Iraq Blog:  September 2007

The following news items are taken from the Blog web site
of the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division Commandos

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2007
Golden Dragons Detain Five Suspected Insurgents

2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division – Center

   BAGHDAD — Coalition Forces detained and questioned men suspected of working with al-Qaeda-allied Sunni extremists Sept. 4 near al-Taraq, southwest of Baghdad.
   Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Fort Drum, N.Y., detained five men after they were stopped by concerned local citizens on suspicion of being associated with local al-Qaeda terrorists.
   The 2-14th Inf. Regt. “Golden Dragons” also discovered a cache further north, near Radwaniyah containing 40 60mm mortar rounds and two bags of homemade explosive.
   The mortar rounds were destroyed in a controlled detonation.
  


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2007
Why I Serve:  Capt. Rich Thompson

Sgt. Chris McCann
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division – Center

   CAMP STRIKER, Iraq — Soldiers serve for a number or reasons – out of patriotism, a desire to learn new skills, or to protect loved ones at home.
   For Capt. Rich Thompson, a battle captain and soon-to-be commander in the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., it is a combination.
   Thompson, a native of Londonderry, N.H., began contemplating a military career when he was just a child.
   “I wanted to be in the Marine Corps when I was little,” he said. As he grew up, however, the Army began to exert a stronger pull.
   “There were a lot of people who influenced me in my life, especially Army officers at school. I decided that the choices in the Army offered me more control over my future.”
   Now, it’s not just the future he thinks of; it’s the friends he has made while serving in the U.S. Army.
   “I like the people,” said Thompson. “There’s definitely more of a closeness with co-workers than in the civilian world. We spend a lot more time together, more hours at work, and we’re in more life-threatening situations than someone who works at, say, IBM.”
   Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science, but said he thinks a degree in management might have been better in his work as an officer.
   “There are a lot of interpersonal skills learned,” he said of management. “Dealing with senior noncommissioned officers who are old enough to be my father – it’s intimidating, especially as a new lieutenant, to be in charge. It can be overwhelming.”
   As his skills have grown, however, he finds it less so.
   “The Soldiers keep me motivated,” he said. “Growing up, my role models were mostly current or retired military. They instilled a lot of patriotism, which caught on.”
   Thompson attended a military high school, which he credits with changing his life.
   “That was the turning point,” he said, laughing, “that’s when I went from being a potential inmate to a contributing member of society.”
   His parents have been pleased with his growth, he said.
   “My parents and my girlfriend have been very supportive,” said Thompson. “Of course, they don’t want to see me get hurt, but they’re proud. I’m sure they’d rather I had a safer job, but I tell them I don’t get outside the wire much.”
   People – at home or at Camp Striker, Iraq, with him – continue to keep him focused on his career as he prepares to take command of Company D, 2-14 upon the 2nd BCT’s redeployment to Fort Drum.
   “The best part about this job (as a battle captain) is that I get to observe the field-grade officers on a daily basis, and see how the commanders of our five companies work – the different things they’ve done, what’s worked and what hasn’t. It’s given me plenty of time to contemplate how to work with my company when we return to Iraq in a year.”
   Being in command, he said, will help him continue to hone his skills.
   “As a commander, I’ll have a wonderful opportunity to influence Soldiers. It’s a job not many people are willing to do, and that not everyone is deemed capable of doing.”
   And while each day is preparation for the next, Thompson tries to have fun.
   “The people I’ve met, and the camaraderie I’ve developed with the Soldiers and the other officers – it’s definitely completely different from the civilian world.”
  


FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2007
Soldiers Help Legitimize Concerned Citizens

Sgt. 1st Class Angela McKinzie
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division – Center

   PATROL BASE WARRIOR KEEP, Iraq — Local police forces are vital to order and safety in Iraqi villages, but some communities have not seen a law enforcement presence for years.
   Coalition troops are helping concerned citizens fill this gap, paving the way for them to become legitimate Iraqi police officers.
   To assist in the process, Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, and 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, both from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), out of Fort Drum, N.Y., tested Iraqi police recruits at Patrol Base Warrior Keep Sept. 4-6.
   More than 700 Iraqi men from each of the seven tribes within Sadr al Yusufiyah showed up for the drive, but only 412 made the cut.
   The recruits were selected from a group of concerned local citizens by Sheiks and other operational leaders to become official members of the Iraqi police.
   Concerned citizens, who have been working with Soldiers for nearly three months, have not been allowed to act as an official part of the government before, but IP recruiting represents change within the 2nd BCT’s area of operations.
   “Having the government recognize these concerned citizens will help to build grassroots security within the local populace,” said Lt. Col. John Valledor, of Weehawken, N.J., commander, 2-14th Inf. Regt. “Before, the concerned citizens had no real authority to enforce the law, but getting them legitimized will enable them to enforce the rule of law.”
   Choosing the candidates did not come easy. Each candidate was selected based on physical fitness, age and basic literacy skills.
   After candidates were screened at the local level, their names were submitted to the Iraqi government with the intent of manning the new IP station forming in Sadr al Yusufiyah.
   “There has not been a local police station in Sadr al Yusufiyah in four years,” Valledor said. “But we are on the road to establishing governance within this area.”
   The police station, which is scheduled for completion within a year, will be built on a piece of land donated from a private land owner and supported by a local sheik.
   The new police station will house newly transitioned concerned citizens when they become official members of the Iraqi police.
  


WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2007
Coalition Forces Find Caches With Help From Concerned Citizens

2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
Multi-National Division – Center

   BAGHDAD - Concerned local citizens led coalition troops to a series of weapons caches southwest of Baghdad Sept. 21 and 22.
   Soldiers from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, out of Fort Benning, Ga., who are currently attached to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., worked with the concerned local citizens to seize the caches.
   The first cache was discovered Sept. 21 after concerned citizens alerted Soldiers of weapons in the area.
   The cache contained several pounds of TNT, 28 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, six 82mm mortar rounds, several boxes of 12.7mm heavy machine-gun rounds, 7.62mm rounds, and seven rockets of an undetermined size.
   Then the concerned citizens led Co. B to another cache nearby. The second cache contained a 60mm mortar tube, an 82mm mortar tube, 18 82mm mortar rounds, a 60mm mortar round, two 120mm mortar rounds, 50 12.7mm heavy machine-gun rounds, a 1-liter container filled with gunpowder, and eight blocks of homemade explosives.
   The third cache, which was pointed out by an Iraqi man, included a Dragonov sniper rifle, an RPG launcher, five RPG warheads, 200 pounds of homemade explosive, an AK-47 assault rifle, 38 incomplete improvised explosive devices, 30 boxes of various small arms ammunition, two boxes of 12.7mm heavy machine-gun ammunition, five tear gas grenades, four fragmentary hand grenades, six 60mm mortar rounds and fuses and five rockets of various sizes.
   The Soldiers also discovered an underground bunker in the vicinity of the third cache site.
   In a separate incident, a concerned citizen led elements of Company D, 2-14th Inf. Regt., to a weapons cache south of Zaidon, Iraq, Sept. 22.
   The cache contained 11 120mm mortar rounds, eight anti-personnel mines, a collection of ammunition of various calibers, and seven rockets.
   The weapons, ammunition and bunker were all destroyed in controlled detonations by an explosive ordnance disposal team.
  


SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2007
Drum Troops Find IED Cache

2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO
BAGHDAD - A Coalition patrol discovered a cache containing four 130mm rounds and a 155mm round, presumably for making improvised explosive devices Sept. 28. Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment "Golden Dragons" of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., discovered the rounds, along with two barrels of black powder and another barrel filled with an unknown substance, near Az-Zaidon, Iraq, just 15 miles southwest of Baghdad. The unknown substances were sampled for testing, and the cache was destroyed with a controlled detonation by explosive ordnance disposal technicians.
 

Iraq Blog:  September 2007
2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division Commandos
Page Copyright © 2008 Kirk S. Ramsey
Last modified: September 13, 2008