Sons of Iraq
The 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment participated in the "Surge" ordered by President George Bush in early 2007 to reinforce Coalition forces in and around Baghdad, Iraq due to the increase of violence and attacks from Al Qaida and insurgents. 1-30 IN, under the command of LTC Kenneth Adgie, deployed to Iraq, to FOB Falcon south of Baghdad in May 2007 and built several patrol bases in Arab Jabour, the countryside east of FOB Falcon. As many as 14 previous attempts to infiltrate this area were unsuccessful, due to numerous IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and enemy activity. 1-30 Infantry's mission was to clear this area of Al Qaida and insurgents, and help prevent the flow of weapons into Baghdad, as well as re-establish rapport and good relations with the local population. From June 2007 to August 2008, 1st Battalion was instrumental in driving enemy forces out of the region south of Baghdad in large operations such as Marne Torch and Marne Thunderbolt, and succeeded in helping establish the "Sons of Iraq", a police force consisting of local citizens to help keep order and also helped establish the basic infrastructure. In mid 2008, 1-30 Infantry sent at least 2 platoons of soldiers to Sadr City to participate in the siege of Sadr City to quell fighting there. 1-30 Infantry redeployed to Fort Stewart, GA in August 2008.†