Iraq War News

Iraq war blog updates
Iraq-Niger uranium claim came from third country: Straw: "Britain cannot tell the United States how it knew that Iraq tried to get uranium from Niger because the information originated from a third country, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw revealed. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. Sweep Nabs Iraqi Brass: "U.S. troops trying to root out Iraqi fighters captured more than 200 people, including six former regime leaders, but violence continued: A grenade attack killed one soldier and wounded six others."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



Diplomat: U.N. Thinks British Proof Based on Fakes: "The United Nations nuclear watchdogbelieves Britain's evidence on Iraq trying to import uraniumfrom Africa is all based on forged documents, a diplomat closeto the agency said Monday. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Car Blows Up in Baghdad Near New Council Offices: "An explosion badly damaged a car incentral Baghdad Monday, a few hundred meters from a compoundhousing Iraq's new Governing Council, witnesses and the U.S.military said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Analysis: Anatomy of a Quack-Mire: " (OneWorld.net)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraq to send delegation to U.N.: "The new governing council - a U.S.-sanctioned first step toward democracy in postwar Iraq - voted Monday to send a delegation to the U.N. Security Council. Violence against U.S. forces erupted again in the capital, with one soldier killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Iraq war blog updates
'We should be proud of our role in Iraq' - Blair: "Tony Blair says Britain should be proud of the role it played in ousting Saddam Hussein from Iraq."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Iraq Democracy Watch: "First impressions

The Governing Council made its first decision yesterday at its first meeting, banning all of Saddam Hussein's old holidays and instating a new one, the day the allied forces toppled Hussein's statue.  They needed to act fast, as the NYT reports, since the Americans are anticipating an upsurge in resistance around two of the  rapidly approaching old holidays.

The council's next decisions will surround the details of how it will be structured, such as whether they will have a rotating chair.

The Financial Times brings everything down to earth with the observation that, "council members, while united in hatred of Mr Hussein, appeared divided on the subject of the coalition presence in Iraq."  Abdel Aziz al Hakim, the SCIRI representative, called the Americans "occupiers", and Ahmad Chalabi, the Pentagon's original favorite before the war, called us "liberators."


Tempers also flared over the question of what powers the governing council would have. Jalal Talabani, a council member and head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, said the council enjoyed "practically all the functions of a government". Mr al Hakim disagreed, saying the council's executive functions were limited but he hoped this would be fixed in stages.

So the Governing Council itself doesn't even agree on whether it has any power or not.

The Americans don't seem to agree, either.  While Paul Bremer keeps on referring to how much power the Council will have, the NYT quoted a "senior administration official" speaking with regard to who will make the decisions about Iraqi oil revenues if the international community insists on a role:


It still hasn't entirely sunk into the international community, but the C.P.A. is the government of Iraq...There are already unfortunate misunderstandings on that. But I cannot underline that often enough. The C.P.A. is the government of  Iraq."



U.S. troops attack Saddam loyalists: "Facing an increasingly organized and violent resistance, the U.S. Army stepped up pressure on pro-Saddam Hussein holdouts Sunday with a fourth large offensive in central Iraq."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Israelis turn focus to economic woes: "Vicki Knafo walked 120 miles from the Negev desert to Jerusalem to highlight her fight to stop the Israeli government from ending the social welfare benefits that have sheltered Israel's poor for half a century."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



U.S. troops seem safe in Southern Iraq: "While American troops in the center of Iraq face daily attacks, U.S. soldiers in this southern city say they feel safe and even welcome here."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Jailed Palestinians seek driver's release: "Representatives of Palestinian prisoners jailed by Israel called for the release of an Israeli taxi driver feared kidnapped by militants, a gesture that could help shore up fragile peace moves."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



US warns of more Iraq attacks in BBC: War in Iraq



Q&A: The Niger link in BBC: War in Iraq



Arab League boss cool toward Iraqi body: "The Arab League chief showed little eagerness to embrace a new U.S.-backed Iraqi national council as its people's representative, reflecting wider Arab wariness about America's intentions in Iraq."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



US soldier in Baghdad: 'I don't know what I'm doing here in this city' (13 July 03) in Radio Free USA



Saddam is hiding near Baghdad, says exiled spy chief (14 July 03) in Radio Free USA



Sweeping Out Saddam's Holdouts: "One GI was killed, and four were injured Monday, in fighting in Baghdad. Elsewhere, U.S. troops killed four suspected Saddam Hussein loyalists. This is a big day on the calendar: the anniversary of an important past victory by Saddam's party."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



Blast near Iraqi police station in BBC: War in Iraq



Press doubts over Iraqi council in BBC: War in Iraq



Core of weapons case crumbling: "Paul Reynolds unravels the US and UK claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction."

In BBC: War in Iraq



Iraqis split on new council in BBC: War in Iraq



US soldier killed, six wounded in Baghdad rocket attack in IraqWar.ru (English)



US raids in Iraq yield 200 suspects, large weapons haul in IraqWar.ru (English)



U.S.-Backed Iraqi Governing Council Meets in IraqWar.ru (English)



America's Spy Software Scandal in IraqWar.ru (English)



Post-war dessert, anyone? in IraqWar.ru (English)

Support Our Troops

NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense

No. 508-03
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jul 14, 2003
(703)697-5131(media)
(703)428-0711(public/industry)

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting
Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Roger D. Rowe, 54, Bon Aqua, Tenn., was killed on July 9 in Iraq. Rowe died as
a result of an enemy sniper attack.

Rowe was assigned to the 1174th Troop Command, in Columbia, Tenn.

[Web Version: http://www.dod.mil/releases/2003/nr20030714-0195.html]

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Yahoo! News - Top Stories Photos - AP
This is a frame shot of the website created by Anthony Cox. It looks like an error message but is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on t weapons of mass destruction in Iraq

Support Our Troops
Soldiers may return by Thanksgiving
By KEVIN KOELLING
Managing Editor
TELL CITY — Tell City’s “Charlie Company� soldiers may return from Kuwait in mid-November, according to Army officials, but their loved ones back home are being cautioned not to get their hopes up too high.

“The tentative time frame for the (unit) to return is 365 days of active duty (from Jan. 2, the day the unit was mobilized), minus 45 days,� according to 2nd Lt. Ryan Core, public-affairs officer for the light-infantry unit operating in and from Kuwait. “This puts the date squarely on Nov. 17.�

At a regular meeting of the family-support group for Company C, 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry July 7 at the Tell City Armory, however, Mary Bunner cautioned, “The adjutant general said hold your breath until the plane’s over New Jersey, because the next stop from there is Indianapolis.� Bunner chairs the support group.

Core said Nov. 17 should mark the end of the unit’s deployment, but the situation in the Middle East and elsewhere at the time could change things either way.

“Conditions that might permit an earlier redeployment would be higher headquarters (over here on the active-duty side) concluding that we have fulfilled all our mission requirements and that we are no longer mission-essential,� he explained.

Conditions that would prohibit redeployment by that date would be active military engagement in another country, such as Syria, Iran, North Korea or Liberia. He pointed out 369,000 American military members are deployed in 128 countries worldwide.

The Tell City-based unit is itself comprised of soldiers from a wide area surrounding Perry County — Guardsmen can request assignment to units outside their immediate areas — and was augmented upon mobilization by soldiers from Elkhart. One of those soldiers, Sgt. 1st Class Craig Boling, became the unit’s first fatality Tuesday, apparently dying of natural causes. (See story this edition.)

Charlie Company’s mission since its arrival in the Middle East has been providing security for airport and other facilities in Kuwait. That mission has expan-ded to include facilities in Southern Iraq. Core said while their area of operation is relatively safe compared to areas deeper in Iraq, danger exists in the nature of their work.

“The primary danger that is in Iraq is not in the areas that we occupy,� he noted, adding, “There is always a random terrorist threat, and we continue to stay alert and prepared to counter that threat if it arises. We are obtaining the best body armor available and issuing it to our soldiers who are in locations with increased threat. We also make sure we have air conditioned tents and rooms where people can rest or sleep. In that manner, they are much more alert during their shift or on their convoy.�

He explained detailed intelligence briefs are given to key leaders before their missions, which include updates on tactics the enemy is using.

Asked about the unit’s morale, Core said it’s hard to define with a single statement.

“It goes without saying that many of the troops want to be home,� he said. “What is important to note is that every mission is important and we may not always see the ultimate reasoning behind it. We are currently fulfilling some very important mission requirements for this theater of operations.�
Several options exist to improve morale, he continued.

“Movie clubs have been forming — groups of five to 15 people that will get together and watch a different movie each night. There are card clubs that have started as well. Almost every base camp has religious options (such as) chapel services and Bible studies.�

Soldiers can also make trips to the Kuwaiti Naval Base, which has some shops, a swimming pool with a 45-foot high-dive platform, and some other offerings, he noted.

“There are plans for shopping trips in groups to Kuwait City, and talk about a Texaco Beach opening up. It will be like Vietnam’s China Beach, but without beer or prostitution, and will have lifeguards. Obviously, it is sponsored by the oil conglomerate, Texaco. The United Services Organization has been making tours through here, with the most recent visit by Arnold Schwarzenegger and a copy of ‘Terminator 3’ showing for three days, five shows a day, full houses for every show.�

Core understands this deployment, which followed shortly after Charlie Company returned from peacekeeping duties in Bosnia, is stressful for soldiers and their families.

“The majority of the personnel who were deployed to Bosnia volunteered to go, without knowing that the 1-152nd would be called up to go to Kuwait and Iraq,� he said. “I know that some people have had a tough time being away from their families for six months, home for three months, and then deployed for 9-10 months here. We encourage phone calls and letters so that the soldiers remain in touch with their families, and our chaplain has been traveling almost constantly, talking with the soldiers.�

On the home front, wives, mothers and other family members continue to attend support-group meetings. At last week’s, questions were solicited, then asked of 1st Sgt. Brian Waninger in a long-distance telephone call as members conducted business in another room. That will be a regular feature of future meetings, Bunner said, to help keep families up-to-date.

The other business included plans for ongoing fund-raising efforts, such as working shifts at Pizza Hut Thursdays — their busiest day, Bunner said. Four people work each week, she said, and in their last month, they raised $600. That money and revenues generated through yard sales will help celebrate the unit’s return.

“Our soldiers are going to come home in the wintertime,� Bunner said. “We’ll want to have a really nice homecoming and Christmas party for them.�

Blair facing crisis of confidence: "Huge numbers of voters believe Tony Blair misled Britain over the Iraq conflict."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



US Soldier Dies in Baghdad Grenade Attack: "One U.S. soldier was killed and six werewounded when a military convoy came under attack withrocket-propelled grenades in central Baghdad Monday, a U.S.military spokesman said. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Two-thirds of British feel Blair nisled them over Iraq war: "Two thirds of British voters feel Prime Minister Tony Blair misled them over the case for launching a war in Iraq, according to a poll in the Daily Mirror newspaper. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Support Our Troops
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense

No. 506-03
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jul 14, 2003
(703)697-5131(media)
(703)428-0711(public/industry)

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today that Lance Cpl. Jason Andrew Tetrault, 20,
Moreno Valley, Calif., was killed in Kuwait on July 9 in a vehicle accident.

Tetrault was assigned to 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Twentynine Palms,
Calif.

[Web Version: http://www.dod.mil/releases/2003/nr20030714-0193.html]

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Support Our Troops
About 350 Soldiers due back tonight
More than 300 Troops Back from Iraq this Morning
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Members of the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment were honored in an early morning ceremony.

Their jobs range from tankers to cooks to medics. Many of these soldiers have been gone for 12 out of the past 13 months.

News Leader 9 spoke with family members who arrived at Kelly Hill for the welcome home ceremony at 2:30 a.m. The gym was standing room only filled with people from as far away as Chicago and California. The ceremony took place shortly after 7 a.m.

Another group is scheduled home this evening after 6p.m. and another after 11p.m.

WTVM News Leader 9 is following the troop returns and will have a crew at Fort Benning for tonight's welcome home ceremony. For the latest information, watch WTVM News Leader 9 and continue to monitor wtvm.com. You can also receive information instantly as it becomes available by subscribing to our free NewsAlert 9 service on our home page (wtvm.com).

Support Our Troops
Monday, July 14, 2003

Ex-Marine finds use for care packages

By LYNN TRYBA Telegraph Staff
trybal@telegraph-nh.com




Staff photo by Don Himsel
Maj. Carl Carvill says 1,200 care packages that were stored at the Salvation Army annex since spring will be shipped out soon.

NASHUA – It was an ambitious project from the start.

Tim Gallagher, a Vietnam veteran from Amherst, approached the Nashua Salvation Army shortly after the war began with Iraq. He remembered how good it felt to receive the church’s care packages in the field, and wanted to organize a care-package drive for his former regiment, the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines.

The Salvation Army took on the project, packing a 10-pound care box for every member of the battalion in late April, with 100 extras thrown in for good measure.

The war, however, ended more quickly than expected. The Marines came home. And 2½ months later, about 120 cases jammed with 1,200 care packages still sit on six pallets in the Salvation Army annex, shrink-wrapped and ready to go.

Those in the Nashua area had responded generously to the drive, donating about 12,000 pounds of items such as baby wipes, foot powder, hard candy and beef jerky.

Gallagher contacted some Marine bases in an attempt to find other battalions that would be stationed in Iraq for a while. The military said there were two, but their identities could not be released for security reasons, so Gallagher was forced to go another route.

He contacted “Sgt. Grit,� a Vietnam vet who runs an online newsletter for Marines, to see if working through unofficial channels might bring results.

“I was basically trying to get around the government,� Gallagher said.

It turns out Sgt. Grit knew somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody. In a case of six degrees of separation, Gallagher was finally able to make contact in June with a commanding officer overseas who wanted the packages.

Lt. Col. Craig Berry, whose battalion and location in Iraq were not given because of security concerns, expressed his thanks to Gallagher in an e-mail.

Berry wrote: “Could you forward back to the appropriate true patriots that we would love the care packages, we will distribute them to all the Marines in our sector, the items will not go to waste. This is an ugly phase of the operation and any help from the home front makes us feel appreciated.�

Salvation Army Maj. Carl Carvill then approached U.S. Rep. Charles Bass for help with the issue of transporting the boxes.

“The congressman has been in touch with the National Guard,� said his communications director, Sally Tibbetts. “He’s hoping to coordinate with the military to deliver the packages.�

Carvill said everyone involved in the project is hoping the National Guard will be able to pick up the cases within the week and deliver them to Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, Mass. From there, they would be loaded on a regularly scheduled military transport.

“We’ll use a common carrier if that doesn’t work,� Carvill said.

While the delays proved frustrating at times, both Carvill and Gallagher have adopted a philosophical attitude about the project.

“The major said that maybe God did this to us, maybe he made it harder for us because these guys need it more,� Gallagher said. “They’re fighting the forgotten war.�

Carvill agreed that perhaps God was involved with the timing.

“The kids are beginning to feel forgotten,� he said. “The kids are getting killed every day. They’re laying their lives down to protect our freedom and they need to be honored and supported.�

Lynn Tryba can be reached at 594-6402

Support Our Troops
Military families wait for homecoming

With U.S. soldiers still getting killed in Iraq, loved ones cling to hopeful news.

BY JERRY DAVICH
Times Staff Writer




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The call came just as Sandy Pike got ready to leave home.

She was rushing off to meet her son, Shawn, at Fort Stewart, Ga. After arriving in the Persian Gulf region in October, the Army specialist finally received his orders to be home for Memorial Day.

Goodbye Iraqi heat. Hello American cookouts.

But the caller was Shawn, saying his orders were changed, again. His unit was being pulled out of Baghdad and deployed to Fallujah, a sniper attack hot spot in Western Iraq.

"Needless to say everyone here was very disappointed," the Griffith mother said.

In Fallujah, attacks on U.S. soldiers are now commonplace. Since President Bush declared the end of major combat operations on May 1, 76 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq -- 31 by hostile means and 45 nonhostile, according to the Department of Defense on Friday.

This swelling number hasn't been lost on local families of U.S. military personnel still serving overseas. Without receiving official news about when their loved ones will be coming home, they still rush to mailboxes and ringing phones. Waiting -- like war, they say -- is hell.

"It plays with your mind," said Nilsa Santos of Portage, whose son, Omar LaBoy, was deployed to Kuwait in July 2002. "You hear soldiers are dying and then you don't hear from your son."

For many soldiers in Iraq, troop morale is low, families say.

"Shawn is tired," Pike said. "He feels that he can do no more over there. He is ready to come home. He said it is so hot you can't sleep so you just stay awake until you pass out."

There are 146,000 U.S. servicemen in Iraq, most not knowing how long they will be needed there.

"While there is great value in continuity, we will, when conditions warrant, replace some units with others or multinational forces," said Department of Defense spokesman Lt. Col. James Cassella.

That day is overdue for some families.

Stephanie Reeves said her husband, James, an Army reservist with the 685th Transportation Company out of Hobart, would have higher spirits if he had a clue when his unit was returning.

"His morale is pretty low right now. He doesn't think he's of much use," said Reeves, of Chesterton.

Rumors first had the unit returning in mid-June, then by July 4, she said. But there are no demobilization orders for the 685th, according to the 88th Regional Support Command at Fort Snelling, Minn., which commands most Army Reserve units in the Midwest.

"We have no way of knowing," spokesman Bill Geddes said.

Terry Stanger, however, believes his son, Eric, an Army private serving in Iraq, will be back in the United States for his birthday on Aug. 5. But then again, "for all I know he may be sent to Africa next to another police action," Stanger said.

"I will be so glad (when) he is out of harm's way for a while," the Griffith father said.

Others say troop morale is good, considering the circumstances.

"Yes, it's getting to drag out. But we knew their orders were from (January 2003 to January 2004)," said Dawn Taylor, whose husband Dominic is with the 685th.

"He sounds really good, and getting him to laugh over the phone isn't hard to do," she said. "He is making it."

Connie Hilley, the unit's family readiness coordinator, said the troops now have air conditioners in the tents, volleyball and football games, and even had a Fourth of July cookout.

Plus, "they are receiving their mail a lot better and are able to talk with their families more often," said Hilley, whose son, Christopher, serves in Iraq.

The last word Pike heard from her son was that his unit would pull out of Fallujah on July 17 and arrive at Fort Stewart on July 25. But he quickly told her he wouldn't believe it until he was on a plane heading home.

On Friday, Santos got a phone call from her son, a 25-year-old Army infantryman.

He landed at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Wash., safe and sound.

"My boy is back, and he's OK," Santos said. "It's all a mother wants."

Jerry Davich can be reached at jdavich@nwitimes.com or (219) 933-3376.

Support Our Troops
Soldiers battling heat, isolation
Care packages, calls home keep morale up for those in Iraq

July 14, 2003

By BEN BOTKIN
of the Journal Star


BARTONVILLE - A sniper shoots and kills an American soldier in Iraq. Touting their allegiance to a toppled leader, militants attack U.S. troops.

Almost daily, violence breaks out against soldiers in Iraq, causing some people to wonder about the morale of those soldiers still stationed in the troubled Middle East. But the spirits of troops in Iraq have not reached a dismal point - they're just anxious to return home, say family members in central Illinois.

"The guys are pretty much homesick, of course," said Caroline Jabson of East Peoria. "It's about 110 degrees. By nighttime, they'll be thankful if it's in the 90s."

Her husband, Sgt. Vernon Jabson, is a flight engineer who has been serving in Iraq since April with the Bartonville-based Army National Guard's 106 Aviation Unit. About 110 soldiers in the Guard unit are still in Iraq, and none of them are sure when they will get back to American soil.

"You just don't know when they're coming home," Caroline Jabson said. "War is still going on."

At least 31 American service members have been killed since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1. About 148,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, and Gen. Tommy Franks told Congress on Thursday that forces could still be there for another four years.

Despite being a continent away, family members are able to keep in touch with their loved ones via phone calls. Warrant Officer Jeff Hammon, a helicopter pilot, is able to talk with his wife, Yvonne, three or four times a month.

"He says that he's very busy," she said. "His spirits seem pretty good. He seems to be coping pretty well."

Those with loved ones serving in Iraq meet for support and to send off care packages to troops.

It's something that comforts troops overseas, said Staff Sgt. Mike Greenwell, who assists with the Guard's family support.

"Knowing that there's somebody back here to take care of their family helps with morale," he said.

Greenwell also noted that the soldiers going to Iraq didn't expect their mission to be short.

"Even though the major conflict fighting was over in 30 days, they know there's much more to do," he said.

But Specialist Jennifer Zimmerman, a member of the Guard unit in Bartonville, hopes her husband will return from Iraq before Oct. 11. That's the day Zimmerman's baby is due, and there's no guarantee that Sgt. John Zimmerman will be by her side during the birth.

"It's not easy," she said. "I'm six months pregnant, and we have a 17-month-old. It's just been hard."

For now, Zimmerman is assisting with the Guard's family support program and waiting for her husband to return.

His phone calls came at least once a week, bringing news of conditions that are challenging, but not unbearable.

"They're hot," she said. "They seem to be doing OK. I don't get to talk to very many of them, but they seem to be doing OK from what I'm hearing.

"They seem happy. They're eating. They're getting three meals a day."

For Warrant Officer Kevin George, the hardest part is being away from Dustin, his 2-year-old son.

"It's not been easy," said his wife, Kim George of Bartonville. "I know he's OK. He sounds good.

"I know he wants to come home. . . . I know people are being killed every day."

Associated Press contributed

Support Our Troops
Monday, July 14, 2003
Greetings from the 372nd!
Cresaptown sergeant e-mails update from Iraq's 'Dodge City'

Brothers-in-law Spc. Lewis W. Thomas Jr. (left) and Chief Warrant Officer Raymond A. Wolf Jr. met by chance in the Persian Gulf. They discovered they were assigned to the same camp in adjacent tents. Wolf is in the 770th Engineer Company of Fort Drum. He is the son of Raymond and Kathleen Wolf of Westernport. Thomas is from the 372nd Military Police Company of Cresaptown. He is the son of Lewis and Saundra Thomas of New Creek, W.Va., and Jeannette Beckner of Westernport. He and his wife, Carol (Wolf), reside in Westernport with their daughters Katie, Courtney and Keiley.

For the Cumberland Times-News


Editor’s note: Linda Comer, family readiness coordinator for the 372nd Military Police Company out of the U.S. Army Reserve Center in Cresaptown, provided the following excerpts taken from e-mail from 1st Sgt. Brian Lipinski.

Greetings from the birth of ancient civilization! The 372nd MP Company is now operating near the city of Al Hillah, also known as Old City of Babylon. The area is located within the Euphrates water basin and is surprisingly rich with water and vegetation.

Current operations have been more than exciting. It’s like being in Dodge City in the 1870s without speaking the same language. But overall, Al Hillah is a friendly city that supports coalition forces.

The company has assumed a law and order mission by integrating our unit into the local police force. We are also working hand in hand with Civil Affairs in the task of rebuilding the Iraqi nation. The Iraqi judicial system is set up a little different than in the United States, with more independent police substations than a central headquarters. We are doing what we can to make sense of it all.

Headquarters Platoon

The Headquarters Platoon has been supporting the company in every aspect and is doing an overall great job. Even as the heat increases, the motivation and attitudes continue to stay positive.

The Food Service Section is serving two hot meals daily and is also providing snacks and much-welcomed cold drinks to patrolling units. In the near future, hot meals will be provided through a consolidated mess hall.

The Maintenance Section is also doing all they can to keep vehicles in tip-top shape with the provided resources available. The weather and roads are taking their toll on the trucks.

The Administrative Section is always busy, working on continuing pay issues. Family separation and hazardous duty pay are still incorrect.

The Supply Section is working with the Marines for supplies.

The Operations Section is running two 12-hour shifts since arrival in Iraq.

1st Platoon

First and foremost, we would like our families to know just how much they are missed and thought of.

The days move along quickly. But one day here is one day closer to going home to you.

1st Platoon commends Sgt. Pressman, Spc. Liller and Spc. MacDonald-Hill as the Team of the Week. These three soldiers have been responsible for the arrest and capture of some of Iraqi’s “bad boys.�

2nd Platoon

Capt. Scott Steva, leader for 2nd Platoon. I know you’re all suffering from a lack of certainty and information. We are in the same boat; some technologies are just not available. Sadly enough this state is part of warfare. It is not intentional; it’s just there. Take heart in the exceptional job that your soldier is doing over here.

Are the living conditions less than American standards? Yes, but realize we are in a Third World country that has just gone through a major war. Is the food bad? Yes, Army food has always been bad. Is it dangerous here? Yes, but as a civilian police officer for the last 10 years, I can tell you that it is no more dangerous than policing any major city in America. Write us as often as you can, send candy and keep us in your prayers.

3rd Platoon

Greetings from 3rd Platoon! We are keeping busy with the Quick Reactionary Force part of the mission. As the other platoons augment the Iraqi Police Force, we act as a reactionary force, able to back up any of the platoons within minutes in the course of performing their missions. We are able to roam freely throughout the city of Al Hillah. Everybody misses home, but we are prepared to stay here as long as it takes to ensure that the Iraqi Police Force can handle the extremely difficult task of policing Al Hillah.

4th Platoon

We have been actively working with the Iraqi Police for the past few weeks, trying to train them in tactics other than Saddam’s. It has proven to be somewhat of a challenge. We are constantly making new friends and some citizens are giving us information on weapons and dangerous people. So far, we have not come under any fire. The only hostile crowds have been the swarms of kids wanting candy, food, water or anything else. We have also been spending extra time improving the conditions of our police substation and jail. We miss everyone back home. Thank you for your support, mail and packages. We look forward to coming home, hopefully soon.

Commander

Greetings to everyone back home. You should have a pretty good idea what is going on from reading the above messages. The soldiers are doing a wonderful job and everyone should be extremely proud of all their efforts. As the time passes, we are starting to see improvements in our living conditions.

Starting on July 4th, all the food will be contracted by a caterer. The mail situation is getting better. Mail was received twice this week. E-mail continues to be a limitation. A moonlighting interpreter periodically has a satellite phone for soldiers’ use, at $1.50 per minute. Battalion is working on an AT&T phone tent.

In talking to soldiers, morale is pretty good overall. Make no doubt about it everyone misses home and their families. I do not have any completion dates as of yet. I continue to work closely with the higher headquarters on their projections.

In closing, all of you have made tremendous sacrifices in your personal lives. I want to let you know that is for a great cause. The Iraqi people do need our help and 99 percent truly are grateful for our efforts. My main concern is for the safe return of your loved ones.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Support Our Troops

Support Our Troops
Fort Carson soldiers will return to Fallujah



By JOHN DIEDRICH- THE GAZETTE

Soldiers from Fort Carson’s 2 nd Squadron/3 rd Armored Cavalry Regiment crossed into Iraq with a vague idea of what they were expected to do and frustration over "missing the war."

The 1,100 soldiers moved west of Baghdad into cities none of them had heard of: Fallujah and Ramadi.

Now those cities are known as flash points of Iraqi resistance to American forces.

The squadron has faced constant attacks and paid dearly trying to bring order to an often lawless and chaotic nation. Four 2 nd Squadron soldiers have been killed and more than two dozen injured during its 11 weeks in the area.

Squadron soldiers didn’t miss the war.

"Who said it was a mop-up mission? No one told me that," said Lt. Col. Toby Green, who recently handed over command of the regiment’s 2 nd Squadron.

The 2 nd Squadron was pulled out of Fallujah in early June and moved to an area west of Ramadi. It was replaced by 2 nd Brigade/3 rd Infantry Division, which has four times as many soldiers.

The 3 rd Infantry is set to leave Iraq in a month or so, which means Fort Carson soldiers will return to Fallujah.

Green, who is back in Colorado Springs preparing for an assignment in Germany, said some of his soldiers appreciated the relative quiet of Ramadi and were cautious about returning to Fallujah.

"There is nothing un-American or unsoldierly about wanting to protect yourself or your buddies," Green said.

Other troops didn’t want to leave Fallujah because they knew they would be going back.

"Some thought, ‘We don’t want to lose ground. We need to stay until the job is done,’" Green said.

The 2 nd Squadron saw some of the most intense action in Iraq after President Bush’s May 1 declaration that major combat was over.

On the unit’s first days in Fallujah, soldiers with the 82 nd Airborne Division, which held it for a few days before the unit arrived, fired twice on crowds of civilians after they came under fire, killing as many as 17 Iraqis.

"I didn’t have any illusions. I understood it would be a volatile and dangerous environment," Green said. "It’s pretty clear the center of gravity of resistance isn’t in Baghdad. It’s west."

The 2 nd Squadron has been attacked once or twice a day since arriving in Iraq. Most of the attacks didn’t result in injuries or death, but Green still considered them serious.

"I can’t control if the guy who shoots is a good shot or not," Green said.

"The danger to my troops is the same."

The squadron’s heaviest casualties came May 27, when two Iraqi men stepped from a truck at a checkpoint outside Fallujah and opened fire.

Staff Sgt. Michael Quinn and Sgt. Thomas Broomhead died and nine other soldiers were injured, six seriously.

After killing the two attackers, soldiers found grenades strapped to their bodies and automatic rifles, detonation cord and rocket-propelled grenades in the truck, Green said.

Green thinks the men probably didn’t plan to attack the checkpoint but had another target in mind.

"They probably came to the conclusion, ‘We are surrounded by coalition forces. Let’s go out in blazes.’ "

Fort Carson soldiers have seized piles of illegal weapons and made dozens of arrests in raids and at checkpoints.

At one checkpoint, soldiers found more than 200 rocketpropelled grenades in the back of a white van with a red medical crescent on the side, Green said. The unit was told the incident could result in the first war crimes tribunal in Iraq. Carrying weapons in a medical vehicle is a war crime.

Despite the persistent attacks, Green said Iraqis are happy the American troops are there, but they wonder whether the soldiers will stay. The longer U.S. troops stay, the more Iraqis will support them, he said.

Several things have to happend before Fort Carson soldiers come home, Green said.

The four units that were in Iraq before them must leave. Another unit would have to replace the regiment, which controls 30 percent of Iraq. Green hasn’t heard of any unit ready to do so. Finally, Green thinks the unit’s departure could hinge on success of its mission: bringing security and stability to the region it patrols.

"What is that? Twenty days without attacks on civilians? Twenty days without attacks on coalition forces? What is the measure of success? "

Green asked the regiment commander about a departure date before he left Iraq. He was told there is none yet.

"I’ve heard the rumors. I don’t like to be a prophet of false hope. I want the guys to come home as soon as possible. I just don’t know when that will be."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0110 or

diedrich@gazette.com

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