Dog days Dog days

Marine K-9s Marine K-9s 

beat the heat beat the heat

WASHINGTON — America is safer today against

potential terrorist attack, but still remains vulnerable, the

Sept. 11 commission chairman said here June 22. 

The American government and its people,

Commissioner Thomas H. Kean told reporters, “were

unprepared” for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist-hijacked airliner attacks in New York City, the Pentagon and

Pennsylvania that killed 3,000 people. 

Earlier in the day, Kean and commission Vice Chairman

Lee H. Hamilton presented the bipartisan “National

Commission On Terrorist Attacks Upon The United States”

report to President Bush at the White House. 

Bush thanked Kean and Hamilton for the commission’s

efforts, noting that he assured the pair “that where government needs to act, we will.” 

The president said he and the federal government realize

“there’s still a threat” to the homeland and pledged “to do

everything in our power to safeguard the American people.” 

Bush said he looked forward to studying the commission’s recommendations, reiterating, “The most important

duty we have is the security of our fellow countrymen.” 

Prior to 9/11, Kean noted at the later news conference, the

United States “did not grasp the magnitude of a threat that

had been gathering over a considerable period of time.” 

The al Qaeda attacks, he said, resulted from “a failure of

policy, management, capability — and above all, a failure of

imagination” that spanned two government administrations. 

A series of intelligence and security failures, Kean noted,

enabled the 19 terrorists to carry out their plans. 

“Our border, immigration and aviation security agencies

were not integrated into the counterterrorism effort, and

much of our response on the day of 9/11 was improvised

and ineffective, even as extraordinary individual acts of

heroism saved countless lives,” he pointed out. 

Consequently, Kean said, “there’s no single individual

who is responsible” for failing to stop the terrorists. 

Today, “our goal is to prevent future attacks,” he noted.

However, Kean said experts believe that another — bigger

— terrorist attack on the United States “is now possible,

and even probable.” Now, he urged, is the time to prepare. 

The al Qaeda terror network and its subsidiaries “are

sophisticated, patient, disciplined and lethal.” Al Qaeda

leader Osama bin Laden’s “hate-filled ideology” against

America and its policies, he noted, has “instructed and

inspired untold recruits and imitators.” 

Al Qaeda and other terror organizations, Kean asserted,

pose “one of the greatest security challenges” in U.S. history. The U.S. military has struck back at the terrorists since

Sept. 11, he acknowledged, and subsequent attacks on the

homeland have been thwarted. 

Americans “are safer today,” Kean said, “than we were

on 9/11.” 

Yet, “we are not safe,” he concluded. 

Vol. 2, No. 31 Baghdad, Iraq July 30, 2004

SCIMITAR

America safer, but still vulnerable to terrorism

By Gerry J. Gilmore

American Forces Press Service 

AL ASAD, Iraq — Gen. Michael W.

Hagee, the Commandant of the Marine

Corps, visited the Marines and Sailors of

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing here July 20,

bringing words of encouragement as well

as getting a firsthand look at the work that

is being done and that has been done since

his last visit here.

“I came out here to increase my situational awareness so I can better address

issues in (Washington),” he said. “I also

came out here to thank you and tell you

that you are in fact making a difference

(in Iraq).”

The significance of Hagee’s presence

was crystal clear to the commander of 3rd

MAW, who acknowledged the mutual

gain the visit provided.

“It’s really a two-sided benefit when the

commandant visits,” said Maj. Gen. Keith

J. Stalder, the commanding general of 3rd

MAW. “The Marines and Sailors benefit

tremendously from having him come out,

and the commandant benefits tremendously from coming out and hearing

(questions and concerns) straight from the

Marines and Sailors of the wing instead of

having the word filtered through the

staffing process that’s inevitable when

you’re in charge of a large organization

like the Marine Corps.”

Along with speaking to and updating

3rd MAW personnel on current issues,

Hagee addressed various topics during the

question and answer session, including

future deployments.

“The rotation policy for forces in Iraq

will be as follows: four battalions and

seven squadrons will be deployed for

seven months,” he added. “Regiments,

groups and above will be deployed about

one year and in some cases, in excess of

one year.”

Hagee added that the events unfolding

on the front lines of the war on terror

would ultimately determine whether or

not deployments would be lengthened in

the future.

Compiled by 3rd MAW

Public Affairs

Combat Correspondent

Marine Wing 

Headquarters Squadron 3

Top leatherneck visits Marines in Al Asad

Road to Baghdad

10th Mountain team 

links up with 1st Cavalry

First patrol

Iraqi National Guard unit

takes to Baghdad’s streets

Page 9 Page 11 Page 15

See CMC, Page 10

Gen. Michael W. Hagee, the commandant of the Marine Corps, fields questions

from the Marines and Sailors of 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing during his visit to Al

Asad, Iraq, July 20. Hagee discussed topics such as retention, deployment rotations and the MV-22 Osprey during the question-and-answer session.

Staff Sgt. Houston F. White Jr., U.S. Marine Corps
Page 2 Scimitar July 30, 2004

Reaction course helps AIT Soldiers hone skills

WASHINGTON — The Army

plans to accelerate the fielding of

some future combat systems such

as armed robotic vehicles, unattended ground sensors and unattended munitions.

The Army is taking advantage

of leaps and bounds in wireless

technology to “spiral” FCS development, said Lt. Gen. Joseph L.

Yakovac, the military deputy to

the assistant secretary of the

Army for Acquisition, Logistics

and Technology. He said spiraling

allows for a more flexible

approach to system development,

to add technology as it emerges. 

“The Army evolves by putting

future ideas forward as they

become available,” Yakovac said.

Army leaders also plan to field

sooner, to more of the force, an

automation network known as the

“System of Systems Common

Operating Environment,” or

SOSCOE. Yakovac likened

SOSCOE to the “windows” operating system of a computer, but

infinitely larger, and said the network will allow units to “plug

and play” the FCS pieces.

“We are basically building the

Internet you use every day and

moving it into battle space,”

Yakovac said. He added that it’s a

big challenge to make that network secure yet accessible by all

Soldiers and integrated with all

systems.

Future Combat System technology will be inserted into the

brigade-sized units of action the

Army is establishing, said Brig.

Gen. Charles Cartwright, the program manager for the FCS UAs.

He said one of the UAs will be

selected as an “experimental unit”

to test all the new FCS technology

in 2008. A projected 32 of the 43

UAs will be fielded with some

FCS capabilities by 2014, he said. 

Over the life of the FCS program (2O25 plus), 15 selected

UAs will become FCS Units of

Action, Cartwright said. These

units will be fielded with all 18 of

the Future Combat Systems, he

said, and they will have extraordinary capabilities. 

The rest of the modular UAs

are still slated to receive the network and some of the FCS developments. For instance, the NonLine of Sight Launch System, or

“rockets in a box,” as Yakovac

called them, are intended to be

fielded widely. This pod of missiles can be aimed and fired from

miles away.

The unmanned sensors and

robotic vehicles are also intended

for wide dissemination, officials

said. In fact, they said a small,

unmanned robotic vehicle is

already being used today in Iraq

and Afghanistan to detect mines.

Part of this week’s FCS

announcement included “buying

back” five of the Future Combat

Systems that had been previously

deferred. Added back to the FCS

list are:

o Armed Robotic Vehicles

(ARV Assault and ARV RSTA

[Reconnaissance, Surveillance

and Target Acquisition])

o Recovery and Maintenance

Vehicle

o Intelligent Munitions

Systems

o Class II Unmanned Air

Vehicles (medium size)

o Class III UAVs (fixed-wing)

To fund the development of the

five new systems, the rate of purchase for the eight manned FCS

vehicles will be slowed down

slightly, officials said. But

research and development for all

the FCS vehicles will continue on

schedule, Yakovac said.

A “demonstrator” version of

the first manned FCS vehicle, the

Non-Line of Sight Cannon, is

now being tested at Yuma

Proving Ground, Ariz. The

NLOS Cannon vehicle has a

155mm weapon and weighs less

than 24 tons.

It’s relatively light but can handle recoil, said Daniel Pierson,

who works for the assistant secretary of the Army (Acquisition,

Logistics and Technology).

The current NLOS Cannon

vehicle runs on rubber tracks, but

Yakovac stressed that the decision has not yet been made

whether the manned FCS vehicles will be tracked or wheeled.

“We’re looking to combine the

best of both (wheeled and tracked

capabilities) in these vehicles,”

Yakovac said. 

Another change announced this

week is that all manned vehicles

will receive active protective systems. Yakovac said that decision

stems from lessons learned in Iraq.

“In a 360-degree fight, everything needs protection,” Yakovac

said, even support vehicles.

“A lot of capability can be

brought to a vehicle by software,”

Yakovac said. For instance, he

said the FCS vehicles will have

digital command and control,

automatic target acquisition, the

Joint Tactical Radio System and

the Warfighter Information

System – Tactical, known as

WIN-T, and more

Officials plan to field the first

FCS vehicles in 2008 and spiral 

Future combat systems fielding accelerated

By Gary Sheftick 

Army News Service

FORT BLISS, Texas — Traditionally,

Advanced Individual Training Soldiers were

taught minimum leadership skills and were

expected to expand on those skills at their first

duty station.

Now, with many of the divisional AIT

Soldiers deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan shortly after graduating, the C Battery, 1st Battalion,

56th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 6th ADA

Brigade has implemented additional leadership

training for their Soldiers. Charlie Btry., 1-56

ADA is responsible for training maneuver air

and missile defense Soldiers.

“We’re teaching them just because they’re a

PV2 doesn’t mean they won’t have to take charge

... step up and complete the mission,” said Capt.

Hansen Mak, the C Btry., 1-56 ADA commander.

Recently he took his entire battery to the

leadership reaction course here, where the privates had to overcome a series of obstacles

using leadership skills, teamwork and had to,

as 1st Sgt. Robert Gibson of C Btry., 1-56

ADA, put it, “think outside the box.”

“This training is unlike any of the traditional

training such as common task and basic skills,”

Gibson said. “It forces them to work as a team

to overcome the task.” 

In addition to learning lifesaving skills, this

training increased the Soldiers’ motivation levels, Gibson said. “At the conclusion of the

training, the Soldiers were asking, ‘When can

we do this again?’”

“We want them to leave here with a stronger

base, instead of going to their unit only to have

to catch up,” Mak said.

“Ultimately, it’s all about the Soldier and

preparing them for their future challenges,”

Gibson said. 

(Editor’s note: Sgt. Triance Johnson is from

the 6th ADA Brigade public affairs office.)

Soldiers in Advanced Individual Training at Fort Bliss, Texas, work

together to haul equipment to the rally area.

Story and photo by 

Sgt. Trinace Johnson 

Army News Service

See FUTURE, Page 10

A demonstrator version of the NLOS Cannon fires its

155mm projectile at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz.

U.S. Army photo
WASHINGTON — While there is

room for improvement in detainee operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, cases of

reported detainee abuse there were caused

primarily by individuals failing to live up

to the standards of decency and Army

Values they had been taught in the Army,

according to an inspector general inspection report made public during recent congressional testimony.

Acting Secretary of the Army Les

Brownlee, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter

Schoomaker and the Army’s top inspector

general, Lt. Gen. Paul Mikolashek,

briefed members of the Senate Armed

Services Committee July 23 on the

report’s major findings, observations and

recommendations.

“The abuses that occurred are not representative of policy, doctrine or Soldier

training,” Mikolashek said. “These abuses should be viewed as what they are —

unauthorized actions taken by a few individuals and, in some cases, coupled with

the failure of a few leaders to provide adequate supervision and oversight.”

Brownlee directed the Department of

the Army Inspector General on Feb. 10 to

conduct an assessment of detainee operations in Iraq and Afghanistan following

reports of detainee abuse at Baghdad’s

Abu Ghraib prison. 

While the inspection reviewed 125

reports of detainee abuse in the Central

Command areas of responsibility that

were known as of June 9, investigators

focused their efforts on a functional

analysis of pertinent doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, personnel and facilities issues — finding no

common Army institutional failure

among the reported cases.

Of the 125 reports of detainee abuse,

31 were determined to have no substance. Of the 94 remaining cases, some

remain undetermined and are under

investigation, and some have resulted in

criminal charges against involved

Soldiers under the Uniform Code of

Military Justice.

“Our Soldiers are warriors of character,

and that will not change,” Schoomaker

said. “The inexcusable actions of a few

are not representative of the vast majority

of the Army.”

The report noted that detainee abuse

does not occur when Soldiers remain disciplined, follow known procedures and

understand their obligation to report abusive behavior. Nor does detainee abuse

occur when leaders enforce basic standards of humane treatment, provide oversight and supervision of detainee operations and take corrective action when they

see potentially abusive situations develop,

it stated.

During the course of the inspection,

five Soldiers came forward to the IGs to

report possible detainee abuse,

Mikolashek told the senators. All of those

cases were referred to the Criminal

Investigation Command, he said.

Other major report findings/observations include:

— Doctrine does not clearly specify the

interdependent and independent roles,

missions and responsibilities of military

police and military intelligence units in

the establishment and operation of interrogation facilities. 

— While officially approved Combined

Joint Task Force 7 and 180 interrogation

policies and procedures generally met

legal obligations, some were vague and

ambiguous. Further, implementation,

training and oversight of those policies

were inconsistent.

— Military intelligence units do not

have enough interrogators and interpreters to conduct timely detainee screenings for usable tactical intelligence.

— Tactical MI officers lack the proper

training to manage all aspects of the collection and analysis of human intelligence.

— Of the 16 detention facilities

inspected in both countries, Abu Ghraib

was the only one in an undesirable location, overcrowded and frequently

attacked with mortar and rocket fire.

— Some CENTCOM civilian interrogation contractors worked without adequate formal training on military-interrogation techniques or policy.

“Just as the current operational environment demands that we adapt, so too

we must adapt our organization, doctrine

and training. We are making these adjustments,” Brownlee said.

Acknowledging that one case of

detainee abuse is one too many, both

Brownlee and Schoomaker asked the senators to put the 125 reported cases of

abuse in context of more than 50,000

detainees passing through U.S. military

hands and, in some cases, the abuse

occurring immediately after the detainee

had been trying to kill U.S. forces.

For the purposes of the inspection,

detainee abuse was defined as any type of

theft, physical assault, sexual assault or

death of a detainee.

A copy of the IG final report on its

inspection can be downloaded from the

features section of the Army homepage,

www.army.mil.

July 30, 2004 Scimitar Page 3

IG says individual discipline 

failures led to detainee abuse

By Joe Burlas

Army News Service

Soldiers from the Alpha Company, 3rd Platoon, 307th Iraqi

National Guard Brigade secure a perimeter outside Camp Cooke,

Iraq, where they prepare to do a night patrol, 17 July 2004. Many

recent mortar attacks have come from the region and soldiers

are deployed on foot to look for suspicious activity.

ING on patrol

WASHINGTON — The United States is

getting closer in deciding how it will

rearrange its troop presence, or “footprint,”

in Europe, a senior U.S. military officer

said here July 23. 

“Now, the question will be how do you

take the next step and actually do formal

consultations,” Air Force Gen. Charles F.

Wald, the deputy commander of U.S.

European Command, told reporters at a foreign-policy symposium held in the Dirksen

Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. 

In the changed geopolitical environment

since the end of the Cold War and the 9/11

terrorist attacks on America, Wald

explained, it’s time to relook how and

where U.S. troops are stationed overseas. 

Press reports have speculated that some

of today’s permanent U.S. troop presence in

Germany, for example, could shift eastward

to temporary bases in places like Bulgaria,

while others are redeployed stateside or to

other places where needed. 

About 84 percent of the 120,000 U.S.

troops now in Europe, Wald pointed out,

are stationed in Germany. 

The U.S. has already held private consultations with its allies on issues related to

potential movement of American troops,

Wald said. 

Senior Defense Department leaders, in

conjunction with the National Security

Council and other government agencies,

Wald noted, are now discussing “the best

way that they would recommend to the

president of how they should move forward

with this.” 

Wald said he thinks “it won’t be too

long” before the plans are finalized and

announced. 

Any redeployment of U.S. troops from

Western Europe shouldn’t bother the

Russians, Wald said, noting he considers 

Discussions continue 

on U.S. military 

‘footprint’ in Europe

By Gerry J. Gilmore

American Forces Press Service

Service members are encouraged to 

submit stories and photographs to the Scimitar. 

Email your submissions to 

cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com

Staff Sgt Ashley Brokop, U.S. Air Force

See FOOTPRINT, Page 10
Page 4 Scimitar July 30, 2004

Editor in Chief

Staff Sgt. Christopher Land

Managing Editor

Sgt. Brian Stockhoff

Staff

Spc. Jeffrey Hillery 

MNF-I Commanding General

Gen. George Casey

MNF-I PAO

Rear Adm. Gregory J. Slavonic

Command Information Chief

Maj. Patrick A. Swan 

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

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

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

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

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

cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com.

The Scimitar welcomes columns, 

commentaries and letters from readers.

Send submissions to

cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com.

We reserve the right to edit for propriety, clarity

and space.

The Scimitar can also 

be viewed on the Web at

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

coalition-news/publications.htm

More than 15 months ago, a global coalition ended the brutal regime of Saddam

Hussein and liberated the people of Iraq. 

As in all conflicts, this has come at a

cost in lives. Some of your comrades

made the ultimate sacrifice. For your sacrifices, our country and the President are

deeply grateful. 

In a free, democratic country, we have

vigorous debates over important publicpolicy issues – none more heated than a

decision to go to war. But this should not

distract us from the mission at hand or

lessen the magnitude of your accomplishments. The threat we face must be confronted. And you are doing so exceedingly

well. Indeed, it has been a historic demonstration of skill and military power. 

On September 11, 3,000 citizens were

killed by extremists determined to frighten

and intimidate our people and civilized

societies. The future danger is that, if the

extremists gain the potential, the number

of casualties would be far higher.

Terrorists are continuing to plot attacks

against the American people and against

other civilized societies. This is a different

kind of enemy and a different kind of

world. And we must think and act differently in this new century. 

These extremists think nothing of cutting off innocent people’s heads to try to

intimidate great nations. They have murdered citizens from many countries –

South Korea, Japan, Spain, the United

Kingdom and others – hoping to strike

fear in the hearts of free people. 

Theirs is an ideology of oppression and

subjugation of women. They seek to create

radical systems that impose their views on

others. And they will accept no armistice

with those who choose free systems. 

They see the governments of the Middle

East, the United States and our stalwart

allies all as targets. 

Consider the background. In the span of

20 years, Hussein’s Iraq invaded two

neighbors, Iran and Kuwait, and launched

ballistic missiles at two more. He used

poison gas against soldiers in Iran and

Kurdish villagers in his own country.

The United Nations and the U.S.

Congress shared the view that Saddam’s

regime was a threat to the region and the

world. Indeed, in 1998, our Congress

passed a resolution calling for the removal

of the regime. And over the years the

United Nations passed 17 resolutions condemning Saddam’s regime and calling on

him to tell the United Nations about his

weapons programs. He ignored every one. 

Information gathered since the defeat of

Saddam’s regime last year confirms that

his last declaration to the United Nations

about his weapons programs was falsified.

The U.N. resolutions had called for “serious consequences” should Saddam not

comply. He did not. 

The President issued a final ultimatum

to Saddam to relinquish power to avoid

war. Saddam chose war instead.

By your skill and courage, you have put

a brutal dictator in the dock to be tried by

the Iraqi people and restored freedom to

25 million people. By helping to repair

infrastructure, rebuild schools, encourage

democratic institutions and deliver educational and medical supplies, you have

shown America’s true character and given

Iraq a chance at a new start. 

But most importantly, your fight – and

ultimate victory – against the forces of terror and extremism in Iraq and the Middle

East will have made America safer and

more secure. 

You are accomplishing something

noble and historic – and future generations of Americans will remember that

and thank you for it.

SecDef to troops on why we fight in Iraq

PERSPECTIVES

Message from Secretary of

Defense Donald Rumsfeld

NEW YORK — Future Air Force historians could

easily label 2004 as the “Year of Decision.”

We have taken this year by the horns and renewed

our vows to physical fitness, paved a road toward transformation and set aggressive force-shaping goals to get

back to our “fighting weight,” and we continue to make

tough choices about what America’s Air Force will look

like in the future.

Enter the proposed new utility uniform. For the past

year, more than 620 Airmen at 30-plus locations have

been experimenting with a replacement to our battle

dress uniform. A popular, though unlikely, alternative

would have been to authorize “any black undershirt”

and make the so-called “blouse” optional within the

workplace. This ensemble, though fashionable, would

hardly be standardized and it certainly wouldn’t be distinguished.

Airmen deserve an Air Force-unique uniform. I still

cringe at having to list the nuanced differences between

Air Force- and Army-style BDUs to curious bystanders,

and I look forward to a new uniform that all Airmen,

whether in a military personnel flight or a munitions

maintenance shop, wear with pride every day.

Currently, our senior leaders are soliciting our feedback through an online survey, the results of which will

help determine the next Air Force “look.” Since we

generally don’t get to cast votes for Air Force policy, it

is notable that we’re being asked to provide input into

what we wear to work every day. And it is a decision

we shouldn’t take lightly, because the stakes are high.

A uniform tells a story: Bright orange jumpsuits will

forever identify the incarcerated, tuxedos identify the

celebrated and square, tasseled caps are reserved for the

educated. For almost 57 years of aiming high and crossing into the blue, Air Force utility uniforms have identified us predominantly by our Army-based heritage.

It is time to write the next chapter of the Air Force

story, and our inputs are important in the decision-making process. Let’s do our part and complete the online

survey to help ensure our new utility uniform identifies

us not by where we came from but for where the Air

Force is going.

Our future identity depends on it.

New uniform ushers in new AF chapter

Commentary by Capt. Jason Medina

Editor’s note: Capt. Jason Medina works at

the Air Force Public Affairs National

Media Outreach Office

green is the color of yesterday

tan is the color you wore today

the color to protect freedom to make my world safe

you open up my eyes as if you are a dream you make me

proud

You rode that bus once you will ride it again I know we

both are heart broken but when you come home you will be

proud

that you kept the flag standing up so high

one day you can say I wore tan I wore green I held the flag

for America

I love my daddy

Nine-year-old Jessica Herlinger lives in

Hiawatha, Kan. She is the daughter of Sgt. 1st

Class Robert J. Herlinger, a Kansas Army

National Guard Soldier who is deployed to Iraq

with the 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery of

the Kansas Army National Guard, and Cherie

Herlinger. Jessica will be in the fourth-grade

when she returns to school in the fall.

A child’s perspective

A poem by Jessica Herlinger, age 9 
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE

BASE, Texas — Officials

from the Air Force selection

board secretariat and the enlisted promotions branch at the Air

Force Personnel Center here

have a new video to help shed

light on the inner workings of

the selection-board process.

The video is an effort to educate all Airmen about senior

enlisted promotion boards.

A copy of the video, titled

“How Senior NCOs Are

Promoted to Senior and Chief,”

will be distributed to each Air

Force installation public affairs

office, military personnel flight,

command chief master sergeant

as well as to all noncommissioned officer academies and

the Senior NCO Academy.

The video provides an insider’s view of boardroom activity, including how records are

scored and what board members actually do when evaluating candidates for promotion. 

“It’s important for all enlisted

personnel, as well as officers

and civil service employees

who supervise them, to know

how the Air Force promotes

senior NCOs to the top two

grades,” said Senior Master

Sgt. Nathalie Swisher, the

video production coordinator.

“The career path to chief

master sergeant begins early in

an enlisted member’s career,”

Swisher said. “This video will

stress the essence of how

Airmen can take control of

their careers early and how

supervisors can assist in helping them reach their goal.”

The video explains the

process from the way board

members are chosen to sit on

selection boards to how board

members affect the final promotion list. One point of

emphasis is the importance of

each master and senior master

sergeant keeping his or her

records current and correct.

“We have a great promotion

system. There are numerous

safeguards in our promotion

process to make sure it remains

so, while ensuring Air Force

members receive fair and equitable consideration.” said Col.

R.J. Rouse, the chief of the

selection board secretariat.

“The video highlights those

safeguards as well as other

important promotion topics.” 

The video should be available

by September. For more information, contact the local MPF. 

July 30, 2004 Scimitar Page 5

WASHINGTON — The

Army Human Resources

Command conducted its first

fully automated enlisted selection board and electronic board

file validation last month. 

The sergeant major board,

which was held June 3-19 in

Indianapolis, was the first complete board conducted using

Enlisted Selection Board

System. The board also selected

command sergeants major and

Soldiers to attend the sergeants

major course.

The system worked great and

the board members liked using

the electronic files, according

to Sgt. Maj. Deborah L. Seimer

of the Enlisted Records

Evaluation Center.

The ESBS eliminates the need

for hardcopy promotion board

files on Soldiers, she said. It also

presents the individual board

file, official military personnel

file, photo, Enlisted Record

Brief and memorandum to the

board president (if submitted) to

the voting members as an electronic file. 

Seimer said NCOs who are

eligible for a board can review

their electronic board file by visiting the EREC Web site at

https://www.hrc.army.mil, clicking on HRC Indianapolis

(EREC) and then selecting

“Promotion File.”

During the transition from

paper to the electronic file,

Soldiers were still required to

report to their personnel office to

submit a hardcopy ERB as a

backup. Seimer said now that the

electronic file proved successful

in the June boards, the backup

will no longer be necessary. 

This will take effect beginning

with the master sergeant board,

which convenes Sept. 8, and

continue with the sergeant first

class board on Nov. 10.

Soldiers should be able to

view and validate their file 24/7

on the EREC Web site from any

computer with Internet access,

Seimer said. Within the promotion file, there are several tabs to

access the OMPF, photo, ERB

and statements. 

Seimer said NCOs eligible for

a board should check the OMPF

for missing or incorrect documents, review the photo to

ensure that it is current and represents their present appearance

and screen the ERB to ensure

that the data is correct. The statements are for NCOs eligible to

be considered for command sergeant major (an acceptance or

declination statement) and

Soldiers who desire to decline

consideration for promotion to

sergeant major or attendance at

the sergeant major course. 

Memorandums written by

Soldiers to the board president

are the only documents that will

be scanned into the electronic

board file presented to board

members. Seimer emphasized

that Soldiers should write to the

board president only when there

are facts missing from their

records. They should not write

the board president about their

opinions, and they should not

wait till the last minute to update

their records.

In using the automated ESBS,

the Army will benefit by huge

savings in time, money and availability of Soldiers, Seimer said. 

“The Soldier no longer has to

depart his unit to go to a personnel office unless changes are

required on the ERB, and the

personnel office no longer has to

see each individual Soldier,

make copies of the ERB, have

them signed and then mail

them,” Seimer said. “When you

think about some boards having

30,000-35,000 Soldiers in the

zone of consideration, it drives

home the number of man-hours

and money saved by automating

the process.”

This automated system was

built to ensure that Soldiers have

the ability to take charge of their

career no matter where they are

in the world, Seimer said.

(Editor’s note: Information

provided by EREC.)

Army automates Enlisted Selection Board System

Submitted by Army News

Service

USAF promotion

video ‘demystifies’

board process

Submitted by Air Force

News Service 

WASHINGTON — Ozzy and Sharon

Osbourne visited wounded Operation Iraqi

Freedom service members at Walter Reed Army

Medical Center July 21 to tell them they are thankful for their sacrifices and bravery.

The entertainers spent four hours in the hospital

talking with and listening to the war stories of

about 30 Soldiers, Airmen and Marines. 

Some explained how their recovery was going,

while others told Ozzy how they’ve loved his

music for as long as they could remember. Nearly

all of them knew Sharon from the “The

Osbournes” on MTV; those who did not told her

that their mothers were big fans of her “Sharon

Osbourne Show.”

When Marine Cpl. Kevin Rumley spoke with

Ozzy, his first question was about the singer’s tattoos. “Which one’s did you do yourself?” he

asked. Ozzy quickly pointed to a few on his left

forearm and hand. The Marine showed his tattoos,

and asked the rock star if he would autograph his

arm.

“I’m gonna get it made into a tattoo,” he said

with a grin. To which Ozzy replied, “Really?

That’s cool, man.”

Another long-time fan, Spc. Kevin Pannell, said

that back in school, he made a drawing of Ozzy’s

large dragon tattoo. When he asked if he could see

it, Ozzy pulled his shirt up to his chin, exposing a

blue dragon that was looking over his shoulder.

Spc. Leopold Pedraza showed the Osbournes

how his myoelectric prosthetic arm worked and

how he could rotate the hand 360 degrees. Ozzy

was fascinated by the technology, asking if the

Soldier was getting good at using his “bionic” arm.

Pedraza said he was making

progress but he was told it

would be a little time before he

could wield the prosthetic with

proficiency for normal daily

tasks.

Along with the OIF patients,

the Osbournes visited two

teenage oncology patients on

the hospital’s pediatric ward and

an 18-year-old girl in the intensive-care unit who suffers from

a congenital heart defect.

The Osbournes said they

enjoyed their visit to Walter

Reed and they look forward to

stopping by in the future if they

are in the area.

The visit to Walter Reed was

part of an USO program that has

brought nearly 100 celebrities to

the hospitaal over the last two

years to help cheer the spirits of

recovering service members.

(Editor’s note: Michael

Dukes works for the Walter

Reed Public Affairs Office.)

Osbournes visit OIF wounded

Story and photo by Michael E. Dukes 

Army News Service

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne visit Lts. Dick and Melissa

Stockwell in her room July 21. The Osbournes’ visit was

part of a USO program that has brought nearly 100

celebrities to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the

past two years.
Page 6 Scimitar July 30, 2004

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Two

former enemies came together for lunch

in the spirit of friendship July 20. 

Six Iraqi air force pilots and 10

American pilots shared stories over lunch

at a dining facility and then took pictures

together in front of an F-16 Fighting

Falcon here. 

Despite speaking two vastly different

languages, the pilots had no problems

understanding each other. Like American

pilots, the Iraqi pilots used hand gestures

to describe the details of their adventures. 

“There is a special language between us

pilots,” said Col. Khaled Khadem, the

former deputy commander at Balad Air

Base before Operation Iraqi Freedom

began. “We like to talk with our hands.”

Earlier this month, Khadem spoke with

Col. Blair Hansen, the 332nd Air

Expeditionary Wing commander, about

the opportunity to bring a few Iraqi pilots

together with American pilots for lunch.

After more than an hour behind closed

doors, they came out laughing and in

good spirits.

The Iraqi colonel said pilots, whether

they fight for the same cause or not, share

a common love for their profession. 

“There is always friendship between

pilots, even if they are fighting against

each other,” Khadem said. “Iraqi pilots

are just like American pilots. Flying is

like a hobby, not a job.”

At the peak of United Nations sanctions

against Iraq in the mid-1990s, Khadem

said he was paid only $3 per month. 

“The salary was bad, and we had to work

without air conditioning, but we stayed,” he

said. “Even when we lacked the spare parts

needed for the aircraft, we still stayed

because we loved our job and our country.”

Khadem said no matter how bad the situation was, when he took off in his MiG23 Flogger, all the problems disappeared.

After an hour of hand gestures and

laughs during lunch, Hansen thanked his

new Iraqi friends.

“Some of us have met in the air as enemies, but now we hope to meet in the air

as friends,” he said. “Today we welcome

our friends and partners. It’s an honor to

be in your country. We look forward to

helping you rebuild a stronger air force.”

The Iraqi pilots were offered the chance

to see one of the aircrafts they had tried to

destroy for nearly a decade — the F-16. 

As they walked toward the aircraft,

Khadem’s face showed his anticipation. 

Lt. Col. Mike Buck, a 332nd

Expeditionary Fighter Squadron pilot and

Operation Southern Watch veteran, invited the colonel to take a seat inside and try

out the flight controls. 

“Somebody pinch me, because I must

be dreaming,” Khadem said. “It has

always been one of my dreams to see the

F-16 up close.”

As the colonel slipped out of the cockpit and ran his hands across the edge of

the airframe, he said, “The F-16 is a very

smooth and beautiful aircraft compared to

the MiG-23.” 

Khadem, who currently works near the

base, told his American counterparts

every time he sees an F-16 take off and

make a hard turn, his heart sinks as if he

were in the cockpit. 

The 20-year veteran pilot said he hopes

that one day he will have the opportunity

to fly for his country.

“I just can’t live without flying,” he said.

Iraqi, American fighter pilots band together

By Staff Sgt. Jason Lake

332nd Air Expeditionary 

Wing Public Affairs

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Fulfilling

a request by the the Al Jihad

Neighborhood Council, civil

affairs troops in the 1st Squadron,

7th Cavalry Regiment, 5th Brigade

Combat Team, 1st Cavalry

Division recently improved the

lives of the disabled residents in

the area by providing them wheelchairs.

On July 13, 1-7 Cav. Soldiers

and leadership presented 50

wheelchairs to the council and to

disabled Iraqis who were able to

make the trip to the Al Rashid

District Council building.

The chairs, costing a total of

$6,500, were a small price to pay

for an improved quality of life for

many people in Al Jihad, said

Capt. Aaron Hetherington, the

civil military operations officer for

1-7 Cav. They helped provide

improved mobility to 20 children

and 30 adults with diseases, birth

defects and disabling injuries.

This mission was the first time a

1-7 Cav. civil affairs effort had

given away wheelchairs, but it

isn’t the last, Hetherington said.

Chairs have already been ordered

for two other neighborhoods in the

1-7 area of operations.

It is preferred that the ministries

of the new sovereign Iraqi government handle these types of projects, but the circumstances called

for help, said Hetherington.

“We thought it would be best to

go through the government post

transfer of sovereignty to see if

the Ministry of Health would

handle this,” he said. “But they

were unable to because their

budget wouldn’t let them provide

wheelchairs to people at this

time.”

“The wheelchair project is just

one small piece of a very large

scope of our operations,”

Hetherington said. “We are doing

operations ... from trash pickup,

new sewers, water lines, electricity

all the way to building soccer

fields and renovating buildings.”

Soldiers improve lives 

of disabled Iraqis

Submitted by 1st Cavalry

Division Public Affairs

WASHINGTON — With less than 102

days before the November general elections,

DoD is working hard to make sure that service members and their families stationed

overseas have the opportunity to vote. 

“We are taking aggressive steps in the area

of voting,” DoD spokesperson Air Force Lt.

Col. Ellen Krenke said. “The secretary of

Defense has directed command support and

personal involvement at all levels for effective implementation of the voting program

throughout the services.” 

July 4-10 was Overseas Citizens Voters

Week, a push to get eligible DoD personnel

stationed abroad registered to vote. As of July

9, a total of 340,000 Federal Post Card

Applications for registration to vote had been

sent to requesters. That’s 90,000 more than

for election year 2000. 

These cards are essential if you are a

Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Absentee

Voting Act citizen who intends to vote in the

general elections. It serves as both a registration and absentee request form and is accepted by all states and territories. 

Since states’ requirements vary, check the

state-by-state instructions on the Federal

Voting Assistance Program Web site to determine the deadline for submission of a registration card and absentee-ballot request. The

same is true for submitting a ballot; those

deadlines differ by state, too. 

Several programs have been implemented

to ensure that as many service members and

their families who want to vote are able to,

Krenke said. 

Those programs include printing information about voting on every service member’s

pay stub each month and mandating that voting assistance officers contact each service

member one on one to ensure that he or she

gets an application ballot. DoD is also providing absentee-ballot request forms to units

preparing for deployment. 

Each service also has its own methods of

further emphasizing the importance of voting.

For example, the Army adjutant general sent

a mass e-mail to Soldiers with instructions on

how to register to vote. 

Personnel should also take advantage of the

FVAP Web site or call the Voting Information

Center at DSN 425-1343 or toll free 1-800-

8683 for assistance. 

Overseas voter 

registration progresses

By Samantha L. Quigley

American Forces Press Service 

Col. Mike Dubie shows an Iraqi pilot the controls of an F-16 Fighting Falcon

during a visit here July 20. Six Iraqi fighter pilots stationed here before

Operation Iraqi Freedom had lunch with American pilots and took pictures

in front of an aircraft they had flown against for more than a decade. 

Airman 1st Class Heather Norris, U.S. Air Force
July 30, 2004 Scimitar Page 7

Iraq in Brief

Medics provide training to ING Soldiers

KIRKUK, Iraq — Medics from Charlie Company, 225th

Forward Support Battalion, 874th Forward Surgical Team and

the Task Force 1-21 Infantry Medical Platoon conducted a firstaid training course for Iraqi National Guard soldiers here June

27. Before the training, 20 of the 24 soldiers who were "medics"

in the ING Medical Platoon had little to no medical experience.Twenty-two ING soldiers participated in the training.

The 1-21 Infantry Medical Platoon coordinated and developed the first class, "Basic First Aid and IV Transfusion," in

both English and Arabic. The hands-on portion was broken

down into groups of four in which the Army medics got an

opportunity to teach the ING soldiers how to stop a hemorrhage, how to bandage wounds, and how to splint a suspected

fracture on a casualty. In the last hour of training, the ING soldiers were provided the opportunity to give one another intravenous transfusions. First-aid classes will continue to be conducted with increasingly more advanced training to enhance

the ING soldiers' medical skills. The goal is to make the ING

medics self-sufficient.

New Vehicles for the Diyala Border Police

DIYALA PROVINCE, Iraq — The Diyala Border Police

received a first delivery of vhicles July 7. Col. Khaliel, the

commander of the Southern Region in Diyala Province, came

to Forward Operating Base Caldwell to receive the vehicles.

Supply personnel from Alpha Company, Task Force 150 Armor

conducted inventories and issued the new vehicles. The vehicles came included radios, blue lights, sirens, first-aid kits, fuel

and water cans and fire extinguishers. The border police also

received portable generators, advance first-aid kits, metaldetecting wands and spotlights. The delivery of this equipment

marks the beginning of an effort to upgrade the equipment and

readiness posture of the border police.

1st ID Soldiers detain suspected terrorist cell members

TIKRIT, Iraq — 1st Infantry Division Soldiers detained 15

individuals during a raid near Mandeli, Iraq, July 25. 

Soldiers conducted the raid to capture members of the Jihad

Taheed terrorist cell.

The Soldiers confiscated four AK-47 assault rifles, one .22

caliber rifle, one SKS rifle, 1,000 rounds of ammunition and

16 AK-47 30-round magazines.

The Soldiers transported the individuals to a Multi-National

Force detention facility for questioning.

ING, national police repel insurgent attack 

TIKRIT, Iraq — Iraqi National Guard soldiers from the

204th ING Battalion and Iraqi National Police officers killed

15 insurgents when they attacked the Iraqi Security Forces outside Buhritz, Iraq, July 25.

The ING and INP were providing security for 1st Infantry

Division Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment as

they conducted a raid in farmland south of Buhritz. The ISF

pursued the insurgents into the town while being attacked by

sporadic small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

1st ID Soldiers provided security for the ISF during the

operation, as well as aviation observation aircraft and counterbattery artillery fire. At about 11:40 a.m., Iraqi police relieved

the 1-6 Soldiers providing security around Buhritz.

Iraqi Security Forces and multinational forces suffered no

casualties in the incident.

1st Infantry Division Soldiers confiscated three 120mm

mortar rounds, one 155mm artillery round, three rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, four 60mm mortar tubes and 50

mortar fuses. 

The Iraqi Security Forces continue to control the situation in

Buhritz. The city remains in a calm state with no further

reports of insurgent activity.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Like

pirates looking for buried treasure, Soldiers from Battery C, 3rd

Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery

Regiment of the 5th Brigade

Combat Team, assisted by troops

from the Company C, 458th

Engineer Battalion, embarked

on a search for some buried containers allegedly full of explosives July 21.

After hearing word from

Facility Protection Service

guards who

work at the

Iraqi Ministry

of Resources

compound

here, the battery commander knew that

these weapons

needed to be

found.

“We saw this

as a potential

weapons

cache,” said

Capt. Matt

Chambers, the

Battery C commander. “If it

would have

fallen into the

wrong hands, it

could be used

against us, so

we wanted to

confirm or

deny its existence, then dispose of them.”

Having made a first hole with

the help of the engineers using a

backhoe, there was nothing to be

found. This was inside the compound and the first place

Chambers knew to check, but it

was second-hand information.

“I knew I had an FPS officer

who witnessed the containers

being buried,” the captain said.

“And he told us where to go, so

I decided to move on to what I

considered to be a sure thing just

outside the compound and we

found two containers.”

Dust filled the air as the engineers dug with hopeful eyes.

Iraqi National Guard and field

artillery Soldiers maintained

security outside the compound

as the treasure hunt continued.

The remnants of one container

were found first. Several fragments of red-painted metal lay

rusted, scarcely resembling the

storage box it once was. No

weapons or anything of interest

was found at this hole, but the

third search was right on the

money.

The shovel of the backhoe

struck a red, twisted metal container. Though extremely misshapen, it remained intact. A platoon leader of Battery C, 3-82

FA, was one of the first Soldiers 

Story and photo by 

Pfc. Al Barrus

122nd Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment

1st Lt. Timothy Murphy, a platoon leader

in Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field

Artillery Regiment, holds up one of six

mortar rounds found in an unearthed storage container. The storage unit also contained a rocket-propelled-grenade round

and sandbags.

Cavalry troops 

unearth explosives

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Correcting malfunctioning sewer systems has been a priority for leaders

here for a long time, but no funds were available

for the project. That’s until the multinational force

stepped in to help the community.

Ceremonies marking the beginning of three

sewage pipeline projects in the Zaphernia neighborhood here took place July 14. 

Acting in an organizational capacity, the 3rd

Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division

provided funding to hire local contractors to start

the work. Hiring local help is important, because it

fosters community pride in the project, 3rd BCT

officials said.

Around 300 laborers will be needed for the project.

“We went out there and saw the area and were

appalled at the living conditions,” said Capt. Brad

Morgan, the construction officer for the 8th

Engineer Battalion, the unit responsible for the

organization of projects in Zaphernia.

After witnessing the severity of the problem,

Morgan said it wasn’t difficult to find the funding

needed to try and get the raw sewage from the

streets of Zaphernia.

The three projects are slated for completion in

mid-January.

A poor, predominately Shia Muslim neighborhood neglected under the rule of Saddam Hussein,

Zaphernia’s antiquated sewers have become more

of a liability than an asset for the area.

“Currently, there’s no sewer system in that area,

so you have raw sewage in the streets and backing

up into people’s homes,” Morgan said. “Even if

the existing lines do flow in the right direction, the

untreated waste still goes directly into the Tigris

and Diyala rivers.”

When sewage projects are completed, a large

line will take sewage from the local networks to a

treatment plant that is currently being renovated as

a part of another project.

“The ultimate goal is to treat the sewage instead

of polluting the local rivers,” Morgan said.

Essential services such as electricity and water

are also a priority in the area.

“We’re showing them that we truly care for them

and we do want to make their lives better,” Morgan

said. “Everyone that we’ve encountered down in

Zaphernia has been excited about the projects.”

3rd Brigade funds sewer projects

By Spc. Jan Critchfield

122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

See UNEARTH, Page 10
Page 8 Scimitar July 30, 2004

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq —

Marines with 3rd Assault

Amphibian Battalion’s

Company B have begun training

new recruits to serve as Iraqi

Border Policemen. 

The 10-day course, the first of

its kind at the Al Asad Police

Academy, began July 8, with

five Marine instructors teaching

15 volunteer recruits a variety

of basic policing skills, such as

weapons handling and searchand-seizure methods.

“We’re giving them the basic

tools they need to survive out

there and defend their own

country,” said Staff Sgt. Yaphet

A. Grimes, a 31-year-old assistant chief instructor from

Virginia Beach, Va. “They have

little if no military experience,

so we’re taking them step by

step, but already it’s paid off.”

The academy will continue to

grow as the weeks go on,

according to Capt. Carlos T.

Jackson, the 31-year-old company commander and officer in

charge of the academy from

Detroit. Every 10 days, a new

batch of volunteer recruits will

enter Al Asad to become border

policemen.

Training here begins at 7:30

a.m. every morning with physical training and ends at 6:30

p.m. 

“We put them through a variety of classes and have them do

practical application,” Jackson

explained. “We took the curriculum for National Guard academies and police academies and

combined them with our own

criteria to make the best training

schedule possible.”

Jackson said his Marines were

prepared for the task. They

recently finished training Iraqi

Special Forces two weeks

before the opening of the academy.

“They had much more military experience than these guys,

so we weren’t really instructing

then,” said Sgt. Jeremy P.

Petersen, a 27-year-old communication technician from

Gainsville, Fla. “The Iraqis,

here, though are really willing

to learn and want to be here, so

they’re picking up quickly.”

Jackson said two of the top

students were also selected to be

instructors for the future classes.

“We identified two Iraqis

capable of learning how to

instruct,” Jackson said. “Our

goal is to teach them well

enough to eventually be able to

instruct each other, so that soon

they’ll be using Al Asad as a

place to train, but without the

Marine’s assistance. We would

like to work ourselves out of a

job.”

Marines said they’ve taken as

much from the experience as

they’ve given to the students.

The instructors had a sense of

doing something greater than

themselves.

“This is great,” Petersen said.

“When we came here, all I

wanted to do was help the Iraqi

people. Now that we’re doing

this, I know what I do will help

with them securing their country. What we do now will continue to have an effect on future

Iraqis.”

“This is a very rewarding

experience,” Grimes added.

“It’s different from what we’re

used to, and I think it benefits

everyone — them and us.”

The western borders of Iraq

have been a problem area for

multinational forces, where antiIraqi forces cross the borders,

supplying enemy forces with

men and equipment.

“I think once they have the

right skills, they’ll be able to

patrol the borders as well as

we do,” Jackson said. “They

know the language and the

people, so it will be easier for

them to identify the bad guys.

All they need is proper training

and equipment.”

Marines train Iraqi Border Police for duty

Story and photo by 

Cpl. Macario P. Mora Jr.

1st Marine Division

1st Sgt. Octaviano Gallegos Jr., 37, of Company B, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion,

instructs a new Iraqi Border Police recruit on how to properly handle his weapon during

a search-and-seizure mission July 14. Gallegos, the chief instructor and four other

Marines are training the first class of Border Police students at Camp Al Asad.

Service members are encouraged to submit 

articles to the Scimitar. E-mail submissions

to cpiccmdinfo@baghdadforum.com
July 30, 2004 Scimitar Page 9

BAGHDAD, Iraq — As the summer

sun beats down across the spacious arid

desert, a solitary shepherd watches his

flock. After a brief stretch, he sees a dust

cloud approaching him like a stampede of

camels. 

Before he can count his flock, a convoy

of Soldiers rolls by in armored vehicles

headed for Baghdad.

Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 14th

Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat

Team, 10th Mountain Division made their

way across the Iraqi desert in convoys to

join Soldiers from the 1st Cavalry

Division in support of Operation Iraqi

Freedom II.

“The convoy was extremely smooth,”

said 1st Lt. Thomas Scaife the 2-14

Infantry’s adjutant. “We had the best

communication between vehicles on any

convoy I’ve been on.”

The road to Baghdad was a combination of sandy gravel roads and paved

blacktop roads. On the paved roads, Iraqi

vendors set up small, shifty structures

made of straw and mud bricks, hoping to

peddle their wares.

Scaife deployed to Iraq less than a year

ago. He said he tried to wave at as many

Iraqis as he could on the way to Baghdad

this time, showing them his support.

“The Iraqis are more receptive to us

this time around,” Scaife said. “I would

say 80 percent of the people I waved to

waved back. They seem happy with us

and what we are doing.” 

When the convoys stopped along the

side of the roads, barefoot children in tattered clothes would approach the Soldiers

and ask for food, water and even their

watches.

“These kids are walking around on

asphalt roads barefoot, begging for food,”

Scaife said. “They are the people we are

here to help.”

“The deployment is a good experience

for people to see another culture,” said

Pfc. Levail McKinney, an awards clerk

with 2-14 Infantry. “Being on this convoy

shows me another side of life. I’m in an

office all the time, and this lets me see

something I wouldn’t normally see.”

The mission for the 10th Mountain

Soldiers is different than it was last time.

The transfer of power from a U.S-led

coalition to the interim Iraqi government

changes the role for more than 140,000

U.S. servicemen and women in Iraq. 

“We are here to maintain peace in

Iraq,” McKinney said. “We have to let the

Iraqi people know we are here to help

them get things rolling with their new

government, so they will be able to take

care of themselves.”

On the Road

By Pfc. Brian Schroeder

2nd Brigade Combat Team

10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

Right: Staff Sgt. James

Mastrodomenico, a section

sergeant with the 4th

Battalion, 31st Infantry

Regiment, 10th Mountain

Division, conducts weapons

maintenance during a stop

at Combat Support Center

Scania in Iraq July 18.

Mastrodomenico recently

returned from a sevenmonth deployment to Africa.

Mastrodomenico was featured in an “Army of One”

television advertisement.

A Soldier from 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain

Division takes a break after a day of driving across the Iraqi desert. 

Pfc. Elmer Garcia, a medic, and Pfc. Lionel Torres, an infantryman,

both with the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain

Division, clean weapons and prepare to rest at Combat Support Area

Scania after a 12-hour convoy from Kuwait.

10th Mtn troops convoy to Baghdad

Pfc. Brian Schroeder, U.S. Army

Spc. Andy Miller, U.S. Army

Spc. Andy Miller, U.S. Army 

Spc. Andy Miller, U.S. Army 

Staff Sgt. Johnny Dubose, with the 1st Cavalry Division’s Headquarters

Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, takes in the view from a UH60 Black Hawk utility helicopter during a recent command-and-control mission in central Iraq. 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Brigade aviation assets were

utilized to provide security and command and control for the 2nd Brigade

Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division as it convoyed into Baghdad

International Airport from Combat Support Center Scania. The 10th Mountain

Division's 2nd BCT is augmenting the 1st Cavalry Division, which oversees

multinational military operations in the Baghdad area.
the development to most of the

Army by 2025. In the meantime,

however, and for years into the

future, the M-1 Abrams tank,

Bradley Fighting Vehicle and

other weapons systems will

remain important, said Lt. Gen.

Benjamin S. Griffin, the Army

deputy chief of staff for

Programs, G8.

Other Future Combat Systems

include:

o Infantry Carrier Vehicle

o Command and Control

Vehicle

o Mounted Combat System

o Recon and Surveillance

Vehicle

o Non-Line of Sight Mortar

o NLOS Cannon 

o NLOS Launch System

o Medical Treatment and

Evacuation vehicle

o Unattended Ground Sensors

o Class I UAVs (small)

o Class IV UAVs (capable of

large payloads and long

endurance surveillance and targeting)

o Small Manpackable

Unmanned Ground Vehicle

Countermine 

o MULES — Multifunctional

Utility/Logistics and Equipment

(Unmanned) Vehicles (transport,

countermine and armed-reconnaissance variants)

When talking about FCS,

Yakovac often refers to “18 systems plus one.” The one is the

“network,” he explained.

The Soldier is going to be “a

node in the network,” Yakovac

said. 

“The guy in the middle is the

Soldier ...” he said “if we don’t

do all that we can to make his

life better, then we have failed.”

Page 10 Scimitar July 30, 2004

UNEARTH

Continued from Page Seven

to squeeze into the cramped,

dust-filled artifact.

“It was pretty hot and suffocating in there,” 1st Lt.

Timothy Murphy said. “I got

my share of Iraqi sand on my

uniform and body armor, but

we found what we were hoping

to find.”

With enough flashlightassisted searching and hand

shoveling inside an area only

large enough to fit one person,

the contents of the metal container were unearthed. The

prize: six mortar rounds and

one rocket-propelled grenade,

all in poor condition.

Sandbags were also found

inside the box. It made the

Soldiers wonder what the container may have been used for

in the past.

“They could have been used

as a bunker complex that existed prior to the war as part of

the security for the site,”

Chambers said. “Or it was possibly a panic attempt to cache

weapons before the war, before

we started bombing or rolled

through.”

Whatever the truth, the

weapons are no longer available to get into the wrong

hands, thanks to the cooperation of the many security forces

in Al Rashid, Chambers said.

“It was just a good example

of ING, multinational forces

and FPS all working together

in a security-oriented mission

to recover explosives,”

Chambers said. “In the hand of

insurgents, [the explosives]

could be used against all of

[us], as well as [against] innocent Iraqi citizens.”

The place to access the latest MNF-I/MNC-I 

news and information is online. Check out

www.mnf-iraq.com to stay informed.

FUTURE Continued from Page Two

the Russians a “strategic partner for us — particularly militarily.” 

The American military,

Wald explained, wants closer

relations with the Russian

military “as part of an open

partnership.” 

Wald also pointed to good

U.S. military-to-military relations with the Ukraine, which

now has more than 1,500

troops in Iraq. That, he noted,

makes the Ukraine the largest

non-NATO contributor to

Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Pointing to future challenges in EUCOM’s area of

operations, Wald noted the

Black Sea region that borders

the Ukraine, Russia,

Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey

and the South Caucasus that

encompasses Georgia,

Azerbaijan and Armenia are

now recognized as a new geopolitical hot spot thanks to the

region’s hydrocarbon

resources on the Caspian Sea

and potential for terrorism

and drug and weapons trafficking. 

Regarding U.S. military

presence in the South

Caucasus region, Wald noted,

“we don’t intend to make a

permanent base there, not

whatsoever.” Rather, the general envisions a “strategic

(military) partnership” with

South Caucasus countries.

“We intend to train with those

folks,” he noted. 

South Caucasus countries

are active in helping the U.S.

and its other allies fight terrorism, Wald noted. Georgia

now has 162 troops in Iraq,

while Azerbaijan has contributed 150. Armenia has

pledged to send 57 de-miners,

truckers and doctors to Iraq.

And Moldova currently has

12 de-mining specialists

awaiting airlift to Iraq. 

Al Qaeda and other terrorists on the run from former

havens in Afghanistan, Wald

pointed out, could also consider a move to the huge

African continent, which also

falls under EUCOM’s area of

responsibility. 

He said he’s also concerned

about the African HIV/AIDS

crisis that’s threatening the

continent’s political and social

stability and economic future.

The potential unraveling of

Africa’s social fabric caused

by HIV/AIDS, he pointed out,

could entice terrorists to take

up residence there. 

However, the United States

military and its allies, Wald

asserted, are now “making it

very difficult” for al Qaeda

and its imitators “to go anyplace and stay for any length

of time.” 

And making al Qaeda and

other terrorists uncomfortable

and unwelcome “is what our

job is,” Wald concluded. 

“We have no intention of implementing stop loss or stop

move,” he said. “If (a Marine) is executing (permanentchang-of-station) orders or getting out, they will be out of

here on time. The only way any of this is going to change

is if there is a significant change on the battlefield.”

According to Lance Cpl. Patrick E. Reyes, of supply

administration, Company B, 3rd Low Altitude Air

Defense Battalion, Marine Wing Support Group 37, 3rd

MAW, the commandant’s visit was uplifting and slightly

different from his first encounter with Hagee.

“It was motivating and at the same time a nice surprise,” said the 21-year-old Redlands, Calif., native. “I

was able to see him in Okinawa, Japan, but that visit was

not as personal. I was not only able to meet him this time,

I was able to shake his hand.”

Sgt. Anthony G. Vagnoni, a Stinger missile gunner

with Co. B, 3rd LAAD, added that in addition to raising

spirits, Hagee’s visit showed his concern for the welfare

of his Marines.

“I thought (the commandant’s) visit was motivating,”

said the 20-year-old Mooresville, N.C., native. “This lets

us know the people above us are looking out for us.”

Perhaps no Marine was more obliged by the time

Hagee spent with 3rd MAW than the MAW’s commander himself, who has a considerable history of working

with the Corps’ top Marine.

“I appreciate it when the commandant comes to visit

because it gives our Marines and Sailors a chance to see

and hear from him and understand what his priorities are

and the things that are important to him,” remarked Stalder.

“I’ve worked for General Hagee before as his deputy

commanding general when he was the commanding general of (1st Marine Expeditionary Force), so we’ve

known each other and worked very well together in the

past,” he added. “He’s a great leader and warrior and it’s

extremely gratifying to know that someone at that level

in the Marine Corps empathizes with, understands and

appreciates everything the Marines and Sailors of the

wing do out here.”

CMC Continued from Page One

FOOTPRINT Continued from Page Three
July 30, 2004 Scimitar Page 11

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq — Fitting

Marines for a fight is challenge enough,

but supply Marines at Regimental Combat

Team 7 are working overtime to refit

Marines who lost their gear to a fire here

July 7.

A fire ripped through the camp, burning

several tents and the Marines’ gear —

everything from packs to uniforms.

Other supply warehouses pitched in and

helped equip the Marines with gear and

other personal items. Marines from

Combat Service Support Battalion 7,

Marine Aircraft Group 16 and 2nd

Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment were

among the contributors. 

“All this came together within a 24-hour

period by word of mouth,” said 2nd Lt.

Frank Sierra, a 28-year-old supply officer

for RCT-7, who is from Odessa, Texas. 

According to Sierra, Marines donated

personal items once the word got out and

were quick to respond to the crisis. 

“All the units were very generous in

helping us out,” Sierra said. “It just kept

raining on us. Our lot was full of stuff we

got, and more kept coming. We had no

place to put it.” 

Sierra also contacted battalions through

e-mails and phone calls to gather items he

didn’t have stocked.

“What struck me was how the Marine

Corps is a family, a band of brothers,”

Sierra said. “It really put us to the test.

Units showered us with gifts. Marines

gave us personal belongings. All the donations came from the Marines. Marines take

care of each other.”

Supply Marines worked all night issuing

gear and making sure the battalion had a

complete gear issue.

“The Marines were combat ineffective

when they lost all their gear,” said Lance

Cpl. Ricky Y. Muenzer, 21, from St. Louis

and a supply clerk with RCT-7. “I knew

we would be working long hours to get

them what they needed. We had to have

them combat effective. I was stressed and

tired but angry that I couldn’t help them

fast enough to get them going.”

According to Sierra, time was the obstacle. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 4th

Marine Regiment were relieved by

Marines from 1st Battalion, 8th Marine

Regiment. The incoming Marines were

needed on the line. 

The problem was identified and fixed.

Since one battalion was replacing another,

the Marines did a one-for-one swap. 

Sierra said he was pleased with the way

his Marines responded to the situation and

the way it was handled. 

“It tested our capability with supply and

I was really happy with my Marines and

proud of them,” Sierra said. “They showed

their capability.” 

Sierra also credited Army and Air Force

Exchange Service personnel for helping

out and keeping doors open late.

“The PX was almost closed, but the

Marines and civilians who work there

stayed after hours and gave me what I

needed,” Sierra said. 

Sierra and his Marines spent $11,700 for

PX items. They purchased items including

towels, T-shirts, socks, running shoes,

shower shoes and hygiene gear.

“I’ve never seen this kind of teamwork

in my shop before,” Muenzer said.

“Everyone just stopped what they were

doing to help the Marines out.”

“Everything that a Marine needs to survive out here, they had in a day and a

half,” said Cpl. Roderick Totton, a 29-

year-old from Detroit and the supply warehouse noncommissioned officer in charge.

“By the end of the week, the Marines were

out training again.”

Marines pitch in to refit gear lost in fire

Story and photo by 

Sgt. Jose L. Garcia

1st Marine Division Public Affairs 

Lance Cpl. Ricky Y. Muenze (left) and Pfc. William P. Miller, 19, both supply clerks with Regimental Combat Team 7, inventory a shipment of uniforms. Supply Marines worked day and night issuing gear and making

sure 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment had a complete gear issue after

losing everything to a fire. 

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Just

over six weeks after joining the

newly constituted Iraqi National

Guard, a squad of fresh recruits

from the 302nd ING Battalion

took to the streets of Baghdad

for its first patrol and its first

chance to make a lasting impression.

“These guys are fresh out of

training,” said 1st Lt. Tim Stith,

the officer in charge of the ING’s

American cadre at Warrior

Forward Operating Base. Stith is

a member of 1st Battalion, 153rd

Infantry Regiment, which is

attached to 1st Cavalry

Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat

Team. “They did two weeks of

training with us — sort of a prebasic training. Then they did the

two-week Iraqi National Guard

basic training. As soon as they

graduated, they came back to us

for two more weeks of training,”

he said.

With initial training over, the

squad was ready for its first

patrol. “It’s time for them to get

out in public and be seen,” said

Stith.

Though the summer temperatures were soaring into the triple

digits, the new guardsmen, clad

in “chocolate chip” desert uniforms and toting assault rifles,

were eager to put their training

to the test. As their American

advisors trailed behind them, the

squad started its patrol on foot

near the Japanese Embassy in the

Babil neighborhood of Baghdad.

According to one of their

American advisors, that area of

the city, located on the Karadah

peninsula, is relatively calm.

“We’ve had a few bombs go off

in the past, but nothing real

major lately,” he said.

As curious onlookers watched

from their houses and sidewalks,

the squad of 13 troops led by

Iraqi National Guard 1st Lt.

Hussein Atea examined the

numerous parked cars that lined

the streets and scanned the

neighborhood houses and

rooftops for anything suspicious.

They also put to use their recently acquired skill of hand and arm

signals to cautiously negotiate

their way down the quiet but

cluttered side roads that intersect

with busy Hindiyah Street.

While zigzagging through the

city’s backstreets and marketplaces, Hussein and his men

occasionally took a few minutes

to mingle and talk with some of

the neighborhood residents as

they passed by.

“This was their first time on

the street,” said Staff Sgt. Randy

Bartlett, of 1-153 Infantry

Regiment and another one of the

ING’s advisors. “They still need

to learn how to talk and deal

with the local civilians while

they patrol.” 

Nearly an hour and a half after

starting their dismounted patrol,

the squad shifted its focus to spot

traffic-control points on two of

the area’s busy streets. 

As automobile horns blared

and tweeted from the congested

traffic, Hussein’s men employed

their Russian-built tactical vehicle to cordon off a section of the

road for their searches and randomly selected passing motorists

for the spot inspections. 

Although a few motorists were

upset with being delayed by the

inspections, most smiled and

complied as the guardsmen patted them down and searched

their vehicles for anything questionable.

Though the foot patrol and

subsequent TCPs yielded nothing out of the ordinary, the

American advisors agreed that

the mission went well and was

an excellent opportunity for the

new troops to get out and work

among some of Baghdad’s citizens.

“The checkpoints went well,”

said Bartlett, “but they do need

more practice – and that will just

come in time.”

An Iraqi National Guard private stands watch at the

entrance to one of the two spot traffic-control points his

squad set up on the busy downtown streets of Baghdad.

Fresh Iraqi guardsmen

perform first patrol

Story and photo by 

Sgt. John Queen

3rd Brigade Combat Team,

1st Cavalry Division
Page 12 Scimitar July 30, 2004

TAJI, Iraq — “Imams are the spiritual

voice of a village. One word from an

imam and a village can be convinced to

attack multinational forces,” said Lt. Col.

Jim Rainey, the commander of the 2nd

Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, attached

to the 39th Brigade

Combat Team, 1st

Cavalry Division.

In what is planned to

be a monthly event,

commanders of 2-7 Cav.

met with imams from

within 2-7’s area of

operations at the Taji

Nahia building July 15

to begin a dialogue.

“We spend a lot of

time working with the

government councils

and sheiks within our

region. We have a forum

like this for the sheiks in

our council of sheiks meetings,” Rainey

said. “That same sort of dialogue needs to

be opened up with the imams. Their

importance can not be understated or

underestimated.”

Rainey said that bringing all three

groups together in forums allows commanders to get the big picture of what is

going on in their area of operations but

didn’t allow for the candor the smaller

group meetings provide.

“We learn so much from each of these

individual groups,” he said. 

The gathered imams each took turns

addressing Rainey with their issues.

Security concerns within their areas and

for themselves was mentioned as well as

what they perceived to be a lack of respect

from American Soldiers.

“Iraqi’s can only respect you if you

respect us,” an imam said

passionately. “We can not

convince our people to

not attack [multinational]

forces if they feel you

have disrespected them

or the imams. All of us

are human beings and

deserve the respect of

human beings.”

Rainey said that his

Soldiers were already

very well trained in professionalism and respect,

but he ensured the imams

that he would redouble

his efforts to meet the

requested level of expectation.

To foster better relations between

multinational forces and the citizens,

members of the forum came up with

ideas such as having the Iraqi police

work with multinational forces during

operations that went into citizens’ houses. They also made suggestions on how

to speed up the claims process. 

“We’ll take all that we get from this

meeting,” said Capt. Greg Schrein, 2-7

Cav’s fire-support officer, “and see how

we can best work some of the ideas.

Hopefully, these meetings will help each

side to learn and understand the other.”

As the meeting wound down, one of the

imams once again brought up the issue of

security.

“Many imams are afraid to be seen

working with American Soldiers,” he said.

“When we return to our villages, some of

our people say that we are American spies

and will not listen to us. There have been

threats made against us. How can you

help us?”

Rainey said aid was needed from the

imams to make their neighborhoods more

secure. 

“We know there are bad people working

in this area but we do not know who all

they are,” Rainey said. “That is why we

need your help in getting them and stopping them from spreading their terror. We

can stop the violence that has taken so

many lives and protect the security of

your homes and families, but we have to

work together.”

2-7 Cav. reaches out to spiritual leaders

Story and photo by 

Cpl. Benjamin Cossel

122nd Mobile Public 

Affairs Detachment 

An imam from Muhashidia voices concerns he has with multinational

forces to Lt. Col. Jim Rainey, the commander of 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry

Regiment attached to the 39th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry

Division, during a meeting of imams July 15.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — There is a place in Al Thawra

here, where the road collapsed because the sewer line

underneath it was sinking. Headed by Company B of

the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment (Task Force

Lancer) of the 1st Cavalry Division, the Iraq multinational force is working to fix this section of the sewer

in this section of the area known as Sadr City along

with the entire Al Thawra sewer infrastructure. 

In the early morning hours of July 13, elements of

Co. B headed out to the “sinkhole,” as they call it, to

check up on the contractors who are working to fix this

critical section of piping. The company frequently

checks the projects that are under development in its

area of operations. Sometimes, like on this day, they

bring the tactical psychological operations team with

them. 

“Our job is to provide information to the population,”

said Staff Sgt. Joseph Smith, the team chief for Task

Force Lancer’s 345th PSYOP Detachment. “It doesn’t

matter what it’s relating to. In this case, it’s relating to

one of the public-service works projects.”

Public-service works are a top priority for the residents of Al Thawra, Smith said. The people there have

endured decades of second-rate living conditions due to

neglected sewer, electrical and trash systems. Smith

sees part of his job as providing these people with

information about the different improvements that are

occurring throughout the city thanks to Task Force

Lancer. 

Spc. James Bredwell, a PSYOP specialist with the

345th from Franklin Park, Ill., came along to hang a

banner over the construction site. In Arabic, the banner

tells local Iraqis that the sewer project was brought

about through cooperation between the multinational

forces and local Iraqi neighborhood council. 

“We want to let the Iraqi people know that, yes, we

are trying to do something to help them. And that this is

why we’re doing this,” Bredwell said. “It’s not for us,

it’s for them.”

Capt. Douglas Chapman, the Co. B commander, said

working with the PSYOP team is a force multiplier. Not

only can they disseminate information to the locals in

the area, but they can also gauge how those people feel

about the military operations in their neighborhoods. 

This is important information to Soldiers working in

an area where some people sympathize with religious

cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Muqtada

Militia. Task Force Lancer battled with the militia in

the streets of Al Thawra for more than three months

beginning in April. 

“We handed out flags and handed out hats and got

our story out in the street,” Chapman said about having

the PSYOP team with him. “That area has not been the

most friendly toward us. And the last couple weeks,

we’ve kind of seen it get a lot better.”

Chapman said his Soldiers know it’s gotten better

because the people are more open than they have been

in the past. The children wave and cavort with the

Soldiers, and the adults smile and curiously gather

around. On this mission, the PSYOP team brought a

special treat for Iraqis who came to the construction

site: 1st Cavalry Division hats. The hats display, in

Arabic, the words ‘peace’, ‘respect’ and ‘friendship’ in

the patch’s stripe. 

“We just pass out things, whether it’s newspapers or

hats or any mode of giving them a message,” Smith

said. “In this particular instance, it’s a hat with three

simple words on it: peace, mutual respect and friendship ... between the multinational and Iraqi people.

That’s what that hat is trying do.”

Story and photo by Spc. Andy Miller

122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Giveaways, public service make a difference

Spc. James Bredwell, a psychological operations specialist with the 345th PSYOP team

attached, hands out hats and flags to Iraqi children at a sewage-refurbishment construction

site in the Al Thawra district of Baghdad.

“We can not convince our people to not

attack [multinational]

forces if they feel you

have disrespected

them or the imams.

All of us are human

beings and deserve the

respect of human

beings.”

— an Iraqi imam
July 30, 2004 Scimitar Page 13

BAGHDAD, Iraq — At a time when

media outlets around the world are

focusing on stories involving mortar

attacks, improvised explosive devices

and uncertainty in Iraq, members of the

Iraqi government are now better prepared to tell the world their stories of

growth, hope and newly found freedom.

Twenty-two Iraqi ministry workers

graduated from a 14-day public affairs

course July 21 at the convention center

in Baghdad’s International Zone, formerly know as the Green Zone.

A mobile training team of six instructors from the Defense Information

School, a U.S. Department of Defense

school that teaches journalism and public affairs to U.S. servicemembers, government employees and foreign nationals, arrived in Iraq June 26 to teach students from nearly every ministry in

Iraq’s government practical knowledge

of democracy, public affairs, media

relations and journalism.

“The main goal of this program is to

train Iraqi public affairs personnel who

have never been trained in formal public affairs techniques and provide them

with public affairs procedures and

knowledge,” said Army Col. Hiram

Bell, the DINFOS commandant, who

deployed to support the MTT and to

provide assistance to senior theater

public affairs officers. “This is a unique

opportunity for DINFOS. We have a

history of MTTs, but this is the first

time in a combat zone. This team is

doing the best they can in making a

contribution to the progress here.”

While only expecting about 24 students and having ordered enough supplies to support that number, more than

30 people showed up for the first morning of class, making it clear to the team

that a second iteration and possible

future iterations would be necessary.

“[The number of students] proved to

me this mission had purpose,” said

Army Maj. Robert H. Tallman Jr., a

DINFOS Public Affairs Leadership

Department instructor and the MTT

officer in charge. “There was no longer

a question in my mind of whether or

not we would have students to train.

Some of these students are risking their

lives to be here and understand the

enormous impact this course can have

on the Iraqi people. There is a need to

begin placing Iraqi faces with what is

going on in this country versus

Americans telling their stories.”

Once the class began, students were

immediately confronted with homework

and questions regarding their ideas of

democracy and other aspects of government.

“This class has taught me that the

[U.S. military] is really here to support

the Iraqi people,” said one student who

wished not to be identified. “The training is meant to give us information to

build new Iraqi ideas about democratic

ways.” 

Although students may have developed an understanding of open communication, classes meant to improve

teamwork and interaction between the

students were included in the course.

Army Maj. Kristine Coan, the assistant

officer in charge for the MTT and a

DINFOS Reserve staff coordinator, said

the classes were successful in bringing

people together who may not have otherwise spoken to one another due to

cultural backgrounds and differences.

“The teamwork exercises set the stage

for the course,” said Coan. “The students were able to express their opinions openly and learned to use techniques to work through disagreements.”

“After the teamwork exercise, I felt

more confident,” said a female student

who did not want to be identified. “I

feel more encouraged in facing interviews and working

with the media.”

One message the

team wanted the

students to grasp

and never forget

was one of credibility and the

impact dishonesty

can have on an

agency.

“One of the most

important classes

during the course

was public affairs

ethics,” Tallman

said. “Based on the

way the Iraqi government used to be

run, ethics is incredibly important.”

Other classes included how to write

basic press releases, how to respond to

media queries and setting up and executing press conferences, all of which

culminated in a staff exercise the last

day of the course.

“In addition to a need to understand

ethical considerations, the students

needed to learn how to communicate

with intent,” Tallman said. “This was

accomplished through basic journalism

and media training. The staff exercise

brought all of this together.”

Upon graduation, the students

received a DINFOS graduation certificate. However, the students placed the

training in higher regard.

“All of the lectures were useful,

and we are thankful,” said one student. “This course

has given us the

skills and knowledge so as to serve

our ministries and,

most importantly,

Iraq. [The military]

can be seen as having a direct or a not

direct relationship

with the Iraqi people. I felt a direct

relationship.”

The members of the first DINFOS

Iraq mobile training team are Tallman,

Coan, Marine Corps Master Sgt. Craig

Larson, Army Sgt. 1st Class Peter

Chadwick, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Theresa

Shannon and Navy Petty Officer 1st

Class Joel Huval.

For more information about the

Defense Information School, visit

www.dinfos.osd.mil.

Iraqi students graduate American

public affairs course in Baghdad

Story and photos by 

Petty Officer 1st Class 

Joel I. Huval

Defense Information School

Iraqi student Mohamed Makki takes

notes on a white board during a

class on public affairs ethics

taught by Maj. Robert H. Tallman

Jr., the MTT officer in charge. The

class is part of a two-week course

designed to prepare Iraqi ministry

workers with practical knowledge

of democracy, public affairs, media

relations and journalism.

Maj. Kristine Coan addresses a student during a class on interview techniques. The two-week course included two interview training exercises to

help the students improve their competence in front of a camera and to

help them prepare ministry spokespersons for interviews. 

Twenty-two Iraqi ministry workers

graduated from a 14-day course in

Baghdad’s International Zone

“This course has

given us the skills

and knowledge so

as to serve our

ministries and,

most importantly,

Iraq.”

— an Iraqi public 

affairs student
Page 14 Scimitar July 30, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The

evening Muslim call to prayer

melodically echoed across the

sky from a nearby mosque

while Soldiers hustled about

their humvees making their last

minute preparations for patrol. 

The patrol – Friday, 8:00 p.m.

They gathered for their mission brief, finished up their

sodas and took the last drags off

their cigarettes. The mission for

the evening was simple enough.

The platoon would patrol its

zone, look for suspicious activity and then drive over to another patrol base to pick up mail

before heading back home for a

few hours of sleep.

The Soldiers jumped in their

vehicles, donned their gear and

took to the streets.

As they drove through the

neighborhood, the aroma of

Iraqi food from outdoor restaurants and corner food stands

filled the night air. 

“Everybody’s out tonight,”

said platoon leader 1st Lt.

Michael McCarty, of Bono,

Ark. People bustled about,

weaving through the tiny streets

full of vendors selling their

wares mixed with brilliant displays of melons and colorful

hanging fruit. 

In the gun turret of the

humvee, Sgt. Raif Rucker, 21,

of Forrest City, Ark., scanned

the rooftops and alleys for lurking danger.

“You can’t catch everything,

but you try to see everything,”

said Rucker. “With the people, I

watch their habits and attitudes.

I watch for who’s hostile and

who isn’t.”

Rucker, a college student at

the University of Arkansas,

should have graduated this year

with the rest of his friends but

two deployments in three years

with the Arkansas National

Guard have left him behind at

the sophomore level. Like other

college students in his position,

he’s anxious to get the deployment over so he can return to

the States and finish what he

started.

“It’s okay as long as I graduate,” said Rucker. “I haven’t

even started half my life yet.”

The patrol moved further

down the street and turned a

few corners leading into narrow

alleyways barely wide enough

to fit a humvee. After three

months in country, the drivers

have become masters at maneuvering vehicles between spaces

that might otherwise seem

impossible.

They approached a park with

children playing on swing sets

and other park toys. Their

mothers, wrapped in traditional

Muslim headscarves, sat nearby watching, talking among

themselves. 

“They usually shoot mortars

at us from here,” said McCarty

about the park as they drove by.

Just two nights before, they

endured a mortar attack that

sent 18 rounds into their compound. No one was killed.

After patrolling their area,

they moved to the battalion’s

patrol base to pick up mail and

fuel up before heading back for

some sleep. Other than the normal activity of the city, their

evening was quiet.

“Just

another night

on the

town,”

sighed Spc.

Jerome

Coker with a

mix of disappointment

and relief.

“You want to

do what

you’re

trained to do.

When the

enemy doesn’t show up to party,

it’s not any fun.”

Observation posts – Saturday,

1:30 a.m.

After a short nap, the Soldiers

stepped out into the yard, and

the dogs, who have made their

home with them, began barking.

The night cooled just enough to

permit a small breeze, but the

heat still lingered from the

pavement.

After loading into his vehicle,

Sgt. Christopher Grimm, 35, of

Cabot, Ark., pointed to cracks in

the windshield of his humvee.

“This one is from a mortar

attack and this one here is from

and improvised explosive

device,” Grimm said.

“Whoever invented bullet

proof glass — it works.”

His gunner, Rucker, isn’t as

lucky. Sitting in the turret, he is

often left exposed to blasts and

other enemy elements. When

they were hit by the IED,

Rucker was struck with shrapnel

in his right shoulder, but he

knows it could have been

worse. 

“Every time I leave this gate,

I pray it’s not my day,” said

Rucker. “But if it does go down,

then I put my game face on.”

The platoon left the

compound

and began

the drive.

As they

moved

through the

city in the

late hour,

the streets

had the feel

of a lazy

dream. The

shops were

closed and all the hustle and

bustle of earlier festivities had

ceased.

After several minutes of

winding through empty streets

and darkened alleyways, the

line of humvees came to a halt.

Soldiers got out of their vehicles

and milled about, while three

others quietly disappeared into

the shadows of a dilapidated

building with a small supply of

food and water.

The insertion is a bold move

to locate insurgents who have

been firing mortars on their

compound. Hidden from sight,

much like snipers, the three

wait. For up to three days, they

stay hidden, patiently watching

for possible enemy activity.

The remaining Soldiers

loaded back up into the vehicles, inserting several more

teams throughout the area and

then moved back to their compound.

The platoon, a battle-tested

bunch of Southern boys from

Arkansas, is known around the

area for its tough stance. 

The patch they wear on their

shoulder, depicting a knife and

diamond, has become folklore

on the streets. It is said by some

Iraqis that in order to wear the

patch, the Soldier had to kill

someone with a knife.

“The guys I’m with – there

hasn’t been one of them that’s

backed down yet,” said Grimm.

“The first firefight we had, we

rolled into an ambush. None of

them backed down then, and

none of them have backed down

yet.”

Once in the compound, everyone remaining in the platoon

took turns on radio watch. If

there was enemy activity, the

teams would radio in and the

platoon would have to be ready

to roll at a moment’s notice.

Enemy contact – Monday, 2

a.m.

Screams of “let’s go, let’s

go!” filled the building as

Soldiers stumbled out of their

cots, grabbing their gear and

weapons. 

The location of one of their

teams had been compromised.

The enemy knew where they

were.

They jumped in the humvees

and fanatically drove through

the streets of Baghdad at wild

speeds, running lights and

jumping curbs. Soldier’s lives

were at stake. 

72 hours in

Baghdad

Story and photos by 

Staff Sgt. Rebekah-mae

Bruns

39th Brigade Combat Team

Public Affairs

Cracks spider their way across Sgt. Christopher Grimm’s humvee windshield. The

cracks, damage from an improvised explosive device and mortar attack, are a reminder

to the Soldiers of near misses

Hitting the streets with

Arkansas infantry

Sgt. Raif Rucker, of Forrest City, Ark., mans the M240B

machine gun for his team. 

“Every time I

leave this gate, I

pray it’s not my

day, but if it does

go down, then I put

my game face on.”

See 72 HOURS, Page 15

— Sgt. Raif Rucker
July 30, 2004 Scimitar Page 15

Getting to the team’s location was a race against time for

the platoon. Between the moments the OP has been discovered and the time it takes for the arrival of help, it’s a gambler’s throw of the dice, a crapshoot of possible events.

“You don’t want to leave your guys hanging if something happens,” said Coker. “If something happens, you

want to be there within a few minutes.”

The vehicles came to a screeching halt. Soldiers jumped

out — adrenaline pumping — and looked around for blood

trails as they secured the area.

From darkened shadows, three Soldiers calmly appeared

on the street and threw their gear into a nearby humvee.

“They were shooting wildly into my observation post,”

said Staff Sgt. Ronald Woods, 35, of Little Rock, Ark. “I

was in harm’s way, so I made a decision to fire.”

Woods has spent time in several OPs, and they are never

the same, he said. He has lain in rotting trash next to dead

animals and even spent two days lying in a stairwell.

“When you go out there, you want to complete your

mission,” said Woods. “The bad guys are out there, and

your job is to get the bad guys.”

In the last month alone, they eliminated two rocket-propelled grenade teams, two to three mortar men and a man

trying to sneak up on an OP with a grenade. 

The platoon sergeant found a large pool of blood on the

pavement, and the Soldiers followed its trail into a darker,

more populated neighborhood. But the trail came to an

abrupt halt.

Next stop, the hospital

The Iraqi police were already waiting at the hospital

when the platoon arrived looking for the two men Woods

shot. The insurgents had been there but were told by the

doctor their wounds were too extensive for him to treat.

They would have to go to another hospital that was better

equipped. To the Soldiers’ dismay, the other hospital was

out of the platoon’s jurisdiction.

They loaded up once again and rolled back toward their

compound. The Iraqi police would have to handle this one.

Everyone was safe, the team was picked up without

injury, and Woods was able to give a sigh of relief.

“It’s like parents coming to pick you up,” said Woods.

“It’s like being rescued.”

Rucker sat in the gun turret with the night air hitting his

skin as they moved down the road. He watched the

rooftops and the alleyways — just in case.

“With all the things that’s happened here, the first thing

I’m going to do when I get home – that first Sunday – I’m

going to church,” Rucker said.

CAMP BAHARIA, Iraq — The hanging, drooling tongues of Santo and Rek,

two military working dogs, is all the proof

needed to show that the dog days of summer are here in Iraq.

Fortunately for dogs assigned to

Regimental Combat Team 1, they’ve got

Cpls. Donald R. Paldino and Darin

Cleveringa, trained dog handlers who’ve

partnered with the pups for more than two

years. They’re the Marines responsible for

keeping the dogs’ noses cool and moist in

the hot, dry climate. 

“We’re constantly trying to accommodate the dogs as much possible,” said

Paldino, a 22-year-old military policeman

from Oxford, Mass.

Paldino, deployed to Iraqi from Marine

Corps Base Quantico, Va., has been serving with Santo, a 4-year-old

Czechoslovakian shepherd, for two years.

“For some dogs, it’s okay to have a 103-

degree body temperature, and, for others,

it’s not,” explained Cleveringa, a 22-yearold military policeman from Rock Valley,

Iowa, who deployed with Rek from

Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow,

Calif. “So we’re constantly watching their

body temperature because they can overheat at any time.”

Cleveringa had a close call with Rek, a

German shepherd. During a patrol, Rek’s

body temperature reached 104 degrees.

He was airlifted to Baghdad for medical

attention. 

Panting, not wanting to move and heavy

breathing are common signs a dog is trying to stay cool, Cleveringa explained. 

“If they start panting and breathing really fast, they’re in trouble and need to be

(evacuated),” Cleveringa said. 

Paldino and Cleveringa concocted their

own method for keeping the dogs fresh for

duty. They hooked up a generator and two

fans in their vehicle.

“We actually have two mist-fans that are

connected to a water container and a generator that’s mounted on top of the

humvee,” Cleveringa said. “Those fans

really help a lot as long as the water is

iced.”

The hot weather takes a toll on the dogs

and cuts into the time they’re effective.

“Being out in the desert during a mission or standing by for a patrol to kick off

burns them out, which only makes them

effective for shorter time,” Paldino said.

“It’s really disappointing when we have to

wait hours for a mission under the sun

because then they can only sniff for about

15 minutes.”

Paldino said better equipment like a

hard, high-back humvee — wide enough

for two kennels — with an air-conditioning unit would help keep military dogs

fresh and more combat effective in Iraq.

For now, they rely on more hands-on

methods for cooling.

Ice vests and soaking a dog’s belly, legs

and head with cool water also help keep

body temperatures down. 

With only a handful of veterinarians in

the region, Paldino and Cleveringa found

themselves working with U.S. Navy medical corpsmen to help ease some of the rigors. 

“There just aren’t too many vets around,

but our ‘docs’ are helping out where they

can,” Paldino explained. 

“The ‘docs’ have a tub they fill with

water for the dogs,” Cleveringa said. “One

day they gave our dogs some IVs to get

them fully hydrated.”

According to Paldino, support for the

dogs is pouring in from families and

organizations back home. 

“Every time we get care packages, it’s

never for us, it’s all for the dogs,”

Cleveringa said. “They get more mail than

we do.”

Paldino and Cleveringa also spend a

portion of their time sending lessons

learned back to Marine units in the United

States who are preparing to deploy with

working dogs.

“We’re constantly calling our units back

in the States about what works and what

doesn’t, what gear to bring and what not to

bring,” Cleveringa said. 

“This deployment has been a huge

learning lesson for us and for the next

wave of K-9s,” Paldino added.

Story and photos by 

Sgt. Jose E. Guillen

1st Marine Division

Working dogs battle heat to fight terrorism

Cpl. Donald R. Paldino, a military

policeman attached to 2nd

Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment,

gives his partner, Santo, time to

stretch his legs.

Cpl. Donald R. Paldino, a military policeman assigned to 2nd Battalion,

1st Marine Regiment, pets his partner, Santo, a 4-year-old

Czechoslovakian shepherd, at an outpost near Fallujah.

72 HOURS Continued from Page 14
Page 16 Scimitar July 30, 2004

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Heat, dust and

the constant potential of hostile fire are

not easy conditions under which to

conduct an Army physical training test. 

However, some of the most physically fit Soldiers deployed throughout Iraq

ignored those factors and converged at

Camp Victory North here July 17 to

compete in the Iron-Soldier

Competition, a contest gauging physical strength and endurance.

“People scattered from Mosul to

Babylon were part of this,” said

Command Sgt. Maj. Johnny Dorsey,

the 3rd Signal Brigade command sergeant major. Dorsey has been organizing Iron-Soldier competitions for 17

years at various posts where he has

been stationed. 

The competition’s demanding activities started at 5:30 a.m. to avoid the

daytime heat, according to Dorsey. The

24 competing Soldiers pushed their

physical limits by performing as many

push-ups and sit-ups as individually

possible within a two-minute time and

running a two-mile course around a

lake on the camp.

“This was [Dorsey’s] brainstorm; he

brings out great morale and esprit de

corps,” said Lt. Col. Allen Lynn, the

3rd Signal Bde. commander. 

Dorsey contacted other signal battalions attached to the 3rd Signal Bde. to

involve more Soldiers in the event.

“We’re looking for the best of the

best,” Dorsey said. “We’re looking for

the number-one man and number one

woman here.”

All participants were judged based

on the PT test scale for ages 18 to 21,

the toughest age group grading scale

for Army physical fitness testing. “The

difference in the Iron Soldier

[Competition] from a regular PT test is

that we don’t stop at 300,” said Dorsey. 

A score of 300 is the highest possible

total on a normal PT test, and any

points past the maximum posted per

age group are normally not calculated. 

“You have to keep in mind, these are

the Soldiers who max their PT tests,”

Dorsey said. “We calculate past it with

the extended scale, so points are added

on after 300.”

The first-place male winner, 19-yearold Spc. Jarmaris Chaney from A

Company, 711th Signal Bde., traveled

from Babylon to compete. While in

Iraq, Chaney has been training consistently on his own. “I’ve been doing a

lot of weight training, and I run every

other day, three or four miles,” he said.

Chaney’s run, like the first-place

female winner’s run, was won by a

final burst of extra effort at the finish

line. 

“To me, the run is always the most

difficult,” said 1st Lt. Courtney

Heidelberg of the Florida National

Guard’s 653rd Signal Company, the

female first-place winner. Heidelberg

also traveled from Babylon for the

competition. “Sgt 1st Class Mickey

Dickerson [of B Co., 711th Signal Bn.]

had the lead about the last quarter mile

of the run, so it was a close finish,” she

said.

All participants received a coin and

were recognized with a certificate of

achievement. In addition to this recognition, other prizes were given to the

top three males and females.

Chaney and Heidelberg each

received a 19-inch television and DVD

player. Placing second were Dickerson

and Staff Sgt. Santos Batista,

Headquarters and Headquarters

Company, 3rd Signal Bde., who were

each awarded a DVD player. Sgt.

Orlando Arzola, also of HHC, 3rd Sig.

Bde., who placed third for males, and

Sgt. 1st Class Joyce McNeil, HHC 3rd

Signal Bde., the third-place female,

were each given a compact disc player

as a prize from Morale Welfare and

Recreation. 

“We’re looking to do it on a camp

scale next, find who is the best at

Camp Victory, both male and female,

in October,” said Dorsey. “From there,

we’re going to do it camp to camp and

take all the winners and find the best

from that.

“If you’re the best of the best, then

you should be here,” he said.

Persons interested in participating in

October’s competition can call Dorsey

at DSN 822-1407.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq — First Lt.

Courtney Heidelberg attached a run number to her husband 1st Lt. Blake

Heidelberg’s chest and back with safety

pins, then he turned and reciprocated, pinning numbers on her. 

The pair deployed together and battled

in the Iron Soldier Competition together.

Both age 26, the Heidelbergs are currently together on assignment with the

Florida National Guard’s 653rd Signal

Company. 

Courtney, who placed first in the

female category, attributed her motivation

to her husband Blake. Because the competition was divided by gender, the couple did not compete against one another,

although they are accustomed to competing against each other during their regular

workouts. 

“To me the run is always the most difficult,” she said. “I’ve been running here

[Babylon]. I try to do three miles two to

three times a week, and I’ve been running

with my husband lately, although he’s

always faster.”

Both agreed that being deployed

together solves common dilemmas of soldiers on field assignments. “As far as the

deployment goes, the one thing I would

miss most is right here with me,” Blake

stated.

Courtney agreed, saying, “Being

deployed together makes it better for us,

because we’re both with our best friend.”

A platoon leader, Courtney transfers

NIPRNET, SIPRNET and voice data.

When not deployed or drilling with her

unit, she works at the Governor’s Office

of Drug Control in Tallahassee. Blake is

full-time Active Guard Reserve with the

653rd Signal Battalion. 

Courtney attended Ohio State

University, while Blake attended Florida

State. 

The two said they may not have ever

met if it were not for their military training. They both claim to have met because

of the Army. “The military brought us

together,” Blake said. “We met at officer

basic in Augusta, Ga.”

The Heidelbergs have no children as of

yet. “Just dogs,” they said simultaneously. 

Both were excited about participating

in the Iron Soldier Competition, hosted

by the 3rd Signal Brigade. “We still need

to keep up PT with our daily jobs, so

competitions like this help with that,”

Courtney said.

The couple will be celebrating their

two-year wedding anniversary while in

country in August. 

“These two years we’ve had are two of

the best years of my life,” Blake said.

Radar love:

Signal couple 

competes together

By Spc. Crista M. Birmingham,

Multi-National Corps-Iraq 

Public Affairs

Iron Soldiers show mettle 

Best of the best competition held at Camp Victory

Story and photos by 

Spc. Crista M. Birmingham,

Multi-National Corps-Iraq 

Public Affairs

An Iron Soldier hopeful

embraces the "no pain, no gain"

mantra as he pushes himself

past muscle failure in the last

few seconds of the competition's

push-up segment.

1st Lt. Courtney Heidelberg, of the Florida National Guard’s 653rd

Signal Company pins a run number on her husband, 1st Lt. Blake

Heidelberg, who is with the same company. The Heidelbergs entered the

Iron Soldier Competition at Camp Victory together.