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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.
Staff Sgt. Roger C. Turner Jr., 37, of Parkersburg, W.Va., died Feb. 1 in Anaconda, Iraq. Turner was in his sleeping quarters when the logistical support area came under mortar attack. He died as a result of his injuries.
Turner was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
The incident is under investigation.
(Let us continue to keep the family and fellow soldiers of SSG Turner in our prayers).
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U.S. to Seal Up Saddam's Hiding Place
By CHRIS BRUMMITT
.c The Associated Press
TIKRIT, Iraq (AP) - U.S. authorities are planning to seal the underground bunker where former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured in December, a military spokeswomen said Tuesday.
A team of Army engineers from the Tikrit-based 4th Infantry Division, chiefly responsible for Saddam's capture, had been instructed to study the best way to cover up the hole, Maj. Josslyn Aberle said.
The infamous bunker hole will likely be covered up with concrete, she said.
``We are not going to destroy it, but rather cover it in case we need access to it in the future, said Aberle, who is with the Tikrit-based 4th Infantry Division.
Saddam was captured on Dec. 13 after nearly eight months on the run.
Aberle did not say when work would begin at the hole, situated in the small farming village of Adwar, a short drive from Saddam's hometown of Tikrit.
Saddam escaped to the bunker when he heard patrolling U.S. forces pass by. It is next to a small cement-floored bedroom, an outdoor kitchen and a humble bathroom.
Since the former dictator's capture, hundreds of U.S. soldiers and visiting foreign officials have gone to Adwar to have their picture taken next to - or inside - the bunker.
Authorities are believed to want to seal up the infamous hole to prevent it from coming a larger tourist attraction in the future.
02/03/04 10:08 EST
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.
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Roadside Bombs Create Major Iraq Threat
By CHRIS BRUMMITT
Associated Press Writer
TIKRIT, Iraq (AP)--Silent and thoughtful, the soldiers were returning to their base this week after a memorial service for three comrades killed by a roadside bomb. Just outside the gate, they nearly became the next victims.
As the convoy was leaving the service, troops in a guard tower at the 4th Infantry Division headquarters spotted an Iraqi depositing something close to bushes in the central median strip. It turned out to be a 120 mm artillery shell, rigged to explode. This time, the device was defused and the convoy drove safely back to base.
``It would have been very deadly had it exploded,'' said Lt. Col. Steven Russell of Del City, Okla., who was among the soldiers in that convoy Monday.
Roadside bombs, which the military calls Improvised Explosive Devices, or IEDs, are among the most dangerous threats to American troops in Iraq. In January, 23 American soldiers were killed by IEDs, according to figures from the U.S. military command. That was more than half the 39 U.S. soldiers killed in action here last month.
``Going from point A to point B in a convoy is like Russian roulette,'' said Staff Sgt. Temu Gibson of Schenectady, N.Y. ``I'd rather go into a gunfight than worry about an IED.''
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt says troops have become skilled at detecting roadside bombs, which can be detonated by remote control, timers or by pressure fuses. Kimmitt said this week that more IEDs are now being detected before they explode.
In Washington, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army's chief of staff, told the House Armed Services Committee last week that U.S. soldiers riding in convoys in Iraq are relying on electronic ``jammers'' to help protect against roadside bombs. Schoomaker refused to discuss the bomb defenses in detail because the military does not want to provide useful information to Iraqi insurgents.
However, the jammers work by preventing a remotely transmitted signal from detonating an explosive when the bomber presses the button. However, some roadside bombs are detonated by timers or by wire.
Iraqis have proven adept at disguising the bombs--using soft-drink cans, hiding them in mounds of trash or in the carcasses of dead animals along the side of the road. Many of the explosives are believed to have come from Iraqi military depots looted during last year's U.S.-led invasion.
``It's easier for an Iraqi to get the materials needed for an IED than it is for him to get a can of Coca-Cola,'' said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, a spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division.
Monday's near-miss occurred two days after another convoy attached to the same battalion was hit by a roadside bomb near the northern oil town of Kirkuk. The week before, another soldier from the same outfit--1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment--was killed in a roadside bombing near Beiji.
``These guys are like family,'' said Russell, the battalion commander. ``And when we lose a family member, it affects us all.''
In an effort to reduce the IED threat, U.S. troops in Tikrit and elsewhere in Iraq stage frequent raids searching for explosives, timers, wires and other bomb-making materials. They use information from Iraqi civilians, informants and detainees to identify possible storage sites and people who may be involved in making or planting IEDs. Air and ground patrols also look for those people planting such devices.
``We are hunting down the people who plant these things,'' Russell said. ``We hide in the long grass and ambush them.''
AP-NY-02-03-04 1631EST
Copyright 2004, The Associated Press.
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It's Official - 4ID Welcome Home Celebration is April 22 at Fort Hood!
I received official word from 4ID HQ in Iraq this morning that the 4ID Welcome Home Celebration will be held on Thursday, April 22, 2004 at Fort Hood, TX. The all day celebration will start with a Colors Uncasing Ceremony at Cameron Field, just outside 4ID HQ at 10:00AM and will be followed by an all day celebration which will include a carnival, family entertainment, food booths, community support, and musical entertainment.
As I learn more, I will include it in future updates. Also, as I hear about official welcome home celebration plans at Fort Carson and the other places where TF Ironhorse troops will be returning, I will pass that information along.
I will also pass along within the next week or so a list of hotels and motels in the Killeen area and instructions for getting a pass to get onto Fort Hood. Stay tuned, as soon as I get more specific information that you can use, I'll post it in an update.
A point of clarification. Units will flow into Fort Hood and other home station locations throughout the months of March and April. As each unit arrives, there will be small individual welcome home ceremonies for the units involved. The April 22 4ID Welcome Home Celebration at Fort Hood is for the entire division and will come after most, if not all, of the troops have returned. I feel sure that battalion level FRG's will notify their families as specific dates for individual unit return dates are known.
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Task Force Ironhorse Troops Benefit from Base Improvements
By U.S. Army Spc. Melissa Walther / 367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FORWARD OPERATING BASE IRONHORSE, TIKRIT, Iraq, Feb. 2, 2004 - Even as the soldiers of Task Force Ironhorse are packing up to go home leave in another few weeks, they are also paving the way for their replacements.
All over Forward Operating Base Ironhorse, facilities are being built or improved in an effort to provide a better environment for soldiers stationed here.
“Half of the ideas for improvements come from my head and half from the relief in place policies,” said Sgt. Maj. Rodney Placzek, garrison sergeant major for Forward Operating Base Ironhorse and a Columbus, Neb. resident.
“These improvements have been going on since we got here,” said 4th Infantry Division Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Fuss. “We’re trying to increase the quality of life for soldiers.”
In the last 30 days alone, more than 15,000 cubic meters of gravel have been spread, laying the foundation for many of the changes.
Upgrades include four new helipads, a new wash rack, more shower facilities, reinforced guard positions and a larger post exchange. Also, a tent city that will be able to house 1,500 soldiers is being planned.
The work has proved to be a boon to local economy through the hiring of local contractors, Fuss said.
“We’re using a lot of Iraqi businessmen to do the work,” said Fuss. “Our engineers are out improving other forward operating bases, local infrastructure and building things like bridges. When we hire locals, it boosts the economy and gives them jobs. If they’re working, they’re not attacking us.”
One of the improvements being completed by local contractors is a customs inspection point.
According to Placzek one of the most important projects is the container yard for customs inspections.
“Units will be able to get their connexes inspected here and sealed by customs before shipping them,” he said. “It will make things go smoothly when units prepare to leave.”
In addition to these improvements, the main gate will be fortified with a new barrier wall and four new guard towers are planned.
In order to ease congestion at the main gate, an alternate gate for civilian vehicles is in the works.
“That way civilians won’t be clogging the gate and convoys can get in and out easier,” said Placzek.
The upgrades are scheduled to be completed before 4th Infantry Division redeploys.
“The 1st Infantry Division soldiers will enjoy a stateside-quality PX and a stateside-quality wash rack because of these improvements,” said Placzek. “We’re just taking care of soldiers and trying to ease the burden.”
http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/feb2004/a020204d.html
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Wives of 1-68 Armor at Fort Carson regularly send newsletters to their soldiers in Iraq. In this last issue of the newsletter, one of the wives wrote a letter which all of us should read:
An Open Letter To Returning Soldiers:
A year, we can all hardly believe it's almost here. It's almost over. The time we have spent apart has been difficult for many of us and the sacrifice immeasurable to us all, especially the children. But your mission has been a great one and we have taken on ours with the same inspiration, compassion, and dedication that all of our soldiers have done.
There are many similarities to what we are doing to pass the time and the things that have changed for us. Many of you, as well as many of us here, have taken on roles that we may not have thought we were prepared for. We now have more responsibilities, more leadership, and more strength than we did before this mission that you left on. We have realized things about ourselves and I know you have as well. It has been time well spent albeit hard and exhausting as well.
There are those of you as well as many of us here that have been educating ourselves, finding ourselves, and even understanding ourselves. It has been a tough journey but one that will always be remembered and come to mean a great deal to all of us; to you there and to us all left behind. The similarities continue to grow as we look at what has been going on: you have lost weight; so have many of us; you are working out, many of us have been going to gyms on post or joined the YMCA; you have become closer to many that you work with and do more with them, we as well have made many close and good friends since you left and get together with those we hardly knew before; and you are tired of being away from your families, we as well are ready to have you home.
So we ask of you something, something very important, remember who we were, who you were and who we were when you left, and now the important part - be ready to embrace the people that we both have become, be ready to accept our differences and our new found strength because this is who we are, this is a new beginning filled with exploration that can be a great one if we let it. We like who we have become and it will serve us well in the future.
Lastly, finish your mission with pride and diligence and be prepared for your new mission when you return. The mission, should you choose to accept it, will not be an easy one but it will and can be a very rewarding one. It will be one that needs to be filled with compassion, understanding, and open mindedness and if you use these tactics you will find that you may have something greater then you did before you left.
You will be able to fall in love all over again if you let yourself; we can never get enough of that feeling; you will be able to begin again if you let yourself and new beginnings can be scary but very exciting and wonderful as well. So as you are thinking of your return, remember your new mission, remember what sacrifice your family has gone through as well, and be ready to start again.
We, your family and friends of HHC are ready and willing to open our arms and hearts to you upon your return. So open them wide and close them tight and hold on to us with all our strength together. We love you, we miss you and we are ready for you to come home!!
Families of HHC ready for their soldiers return.
31 January 2004
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59 Years Ago Today - 4ID in Germany:
4 February 1945 - D+244
The attack of CT 8 surprised the enemy whose troops wre thrown into confusion and forced to surrender after being surrounded and engaged by small arms fire. By the end of the period, most of the pillboxes in the CT 8 sector had been cleared. CT 22 at first advanced against light resistance which increased during the period. Direct fire from tanks was also received.
The enemy outer defense line was penetrated with elements of the 8th and 22nd Infantry Regiments at the same place that the 4th Infantry Division penetrated on 14 September 1944. (Many of our 4ID vets have told me they occupied the same Siegfried Line foxholes in February that they had dug in September).
The 1st Battalion of the 8th Infantry moved against the Siegfried Line fortifications during the hours of darkness. The attack was launched astride the road leading east from Hallenfeld and by first light, the Battalion had their leading elements through the line of pillboxes. A heavy snow storm covered the advance of our troops, resulting in complete surprise of the enemy. The advance was continued by the 2nd and 3rd Battalions passing through the 1st. Numerous small engagements took place as the fortifications were surrounded and overrun.
The 12th Infantry maintained and readjusted its positions in the vicinity of Bleialf and Winterscheid.
The 22nd Infantry advanced with its 1st Battalion in a coordinated attack with the 8th Infantry Regiment. By 2400 the 1st Battalion had consolidated its positions along the ridge line after having succeeded in cutting the northeast-southwest road against light resistance. The 2nd Battalion had closed in the vicinity of Buchet. The 3rd Battalion had passed through the 1st Battalion and attacked toward Brandscheid. It had advanced to 200 yards of the main crossroads northeast of Brandscheid.
Thanks to Philippe Cornil at www.revive-it.com.
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What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) We heard from my son the other night as he called from Al-Hawijah. He is with A Co of 1-12 IN. He shared with us a web site that has some nice pictures of soldiers from 1-12. The site is Defend America and if you go to their archives you can review all issues by date. Sometimes the soldiers are identified by name and unit. Most of the time at least the unit is identified. We were able to find my son's picture by doing a google search of his name and he came up under a Defend America page. The site is a Department of Defense site and has a number of photo essays that show our soldiers in action taken by military photographers. We were even able to find a picture that clearly shows my son although he was not identified by name. Maybe others would like to surf a little and maybe find someone dear to them.
The Defend America site with 1-12 soldiers is:
http://www.defendamerica.mil/photoessays/nov2003/p112003a3.html
You can navigate through the photo essay with their previous and next buttons. There are 6 or seven pictures in this essay. Other essays are on the home page, just navigate back to it.
2) My husband of HHT 1/10 CAV called the night before last to say he wasn't hurt and was ok. " "Ok I said, what happend?" He told me what he could. He sounded
really shook up by it and really misses being home. He knew every one of the
soldiers hurt and can't believe that that happend to them. I hope he will be ok, and that I can help him through this. God bless all our soldiers, may they all come home safe and sound to the open arms of the USA.
3) Today my husband emailed me a picture of himself with about five Iraqi children. He had one on his lap about the same age of our youngest, 18 months or so. Some weren't even wearing shoes and all were dirty from head to toe with rags for clothes. This picture put it all in perspective for me. The faces of those children, smiling with a little glimmer of hope in their eyes said it all. They are the future of that country, and the world for that matter, and what our soldiers have done for them is remarkable. If you asked me a few years ago if I cared for the future of Iraq, I probably would have said I didn't care one way or another. Now that my family and your families have been so effected by the state of their country, I hope and pray that Iraq has a prosperous and democratic future. I hope the children, who I saw stand so proud next to my husband, who's been away from his three children for so long, never forget the sacrifices our American soldiers and their families have made for them. I truly hope that they take their new found opportunities and succeed in life, professionaly and morally. I can stay strong and be patient these remaining months because I know my husband is doing a profound thing for thousands of Iraqi children and all people..... I wish you all the best these next couple of months and God bless all our troops!! (Editor's Note: You will cherish that picture forever, and your husband will look at it 25 years from now and wonder about those children. I still do it with a picture, one of my favorite pictures that I took in Vietnam, of a Montagnard boy).
4) I am an avid reader of the updates that you send out (they're very informative, and inspiring - I usually wind up crying at the end of the R&R moments). Anyway, I was wondering if you or any of my fellow readers had any suggestions on some nice surprise/welcome home gifts. I like to think of myself as very creative and have no problems with decorations for the house. But I thought it would be really nice to have between 1-3 really nice gifts. Any and all suggestions would be most helpful, including Valentine Day gifts that I could get now and save for later.....we have no children. He is musically inclined. One gift that I know would be wonderful would be a piano or organ. Do you know of any websites or anyone moving who has this type of equipment and would like to get rid of it at a low cost?..... And last but not least, I would like to buy my husband a nice piece of jewelry. I know he would wear a watch. What type of nice watches or other jewelry are men wearing these days?
5) Hello Bob, I just read the e-mail form the Dad with the son in HHC 1-22. It is so sad when we lose any soldier. They are all part and parcel of the ARMY of ONE. My prayers for those families. Also for the friends of the soldiers over there. My son is a mechanic/driver for 204 FSB and I worry for him, yet I know that he is in GOD's hands. I pray everyday for the safety of all soldiers. I also THANK each of them for choosing to PROTECT my RIGHTS and FREEDOMS. I am PROUD of each and every one of them. Could I say HAPPY 20th BIRTHDAY to MY SON, MY HERO? He will be 20 on the 12th of Feb. I am especially PROUD of him.....Thank you....
6) Our son is in HHT 1-10 CAV, Camp Anaconda, Balad and we've had two Emails from him since the attack on Sunday. The words are his; I edited out the names. Please say a prayer for our soldiers and their families. Mom of a 1-10 CAV Soldier
2/1/04 Mom--I am OK. We had a rocket land in our tents and kill a guy. Ten people were injured, two tents destroyed. They just set these rockets on the ground and light a fuse much like a bottle rocket. I was quite lucky. I had a piece of metal fly thru the tent within a foot of me, but for the grace of God there go I. It wasn't much of a good day. I had to use my belt as a tourniquet yesterday. Now I am using my suspenders to hold my pants up. I am waiting for the fog to clear out of my head.
2/2/04 We were sitting around the tent we live in when we heard a boom. I looked out and saw a soldier limping and asking for help. I grabbed my helmet and went to help him along with another soldier. We did the best we could until a medic got there....... By that time there were many people going in and out of the tents that people were hurt in....... He survived. We then went to the tent where the maintenance guys were. They were the worst hit. I knew it was bad. Everyone was put in an ambulance and taken to the aid station. One died after he got there. Everyone else is good. Some are in Landstuhl, Germany at the big hospital there. It was not until later that I looked at our tent and saw the holes through it. I have a hole through my towel that was about a foot away from me that got hit. We are OK, just a little in shock. I will be fine as will the rest of the people here. It is so sad.
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Families Share R&R Moments:
1) Our son with the 4th ID Band was home for 2 weeks. What a blessing! He looked so good. He got down on his knees at the airport and asked his girlfriend to marry him. The people went wild and applauded for them. We let him do what ever he wanted and asked no questions. He talked on his own about what has been going on over there. In Church he stood up and talked to all of us and tears flowed as he spoke of how the Lord sent him to do a job and soon he would have to return to finish it. And about the children there was heart breaking. Tears flowed down his face and he choked up when he spoke of those who have nothing compared to us here in the States. We sure had a good time with him. The time came to take him back to the airport. Fastest 2 weeks ever! As we waited in line to get a drink at one of the fast food places inside the airport, something happened! A man walked up to a solider and said, "Son let me buy your food for you. It is on me, my way of saying thanks"! Oh my, people where doing that throughout the airport! I was so impressed with the love and concern for them! Then the lady spoke over the loud speaker saying how proud they were to have all the soldiers with them today, every one went wild again. He is back in Tikrit now but keep them all in your prayers and thoughts. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and I pray for each of their families. May we all never forget them even after our own are home.
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Redeployment Tips:
1) I offer a gentle reminder to those spouses whose soldiers have returned. In the midst of all your excitement and turmoil, please don't forget the friends you have made in this long year whose soldiers have not yet returned. They do not begrudge you any of your joy....but they do still need your friendship, perhaps even more so, until they also have that great day to celebrate their own soldier's homecoming. (Mother of a soldier in Iraq, watching her daughter-in-law's silent loneliness as all her friends' husbands are home but hers.)
2) Lately redeployment has been in the front of my mind, as I am sure it is in many others. There is a great deal of stuff that comes along with redeployment and just because I have done this a couple of times before, I am not going to say that I am an expert. Honestly, no matter how many times you are doing this you never really know everything there is to know. However, this is what I have learned from my experiences:
* EVERY family is different, therefore redeployement is going to be different for each family.
* When you hear stories about other people coming home, don't assume that it is going to be that way with you, just remember to be open to all possiblities, good and bad.
* Don't force things to happen. You are going to need time to adjust and so are they.
* Go out of your way before they get home to make things perfect in the house and your surroundings. The last thing that you want to be worried about when they get home is the house work. Plus, having everything done when they get here will make the transition a little easier.
* Last but not least - Live, be happy, and enjoy all the time that you have. Don't push, just live, and everything else will fall into place. The problem that a lot of us have made in the past is pushing for life to be normal again, and what we forget is that if we didn't push so hard, it would have happened while we weren't watching.
Congratulations ladies and gentlemen, the past year has been a rough one, and now we can look forward to the future.
3) When my husband finally gets home, it will have been three full years away in the last five on the calendar. We have been in a constant state of change. I had to quit my job about half-way through this deployment to help the kids out, so when my hubby gets back there won't be a lot of changes, everything will have changed. This one is going to be interesting. One big piece of advice to remember is one word: RELAX. No matter what it is, just relax. He is home now, don't go blow all your money right away, you'll have plenty of time to shop.
Don't spread yourselves too thin (parties, barbeques, traveling to see every relative from coast to coast) because then you will be exhausted and unable to enjoy the time you need to reunite your family.
One thing we like to do on his first weekend off after returning is to go to a nice hotel with the kids and stay for a weekend. We check in Friday and have sandwiches and chips with sodas in the room and bring the laptop so we can watch movies in the room together. We like to go to hotels with complimentary breakfasts so there is less expense. The next day we have breakfast and then go to the pool for most of the day. We order a pizza poolside and clean up later to go to a casual dinner. Sunday morning we check out and come home. This is a great way to just have "us" time. We have wonderful neighbors in our area and once they see him home, we wont have a moment's time for the four of us. We generally go to Priceline.com or Travelocity to book the room so we get great deals. We usually only pay 1/3 the regular cost for the room. Hope it helps you!
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