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| A-1-8 Chapter of the 4th Infantry Division |
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Bob Babcock - "Deeds not Words"
President, Americans Remembered, Inc. - http://www.americansremembered.org
President, 22nd Inf Regt Society - http://www.22ndinfantry.org
Past President/Historian - Nat'l 4th Inf Div Assn - http://www.4thinfantry.org
babcock224@aol.com
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DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Ervin Dervishi, 21, Fort Worth, Texas, died Jan. 24 in Baji, Iraq, during a combat patrol when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Bradley Fighting Vehicle in which he was traveling. He was evacuated to the 28th Combat Support Hospital where he later died. Dervishi was assigned the Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas.
The incident is under investigation.
(Editor's Note: Let us keep the family and fellow soldiers of PFC Dervishi in our prayers. All losses are painful, this one is especially so to me. PFC Dervishi was in my old 3rd platoon of B/1-22 that I served with in Vietnam (I was platoon leader from November 1965 to December 1966). This one hits real close to home with me).
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Elvis, Castro Visit Last Saddam Hideout
By PAUL GARWOOD
.c The Associated Press
ADWAR, Iraq (AP) - Castro came with Elvis on Monday to visit Saddam's last hiding place.
U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Cesar Castro, carrying a life-size cardboard cutout of Elvis Presley, was the latest visitor to this muddy farming area that has become a tourist site of sorts since Saddam Hussein was pulled out of an underground bunker on Dec. 13 after nearly eight months on the run.
Soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division, chiefly responsible for finding Saddam, had taken to calling him Elvis. Their missions - chasing tips, vague intelligence and sightings of the ousted dictator - came to be known as ``Elvis hunts.''
Castro, with the Tikrit-based 4th Infantry, put his arm around the shoulders of the glittering, gold suited Elvis and got his comrades to take his pictures in front of the former dictator's last hiding hole.
``It seemed like a good idea to bring (a cutout) of Elvis to Saddam's hole to show that Elvis was even here,'' Castro, a 42-year-old Dallas native, said with a grin. ``I was surprised though. I thought the hole was going to be bigger.''
Debate has mounted in the U.S. military about the future of Saddam's last hiding place, which consists of a small cement-floored bedroom, outdoor kitchen and a humble bathroom yards away from the infamous hole where the ex-Iraqi president would escape to when he heard patrolling U.S. forces pass by.
Castro said he would like to see the hole filled in and dwellings knocked down to ensure the people of the sleepy village of Adwar, north of Baghdad, would not be bothered by future groups of sightseers seeking out a flavor of Saddam's last stand. The 4th Infantry is still deciding what to do.
``In my opinion they should destroy it so we can leave the people in their farms to continue their lives without having all these disturbances,'' he said.
Any final decision would likely be made with American military commanders and the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council.
The United States and its allies launched the war on Iraq on March 20, and their troops took over the capital Baghdad less than a month later. Saddam is being held by U.S. forces at an undisclosed location.
01/26/04 13:15 EST
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
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>From CentCom news releases on 1-26-04:
4TH ID’S 24-HOUR ACTIVITY
TIKRIT, Iraq - Soldiers from 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse, over the past 24 hours, conducted 172 patrols, six raids and captured 60 individuals. Seventeen 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 of the Iraqi people.
Weapons and equipment confiscated in raids and patrols throughout the Task Force Ironhorse area of operations include 66 AK-47 assault rifles, seven rifles, one pistol, one machine gun, 280 grenades, 100 mortar rounds, ten pounds of artillery propellant, one SA-8 and two SA-3 missiles, one 132 mm rocket and three improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
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4TH INFANTRY DIVISION AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TOGETHER
TIKRIT, Iraq - Soldiers from the 588th Engineer Battalion working with Iraqi Police raided locations in Ba’qubah during the morning of Jan. 25 and captured 46 individuals.
Three were specifically targeted for suspected involvement in anti-Coalition activities and 43 were held for violating weapons regulations. Soldiers and Iraqi Police confiscated 58 assault rifles, two rifles and 72 AK-47 ammunition magazines.
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U.S. Troops Face Language Barrier in Iraq
By PAUL GARWOOD
.c The Associated Press
TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) - U.S. troops warned Iraqi guards they should leave the area because it was ``risky.'' The Iraqis thought the soldiers threatened them unless they brought ``whiskey.''
Nine months after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, the language barrier remains a major hurdle in day-to-day contact between American soldiers and the Iraqis they are supposed to be helping.
U.S. military planners have started training several hundred Marines destined for deployment in Iraq in Arabic language and local customs. For the most part, however, American forces must rely heavily on civilian interpreters and the relatively few Arabic-speaking soldiers to talk with Iraqis to calm potentially volatile situations, or to communicate with community leaders who want to know how coalition forces are going to provide jobs or fix bridges and roads.
Most U.S. military operations, in particular daily foot patrols in Iraqi neighborhoods conducted by American soldiers, are conducted without fluent Arabic language speakers.
In the Tikrit-based 4th Infantry Division's area of operations in north-central Iraq, the Army has up to 20 Arabic speaking soldiers. It also employs some local translators and uses those contracted by an American company that has attracted Arabs from other countries to work in Iraq during the U.S.-led occupation.
Lebanon-born Sgt. Hussein Ibrahim says that having Arabic-trained soldiers working closely with Iraqis is crucial because many people remain skeptical about the occupation.
``The soldiers don't understand the ways of an Iraqi,'' said Ibrahim, 40, who joined the Army in 1986 six years after immigrating to America. ``With me there on patrols or raids, I alleviated a lot of issues and made the people ... feel more comfortable and relaxed.''
Ibrahim spent three months conducting raids and patrols with soldiers, using his language skills to calm tensions in Iraqi homes during searches by U.S. forces.
``When the soldiers are without translators, it is obviously harder for them and it makes problems with the Iraqis more prone to happen,'' he said. ``These people are scared to hell when soldiers come into their homes because of the unknown and all the rumors that circulate about American soldiers in these towns.''
Without a common language, confusion abounds.
Soldiers have on occasion confiscated weapons from local officials despite their protestations in Arabic that they were authorized to carry such arms.
In one incident, a soldier fired warning shots at several Iraqis near an off-limits area in Tikrit. Some Iraqi guards nearby heard the shots and approached the soldier to see what was happening.
The soldier ordered the guards to leave the area, saying it was too ``risky.'' The guards returned to their base and told their superiors that U.S. soldiers were firing guns and had threatened their lives if they did not bring them ``whiskey.''
Lt. Col. Steve Russell, commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division, realized the benefit of bridging the language and cultural divide early on by appointing a native Arabic speaker as his interpreter and go-between with the Iraqis.
"Without him, we can't hear, we can't read, we can't see,'' Russell said.
One night, Russell's soldiers stopped a speeding car close to curfew time. Soldiers searched the vehicle and found four wheat sacks full of Iraqi dinars, the equivalent of about $40,000.
Using his translator, Russell learned that the driver had just sold his house, and the cash was from that sale.
"But had we not had a translator, we would have detained the man at least overnight because the appearance of the situation looked very suspicious,'' he said.
Russell believes the Army needs more translators to aid them in their mission, which has been hampered at times by communication breakdowns between his soldiers and Iraqi citizens.
While many soldiers have picked up some basic Arabic to aid them in searches of cars or homes, to order people to stop or to simply say hello. Others are taking more intensive training.
Maj. Joe Cox, who works closely with many Arabic speakers, said the military will not be able to complete its mission without the help of soldiers fluent in Arabic or translators.
"If we want to work effectively with the 25 million people in this country, we have to do it in their language,'' said Cox, 40, from Ozark, Ala.
01/26/04 11:28 EST
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
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Female U.S. Soldiers Under Fire in Iraq
By PAUL GARWOOD
.c The Associated Press
TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) - The roadside bomb near the main American military base here killed one woman soldier, made another a hero, and turned attention to the new role American women are playing in the war in Iraq.
The nature of the conflict, with U.S. soldiers facing guerrillas, not conventional troops, has blurred military traditions, and put usually rear echelon troops such as the military police - with their large contingent of women - under direct enemy fire, along with the infantry, special forces and other front line troops.
Although women are barred from front line units, more than 10 American women soldiers have died in Iraq since U.S.-led troops invaded in March. Many others have been wounded.
On Oct. 1, the dangers to women soldiers in Iraq struck home for the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division when Pfc. Analaura Esparza Gutierrez, 21, of Houston, was killed as a roadside bomb struck her Humvee near Takrit, ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown and a center of resistance to U.S. forces.
She was the first women from the division to die in Iraq. At the same time, the quick thinking and bravery shown by Gutierrez's friend and fellow support soldier, Spc. Karen Guckert, saved two troops injured in the blast and won her a U.S. Army Commendation Medal for Valor.
"We were deeply moved when we lost Analaura Esparza,'' Lt. Col. Steve Russell, commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division, said. "This is not to say we are not moved when we lose a male soldier, but her loss deeply affected us in additional ways.''
But Guckert and some other women serving in Iraq have different feelings about the dangers facing women soldiers.
"Infantrymen say to me they couldn't handle seeing a female getting hurt because it would remind them of their sister, aunt or wife,'' said Guckert, 24, of Yakima, Wash. ``I understand their point, but at the same time we are all soldiers and we can all die for our country. So why can't we fight for our country?''
Many female soldiers like Guckert acknowledge that the physical stresses of combat, which include carrying packs close to their own weight for long distances or lifting men wounded in action, might prove too tough for some women.
But most women, particularly military police soldiers who have been trudging Iraqi streets and conducting house raids for months, say this conflict has provided them with the same tasks as any infantryman.
"Any soldier out here is at risk, whether they are male or female or infantry, military police or anything else,'' said Lt. Amanda Lee Dorsey, a 25-year-old military police officer from Hickory Hills, Ill.
On Nov. 30 - a day that has gone down in recent army folklore as "Bloody Sunday'' - military police, joined by infantry, armored and engineer forces, waged a half-hour gunbattle in Samarra with 60 Iraqis firing rockets and machine guns. The insurgents were trying to ambush Iraqi security trucks transporting money to Iraqi banks.
U.S. officials say 54 Iraqis died, including 36 killed by American military police. One woman soldier was credited with killing three of them. No U.S. soldiers died in the clash, but six were injured, including a woman.
"When it came down to it, my female and male soldiers of the military police were all fierce and killed many,'' said Lt. Col. David Poirier, commander of the 720th Military Police Battalion.
Sgt. Maj. Angela Wilson, 49, the senior ranking enlisted military police soldier in Iraq, has witnessed great attitude shifts in the military during her 29 years of service.
"I remember when it was optional for women to fire an M-16 rifle during basic training,'' she said. "We also had to learn how to wear makeup properly in the field.
"Now basic training is the same for all people, male and female. I am waiting for the day when they say women can enter the special forces. It doesn't mean everyone can do it, but it means that people should be given the opportunity to be assessed on their own merits.''
Poirier said the female soldiers have been invaluable during house raids - a staple task of the military police - in which they have calmed Iraqi women in targeted homes and searched their belongings without causing offense. Iraqis find it highly objectionable for male soldiers to deal with women.
Lt. Alexis Marks, a platoon leader, said when she was going through West Point, she was constantly being told that the military police was the "chick's infantry.''
"But in the MPs, nobody sees a gender difference,'' said the 24-year-old from Melbourne, Fla.
One of her soldiers, 23-year-old team leader Cpl. Casey Williams, said she is unfazed by risks faced during her patrols.
"I think it's cool to be in a dangerous position. It's kind of fun,'' Williams, from Algiers, La., told the AP while driving to Samarra. "In the MPs, it is the closest women can get to combat.''
01/27/04 01:59 EST
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
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59 Years Ago Today - 4ID in Luxembourg and Germany:
27 January 1945 - D+236
The 8h Infantry moved to the north to the assembly area in the vicinity of Hoffelt.
The 12th Infantry initiated movement early in the morning and closed in the vicinity of Monnet at 1515.
The relief of the 22nd Infantry by elements of the 317th and 318th Infantry began, at 1500. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions upon being relieved, moved to assembly areas in Medernach, Waldbillig and Christnach respectively, and preparations were continued for movement to new assembly areas in the vicinity of Trois Vierges.
Thanks to Philippe Cornil at www.revive-it.com.
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What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) HI Bob! Just wanted to share with you that today is my birthday and my husband
(A Co. 2 - 8 Inf. ) was actually able to give me a Happy Birthday wake up call this morning! I haven't heard his voice since Oct. so this meant so much to me. That was all I wanted. Also , he is going to come home sometime after next week for 2 weeks! After he goes back , we'll only have about 2 months before he comes home for good , and we can do that standing on our heads!! Thank you so much for your updates , GODSPEED to all our troops!
2) My husband is the medical platoon sergeant for 1-22 Inf., and I have a friend who's husband is a medical platoon sergeant in the 1st Cav. I have offered to her that if she would like or needs my help during the coming deployment I am here. If she has a meeting of the medical platoon, and would like me to attend to help answer questions, that I would. I said, that I am willing to "adopt the medical platoon" and help pass on the things I have learned over this past deployment and the Gulf War deployment of 90-91. I'm happy to tell you that she accepted my offer to help her and the platoon. I feel if each platoon were to "adopt a platoon" that we could do a lot of good. One of my first bits of advise to her was to get the names and address of the parents, or next of kin of the single soldiers and to reach out to those families.... they need information just like us army spouses. (Editor's Note: This is a great idea, and is applicable wherever you are if you have contact with troops deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan. Your experience will help those who are new to the deployment business).
3) I am writing about the "Remember our wounded". It brought tears to my eyes as I read this today. We have lots of snow and a level two out here and every where you turn you hear someone saying how we should all be home and not out in this mess. Today, I was not thinking about the snow, I was thinking and praying for all the wounded and their families. Thank you to the Proud Army Mom of the 588 Engineer soldier that is wounded. Thank you for taking time to write to all of us. We need to remember to pray every day, every hour. You and your son are in my prayers. Also, all our soldiers and families are in my prayers. God is with everyone. Even when we think he is not there, he is. Sticking together and talking to everyone has helped me, a new Army Wife, make it through the past year. I am like most, counting down the days until all our soldiers come home safe. BUT to the families who have lost their loved one's, you are in my prayers and please never give up on life. Our soldiers will never give up and neither will we.
4) This is a note to the Proud Army Mom whose son lost his right leg. Your letter displays much courage and optimism in the midst of this trauma. I'm glad your son is alive and we will be praying for his complete recovery. Thank you for teaching all of us mothers to be positive rather than negative about our son's experiences.
5) I haven't written before, but read your updates daily. My son is with the 4th Engineers, 3 BCT in Balad. My husband and I just want to tell the mother who wrote in yesterday that her son from the 588 Engineers who was wounded last Wednesday will be in our prayers. Please know that people are thinking of you and your family and hoping for a good recovery for this young man. God Bless you all.
6) This is my first deployment, my husband PCS'd to join the 4th ID from Ft. Hood, (he's currently in Iraq), and I stayed behind here in Fayetteville, N C (Ft. Bragg), when my husband returns, we will be moving to Texas. I have been very moved by the replies / stories that family members have shared with you regarding their loved ones /soldiers. These family members have gone through some very difficult times, they are an inspiration to me. The messages that I continue to read from your e-mails prove to me that the Military / Army family is a great thing.
7) I had a call from my son yesterday (1-68 AR C Co) It was the first time I had talked to him in over a month. He sounded so great! He is getting excited about coming home and has given me a few things to do for him in anticipation of his return. They have been getting things packed and ready to send home. Can't believe it is finally almost over!! What a relief it will be. Looking forward to a great reunion at Ft. Carson.
8) I began receiving your daily e-mails in August shortly after my Son received notice that he would be deploying to Iraq as part of the troop rotation plan (1st Calvary Division). I am not sure how I stumbled upon your updates, but I am sure glad I did. Both my wife and I read the updates daily. Being first-time military parents, we have a better understanding of what to expect when our Son leaves in March. I admit that some of the letters cause me to get "choked up", but they all make me extremely proud of the sacrifices these soldiers and their families make to protect the freedoms many Americans take for granted. I used to take someone in uniform for granted, but now make a point to extend my hand and say "thank you" whenever I see a soldier or learn that I am in the presence of a veteran. I hope that I can find a similar daily update when the 1st Calvary deploys. Congratulations to those 4ID soldiers and their families on their anticipated return and continue to pray for those still serving on foreign soil. Bob, thank you for your time and effort to help us get through these difficult times. Proud father of 2/8 Cav soldier.
9) Reminder to families of 1/68 AR soldiers out of Fort Carson.. The last newsletter goes out this week. The deadline has been extended to Friday. The top 20 this time is THE TOP 20 THINGS WE WOULD LIKE TO DO WITH OUR SOLDIER WHEN THEY GET HOME.. and it said to please keep it clean. It goes to the same email address as before, if you don't know it, get in touch w/your POC (point of contact) or FRG leader & they can give it to you.
10) I have been hearing from my husband (1/68AR) almost daily for the last couple of months. The Hodgie Computers cost him $2.00 and hour and I have been mailing him money weekly! It is odd that time is almost up! Funny how I am more anxious now than I was when he left. I have read with amusement how so many people are planning vacations when their spouse returns, while we are planning to stay home and just become our strong loving family once again. While over there, they were in a group setting with the chaplain and doctor speaking about what they were going
to do when they get home, most were vacations and buy this or that, yet, my true love said, "I don't care what I do, you can give me an MRE as I walk out the door on my way home to my family and it will be the best MRE I have ever eaten". He inspires me. He sends me long letters, calls during the middle of the night his time to talk to our daughter. As he puts it, "so what if I lose sleep, to hear her sweet voice and the joy it brings to both of us is worth it". I have saved so much for him, so when he wants to go back and journey back there, he can. Between newspapers,
letters, magazines and, of course, all of these newsletters you have put out, he can visit that time and see all that has happened from the safety of our home. I just wanted to say thank you for this newsletter, it has been the one source of information we have had, and could rely on.
11) Bob, I would like to share with all the readers what my boyfriend (B/2-8 in Ba’qubah) wrote to me today. Everything he writes is special, but this is... super-special. ... “We are OK here. I miss going to the training sessions with the Iraqis. I had a lot of fun those days. Almost all of them are ex-soldiers from the old regime, so their previous experience makes things easier. We teach them tactics and how we do things our way. I should have volunteered for more training sessions. I really enjoyed them. The challenge of doing it with a language barrier was really something. We used a translator, of course. I get along well with the translators. They are great people and they teach us to say basic things in Arabic. I am interested now in learning Arabic. At this moment, when we have to raid a house or check a vehicle and the translator is not around, the platoon leader calls me to talk to the people, and I am the one who greets them and explains the situation. I ask them where they live “anti tiskun”, and I ask them for their ID cards “auia”, or if they can open here and there “sandu.” Of course, I always have a smile on my face and respectfully say the word “menfadlek” (please). People like to be treated with respect and to be told what is going on. I feel great when we say goodbye “ma-salama” and they are not mad, like before, but even smiling, and we all are OK. Nobody is going to give me a medal for this, but I like to know that somehow I make a difference.”
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Families Share R&R Moments:
1) Bob my daughter (704th DSB C Co) is home on R&R, what a surprise for us. We didn't expect to see her until April. She went back with her own company in Tikrit and she was told she's going home on R&R. Friday she walked in and WHAT A SUPRISE. She looks great and doing fine. We are all busy with company and enjoying having her around. Her attitude is good considering what she's been doing the last 10 months. I believe what helped her was her first visit was at the recruiters office with the guys at the office she knew and helped her enlist. They all understand and they talked their army talk. They abbreviated so much a mom could never understand what they were talking about. I'm so proud of her and support President Bush and all our troops. God Bless America!!
2) Last night (25 JAN), I watched my fiance (HHC, 2nd BDE) get on a plane to start his trip back to Iraq. We had a wonderful two weeks together and I can't believe it's already over. It was a mid-tour leave full of wonderful moments. When I first picked him up at the airport on the 10th, we drove down to Austin and surprised his family at his Dad's 50th birthday party. I'll admit we were both a little worried that we might send his Dad or Grandma to the hospital from the shock of surprise -- but were glad to find out that there were only tears of joy. (Haha, we had both heard stories about soldiers going home for mid-tour leave and having to take family members to the hospital, b/c they were so shocked to see their soldiers.) .... My fiance and I seemed to pick up right where we left off...and he even proposed again with a ring! (The first proposal was over the phone in July). The only thing I noticed about his adjustment to the US, was in the first few hours he was home. He reacted to little thumping noises (like my elbow accidently hitting the wall), which reminded him of mortar rounds. But, after a few hours and a much needed nap, he was fine the rest of the leave. I never pushed him to talk... he spoke about his experiences when he wanted to...... A good friend of his from OBC (who is in 1st Cav) came out to his parents' house for one of the parties they had for their son. His friend brought his wife and their 5 week old son, and is scheduled to deploy this March with the 1st Cav. He and his wife asked my fiance to be the Godfather of their son. My fiance was honored and it was a very special moment. So, we told his wife that we are only a phone call away if she needs ANYTHING at all! .... It was hard to say goodbye again, but well worth it, to be able to spend those two wonderful weeks with him. The next couple of months will be cake compared to the past nine we've already gone through! God Bless our Troops!
3) I just wanted to write and tell you I got the shock of my life Saturday night. The doorbell rang and when I went to answer it, my son (from 4-42FA) was standing there!!! I almost had a heart attack. I couldn't get the door open fast enough.....all I could do was hug him and hug him and hug him....I still can't believe he is home but then I go and look and yep he is sleeping right there in his bed!! He had no chance of R&R but I guess an opportunity came up and he first debated no maybe I shouldn't but then thought why not. So he is home for 14 days and I am going to treasure every one of them. Here I was getting a little depressed thinking it's been almost a year since we said our last goodbye to him in Texas and it would be months until we would be seeing him again and then he pops up at the door. I already hate the thought of having to send him back but at least it won't have to be for too long and he and all our guys will be Home for good.
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