Iron Brigade, IA Commando secure Owesat

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1 Multi-National Division Baghdad First Team...Team First Monday, April 20, 2009 By Pfc. Evan Loyd, 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Armd. Div. Local Sons of Iraq (left) greet Lt. Col. Ayoob, commander, Commando Battalion, 17th Iraqi Army Brigade, during Operation Al Sakar in the Owesat area April 12. The Iraqi Army and Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment conducted a counter insurgency operation in the Owesat area to clear the area of insurgents, weapons and explosives caches. Iron Brigade, IA Commando secure Owesat By Pfc. Evan Loyd 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Armd. Div. BAGHDAD Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldiers and Iraqi Soldiers of the Commando Battalion, 17th Iraqi Army Brigade, conducted Operation Al-Sakar, a combined counter insurgency operation in support of the Security Agreement, in the Owesat area southwest of Baghdad April 12. The purpose of the counter insurgency operation was to clear weapons and explosives caches and capture insurgents in the Owesat area. The IA with support from Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Iron Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, also sought to establish security in the area for the people of Owesat in order to implement permanent reforms in security and quality of life. The Owesat area is void of a Coalition forces presence and is a potential location to move accelerants into the Baghdad area, said Lt. Col. Brian Eifler, of Detroit, commander, 1-6 Inf., 2nd BCT, 1st Armd. Div. The objective of this mission was to destabilize any AQI and other terrorist organization operations in the Owesat area. The cornerstone of any counter insurgency effort is establishing security for the local population and controlling the area. Once security is stable, a long-term presence can be implemented to facilitate the basic By Pfc. Evan Loyd, 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Armd. Div. The Iraqi headmaster (left) of the local school in Owesat greets Detroit native Lt. Col. Brian Eifler (right), commander, 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, during Operation Al Sakar April 12. The Iraqi Army and Iron Brigade conducted a combined counter insurgency operation in the Owesat area to clear the area of insurgents, weapons and explosives caches. needs of the people. The joint task forces began the operation in the early morning hours of April 12 with an air-assault insertion to secure and defend the objective in the Owesat area. We wanted to surprise any insurgents and show them that nowhere is safe from the combined ISF and Coalition Forces, said Eifler. We can surround an area in minutes with little to no warning and that we can do it anytime. During the mission the joint task forces cleared a total of six square kilometers and found one cache consisting of five 152mm rounds and detained several individuals. A successful counter insurgency operation depends on thoroughly understanding the society and culture within which the operation is being conducted and building support of the local population. The 17th IA Bde., made a point in engaging the local population. Today s mission was a success not only in what we found but in our building relationships with the local citizens of Owesat, said Lt. Col. Ayoob, commander, Commando Battalion, 17th Iraqi Army Brigade. It s important that the people of the area can see the Iraqi Army as a positive influence they can trust to keep them safe. Beyond securing weapons, See OWESAT, Pg 2

2 PAGE 2 April 20, 2009 IA and MND-B forces achieve security, deny insurgents freedom of movement OWESAT, From Pg 1 explosives and detaining insurgents the goal was also to show the local Iraqi citizens that the Iraqi Army and MND-B Forces were there to meet their needs and improve the quality of life in the area. One of the goodwill projects carried out during the operation was the handing out of backpacks and school supplies to the local children. The local populace didn t feel threatened by us, instead they felt secure against an AQI presence being built up in their area, said Eifler. We showed the local Iraqis that the Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces still care about them. Leaders in both Task Force 1-6 Infantry and the Commando Battalion trained their troops for the joint air assault and ground mission through joint rehearsals and simulations since Task Force 1-6 Infantry s arrival at Forward Operating Base Falcon from Sadr City in early March. The operation enabled the IA and MND-B forces to achieve security and stability in the area and deny insurgents freedom of movement in Owesat. It demonstrates to the people of Owesat the commitment the two forces have in building positive relationships with the people and the ability of the IA to successfully conduct counter insurgency operations. I ve ridden in helicopters before, but the Coalition s attention to detail is something different, said Ayoob. I hope that the Iraqi Army will continue to improve in all areas until we are equal to the Coalition Forces. By Pfc. Evan Loyd, 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Armd. Div. Spc. Robert Cooper (kneeling), of Glouster, Ohio, and Maj. Kurt Thompson, of New Jersey, members of the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, assist in searching the Owesat area for insurgents, weapons and explosive caches during Operation Al Sakar, April 12. MND-B engineers defeat tunnel terrorists 1st Lt. Stephen Clements and 1st Lt. Janeene Yarber 46th ECB (H), 225th Eng. Bde. BAGHDAD On a dark night, two terrorists discovered tunnels underneath a heavily traveled road in western Baghdad and used an improvised explosive device to blow a huge hole in the street to disrupt traffic. To prevent this act of terrorism from happening again, the engineers from Headquarters and Support Company, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 225th Engineer Brigade, were called in to repair the gaping hole in the road and seal access to the tunnels beneath the road. The crater was pretty dangerous and we ended up repairing two holes in that road, stated Staff Sgt. Xavier Bowie, mission noncommissioned officer-in-charge, from West Palm Beach, Fla. There s an Iraqi Army checkpoint nearby and By 1st Lt. Stephen Clements, 46th ECB (H), 225th Eng. Bde. Staff Sgt. Xavier Bowie, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), 225th Engineer Brigade, from West Palm Beach, Fla., descends into a tunnel beneath a heavily traveled road in western Baghdad to shut off tunnel access to terrorists trying to emplace bombs. the [Iraqi Army troops] said it caused a lot of traffic when people would stop to avoid the holes. It was even worse when the drivers didn t see the holes and would just drive into them and damage their cars. Moving by night, the engineer teams arrived on the damaged overpass. Once the explosives teams of the 731st Explosive Ordnance Detachment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division cleared the area of any possible threats, the tunnel crew of engineers descended into the darkness to cut off terrorist access to the tunnels. Spc. Stephen Green, of Pensacola, Fla., and Spc. Eduardo Bonilla, of Jacksonville, N.C., welded steel plates over all the points that led into the tunnel, while, simultaneously Equipment Platoon Soldiers, prepared the holes for repair. The Soldiers repaired the craters by chipping away the damaged asphalt and cleaning up the site. Once the tunnel was sealed on one side of the overpass, the welding team moved to the other side of the road to seal off access on that side. After three hours in the tunnels, and an additional two hours fixing the holes, Spc. Christopher Sallas, of Tulsa, Okla., used a forklift to place See TUNNEL, Pg 3

3 PAGE 3 April 20, 2009 The Engineers defeat IED-emplacing terrorists, improve lives of the Iraqi people TUNNEL, From Pg 2 a very heavy steel plate into the large crater in the overpass. Next, the crater team led by Staff Sgt. Wesley Roach, of Rapid City, S.D., placed a rapid drying asphalt alternative over the plate. After smoothing out the mixture, the team placed road cones around the asphalt to allow it to dry without interruption by traffic. A follow-up visit to the site a few days later revealed a situation that was not all that surprising given the situation that brought them out there in the first place; the asphalt and steel plate had been completely removed. The engineers then returned to the site with another solution to the problem. An attempt was made to reopen access to the tunnel, stated Command Sgt. Maj. Francis Thibodeau, 46th ECB (H), a native of Detroit. This is a busy road and someone was going to get hurt if we didn t put a stop to this, so we sent the welders back in to make sure this doesn t happen again. This time the engineers took measures one step further. With the help of large engineer equipment, they placed several heavy plates of over-sized steel deep into the hole. The welders then sprang into action sealing the plates into place to end access to the tunnels once and for all. With repairs made to the holes, several massive steel plates welded firmly in place and all the tunnels sealed, the engineers were able to not only defeat IED-emplacing terrorists, but also improved the lives of the Iraqi people living in the area. This is great that this hole is fixed, exclaimed Hasan, an Iraqi Soldier that helped to guard the site. People have so many problems on this road; sewage trucks can t get by, families driving get stuck if they don t see it. Thank you! Reiterating the importance of their work and their contribution to the bigger fight, Thibodeau added, The welders no doubt contributed to the counter-ied fight. Iraqi Police recruits graduate at Al Furat By Ray McNulty 8th MP Bde PAO, MND-B BAGHDAD More than two months ago, 700 plus recruits registered for the rigorous professional police training which would prepare them to become Iraqi Police officers. Upon the 8-week course s completion this week, those individuals officially joined the ranks of Iraq s Police Force April 15 after a graduation ceremony at the Al Furat Iraqi Police Training Center. Numbering 537 police patrolmen, they are the fifth Iraqi Police (IP) class to graduate from the Al Furat Iraqi Police Academy in recent months. Last month, a class of 314 IP Shurta graduated. Following graduation, the Shurta are assigned to patrol duties in towns and cities throughout Iraq. These regular graduations are tangible proof the Government of Iraq has kept its promise. It offered Iraqi Police jobs and training to those who care for the safety and security of Iraq s communities, said Brig. Gen. Ali Adnan Yunis, commander, Provincial Directorate of Police. We extend a salute of respect to all those who wish to serve with us. Their service brings honor to their communities. The 8th Military Police Brigade assisted the Iraqi Police through mentoring, coaching and teaching both new recruits and senior officers. Maj. Robert Arnold, commander, Baghdad Police Training Teams, 8th Military Police Brigade, who attended the graduation ceremony observed, Every Iraqi Police graduation points the way forward. More professionally-trained officers are on the streets of Baghdad and throughout Iraq; they are restoring a sense of normalcy to cities and towns around the country. They are the citizen s first line of security. Registration for the next class of IP candidates is due to start before the third week in April. By Ray McNulty, 8th MP Bde., PAO Maj. Gen. Ali Adnan Yunis (left), director, Provincial Directorate of Police, presents Col. Byron Freeman, commander, 8th Military Police Brigade, and a native of Norfolk, Va., with a token of appreciation for the excellent mission the Soldiers of the 8th MP Bde. have performed in mentoring, coaching and teaching the Iraqi Police. By Ray McNulty, 8th MP Bde., PAO New Iraqi Police graduates march past the reviewing stand at Al Furat Training Center April 15.

4 PAGE 4 April 20, 2009 Mobile clinic provides medical care in Lutifiyah By Spc. Jamie Vernon 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Armd. Div. BAGHDAD Security gains, along with an emerging focus on rebuilding Iraqi infrastructures, changes mission priorities for U.S. troops, as they move away from combat operations and on to what the military terms as civil capacity efforts. Civil Military Operations Soldiers, working with 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division and members of the embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team, visited the Lutifiyah Public Health Center April 8 to meet and assist an Iraqi mobile medical clinic. Funded by the Government of Iraq, the mobile medical clinic is an experimental project in the Mahmudiyah and Lutifiyah Qadas, south of Baghdad. Over the past month, the clinic assisted local citizens to rely less on U.S. Soldiers for medical care, and more on Iraqi doctors. The goal is to have the GoI as the By Spc. Jamie Vernon, 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Armd. Div. Staff from the Lutifiyah Public Health Center stand in front of their mobile medical clinic vehicle at Kinana School, April 8. The vehicle contains medical equipment and supplies to treat the patients from the local community who were seen that day by the medical staff of the Lutifiyah Public Health Center. primary health care provider for the Iraqi people. The mobile medical clinic belongs to the Mahmudiyah Hospital. Task Force 4-27 got in contact with the director of the hospital and coordinated for the mobile clinic to go out and do this. They provide everything, and we help them use their assets, said Lt. Col. Anne Resty, of Clarinda, Iowa, the brigade s physical therapist. The hospital then supplies the mobile medical clinic with staff; including a doctor, two nurses, a pharmacy technician, a laboratory technician, a vaccination technician and an emergency room technician. Along with the medical staff, the hospital also provides equipment and medications for the mobile clinic. We provide checkups, vaccinations, lab tests, and medications to the people. Today we mainly saw cases of anemia, hypertension, worms, and we saw one case of diabetes, said Adel, medical director and manager of the Lutifiyah Public Health Center. By Spc. Jamie Vernon, 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Armd. Div. A staff member from the Lutifiyah Public Health Center gives patients medication at Kinana School as part of a mobile medical clinic containing medical supplies and equipment that went to the school to provide care to students and members of the nearby community in Lutifiyah, April 8. By Spc. Jamie Vernon, 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Armd. Div. Adel (right), medical director and manager of the Lutifiyah Public Health Center, gives care to a patient at Kinana School during a visit to the school in Lutifiyah, April 8. Adel, along with doctors, nurses and technicians, traveled as part of a mobile medical clinic to treat students and local Iraqis in the area. The students of the Kinana School and residents from the nearby area received vaccinations, medications, and various other health services from the staff of the mobile medical clinic. Germs in the water being used are a big problem along with people getting sick from the contamination. It s very hard for people to get clean water, so we gave water treatment pills to the people who came today, said Adel. In addition to being a good location for treating children, the school serves as a central location for people of the nearby area. This was the first time I ve done this and I felt very good about serving the population outside the clinic, said Adel.

5 PAGE 5 April 20, 2009 On This Day In Military History On this day in 1953, the actions of a 1st Cavalry Division Soldier who spent 30 months in a Chinese POW camp during the Korean War earned him the Medal of Honor. Cpl. Tibor Ted Rubin, a Hungarian-born Jew who survived two years in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust after American Soldiers liberated the camp, immigrated to the United States in 1948 and enlisted in the Army after learning English and passing a language test. Cpl. Rubin was deployed to Korea in 1950 in Company I, 8th Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. While fighting on the frontlines in Korea, Cpl. Rubin once secured a route of retreat for his company by singlehandedly defending a hill for 24 hours against waves of North Korean soldiers. Two of Cpl. Rubin s commanding officers recommended him for the Medal of Honor and ordered the paperwork for the Medal, but both officers were Rubin killed before the work could be done. According to an affadavit, an NCO responible for completing the paperwork was accused of deliberately ignoring the papwerwork because Cpl. Rubin was Jewish. In October 1950, Cpt. Rubin was captured when a massive number of Chinese Communist Forces flooded the frontlines. After most of his regiment was killed, a severely wounded Cpl. Rubin was captured by the Chinese. Faced with constant hunger, filth and disease, many captured Soldiers died, but Cpl. Rubin persisted in constantly risking his life by sneaking out of the POW camp to steal food from Chinese and North Korean supply depots. Cpl. Rubin also helped his weak and wounded comrades with such actions as taking them to the latrine. Cpl. Rubin was credited with helping keep the camp s survivors alive. Cpl. Rubin was belatedly awarded the Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush in Cpl. Rubin currently lives in Garden Grove, Calif. David Letterman s Top Ten Signs Bad Titles For College Application Essays 10. Why I m Gonna Get So Much Attention In College. 9. Chico, My Most Unforgettable Cellmate. 8. D s = A s: My High School s Complex Grading System. 7. Gross Things I Did To Food When I Worked At McDonald s. 6. A List of 493 Communists In My High School. 5. Why The Admissions Director Loves His Car And Wouldn t Want Anything Bad To Happen To It. 4. A Few Ideas On What To Do With Those Annoying Elderly People. 3. A Preview Of Some Protests I ll Be Leading When I Get To Your School. 2. The Alphabet: Do We Really Need All Those Letters? 1. One Year In College, Then Hello NBA! Iraq 3-Day Weather Report Today 84 F 59 F Tomorrow 89 F 64 F Wednesday 95 F 69 F

6 PAGE 6 April 20, 2009 Pvt. Murphy by Mark Baker Quote For Today The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. Nolan Bushnell, American businessman, Founder of Atari Computer PEGASUS OASIS DFAC HOURS BREAKFAST 0530 TO 0830 LUNCH 1130 TO 1330 DINNER 1700 TO 2000 MIDNIGHT CHOW 2300 TO 0100 SUNDAY ONLY BRUNCH 0730 to 1330 DINNER 1700 to 2000 MIDNIGHT CHOW 2300 to 0100 Trigger s Teasers The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a game with the correct numbers. There are three very simple constraints to follow: Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9. Every Sudoku game begins with a number of squares already filled in, and the difficulty of each game is largely a function of how many squares are filled in. The more squares that are known, the easier it is to figure out which numbers go in the open squares. As you fill in squares correctly, options for the remaining squares are narrowed and it becomes easier to fill them in. Yesterday s Answers Multi-National Division - Baghdad Public Affairs Office Commanding General: Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger Public Affairs Officer: Lt. Col. Philip Smith Public Affairs Chief: Master Sgt. Nicholas Conner Editor: Spc. Jon Soles Staff Writers: Sgt. 1st Class Ron Burke Sgt. 1st Class Joel Quebec Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp Staff Sgt. Peter Ford Sgt. Joshua Risner Spc. Howard Alperin Spc. Laura Johnson Spc. Phillip Adam Turner The Daily Charge is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. Army. Contents of The Daily Charge are not official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of the Army, or the 1st Cavalry Division. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of the Army, the 1st Cavalry, or The Daily Charge of the products and services advertised. All editorial content of The Daily Charge is prepared, edited, provided and approved by the Multi-National Division Baghdad Public Affairs Office. Do you have a story to share? The Daily Charge welcomes columns, commentaries, articles, letters and photos from readers. Submissions should be sent to the Public Affairs NCOIC nicholas.conner@mnd-b.army.mil and include author s name, rank, unit and contact information. The Daily Charge reserves the right to edit submissions selected for the paper. For further information on deadlines, questions, comments or a request to be on our distribution list, the Editor at jon. soles@mnd-b.army.mil