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babcock224@aol.com
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>From two Central Command News Releases dated 1-11-04:
IRAQI CITIZEN THWARTS CAR BOMB ATTACK IN BA’QUBAH
BA’QUBAH, Iraq – A terrorist attack against innocent Iraqis was thwarted at the Tahrir Husseinia mosque in Ba’qubah when an observant mosque official decided to investigate a suspicious vehicle parked near the building at approximately 2 p.m. Jan. 9.
The official asked people in the area and those at prayer if they knew who owned the unfamiliar automobile. He went to the extent of asking for information about the car over the mosque’s loudspeaker. When no one claimed the vehicle he contacted the Iraqi Police.
The police responded and discovered that the vehicle was in fact a potentially deadly car bomb packed with 250 pounds of plastic explosives and three 130-millimeter artillery rounds with a remote control detonator wired to the car’s antenna.
The Iraqi Police immediately requested assistance from 4th Infantry Division, 588th Engineer Battalion’s explosive ordnance disposal team and quickly evacuated people from the mosque and the surrounding area.
With the assistance of the Iraqi Police bomb squad, the 588th EOD team successfully disarmed the device. The vehicle was moved to a secure location for further inspection and investigation.
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TF IRONHORSE SOLDIERS CAPTURE INSURGENTS AND FIND IED FACTORY
BA’QUBAH, Iraq – The targets of a 588th Engineer Battalion early morning raid on Jan. 10 in Ba’qubah, were a father and his six sons suspected of being involved in attacks against the Coalition.
The father and three of his sons were captured without incident. A woman was also detained. When the detained woman was searched by a female soldier and was found to have, hidden within her clothing, four hand grenades. Additionally, the soldiers located and confiscated four AK-47 assault rifles, a U.S.-made body armor vest and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC) uniforms in the house.
Earlier in the evening on Jan. 10, the 588th Engineer Battalion conducted another raid in north Ba’qubah and captured two people suspected of being weapons dealers. One of those captured was a local sheik. The soldiers located and confiscated three AK-47 assault rifles, one pistol, one hand grenade and 11 million Iraqi dinar. The soldiers also found a brief case filled with identification cards, including one of the captured individual’s Ba’ath party cards.
In Taji, Iraq, information from an Iraqi citizen about a possible weapons cache brought 5th Engineer Battalion soldiers to a house in Taji during the afternoon of Jan. 10.
The soldiers searched the house and found 418 C5M rockets, 260 rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), 250 82-millimeter mortars, 50 57-millimeter mortars, 65 120-millimeter artillery rounds, 15 PG7 anti-tank rounds, 13 cases of 7.62-millimeter ammunition, 30 hand grenades, and 100 rounds of 7.62-millimeter armor piercing ammunition, 2,000 additional rounds of automatic weapon ammunition, 30 grenades and four rifles.
The site was also used as an improvised explosive device (IED) factory. Soldiers found nine 155-millimeter artillery rounds that were configured as IEDs, as well as a bag of black powder with a time fuse attached. Additional IED-making material confiscated included five command detonation systems, four remote detonation systems, four blasting caps, several feet of time fuse cord, several feet of detonation cord, four push button switches used in the production of IEDs and 16 crates of plastic explosives. Two individuals in the house were detained.
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Iraqis Resume Protest After Deadly Clash
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG
.c The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Hundreds of Iraqis hurled stones at British soldiers who waded into the crowd wielding batons in the southeastern town of Amarah on Sunday, witnesses said, a day after clashes that killed six protesters and wounded at least 11.
Protesters demanding jobs tried to rush the troops guarding the city hall, but the British drove them back from the compound, which also houses offices the U.S.-led occupation force and the 1st Battalion of Britain's Light Infantry.
Also Sunday, U.S. forces arrested a Saddam Hussein loyalist suspected in last month's shooting of an American soldier who was saved by his flak jacket, the Army said.
The soldier whom the Iraqi allegedly shot, Sgt. Jeffrey Allen of Leitchfield, Ky., made the arrest, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell.
The troops arrested the man in a raid on his home in Tikrit, acting on a neighbor's tip, said Russell, commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the Army's 4th Infantry Division. He said the arrested Iraq was a member of Saddam's former Fedayeen paramilitary fighters.
Allen was shot twice in the back on Dec. 30 during a patrol in Tikrit. He was saved by the protective back plate in his flak jacket, Russell said.
Soldiers also seized an AK-47 assault rifle, ammunition and several photos of the detained man posing with Saddam and the deposed Iraqi dictator's late sons, Odai and Qusai.........
The Navy also said Sunday that fighter jets from the USS Enterprise dropped a 1,000-pound bomb on ``an enemy mortar position'' near Balad, in northern Iraq. It said Friday's attack was the first use of precision-guided munitions this year from the carrier, which is in the Gulf......
In other developments:
Iraqi police on Sunday surrounded at least two Tikrit hotels and arrested several men calling themselves migrant workers. They were suspected of belonging to the Badr Corps, the military wing of the Shiite group, the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Maj. Bryan Luke said. It was not immediately clear how many people were arrested in the operation or where they were from.
Four mortar shells exploded at the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan office Sunday morning in the northern city of Mosul, damaging the building but causing no injuries, according to party officials who were there at the time.
Two explosions occurred Sunday near the U.S.-led coalition office in the northern oil city of Kirkuk. Police said they appeared to be percussion bombs ``aimed at terrorizing.''.....
01/11/04 07:36 EST
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
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>From Central Command news release on 1-9-04:
WRAP UP OF 4TH ID’S ACTIVITIES
TIKRIT, Iraq – Solders from the 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse have, over the past 24 hours, conducted 157 patrols and one raid, and captured 10 individuals. Three of the patrols were joint operations conducted with the Iraqi Police, the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and the Border Guard in order to continually improve the safety and standard of living for the Iraqi people.
Weapons and equipment confiscated in raids and patrols throughout the Task Force Ironhorse area of operations include 27 AK-47 assault rifles, nine rifles, two shotguns, one pistol, four rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, 87 grenades, six land mines, 1,520 rounds of 7.62-millimeter ammunition and six improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
A former regime official was captured 15-kilometers south of Dibis on the afternoon of Jan. 7 by 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment (Editor's Note: I think this is a typo, have never heard of this unit with 4ID or TF Ironhorse) soldiers. The individual was targeted for capture by the 173rd Airborne Brigade for killing eight Iraqi soldiers during the war and for suspected anti-Coalition activity. The soldiers captured the targeted person without incident.
Civil Affairs soldiers and officials from the Coalition Provisional Authority went to Samarra to distribute $50,000 worth of clothes, shoes and blankets to the city’s underprivileged. The items were divided with the assistance of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, 20 school principals and local religious leaders and given to people who were identified as requiring assistance.
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Canine Gate Guard Follows his Nose
By U.S. Army Spc. Bronwyn Meyer
367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FORWARD OPERATING BASE IRONHORSE, TIKRIT, Iraq – The newest security guard for the 4th Infantry Division can sniff out trouble before others know its coming.
Good instincts and loyalty are just two things that make this sentry at the front gate of Forward Operating Base Ironhorse the best at his job. Also, no matter the hour or the weather, he doesn’t complain.
Rocky, a German Shepard trained as an explosive sniffing dog, is part of the base’s frontline defense, searching vehicles and baggage. His handler, Navy Master of Arms 1st Class Sean Stull, is the other half of the team.
“A lot of people think they can get stuff over on people, but it is pretty hard to fool a dog, especially a well trained, explosives dog,” said Stull, a native of Kings Bay, Ga.
The arrival of Rocky, along with a second dog, has made vehicle and baggage searches faster, easier and more effective. “It speeds up the searching process, and the dogs nose is a heck of a lot more accurate,” said Stull. “He can search the vehicle in half the time a person can.” Before Rocky came to FOB Ironhorse, the military police methodically searched through vehicles and baggage, not knowing if they would encounter hidden explosives.
Rocky can search a vehicle thoroughly, keying on explosives or any other material that he has been trained to find. “(He) can sniff out anything we miss,” said Pfc. Jennifer Sperber, a Nice, Calif. resident with the 411th Military Police Company.
If Rocky alerts to something, he lets Stull know by sitting down. Once the material is identified, the area is cleared and an explosive ordinance disposal team is called.
The German Shepard, trained at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, acts as a subtle deterrent to insurgents who may try to enter the base. The fierce look of the German Shepard can be disconcerting to locals who are more accustomed to sight of rifles and tanks rather than a gate guard with pointy ears.
“A lot of Iraqi civilians are frightened of the dog,” Sperber said. “It is more protection for us. The more protection we have the better.”
Stull and Rocky have received a lot of praise already for their work at the gate. Besides being a competent partner, the canine has been Stull’s constant companion during the time the sailor has been deployed.
“It’s my little taste of home,” said Stull. “He’s my buddy.”
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U.S. Turns to Iraq to Strengthen Humvees
By PAUL GARWOOD
.c The Associated Press
TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) - Humvees have become a regular target for roadside bombs planted by Iraqi insurgents, so who better to call on to strengthen U.S. military vehicles against future blasts than Iraqis themselves.
While driving through the Kurdish-controlled northern city of Kirkuk several months ago, Master Sgt. Dana Watson, 43, of St. Johns, Mich., came up with the idea to seek local assistance when he spotted men at a metal works shop grinding and welding pieces of steel.
``I went to these guys with the design to fit our vehicles with some kind of reinforced steel and asked if they could build a prototype,'' Watson, a combat engineer with the Tikrit-based 4th Infantry Division, said recently. ``They said they could, and after making a bid for the project, they won the tender.''
The winning company, which belongs to Kirkuk businessman Delshat Peerot Aziz, has built and installed 8mm thick steel casings in the rear compartments of 100 Humvees and other vehicles where gun-toting soldiers sit. It also fitted new doors made of the same material onto each of the vehicles.
While watching the Iraqi Kurdish workers putting the finishing touches on several Humvees, Watson said the revamped vehicles out of Fort Hood, Texas, can repel the blasts from roadside bombs and machine gun fire.
``Our number one concern was IEDs (improvised explosive devices),'' said Spc. Christopher Roessner, 20, of Ventura, Calif., while sitting in the back of one of the strengthened vehicles. ``I feel a whole lot safer sitting in the back of one of these Humvees than the old ones.''
Roessner and his fellow soldiers go on daily patrols of dangerous roads in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, where anti-U.S. insurgents have planted improvised explosive devices that have killed and wounded many U.S. troops.
Aziz and the 15 engineers he employed to refit each of the vehicles are Iraqi Kurds, an ethnic group that had been long oppressed under Saddam's Baath regime. But the Kurds in Iraq's north have enjoyed greater freedoms than most Iraqis since the 1991 Gulf War due to aerial protection from U.S.-led air forces.
``I am happy to be working with U.S. soldiers because they brought freedom to Iraq,'' Aziz told The Associated Press. ``If I can make it safer for them to do their work, then I am helping Iraq become safer.''
01/12/04 02:06 EST
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
(Editor's Note: This reminds me of the American ingenuity shown by GI's in all wars, but especially of the soldiers in the hedgerows of Normandy in June 1944 who welded spikes to the front of tanks to break through hedgerows. Trust our GI's to address the challenges that come their way - that's part of what makes the American GI the best in the world).
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Some Official Guidance on Mail Cut-Off Dates:
>From one of my high level TF Ironhorse contacts in Iraq, I got the following:
Spoke w/ our G1. Theater recommended policy for mail cutoff for TF Ironhorse soldiers is 15 Feb for packages and 1 March for letters. That said, I'd follow the guidance on packages, but we'll have soldiers here until April/May, so letters beyond 1 March would be OK for them.
Editor's Note: Before you start panicing, this doesn't say things have been moved back to May. Some TF Ironhorse units attached to 4ID did not get to Iraq until May so their year long deployment won't end until this May. Remember, our April 1 date we use for the countdown is the average date - some will be home before then and some will be home after that date.
Also - keep in mind - we will have 110,000 new troops flowing into the theater at the same time the current 130,000 troops are moving out. Mail volume will increase substantially so please keep that in mind as you send mail. I'll have an article from the postal command in Kuwait in tomorrow's update that will give some more background information on mail during the transition period.
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59 Years Ago Today - 4ID in Luxembourg
As I've previously reported, the 4ID after action report for 1-14 Jan 45 was reported in summary form rather than the normal daily report. Here are the intelligence reports for this time period that were in the AAR:
8 January 1944 - D+217
Except for the usual patrol activity, the enemy remained wholly on the defensive. Artillery fire showed a decrease and remained interdictory and harassing.
9 January 1944 - D+218
There was an indication of rather extensive enemy movement behind the pillboxes and emplacements east of the Sauer and Moselle. It was felt however that this activity was routine traffic and did not indicate relief or reinforcement of enemy units.
10 January 1944 - D+219
(Nothing reported)
11 January 1944 - D+220
Small patrols and harassing fire were the only enemy efforts against our positions. Vehicular movement east of the river line continued brisk but there were no indications that a concentration of enemy forces was being built up.
12 January 1944 - D+221
Enemy armored movement was reported in conjunction with the traffic detected. It was apparent that in the CT 22 sector the enemy was making determined efforts to establish listening posts and ambush patrols.
Thanks to Philippe Cornil at www.revive-it.com.
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What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) I heard from my son 704 DSB on New Years Day. He seemed in good spirits. He had gotten all the Christmas gifts and cards that friends had sent. Hearing from him put me at ease, but that relief was short lived as word came that it was a local National Guard Unit that was hit in the mortar attack on Jan 7. Fortunately the injuries were mostly minor.
2) Last night at the end of Nightline on ABC they announced that all next week (M-F) that the shows will be on Ted Koppel in Iraq. I thought if you had not seen this announcement you might like to know.....I finally heard from my grandson again this week. He said they had been busy. I also got a Thank You letter yesterday from one of his buddy's for things I sent over Christmas. It breaks my heart that he wanted to know if he could repay me when I think I can never repay him and the others over there for what they are doing. He told me that my grandson always shares everything that I send to him, which I already knew. I always send enough for him to share as I know some don't receive anything. (Unit not given)
3) I received a letter yesterday (1/5) from my brother (3-66 AR/Tikrit) that was dated 12/14!! Took quite a bit longer to arrive than most of his other correspondence. He spirits were good – although mentioned that they had a lot of rain during the month of December in Iraq.
4) Hi, just wanted to say that I'm so excited about the 101st Airborne coming home. That means our 4th ID troops are on their way. I know it may still be a couple months or so, but hey the line is getting shorter right. My husband of HHT 1/10 CAV is real excited to get home. Our 12 month old is starting to walk and take those daring wobbily steps. He is also saying new words including "no", my husband is missing all this and he hates it, but I always tell him that he's a hero and always will be to us.
5) Had email from son with HHC, 3/66 AR in Bayji on Saturday. He is good, only slight cold with sore throat. He says he stays busy and is out most of the day, everyday. Makes time pass by quickly. Finally got a microwave that doesn't work quite right, but it does heat things up eventually. He says they have seen troops travelling north to Mosul to replace the 101st. They are expecting to see troops show up there in a month as their replacements. It is wonderful to know that the time is getting close. It will be wonderful when he emails and says replacement troops have arrived - then he'll know for sure he is coming home.
6) I have a son serving in Iraq and one that will soon be going to Iraq. We have truly been blessed to have you send updates on a daily basis. We have all expressed our appreciation to the soldiers for our freedom. One thing I would like to do is tell the Vietnam vets how much I appreciate the sacrifice they made and to thank them. I often wonder if some of them have ever been thanked for their time in the Vietnam war (yes, I said war not conflict). Bob, I realize this is a different type of message we are used to seeing but if you see fit and have room I would like very much for the
Vietnam vets (I know a lot of them read your updates) to know they are greatly appreciated and without their service our loved ones would be in a much harder situation. Prayers for all our service men/women, past and present. (As a Vietnam vet, I thank you for the note).
7) From a WWII 4ID vet: I still do not get a warm comfy feeling when a plethora of news reporters swarm over every battle, police action or patrol action! I saw one reporter during the many actions from D-Day to VE Day - Ernie Pyle! He was with the 8th from just before the Breakout at St. Lo ca. July 20, 1944 to a week or so before we started into Paris ca. August 20 - 25, 1944! His reports were filed and dated a week or two behind the action reported! Nowadays the Press seeks more mileage out of the killed than they do the wounded!! Normal ratio of killed/wounded is about 1 to 7 and a majority of the wounded return to "work"!! The Press says little about the Iraqi services back in operation?, how many Police?, Electricity? Bob B. gives you so much more about what the 4thID and many, many others are doing to help rebuild Iraq than the Press ever thought about telling!
8) Our grandson is w/B Company 4th Engineers at Balad. CNN showed "Anatomy of a Raid" in which we got to see Mike and his Unit doing their work! We were screaming "it's Mike, it's Mike" each time his voice or face appeared. It was quite a thrill but very scary watching them carrying out the raids with the camera right behind them. Haven't seen anything on your site about this special newscast. We taped it of course and run it in slow motion often. We send our prayers and thanks to all the troops.
9) My son called his girl friend Friday morning and said he is fine. Two others are still in the hospital. One was flown to Germany with a collapsed lung and other injuries. The other is still at a Baghdad hospital receiving treatment. I believe the 1133rd Trans Co is attached to TF Ironhorse. I think they moved most of their equipment in country for them. My son says very little about what he does. I do know they are helping move a lot of the equipment in and out as the rotation has started. I've seen a lot of discussion on your message board about the media. While I believe those things are true of the large media outlets, I have to let you know that I work for a small newspaper. We sent a reporter and photographer to Iraq for 15 days to spend Christmas with our 1133rd Iowa National Guard Transportation Unit. It was totally awesome to see the local paper devote the entire front page to them on Christmas Eve. Our photographer emailed a group photo of the 1133rd soldiers that were in camp and the newsroom made the decision to place them on the front...nothing else, just the soldiers! Every day we would have new stories to read and photos to see. These media people touched everyone's hearts with the coverage they were able to bring home to the families about their loved ones in Iraq. The day of the mortar attack, our reporters had just returned to our hometown. They got a call from the commander of the base where they had been and were told that one of the mortars struck above the bunks where they had been staying. God does work in mysterious way! We hope and pray that all the soldiers stay safe and blessed until they're home again. Keep up the excellent work....Take care and God Bless. P.S. You can check out some of the coverage about the 1133rd on www.globegazette.com if you'd like. (Editor's Note: It's great that hometown papers still care about their local soldiers).
10) Hi just wanted to say my husband of HHT 1/10CAV 4TH ID, called yesterday. He
called right when I was crying because I had just watched the music video by
Toby Kieth "American Soldier" - that video gets me every time. Anyways he told me he would be home before too long. Over here a lot of families of 1st Cav. are getting ready for their deployment. I feel so bad for them and everytime I overhear a conversation I want to go up and give that whole family a hug and tell them to stay strong. But of course they would look at me like I'm insane. Anyways I was wondering if anyone knew where to get the dog tags that you can put your soldiers pictures on them. I saw a lady with one but was too shy to ask her there at the PX. Thank you for listening. (Readers - let us know if you can help her and others find the source of the dog tags).
11) Heard from my daughter (A Co 21st CSH) and she said she got to see her husband, B Co 2/8, yesterday while he made a supply run. She said he looked really good and they had a really nice visit.. It's good that they got to see each other because the mail has been really bad lately. He's not getting any of the letters she is sending him from her location. He still hasn't gotten the pictures of the baby with Santa that I sent a couple days after Christmas. Both are getting excited about their return. It looks like she might actually make it back to the States a little before him. Doesn't matter who gets back first, as long as they both make it back......God bless everyone!
12) We got a call from our son on Thurs. morning (A-CO 1-22)! He was in Mosul for a short while. He had been in Balad a few days before that. I wasn't too thrilled to hear that he had been moving around the country so much. He is stationed just outside Tikrit! All in all he is doing ok. They really are tired and want to come home. He said he appreciates everything that people are sending him and all the support for the troops. Then on Friday, I was on my computer and his name popped up on IM!!! Wow, what a great treat that was. We talked for quite a while, then my husband talked on IM with him from work. Later that day, our other son talked with him and even our daughter got in on it. Well, he wouldn't go to bed!!! It was 3:00am in Iraq, but he just wanted to talk to people. This was the first time he has had internet access! He finally signed off around 4:00am Iraqi time and then was on again today. He is back at his company compound and there is now internet access there as well! Oh this is almost too good to be true. We can talk to him whenever....not just wait and wait for a phone call or a letter. If he needs something he can tell me right away!
He is such a strong young man and truly a good soldier thru and thru. We are so proud of him and so excited that the rotation of troops has started and it's getting closer and closer to the time we get to see him. Bless all our troops and their families!...Wondering how to get airline tickets when we don't have a fly date. We are in Illinois and want to be at Ft. Hood when they return. Does anyone know how to book these flights without paying ridiculous prices????
13) I have had some requests for some really good quality skin care products i.e. lotions and cremes....like w/Tea Tree oil, Vit E and Aloe. Cold and desert are not kind on the skin nor is heat and sweat....these guys don't get a break. So you may want to mention this for those that are doing care packages.
14) I am finally getting Emails from my son, after he's been there since last April. It's nice to know he's ok, one more day. Instead of having to wait till his letters get here after 2 to 3 weeks. Although, I treasure them. The dates had me guessing to how he was really doing at that moment, so this is exciting to get a small Email daily!!! Hope they all get home soon, safe and sound. My son is in A Co,1-8 Inf. from Fort Carson. His Dad,sister and I and the whole family and girlfriend are so proud of him, and all the military! God Bless! He sounds tired, but determined--- Hoo-ah!!
15) I got a question from one of our readers after Friday's update asking the question, "What is Baghdad boil?" My answer from Iraq is: The Baghdad boil is an affectionate nickname some of the soldiers call leishmaniasis. One of the physicial symptoms of the disease is an open boil-like lesison on the skin that doesn't heal for 2-3 weeks.
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Families Sharing R&R Moments:
1) My husband and I were fortunate enough to be able to spend Christmas and New
Year's together! It was great to have him home. Our 16 month old daughter knew exactly who he was and she was as much a daddy's girls as she was the day he left. He had a little trouble adjusting and we only had one stressful day while he was home. It really showed me how dedicated he is to the soldiers that he serves with and how much they have become a family. One day while he was home we saw on the news that some soldiers in the city that his unit is in were wounded and killed. He was a nervous wreck until, fortunately from Bob, we got the email saying that the soldiers were not from his unit. I knew that he cared about his guys and that they were a huge part of his life but I never realized that these guys would become so close and be so dedicated to each other. He was telling me that some of the guys who had come home on mid tour leave were coming back and saying that it wasn't worth it to come home and have to say goodbye again. And as awful as the goodbye was I have to say if I had the choice to do it again, I certainly would. It helped so much to know that he was ok and that we still know each other.....
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