Telling the MND-Baghdad Story

Transcription

1 Telling the MND-Baghdad Story Friday, April 13, 2007 Working like a dog By Spc. Ryan Stroud 3-1 Cav. Public Affairs BAQUBAH, Iraq -- "You never get over something like this; you have to live with it. November 25, 2006, will be a day that lives with me for the rest of my life," said the solemn Pvt. Bradley Griffith about the day he and his crew were hit by an improvised explosive device while traveling on patrol in their humvee. "I think about it everyday, because you can smell something that will trigger a memory," said the Soldier with Company A, attached to Co. C, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. What started out as a routine day for Griffith, also known as "Griff" to his peers, quickly turned into a rollercoaster of events that would forever shape the young Soldier's life. Griffith, along with other Soldiers, was gearing up for a routine mission in Diyala province in Iraq. As they were preparing for their journey, Griffith said he felt something in his body that was "just not right." Griffith quickly put his "bad feeling" (Photo by Pfc. Nathaniel Smith 4-1 Inf. Public Affairs) Sgt. Jason Ray, from Council, Va., a working dog handler with Forward Operating Base Falcon's K-9 unit in Baghdad, holds the leash to 'Doki,' as it sniffs through rubble looking for explosives April 3. 'Grey Wolf' Soldier rescues buddies from IED blast to the side and continued with his mission at hand. "We got ready to leave -- Sgt. Nunn was gunning and I was driving," continued Griffith. "We headed out the gate and received word that there was a possible IED [up ahead]. After we made it through that area, we felt alright that we made it but we noticed there was no one around." And that's when it happened. After passing a checkpoint, Griffith's humvee See Rescue Page 4

2 News Page 2 April 13, 2007 Basra-based Iraqi Army troops hit Baghdad city streets By Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma 1st Cav. Public Affairs BAGHDAD - Sewing the torn pieces of a violent neighborhood seems challenging, because it is. But with the help of his Iraqi and coalition counterparts, Lt. Col. Jabar, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division, makes a promise to do exactly that when he took over half of the operational area from Lt. Col. Sabah, the commander of the 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, the final week of March during operation "Arrowhead Strike 9." "We need the good people on our side and by helping each other we can do it," said Saba. And it all starts with communication. "The dissemination of the Baghdad Security Plan seems to be pretty good and proliferated across to your basic population," said Lt. Col. Avanulas Smiley, the commander of 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. "They (Photo by Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma 1st Cav. Public Affairs) Lt. Col. Jabar, the commander of the 3rd Bn., 4th Bde., 10th IA Div., talks with Lt. Col. Avanulas Smiley, the commander of 1st Bn., 23rd Inf. Regt., 3rd SBCT 2nd Inf. Div.,in a neighborhood in Baghdad's Mansour district March 25. understand what's going on. They understand what we're doing and there's a resounding appreciation for the increase of Iraqi security forces, as well as coalition presence." Clearing operations like "Arrowhead Strike 9," have swept through the area before, but some changes have been made. According to Smiley, working side-by-side with these Iraqi battalions everyday has allowed him to see the battalion from Basra fall right into place, performing their duties with absolute professionalism. Although they have only been in the area for a few days, their performance gave no clue. "They came right into zone, went right to work and I've been able to watch them at the lowest levels and how they interact and engage with the local nationals," said Smiley. "It's been very positive." Since they plan to remain in the area as part of the surge of Iraqi troops to the area, one of their goals is to provide the residents with the basic services they need such as water, electricity, and sewage. "I have watched and worked with several Iraqi security force battalion commanders and when I step back and watch him function without a (Military Transition Team) chief and without myself there I see him giving out his cell phone number, his personal cell phone number," said Smiley about Jabar. "This is from a guy who just deployed his battalion from Basra and the fact that his battalion is primarily Shia, from a Shia part of the country, and is in a predominately Sunni neighborhood and the way he has reached out and has been received by the population is extremely positive." Arabic Phrase of the Day aamil Defined: worker Iraq 3-Day Weather Report Today High: 82 Low: 57 Tomorrow High: 70 Low: 57 Sunday High: 77 Low: 55 Commanding General: Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil, Jr. Public Affairs Officer: Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl Command Information Supervisor: Master Sgt. Dave Larsen NCOIC, Print Production: Sgt. Michael Garrett Editor: Spc. Shea Butler Staff Writers: Sgt. Nicole Kojetin, Spc. L.B. Edgar, Spc. Jeffrey Ledesma, Pfc. Ben Gable, Pfc. William Hatton Contributing Writer: Spc. Ryan Stroud Contact the Daily Charge at VOIP , DSN or e- mail david.j.larsen@mnd-b.army.mil. The Daily Charge is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. Army. Contents of the Daily Charge are not necessarily official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army or the 1st Cavalry Division. All editorial content of the Daily Charge is prepared, edited, provided and approved by the 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs Office.

3 Page 3 News April 13, 2007 Baghdad in Brief By Spc. Ryan Stroud 3-1 Cav. Public Affairs BAQUBAH, Iraq -- It was a wild night of laughter and comedy as the Soldiers of 3rd "Grey Wolf" Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, were treated to a show by comics Chris Simpson, Tobe Hixx and Jamal Doman, April 8. The comedians entertained the Soldiers of Grey Wolf at the Faulkenberg Theater at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, as part of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Comedic Tour of Iraq. As nightfall came to FOB Warhorse, Chris Simpson took the stage as the host for the evening. He began his routine by cracking on Soldiers coming into the show late and offering to "get them a watch." After his routine was complete, he was followed by Tobe Hixx, who entertained the crowd by cracking on how skinny he was. Jamal Doman closed the show with an extremely animated set of jokes which had him throwing a stool around the stage and fighting with it. After all was said and done, Simpson and Doman got into a "Your Mamma" contest (Photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud 3-1 Cav. Public Affairs) Comedians Jamal Doman (green shirt) and Chris Simpson (blue jacket) get into a "Your Mamma" battle at the end their comedic show at the Faulkenberg Theater at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, April 8. Troops get some comic relief with each other, which ended with thunderous laughs from the audience. "[The show] was extremely funny," said Sgt. Robert Whitfield, Company B, 215th Brigade Support Battalion, and a native of Mobile, Ala. "These guys came out here and made us laugh, which was nice," he added. "We all need to laugh every now-and-then." Simpson, Hixx and Doman said the pleasure was all theirs, and they felt honored and privileged to entertain the Soldiers. For Hixx, it's his second time over here, completing a comedic tour in Afghanistan. As the Soldiers exited the theater, autographed photos in hand, Simpson said he really hoped the Soldiers enjoyed the show and the chance to escape for a while. "Our job is to make you and the Soldier laugh," he said. "Since the jester days, comic's jobs are to make people laugh when they need it, and the Soldiers really need it. "We really try to do our best for the Soldiers to give them something else to think about and help them remember home," Simpson said. Truck bomb destroys Baghdad s Sarafiyah bridge BAGHDAD - A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, described as a tanker truck, destroyed Baghdad's Sarafiyah Bridge at 7:19 a.m., April 12. The initial report of the attack was received by the 4th Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. It indicated that the bridge, which links Karkh to Rusafa and provided access for Iraqis to the Rusafa market, was destroyed. Company A, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment responded and was on site at 7:48 a.m. to provide initial security on the east side of the river until Iraqi security forces arrived. Iraqi security forces arrived by 8 a.m. and the 6th Iraqi Army commander began taking control of security of the site. Iraqi citizens in the area indicated that the tanker truck came from the west side of the river. One Iraqi civilian was killed in the blast. Eight other civilians were wounded. Two Iraqi Army soldiers were also injured in the attack. The incident is under investigation. Insurgents attack Haswah citizens, wound seven KALSU, Iraq - Insurgents attacked Iraqi civilians with mortars in Haswah, Iraq, south of the Iraqi capital, wounding seven April 12. Iraqi police from Haswah heard the explosions and immediately assisted injured citizens by evacuating them to the Iskandariyah Hospital. The incident is being investigated by Iraqi security forces.

4 Page 4 Rescue From Page 1 was hit by an IED, sending the humvee into a swerve as Griffith did his best to regain control of his vehicle. With no time to think, Griffith quickly exited the vehicle and ran to his battle buddies aid. He first saw Nunn in the gunners hatch, jumped on top of the humvee, and started pulling him out. "The first thing that popped into my mind was everyone needs to get out of this vehicle because there might be a secondary IED about to go off," he said. "I knew I needed to get these guys out and get them to safety." "I jumped out [of the vehicle] to figure out what I was going to do next," Griffith said with a bit of distress in his voice. "I grabbed Sgt. Nunn out of the humvee; he was still in the gunners hatch. He was asking me how his face was. I told him everything was going to be alright, because I didn't really know how bad he was." "I've tried to forget [the experience]," said Nunn, a native of Kansas City, Miss. "I remember the blast and smoke and [Griff] dodging and swerving, trying to keep us on the road. My first reaction after the blast was the pain in my right side. I thought I lost my hand. "And in the haze and the buzzing noises around me, all I see is Griff yelling, 'Get out! Get out!'" Nunn said. "He got me out of the vehicle through the top [gunner's hatch] and all I remember after that was waking up in another humvee," he said. "I passed out." "At that point, the commander's humvee had pulled up right Feature April 13, 2007 A routine day turns to tragedy for Grey Wolf Soldier (Photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud 3-1 Cav. Public Affairs) Sgt. Eric Nunn and Pvt. Bradley Griffith, both of Company A, attached to Co. C, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, joke with each other while hanging out at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqubah, Iraq. next to us, so I took Sgt. Nunn between the two humvees," Griffith said. "I knew DeNeutte was still inside the humvee." Griffith quickly moved around the large vehicle to attend to his comrade but he couldn't get him out of his door. So, with quick thinking and brute strength, Griffith ran around the other side of the vehicle and pulled the injured DeNeutte out of the smoking shrapnel in the right side of my face, in my right arm and little pieces of shrapnel in my right thigh," said Nunn. Upon Nunn's return to the unit after being hospitalized for two weeks, he and Griffith finally crossed paths with each other. "I think the first thing we did when we saw each other was hug," said Nunn. "It was a big experience for the both of us." And the duo has carried on humvee. with their missions since. "DeNeutte kept asking me if he looked alright and I told him everything was going to be alright," said Griffith. "I laid him down and our [doctor who was traveling with the convoy] came running up." Nunn and DeNeutte were Griffith has been "hit" by a total of four IEDs now, each taking him back to Nov. 25, 2006, but said he has not been fazed by these experiences. "Unfortunately, we didn't catch the triggerman that day, but we did catch him later on quickly evacuated from the area another mission," Griffith to receive treatment for their wounds. Nunn has since returned to the unit, while DeNeutte is still recovering back in the States. "I suffered a broken hand, added. "It was an awesome feeling. It just felt good to know we got the guy who did this. It was a relief." Griffith also said he has talked with DeNeutte since the attack. "He wanted to thank me for getting him out," Griffith said. "He said, 'Thanks for what you did.'" Nunn said it was good to be back and didn't want to go home -- he preferred to stay in the fight and carry out his mission, with Griffith by his side. "He acted on a reflex," said Nunn, proudly. "It wasn't, 'What should I do? Somebody tell me what should I do?' As soon as [the blast] happened, he handled the vehicle. Once the vehicle stopped, he quickly analyzed the situation, jumped up and got me out of the vehicle. "When the other vehicle pulled up, he quickly got me inbetween the two vehicles," he continued. "He jumped back into the vehicle, got DeNeutte out and he knew there had to be a triggerman on the outside of the road. He jumped in the gunners spot and started looking for that guy. "If you have never been through something like that, it doesn't matter what anybody teaches you," said Nunn. "You're either ready, or your not, and Griff proved his worth that day. It shows a lot about his character and what he's willing to do for his team. Griffith's and Nunn's unit knows there is a bond between the two that will never be broken. The two Soldiers joke with each other, give the other one a hard time, but deep down, there is love between the two - love for their fellow Soldier and brother. "I don't think proud is the right word for [my feelings toward] Griff it's more than that," Nunn said. "Griff and I are family."

5 Page 5 Movies April 13, 2007 A world with no more babies By Pfc. William Hatton 7th MPAD There is just something about apocalyptic, near-the-end-of-the-world-type movies that really strike a cord in my heart. I'm not really sure what it is, whether it's a zombie plague or a nuclear holocaust, I just love a movie with a crummy future in store for us. I watched a movie recently, and although there weren't zombie hordes or nuclear wastelands, the end of humanity was close at hand in the movie. The movie was Children of Man starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, and Michael Caine. The movie is a great scifi/drama/action flick based 20 years into the future where the world is near complete destruction. After women across the planet stop producing children, the whole world slowly collapses with little hope left for mankind. As the world is in complete peril, one man (Owen) is engaged to protect a newly-pregnant woman. As a group of people try to protect the girl race toward safety, forces from all around try to take the girl and use her baby for political gain. With the concept of what the DVD Hunt Pfc. William Hatton world would be like if the human race stopped procreating, I really felt that the movie really did a decent job portraying the world in that type of jeopardy. It seemed plausible for this type of science fiction monstrosity. I think one of the reasons I really enjoyed this movie was the level of suspense throughout the film. It had a pleasant tempo from start to finish. The movie never left me feeling bored or despondent. The movie didn't hesitate delving right into the action. From the very beginning, I could feel my heart racing. Now, I'm not going to be "that guy" and ruin a good movie by giving away the ending, but I'll just say I didn't know how the movie was going to end until it was over. I really appreciate a movie that will keep you guessing until the end. Even when it ended, I was left with images from the movie flashing through my mind. I thought about the movie for a while afterwards. A movie that can captivate you and have you think about it deserves some credit. I enjoyed it so much, I felt like watching it again right after I finished it. All in all, Children of Man was entertaining and intriguing. I give it four-and-a-half Golden Spurs out of five. (Courtesy of Universal Pictures) Clive Owen and Claire-Hope Ashitey in Children of Men