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DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 4th Infantry Division soldiers were killed in a mortar attack on a forward operating base near Ba'qubah the evening of Jan. 21. Killed were:
Spc. Gabriel T. Palacios, 22, of Lynn, Mass.
Pfc. James D. Parker, 20, of Bryan, Texas.
Both soldiers were assigned to the 588th Engineer Battalion (Heavy), 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
This incident is under investigation.
(Let us keep the families and fellow soldiers of SPC Palacios and PFC Parker in our prayers).
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U.S. Troops Detain 2 in Iraq Base Attack
By VIJAY JOSHI
.c The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. forces have arrested a father and son suspected of carrying out an attack on a forward base that killed two American soldiers, a military spokeswoman said Friday.
The soldiers were among nine people, including four Christian women headed to jobs at a U.S. military base, killed in a spate of attacks on Wednesday and Thursday. South of the capital, the security chief of Spanish troops in Iraq was shot in the head during a raid.
The two suspects were detained Thursday without incident at their home in Hadid, a village close to Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division. No other details were available.
The U.S. base, near Baqouba, was hit by a barrage of rockets and mortars on Wednesday night, killing the two soldiers and wounding another. The deaths raised to 505 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the U.S.-led coalition launched the Iraq war on March 20.
Baqouba is about 80 miles southeast of Tikrit. The two cities are part of the so-called Sunni Triangle, where most of the insurgent attacks against U.S.-led coalition troops have taken place since the invasion........
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Resistance Elements 'Brought to Their Knees,' Odierno Says
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2004 – Former regime elements have been "brought to their knees" in the 4th Infantry Division area of Iraq, the division commander said in a news conference today.
Speaking with Pentagon reporters here in a video conference from Tikrit, Iraq, Army Maj. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said capture of Saddam Hussein was a major defeat for the enemy. The most important result of the capture, he added, was the increase in intelligence coming from Iraqis on anti-coalition activities.
The general said attacks on the coalition are down, and the intensity is less than last month. The intelligence allows division soldiers to conduct precise raids "to kill or capture financiers, (improvised explosive device)-makers and mid-level leaders of the former regime. These groups are still a threat -- but a fractured, sporadic threat with the leadership destabilized, finances interdicted and no hope of the Baathists' return to power."
Odierno said that while the overall numbers of attacks are declining, the percentage of those aimed at Iraqi civilians and Iraqi security forces has risen. He said this is having a backlash against the former regime forces, and even Sunni Iraqis – those most likely to support the former regime – are showing signs of frustration.
"I believe the Iraqis feel 'Why are they doing this?'" he said. "They are getting very frustrated with many of these attacks where a lot of civilians – young children – are being killed."
The division has set up joint operations centers in all the major cities in the area, and coalition personnel and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps personnel and police are working to gather intelligence and conduct raids.
In his area of operations alone, the coalition has recruited 5,000 members of the ICDC, 18,000 Iraqi police and 2,000 Border Police. "These forces are conducting joint patrols with coalition forces as well as independent operations to defeat anti- coalition elements," Ordierno said.
Odierno said that as anti-coalition forces become more desperate, he expects a change in tactics. He said suicide bombers could become more of a problem in the future, and that foreign fighters are trying to organize in Iraq. He also said the threat is changing.
"I think the threat is moving to a somewhat nationalistic threat, and away from a former regime threat. There's still some reorganization going on as a result of how much we fractured them in the last 60 to 90 days. Not sure how many (enemy) are out there, but I do know the attacks have decreased significantly."
"It's clear they have financial problems," he continued. "What they are trying to do now is attacks that are criminally related, or (they) are trying to forge their way to establish their place in the future government."
The coalition continues to emphasize civil-military projects. Ordierno said that over 10 months, the division has completed nearly 2,000 improvement projects costing $41 million, with another 700 projects worth $42 million in progress.
Soldiers have refurbished about 600 schools, 70 mosques, and 75 medical facilities. They also have improved 500 miles of roads, and built soccer fields and youth centers.
The 4th Infantry Division is readying a transition of the area's mission to the 1st Infantry Division. The division's area of operations includes the so-called "Sunni Triangle," the region west and north of Baghdad, which has seen the most attacks against the coalition.
Odierno said the two divisions' staffs already are working together, and he anticipates a "seamless" transition. He said he expects no drop-off in operational effectiveness, but added it will take time for 1st Infantry Division leaders to develop the personal relationships with Iraqis that are so crucial to progress in the region.
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>From San Francisco Chronicle.
Colonel bids for hearts and minds - U.S. Army Officer plays diplomat with sheikhs in Tikrit
Matthew B. Stannard, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, January 22, 2004
Tikrit, Iraq -- Lt. Col. Stephen Russell eased himself into a cheap, plastic chair at the front of a small auditorium and greeted the sheikhs arrayed before him with an affable "Allah bikheir."
The tribal leaders returned the formal Arabic blessing, nodding their kuffiyeh-covered heads and holding the traditional woolen capes known as abayas close. For months, Russell has been meeting with the sheikhs every week, a diplomatic role that he believes complements his military role as commander of the American troops who patrol Tikrit.
Such exchanges between occupier and occupied, which happen with quiet regularity throughout the country, are essential to the United States' difficult mission of winning over Iraqis at this critical juncture in the postwar era, when many believe the result could go either way -- toward reconciliation and rebuilding or toward fragmentation and disaster.
Both diplomacy and military force have been needed to handle the tensions in Tikrit, a stronghold of Saddam Hussein loyalists. Although firefights between soldiers and resistance fighters have ebbed in recent weeks, spurts of violence suggest that insurgents determined to undermine the American occupation still operate.
On Saturday, Russell himself barely escaped an attack on his convoy when a bomb went off prematurely. Russell, who commands the 1st battalion, 22nd regiment of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, believes his firm stance has played a major role in reducing attacks on his troops.
But he also knows that forging ties with the sheikhs, who exert enormous influence on their tribesmen, is crucial. The most difficult part of establishing the weekly meetings, Russell said, was determining which of the city's many tribal leaders to include in a permanent council.
He answered the question by inviting all of Tikrit's sheikhs to an open meeting, and then noting who got the seats up front. Those respected men - about 10 of them - now meet with Russell weekly, bringing concerns and complaints from their tribes and receiving information about the occupation's military and administrative actions.
For the first few meetings, Russell sat in the largest leather chair on the dais in the auditorium. Now he sits on the same level as the sheikhs, a position he says better reflects the spirit of the diwan, the traditional Arabic tent where tribal elders meet to discuss matters as friends and equals.
At Monday's meeting, Russell's regular translator was absent, so Tikrit's mayor, Wali al-Ali, was drafted as a stand-in. "Since our last meeting, there have been a few unfortunate incidents that will be worth conveying to you so you are better informed," Russell said. In measured tones, he outlined several attacks, including an anti-tank mine that blew up under a University of Tikrit bus Jan. 15, killing two students and the driver, and the attempted bombing of his convoy, in which two of the suspected bombers died.
"This was a good ending to these cowards," he said. "And fortunately, although there were houses nearby, there were no innocents injured." As his words were translated, Russell accepted a cup of Arabic coffee from a man who entered the room carrying a dallah, a traditional Iraqi coffee pot that is a symbol of hospitality.
As the dallah circulated the room, Russell listened as Sheikh Nadhum Shaker al-Mehdi described a recent meeting between his tribe and its relatives in a neighboring province that led to a complaint by the governor of that province. Russell listened to the translation, nodding and saying "naam, naam" - Arabic for yes -- before explaining the reaction of the neighboring governor, who had considered the cross-border visit an infringement of his authority because an official from Tikrit's province accompanied the tribe.
"I think this type of engagement with the sheikhs should continue," he said. "But when (a government official) gets involved, it's a different province, and you know how people's feelings get hurt."
"Thank you," Shaker said in English. "Shukran," Russell replied, saying the same phrase in Arabic.
For the next hour, Russell steered the meeting, outlining a new coalition program for small business grants and sharing the sheikhs' frustrations with the lack of local news outlets that could describe the council of sheikhs' progress instead of the raids and bombings that dominate the news on Al-Jazeera television.
He also listened to complaints about the slow pace of electricity repairs and questions about when power will be fully restored. "I want to know as much as you do," he said. "It's frustrating to come here week after week and talk about generators. It is like it becomes a myth - - a dream that never happens." The sheikhs nodded.
Russell closed the meeting by asking Sheikh Naji al- Jabara to review the background of one of his tribesmen, who had applied for a job as a translator. "If you say he is OK, I would like to hire him," Russell said. Naji smiled, nodded and promised to investigate.
Most meetings begin with lengthy formalities and end with a few minutes of compressed productivity, Russell said. This meeting was no exception, as the sheikhs and the mayor clustered around him with scraps of paper bearing the names of people detained by the Americans who they wanted released or other grievances and requests.
Russell had already told the sheikhs he had given a list of recommended releases to Baghdad and was still awaiting the answer. Nevertheless, he wrote down each name in his book and then halted the endless list of requests as they expanded into areas he felt could be handled at the special center the occupation has set up for Tikritis seeking compensation for damages from raids or war.
"I have to go. I am sorry. I am 25 minutes late," he said. "I am the commander. I do not meet with every single person about cars and goats."
In Tikrit, a number of people, including tribal leaders who are not on the council and formally oppose the American presence, said they respect Russell, but criticized him for failing to keep promises and for leading soldiers they say are rude and too aggressive.
Several members of the council of sheikhs said Russell does not break promises, but does not always have the authority to act quickly. Nevertheless, the sheikhs said, they see Russell as their only line of communication to their occupiers.
"He's a great man. ... He's better than the common American soldier, of course. He's an educated man," said Sheikh Sami Sharif al-Nasari. "(But) he doesn't have enough time to spend with the sheikhs."
Russell's understanding of Arab history and culture comes from deep immersion in the subject. His library at home in Oklahoma boasts some 2,000 history books -- about 100 of which deal with the Middle East, including a rare first edition of T.E. Lawrence's "Revolt in the Desert."
Brig. Gen. Abdulla Hossein Mohammed, the Iraqi military affairs manager for the province, said Russell plays a crucial role just by coming to see the sheikhs. He pointed to the line of supplicants bearing scraps of paper and begging Russell to read them. "You see? Half an hour, just pieces of paper. 'I want my relative out,' " he said. "He doesn't promise they will get out, just that he will look. That is what we want."
E-mail Matthew B. Stannard at mstannard@sfchronicle.com.
©2004 San Francisco Chronicle
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A Letter from MG Ray Odierno to the Ironhorse Family:
4th Infantry Division (Mechanized)
Office of the Commanding General
Tikrit, Iraq
20 January 2004
To the Ironhorse Family:
Your husbands and wives are tentatively scheduled to redploy from Iraq in March-April 2004. This redeployment will be the culmination of over 18 months of an incredibly high operational tempo for the soldiers and families of this great Division. You and your spouses have been through an extraordinary experience that few will ever understand. With that in mind I have asked the FORSCOM Commander and the Department of the Army to augment Fort Hood and Fort Carson with professional counseling services in addition to the already established redeployment programs. Initially soldiers redeploying from OIF 1 will be authorized up to a 96 hour pass before beginning the reintegration process. This reintegration process is outlined below and should require about 4 weeks to complete Phase I and II. Upon completion of this process soldiers will be authorized to take up to 30 days block leave. Although Brigade Combat Team will conduct block leave, the entire Division should be on block leave by May 17, 2004.
The Nation has asked much from the soldiers and families of the 4th Infantry Division and we now have a unique opportunity to establish a model reintegration program for the soldiers returning to their loved ones. This program will leverage current programs and draw on professional counselors and educators to provide seminars to ensure beneficial reintegration to all families of the 4th Infantry Division. I envision this model program to be conducted in three distinct, yet supporting stages. The first stage is the inital reintegration. This consists of medical/dental and support briefings to allow the soldiers to deal with the first few weeks of returning home. The second stage is the core of the program. It consists of seminars aimed at specific target audiences, which allow families and soldiers to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges they will face. The last stage is an ongoing process and provides long-term assistance for soldiers and families. This program would be a test case for the Army. It would allow the Army to collect the data necessary to truly identify the needs of soldiers and families separated for a year under the stresses of combat.
The Fort Hood and Fort Carson soldier and family support structures are fundamental to the overall concept of initial stage of reintegration. They will afford us the opportunity to conduct the mandatory classes as outlined in FORSCOM and III CORPS orders. These include: safety classes, healthcare, entitlements, and general information on the normalization of soldiers after deployments. These classes will establish a foothold from which we can gain the momentum required to move into the next and most critical stage of reintegration.
The soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division will be redeploying from an environment unlike any the U.S. Army has faced in many years. The uniqueness of this experience presents us with complex challenges in reintegration. Unlike recent deployments, the protracted combat operations have probably taken a toll on both soldiers and spouses mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Therefore, the second stage of our reintegration program is where these challenges are met and overcome. Through use of seminars led by professional counselors, combat veterans, and educators from various institutes, soldiers and families will come to grips with the changes in their lives. This program will not only target the soldier but also the spouse and all family members. I intend to employ these professionals to provide insight and useful tools for our families and soldiers dealing with post deployment stresses. The concept involves conducting seminars tailored to the unique needs of each soldier and/or family. The seminars would be conducted using both on-post and off-post facilities.
This seminar format would involve soldiers and families attending mandatory seminars organized by demographics to include: married, single, children (by ages), experiences in Iraq, and military leadership by position/rank. The seminars would take place over a period of up to three months. Seminars, workshops, and classes are in small groups, up to no more than 30 personnel. In addition to the mandatory classes, there will be an opportunity to receive assistance through additional seminars and/or one-on-one counseling. The end state is soldiers and families with the ability to recognize, communicate, and overcome the stresses in their lives.
The last stage of reintegration involves the long-term care for the families and soldiers. The lead for this support would be the garrison organization. Although the Fort Hood and Fort Carson garrisons are capable of handling most issues, I envision a program that would involve the sustained use of professional counselors and experts to provide continual support.
Our tour of duty in Iraq has demonstrated the professionalism, dedication, and selflessness of the 4th Infantry Division soldiers and families. I intend to "payback" that selflessness with a reintegration program that is truly professional and conducted in a 1st class manner. This nation will never truly understand the debt that is owed to the soldiers and families of this great Division; however, I intend to quickly do the next best thing by conducting a professional program that thoroughly reintegrates all of us back into the normalcy of life at Fort Hood and Fort Carson. God bless all the Ironhorse families and God bless all the soldiers assigned to the 4th Infantry Division.
"Steadfast and Loyal"
(signed)
Raymond T. Odierno
Major General, U.S. Army
Commanding General
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59 Years Ago Today - 4ID in Luxembourg:
23 January 1945 - D+232
A force of about 200 enemy and 4 tanks were driven from Fouhren. A counterattack against this town was launched later in the period and was repulsed.
Several counterattacks by enemy infantry were repulsed in the zone of action of the 12th Infantry in the afternoon.
(Sorry, no further information because a page is missing from the After Action
Report).
24 January 1945 - D+233
The enemy defended along the same general line as in the previous period. Enemy activity was slight except in the Fouhren and Bettel areas where patrol activity was in effect.
(Sorry, no further information because a page is missing from the After Action report).
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What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) Joy of Joys, my son emailed and Instant messaged me today..It's his 24th birthday. He felt me thinking about him and said his birthday was very quiet. In fact he told no one around what today is. He's in B Co 299 Engineer Battalion. It's funny that the mind can remember so vividly where you were and what was happening 24 years ago..My son must have known what a special day his birthday is to me. He said he's pulling a lot of guard duty. When I asked him what he was guarding, he replied almost indignantly, "My Home!" He feels the shift in energy among his battle buddies. A sense of excitement that the end of their tour is nearing...He did reassure me he would not let his guard down until he gets back to Fort Hood...or at least on a plane leaving Kuwait. Many Blessings to all the Soldiers. Have a safe and uneventful trip home.
2) Heard from my soldier (534th SIG CO) yesterday morning. He is doing good and has very upbeat attitude (despite retirement being revoked 3 times). He was listing off the things he wants to do when he gets home...sit on a real couch, watch some sports (any sports will do), and just sit at home and enjoy being with his family! Sounds great to his family, too.
3) My little brother called me last night. (B Co 1-22 IN BN in Bayji) He had his R&R during the end of Oct-Nov.10 and this is the first call I've gotten that he didn't sound exhausted. We talked for an hour. It was one of those great calls that didn't have static..... We talked about stupid stuff that doesn't even matter, which probably matters the most. He told me that the hundreds of ramen noodles that my Aunty Krist sends him on a regular basis is well appreciated to him and his guys. They all know her by name because of her frequent boxes filled with awesome goodies. Because it is almost time for my soldier to come home I wanted to thank all you readers out there for making me feel less alone. And I also wanted to apologize for my ignorance. Before my brother joined the army, I was your average person. Would always stand at a game for the National Anthem but wouldn't give it a second thought to talk to the person next to me or run down to the stand for a coke. Oh yes, I knew they were out there, fighting for my freedom. I would always watch the newest war movie and cry and think how terrible. My great Uncle died in the Korean War and my other Uncle served in Vietnam. But that was before I was born. So when my brother joined the army, I was so proud. But when he graduated from his basic, 2 days after 9/11, I remember watching the news on that morning, and watching those towers fall to the ground, made me psychic. I could see the future. I saw my brother, a tired, exhausted, dirty, but strong soldier fighting for his life and the lives of every other American. And I became the most patriotic person I know. And I now stand during the National Anthem as erect as a soldier, tight lipped, with tears streaming down my face. I could tell you every house on my way home from Wal-Mart that has a flag in it's yard. If possible, I would write every veteran and current serving American soldier a letter of thanks. So this is my letter, to reach out across the world to thank you all. THANK YOU from a big sister.
4) We heard from our son, B Co, 1-22 IN, and got two encouraging pieces of news. First, the FRG has started collecting phone numbers of family members of the soldiers so they can let us know exactly when our guys will be arriving so we can make arrangements to get to Fort Hood. Also, our son told us he's actually seen some of the 1ID officers in his area, and his unit has been pulling security for convoys coming in with replacements. Of course, my good news to him was that I had sent a package with some food in it.....
5) Today I took that last box I will be sending my son to the post office to be mailed (B/2-20)...what a great day it is. I smiled at the postal clerk and said they wouldn't see me anymore to mail a box to an APO address. It was a year ago tonight that our phone rang and it was our son saying he was leaving on Saturday. I nearly went to my knees...My husband and I left for Fort Hood, from TN, at midnight driving straight through, wanting to be able to at least hug our child before he left. As we all know, the military can change their minds and when we got there, our son said his time had been pushed back to Sunday...how wonderful, a whole day together! We spent that day packing up his apartment and going over financial records etc. That evening we got another reprieve, he wouldn't be going on Sunday either. He questioned closing out his apartment but I told him we needed to so that if he walked into work on any give day, and was told he was going for certain, all would be ready. We returned to TN on Monday after long hugs...... I got a call on Feb. 5th just as he was getting on a plane for Rota, Spain where he got on a ship and sailed off into the history books. The postal workers in two or three post offices know my face now and ask how my son is doing. It makes me so happy to be able to tell them that he will be home soon and that I will no longer be sending boxes to that APO address.
6) My son (HSB 3/16 FA) is quite pleased--they just recently got running water. It cuts off at times, he says, but he can at long last take a shower....there's even HOT water. Too bad it wasn't available during the wickedly hot weather, when sweat and blowing sand made things uncomfortable, but better late than never. Hard for us to imagine, sitting safe and warm and cozy at home, what a luxury a hot shower is. Who knows--maybe they will get toilets next! Or perhaps a kitchen where someone can prepare real meals for them.
7) Bob, the picture idea was great. Yesterday we got 13 letters all in one day! Each one had a Polaroid enclosed of the unit, 1-12th Ft. Carson, having a bit of holiday cheer. It was really nice to see all the smiles. It really made the kids happy to see the gifts they wrapped were enjoyed so far away.
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