle tank during

the first Baghdad International Freedom Martathon Aug. 20. Runners

crossed the start line in 89-degree Farenheit weather. 

Californian Wonder Musademba runs to a first-place finish in the first

Baghdad International Freedom Marathon in Baghdad’s International

Zone Aug. 20. Musademba crossed the finish line in just over three

hours, 25 minutes. He beat out nine other runners for the win.