News from Around Iraq
Baghdad – Investigations proceed into recent helicopter mishaps while security operations throughout the country continue to thwart terrorist and insurgent attempts to detract from the election of Iraq 's first democratic government.
While the three helicopter crashes in the last month are tragic, Coalition pilots face many challenges every time they fly. Multi-National Corps-Iraq's Aviation Safety Manager Richard Eppler helps put flying in a hostile environment into perspective.
“The aviation units operating in this Area of Operation are flying in a very dynamic and hazardous environment. The normal threats to rotary wing aviation are present (i.e. towers, wires, bird strikes, weather) compounded by an ever present threat from hostile elements. On average the Army Aviation units are flying in a month what would normally take a year to fly at their home station,” said Eppler. “These crews are operating at terrain flight altitudes and at night with minimal lighting. Based on my 23 years of aviation experience, I believe this to be a phenomenal achievement considering the adverse conditions, hostile factors, and quantity of flight hours flown by our aircrews. Through aggressive risk management to mitigate the risks associated with military rotary wing operations we continue to maintain an excellent safety program to preserve our aircrews, aircraft and passengers compared to helicopter operations in the past. ”
Elsewhere, in Iraq 's western al Anbar province, Iraqi Army Soldiers began joint counterinsurgency operations with approximately 1,000 Marines, Sailors and Soldiers of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Operation Wadi Aljundi ( Koa Canyon ) began Jan. 15 in the Western Euphrates River Valley between the Jubbah/Baghdadi region and the city of Hit . Their goal is to capture or kill insurgents and to locate and destroy their weapons caches.
In addition to the Iraqi Army, Marines are also working with Iraqi Police in the Baghdadi region. The combined operation involves 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Division, and the 22nd MEU(SOC)'s ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment.
A similar joint operation last week near Barwanah , Iraq , turned up 11 weapons caches. The find was so large it took two days to completely uncover. A translator on patrol with the Marines of 2nd Platoon, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, spotted the initial cache.
Looking to the skies over Iraq , Coalition aircraft flew 52 close air support missions Jan. 17 for Operation Iraqi Freedom according to U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward . These missions included support to Coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities. United States Air Force F-16s provided close air support to Coalition troops in contact with anti-Iraqi forces in the vicinity of Balad. The F-16s expended one precision-guided munition against an enemy position with successful effects.
United States Air Force F-15s, F-16s, and U.S. Navy F-14s, and F/A-18s provided close air support to Coalition troops in contact with anti-Iraqi forces in various locations throughout Iraq
Cadets first to graduate from year-long military training
AL RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq – The first class of cadets for the new Iraqi Army graduated from the Iraqi Military Academy Al Rustamiyah (IMAR) under the year-long Sandhurst-modeled curriculum Jan. 19.
The 73 graduates completed 52-weeks of intensive military training in order to become officers in the new Iraqi Army.
“I am very proud of myself and the other graduates,” said newly commissioned Lt. Raad through the aid of an interpreter. “Today is also a great day for the Army.”
The officers celebrated after the graduation with the traditional buttoning of new 2nd Lieutenant epaulets on their uniforms while seeking their first salutes from the Noncommissioned officers who have trained them for the last year.
Instructors at the academy say they are proud of today’s graduating class.
“These soldiers have set the bar high for the next class,” said U.S. Army Maj. Joseph Brunetti, IMAR assistant chief instructor. “Today’s graduates are truly ready to be leaders in the Iraqi Army.”
During their training the new lieutenants learned various military and leadership skills that have prepared them for their Army service, Brunetti said.
The soldiers will now join military units throughout Iraq to fill junior officer appointments in all branches of the Iraqi Army.
Despite violence, south Baghdad residents get first tap water in eight years
By Norris Jones
Gulf Region Central District
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Baghdad , Iraq – Despite insurgent activity, Iraqi workers completed repairs to two water treatment plants in south Baghdad after nearly four months of work. Due to their skill and bravery, an estimated one million Baghdad residents will benefit from the renovations that continued regardless of insurgent attacks.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Gulf Region Central (GRC) provided oversight for the restoration project. Local workers cleaned the large, 34-meter sedimentation basins, repaired pumps and generators, and installed new chlorine pumps. Because of these combined efforts, each treatment plant now produces about 2,000 cubic meters of clean, potable water per hour.
“Mahmoudiya and Latifiya residents in south Baghdad this week had water flowing from their faucets for the first time in nearly eight years,” said Alfred Everett, GRC Resident Engineer supporting the 2 nd Brigade Combat Team, 101 st Airborne Division. “That's what people in those communities are telling us.”
A Baghdad firm was awarded the project to rehabilitate two water treatment plants servicing the areas northwest of Latifiya along the Euphrates River .
“Despite setbacks and damage to the generators and other equipment in both facilities, the contractor successfully finished the job,” said Everett .
There's no question that Iraqis working on these projects demonstrated significant courage every day.”
Story by Sgt. Joy Kroemer
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division
CAMP TAJI — Fighting the war in Iraq has transformed artillerymen into light infantrymen, a job filled with cordon and searches missions, motorized convoys and dismounted patrols.
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, accepted and excelled in their nontraditional role.
The field artillery Soldiers have dominated a large area throughout the city and rich farmland of Taji, performing in the role of the light infantryman and securing peace for the people of the region.
“We've captured 109 insurgents,” said Lt. Col. Rafael Torres, commander, 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment. “We've discovered 15 caches (of weapons), three of which were the biggest ever found in this area. We've taken in excess of 1,500 artillery rounds here recently and destroyed them.”
Since their arrival in the Taji area in October 2005, the 1st Battalion, or “Top Guns,” has undergone more than just artillery-turned-infantry adjustments.
Coming from Fort Campbell , Ky. , and normally attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, “Top Guns” landed in Iraq and were attached to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division out of Wiesbaden , Germany .
The Soldiers wasted no time in tackling the light infantry role and taking charge of a larger area of operations than most battalions, said Torres.
“Our units are spread out, so we have the challenge of constantly maneuvering our forces on the battlefield to ensure that we have the right combat power at the decisive point of an engagement,” Torres explained. “I think the operational cell and the batteries have done a really good job in being flexible and doing that.”
The missions have been overwhelmingly successful, said Torres, despite the loss of six Soldiers since the beginning of operations.
“I think the fact that we are a team is key,” said Capt. Robert Jenkins, whose Battery A has sustained all six “Top Gun” losses.
“Just maintaining that sense of team and keeping that as the nucleus of everything we do, we'll be alright.”
“We've taken some hard hits here,” Torres said. “Those (six) Soldiers, every one of them, they were here doing their mission and they knew what their mission was.”
Working diligently through those tough losses, the “Top Guns” have stepped up as a team to take the war in their area to a different level, and it has paid off, said Torres.
By actively taking the fight to anti-Iraqi forces in the Taji region, 1st Battalion has broken up improvised explosive devices making cells and destroyed the nucleus of different insurgent “gangs,” putting most of their members behind bars.
“With us proactively going after these caches, insurgents can't defend them so they just have to watch us dig them out,” said Torres.
With six different military occupational specialties making up 1st Battalion's headquarters battery, training with the right Soldiers has made all the difference in becoming infantrymen.
“The 5th Special Forces group trained with us for four months solid at Fort Campbell ,” Torres said.
“We fired more ammunition between the July timeframe until September when we deployed than the average artillery Soldier has fired in his lifetime.”
“When we first found out we were going to be doing light infantry, we didn't know what to expect,” said Sgt. Eden Puente, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery. Expert training in infantry tactics improved the Soldiers' confidence.
No matter what the upcoming mission holds for Torres and his “Top Guns,” one thing is certain - they are ready.
“I am extremely proud of the (Soldiers),” said Torres. “They have gone above and beyond any of the expectations I would have had of them at this phase of the battle. In my mind, they upheld the name of the 101st. Period. So I'm proud of them.”
Securing a military academyZakho , Iraq- In northern Iraq , there is a school under reconstruction that may have a greater impact on the future of Iraq than any other reconstruction effort. The school is Zakho Military Academy.
As important as oil, electricity, water, health care, and primary education are to Iraq's future, educating those already identified to be the future leaders of Iraq will provide direction in the same manner as a rudder steers a large ship. Zakho Military Academy is one of Iraq 's two national military officer academies and is equivalent to the U.S. Army's Military Academy at West Point .
The force protection upgrades performed on the academy are now complete. These upgrades included the design and construction of nine guard towers located around the perimeter of the ZMA compound, installation of lighting on the perimeter wall, and the renovation of two compound entrances. The lighting will provide protection and security to the Iraqi Army cadre and cadets who live on campus. The guard towers will serve both as training opportunities for the cadets to learn first hand the nuances of guard mount, and as operational guard posts for the facility. The new entrances will inspire awe, determination, and commitment to entering cadets in the same manner as entering the gates of West Point , Annapolis , or the Air Force Academy have been symbolic for those entering training to become the nation's leaders in the U.S.
Other force protection projects included a new munitions storage facility and upgrades to the armory. The armory includes rooms for weapons issue, weapons maintenance and cleaning, and weapons racks and lockers for storing both rifles and pistols. The weapons storage rooms were equipped with their own independent air handling. The new munitions storage facility commonly called an ammunition supply point is a four meters by six meters brick building with elevated pads to keep the ammunition off the floor. The facility is secured by a three-meter-high berm, a cyclone fence with razor wire around its perimeter, and lights.
A new gym and rappel tower offer physical, tactical and adventure training. The gym stands fifty feet in height, and features a National College Athletic Association regulation basketball court. The well-lit gym has its own heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. It contains both male and female locker rooms each equipped with showers, toilets, sinks, and lockers. The 64-foot-tall rappel tower has treated lumber on three sides for rappelling with landings positioned at different heights for progressive levels of training. Windows built into two sides of the tower simulate building entry.
Also completed are the military housing apartments. This project included the design and construction of a new Visitor's Guest House that will provide family members, VIPs, and other visitors to the academy comfortable modern living quarters. The facility includes eight bedrooms with private bathrooms, two state-of-the-art conference rooms, two fully furnished kitchens and dining areas and many other conveniences. The house will benefit graduation ceremonies, awards days, and other special events.
“As we live and work on site, together with the cadets, it is interesting to watch first hand how anxious and appreciative they are for us to complete projects providing them new facilities,” said Joshua Adekanbi, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region North project engineer.
Workers implemented the whole of the academy reconstruction project in two phases. Phase I included construction of new cadet living barracks, a headquarters building, security wall, potable water treatment plant, packaged waste treatment plant, a 400-meter track and a soccer field. Other items were an obstacle course, parade field with stadium lighting, sanitary sewer system, and a new water supply and distribution system.
Phase II includes construction of a new gymnasium, and the design and implementation of a new power generation and distribution system. This phase also includes a new military urban warfare training facility, grenade-training field, and an improved firing range, as well as the construction of the new cadet weapons training building.
“We are nearing completion of this project. And it is gratifying to know that my efforts here may be the means to growing a strong leadership base for the future of Iraq ,” said Adekanbi. “We expect to be finished here in January 2006.”
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