Multi-National Division Baghdad First Team...Team First Monday, August 10, 2009 Soldiers bring promise to factory association By Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell BAGHDAD In an openair factory on the outskirts of northeast Baghdad, Iraqi workers diligently polish mosaic tiles with buffers, spraying water in circular, cascading waves. An Iraqi teenager sweeps the water toward a drainage ditch with a determined look on his face as the workers machines drone on noisily. The owner of the factory, a distinguished Iraqi man with salt and pepper hair, strides toward the wrought iron gate of his factory. With open arms and a wide, beaming smile, he greets American Soldiers and Iraqi Federal Police officers at the entry gate. The factory owner, Kaled Waead al-hahed, is happy to see the Soldiers because, being a member of the Factory Owners Association (FOA), he knows they are here to help. By visiting with Iraqi factory owners July 30, members of the 1479th Civil Affairs Company, embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (eprt) and 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, furthered the mission of improving economic growth in the area. The FOA is a council formed and funded by Coalition forces to organize the factory owners in the area, explained Staff Sgt. John O Leary, an Army Reserve civil affairs specialist from Tewksbury, Mass. The association is receiving help from CF, but will ultimately be Iraqi organized, controlled and funded, he added. Eventually, the owners will pay dues, get training, meet important social contacts, and receive training on new equipment and new machines, explained O Leary, assigned to the 1479th CA Co., 450th CA Bn., 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. They may not see immediate effects, but the factory owners can tell it s beneficial for them in the long run. According to Blake Keller, an industrial advisor assigned to Baghdad eprt 3, the local factory owners will elect officers to represent them on the council, provide training in managing and marketing and lobby the Government of Iraq for resources. Currently, the association is applying to be a Non-Government Organization and already has the support of the majority of the factory owners operating in the area, revealed Keller, a native of Rochester, N.Y. I think anytime [Iraqis] are working and getting paid, they re happy and then we know they re not doing bad stuff, said O Leary. What the Americans are doing is very good for the people here, added 2nd Lt. Juwad Kadhem Mossa, an executive officer for the 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Federal Police Division. A lot of people don t have jobs and the factories help when the Coalition forces give them economic help. Juwad and his fellow policemen patrol the neighborhood daily and he asserts that their relationship with CF his policemen providing security and the Americans creating a council to stimulate the economy is a win-win situation for the area. When the people don t have Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, Staff Sgt. Robert Mosqueda, a cavalry scout section leader from Mission, Texas, assigned to 1st Sqdn., 7th Cav. Regt., 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div., talks shop with an Iraqi Federal Police officer before heading to meet members of the factory owners association in Boob al-sham, here, July 30. jobs or work, then the terrorists will prey on them by giving them money to do bad things, explained Juwad. But if they have jobs, with the help of the factories, then security will be better. Staff Sgt. Robert Mosqueda, a cavalry scout section leader from Mission, Texas, agreed with Juwad. This council keeps us involved with the community if there were no factories than there would be no jobs, so the workers would get money from [terrorists], added Mosqueda, assigned to 1st Sqdn., 7th Cav. Regt., 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. In order to make the association a success, it has derived its business model from an American system to provide the owners with support and other benefits, explained Mosqueda. Sometimes people will stop us during missions and say, Hey, I have two sons and I need work, continued Mosqueda. We ll push them toward the factories and the FOA, so it s Iraqis helping Iraqis and all we did was point them in the right direction and sorta market for their businesses. I learn a lot from the Coalition forces when they work with the community, said a sternfaced Juwad. The Americans respect the human rights of the people because before, the Iraqi Army under Saddam, didn t care about the people and their rights. The civil affairs Soldiers and cavalry scouts patrolling this area have genuine concern for the locals here and their future, according to Mosqueda. That s why ideas like the factory owners association can be successful in helping locals find work and keeping the area secure. The security situation is good now and they will build more houses in the future, said a grinning Kaled wearing a starched, white-collared shirt. And of course, they will need more of my tiles to build their houses.
PAGE 2 August 10, 2009 Soldiers think green, recycle at VBC By Sgt. Joshua Risner BAGHDAD The Army teaches Soldiers to leave a place better than they found it. One Soldier has applied this adage to the Multi-National Division Baghdad area of operations by thinking green. Sgt. Tanisha Manning, from New York, assigned to Company B, Division Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, has applied a recycling initiative to Iraq. It s about saving money, helping the environment and it s part of a responsible drawdown because we want to leave this place better than we found it, she said. I started this about two months ago and it s just now getting off the ground and totally on the move. Manning explained that there was a recycling program in place before, but it wasn t getting much attention. I thought to myself, We drink so much water, we use so much water and we throw away so many plastic bottles - what are we doing? she said. Instead of letting the thought lie, Manning decided to do something about it. She formulated a plan of action, made contacts, and helped publish a fragmentary order on the subject. When I found Sgt. Manning in [Division supply], she inspired me to do something about the recycling situation here on Liberty, said Maj. Mindy Kimball, from Vacaville, Calif., assigned to Co. A, DSTB, 1st Cav. Div. The bottom line is that the landfill on VBC is near capacity and can t possibly last through 2011 with the current rate of solid waste disposal. With the assistance of a contracting organization in Iraq and Kuwait, her plan started to come to fruition. A partnership formed, allowing for the company to come in and take away materials for recycling. The contractors... are the first company in Kuwait and Iraq to implement recycling, ever, said Manning. Now there are blue recycling bins all over Victory Base Complex and throughout MND-B. It s important that we use these recycling bins it s too easy, explained Manning. Everybody on VBC, at least, has a point of contact for recycling. Manning explained that the bins are vital to helping the recycling program along. When I went out to the recycling facility, they were picking through the garbage, looking for recyclables, she said. So it s important for us to separate the recyclables out beforehand to make it easier on them. The Army s policy is very clear it doesn t say try or should [recycle], it says will, said Kimball. But unless every Soldier and leader enforces it, then nothing will get done and nobody can enforce policies they don t know about. Thanks to the efforts of Manning and others, Soldiers serving in the MND-B area now have the capability of recycling plastic bottles, aluminum cans, printer cartridges and cardboard. It is one more step to reducing the footprint of Coalition forces in Iraq. Every little bit helps. Training keeps Daggers sharp Photos by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell BAGHDAD Spc. Thomas Ferrell, a cavalry scout personal security detail driver from Shawnee, Kan., assigned to 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, prepares to fire during a training scenario on the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 at Camp Liberty, here, Aug. 7. It helps because it goes through scenarios in slow motion after you ve done them, said Ferrell. It increases your IQ for scanning and situation awareness. Spc. Dustin Smith (right), a personal security detail driver from Bridgman, Mich., and Spc. Mk Ada Quet Genereaux (left), a combat medic from Westfield, Ind., both assigned to 5th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, take aim during a simulated combat scenario on the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 at Camp Liberty, here, Aug. 7. The personal security detail Soldiers see similar scenarios each day out on the roads of Iraq.
PAGE 3 August 10, 2009 Female MPs driven to protect By Pfc. Kelly LeCompte 30th HBCT PAO BAGHDAD Spc. Yessenia Morales, of High Point, N.C., and Spc. Felicia Sloan, of Lumberton, N.C., are two military police Soldiers that serve as mine resistant ambush protected vehicle drivers in security details for the command group of the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team. Morales, one of two females on her protection team, looks after Col. Greg Lusk, the North Carolina Army National Guard brigade s commander, while Sloan, one of three females on hers, protects the brigade s Command Sgt. Maj. John Swart. We drive him and protect him, Morales said of Lusk. We are his security. Sloan said that at the beginning of the deployment in late April, the males treated them a little differently, but now the girls are just part of the family. We ve held our own, Sloan said. We do everything they do. Morales said that as most of the Soldiers on her team are infantrymen. Infantry is a male-only career field; working with a woman was new to most of them. My guys on my team weren t really used to working with females, Morales said. There s not really even a lot of MP guys on my team, so they didn t know what it was gonna be like to work with females. But now, they don t mind, I m like, the little sister on the team. We ve all come to accept each other, Sloan said. The girls said even though the different members on the team each have their own roles, they are all still expected to know how to do each other s jobs. We ve been trained the same, Sloan said. We can fire the weapons the gunners use. We ve had the same training and if it came down to it, we can all do the same thing. And the guys know that. The two said the like their jobs, with its busy pace that helps the deployment pass quickly. I like that we get to see so many different places, Sloan said about the operating area south of Baghdad. When you re constantly doing something, you find the days fly by, Morales said. If I have a day off, I find myself trying to find things to do. Soldier in Focus: Spc. Russell Martin By Spc. Ruth McClary 30th HBCT PAO BAGHDAD A soft spoken communications specialist speaks volumes to fellow Soldiers by checking radio signals on their vehicles before missions; making sure they hear each other loud and clear. Spc. Russell Martin, of 150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, checks most electronic components on Headquarters Troop vehicles before they roll out on missions from Camp Stryker. The only thing that will stop a vehicle from going out on a mission is communication or CREW (electronic warfare system) problems, said Martin. I am responsible for checking CREW systems on about 100 or so vehicles. The native of Bluefield, W. Va., grabbed a spectrum analyzer, which looks like a hand-held computer keyboard with an antenna attached, and stood a few feet from the vehicle to test the signal strength of one of its electronic systems. A picture pops up giving information that Martin, who trained on the specialized systems for 17 weeks at Fort Gordon, Ga., can decipher. The data is entered into a computer which feeds the information into a spreadsheet that s easily accessed when vehicles prepare to exit the gate; giving commanders a thumbs up that the systems is working properly. He s a good worker; you don t have to look over his shoulder, said signal noncommissioned officer in charge, Staff Sgt. Matthew Whitt, of Glen Lynn, W. Va. Give him a task and it s done. This is Martin s first deployment and he has mastered the art Photo by Pfc. Kelly LeCompte, 30th HBCT PAO Spc. Felicia Sloan (left), of Lumberton, N.C., and Spc. Yessenia Morales, of High Point, N.C., are drivers with the personnel protection detachments that shield the 30thHeavy Brigade Combat Team s command group at Forward Operating Base Falcon. The two military policemen mainly work with infantrymen, which is traditionally a male-only field. of volunteering. He volunteered to help spot check radio problems and changes radio communication signals weekly during his spare time. He is the one man who checks all the CREW systems, said signal officer, 2nd Lt. Robert Mills, of Huntington, W. Va. He volunteered to come on this deployment even though he is in the College First program. He has already volunteered to stay here in the rear as long as needed when the rest of us return [to West Virginia at the end of the deployment]. The National Guard s College First program allows qualified applicants to enlist, but not deploy for at least two years. The pre-med student, who completed his first year at Bluefield State College, said he doesn t mind staying here a little longer if Photo by Spc. Ruth McClary Spc. Russell Martin, a communications specialist with the 150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, checks systems on a humvee at Forward Operating Base Stryker. needed; the extra money will help out with college expenses. Martin sits at his desk with a list of about ten vehicles that need CREW systems checked. Every day is pretty much the same ol cycle, he said. They roll in, I check them out and then they roll out.
PAGE 4 August 10, 2009 On This Day In Military History 1821 Missouri enters the Union as the 24th state- -and the first located entirely west of the Mississippi River. Named for one of the Native American groups that once lived in the territory, Missouri became a U.S. possession as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. In 1817, Missouri Territory applied for statehood, but the question of whether it would be slave or free delayed approval by Congress. In 1820, the Missouri Compromise was reached, admitting Missouri as a slave state but excluding slavery from the other Louisiana Purchase lands north of Missouri s southern border. Missouri s August 1821 entrance into the Union as a slave state was met with disapproval by many of its citizens. During the war, Missourians were split in their allegiances, supplying both Union and Confederate forces with troops. Lawlessness persisted during this period, and Missouri-born Confederate guerrillas such as Jesse James continued this lawlessness after the South s defeat. With the ratification of Missouri s new constitution by the citizens of the state in 1875, the old divisions were finally put to rest. MND-B Pic of the day! RADWANIYAH, Iraq An Iraqi Federal Policeman (left) pulls security with Staff Sgt. Fletcher Sargent, of Troy, N.C., a tanker with Company D, 252nd CAB, 30th HBCT, during a joint Iraqi and U.S. patrol in Radwaniyah, south of Baghdad, Aug. 6. The Soldiers were in the area to examine irrigation canals for a possible clearing project to bring a better water system to people living in the rural villages of the area. Multi-National Division Baghdad Morale, Welfare & Recreation and 225th Engineer Brigade Famous Feats of Chuck Norris Did you know? Chuck Norris is the only man who has, literally, beaten the odds. With his fists. AUGUST 26 1800 Join Us at Oasis Dining Facility Remembrance Room to Commemorate the Anniversary of Women s Right to Vote All day viewing of Iron Jawed Angels Cake cutting ceremony AUGUST 28 1730 Rally outside Oasis Dining Facility March to Division Chapel Inspirational message featuring BG Heidi V. Brown Deputy Commanding General for Sustainment MNC-I
PAGE 5 August 10, 2009 Quote For Today Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then. John Wooden, 1910- American Coach, Author, Statesman Iraq 3-Day Weather Report Today 111 F 87 F Tomorrow 109 F 84 F Wednesday 107 F 84 F Cav Round-Up radio newscast available BAGHDAD The Cav Round- Up is a three-minute radio newscast from Baghdad covering military units and events across Multi-National Division Baghdad. Today s Cav Round-Up # 123 was produced by Sgt Erik Fardette, MND-B Public Affairs Office. The July 31 newscast includes the following two stories: 1. Storing good relationships with Iraq s children. Abu Ghraib celebrated the opening of a school supply warehouse. The project is a great step in developing schools in the area. The school supply warehouse provides a good start to a new school year. 2. Training academy helps National Police. The academy teaches National TRIVIA TIME!! What 2 continents have never been the site of a major military conflict? Last Issue s Answer: The Soviet Union Police new things they will be able to take back to their units and help make improvements. The trust and respect the Natioanl police have earned is because of the training they have received at the academy. NIPR LINK: Cav Round-Up SIPR LINK: Cav Round-Up Check out more news at the 1st Cavalry Division s homepage: www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/ 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: Staff Sgt. Peter Ford Staff Writers: Sgt. 1st Class Ron Burke Sgt. 1st Class Jon Cupp Sgt. 1st Class Joel Quebec Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell Sgt. Joshua Risner Sgt. Jon Soles 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, email the Editor at howard.alperin@mnd-b.army.mil