Photos: Soldiers Watch the Super Bowl
Soldiers with 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division stay up late to enjoy some camaraderie and watch Super Bowl XLIV in the brigade conference room, Feb. 8. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Bryce S. Dubee)
1-38th Commemorates 138th Day 'boots on Ground'
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Kristina Scott
BAGHDAD – For Soldiers who are in the habit of patrolling the streets of Baghdad up to eight hours each day, meeting with key Iraqi leaders and training members of the Iraqi Security Forces, taking a day off now and then comes as a much-welcomed break.
For Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, that day arrived Feb. 5. But the idea was not simply about taking the day off.
Leaders decided that tying the numeric designation of the unit into the 138th day of "boots on ground" – a term which refers to how many days the Soldiers have been in Iraq – was a great way to remember the heritage of the 1-38th Inf. Regt., and to build esprit de corps by bringing the troops together for some friendly competition.
"Today is primarily to honor the service of the regiment, but it also gives a little bit of a break to get re-motivated," said Lt. Col. John Leffers, 1-38th commander and a native of Utica, N.Y.
The festivities started with a somewhat informal ceremony during which two Soldiers were promoted in rank and several awards were given out; one for expertise of marksmanship. There was also an historical account of the battalion's involvement at Omaha Beach, during the Normandy Campaign, in July 1944.
3-17 FA Transports Howitzers to FOB Price by Helicopter
Story by Pfc. Nathan Booth
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, completed the transfer of two M110 Howitzers from Kandahar Air Field to Forward Operating Base Price Jan. 16.
It may seem like a routine task, but when the transfer takes place by two CH-47 Chinook helicopters, things get a little more interesting.
"Well the first thing is that it enables us to keep the guns off of the road, so we won't be hit with [Improvised Explosive Devices] and become non-mission capable," said Staff Sgt. William Willoughby, assigned to A Battery, 3-17 FA, 5/2 ID (SBCT). "This is enabling us to stay mission capable and allowing us to move the guns at a faster speed than we would on the road."
Using helicopters during missions is new territory for 3-17 FA according to Willoughby.
"Most of us have done it three or four times here in country," Willoughby said. "It's relatively new for 3-17 to do Air Assault missions, but our guys trained well and we adapted quickly to the mission at hand."
One of the key members of the sling load team, Pfc. Michael Wall, a Bridgeport, Texas native assigned to Headquarters and Service Battery, 3-17 FA, 5/2 ID (SBCT), joined an all ready established team of soldiers from A Battery.
"It was one of those "Hey, you" details and I was the only one qualified to do it," Wall said. "My Battery is so undermanned right now having everyone pushed out, so I was the only one left to do it."
After learning the basics of sling load operations, Wall found a new passion for the duty.
"I can honestly say that I didn't know this detail was going to be fun," Wall said. "There aren't a lot of details out there that are fun, and this is one of my favorites and I've been on pretty much everything."
The operation was a success, and according to Capt. Jason Washburn, assigned to 3-17 FA, 5/2 ID (SBCT), saved 3-17 FA time and trouble.
"I think it's a great enabler," Washburn said. "It's much safer, based on the IED threat. Flying is safer than driving, right?"
(via DVIDS)
Stirring Up Justice: 4-2 Field Artillerymen Turn Paper Plates Into Targets
Story by Sgt. Samantha Beuterbaugh
BAGHDAD– A 20-foot high dune rises from the sand at Contingency Operating Location Justice, partially masking the bustling life of Baghdad in the distance.
Soldiers hike to a quiet corner of the lifeless landscape.
"Let's go!" a Soldier shouts. "The faster we get the range set up, the sooner we get out of here."
Soldiers spring from the right and left sides of the mound, equipped with two-by-fours, large pieces of cardboard, thumbtacks, tape, paper plates and plastic bottles.
Their intent: to construct a rifle range.
With limited resources, the Soldiers assigned to Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, have been forced to find innovative ways to build a rifle range so they can hone their marksmanship skills. Their creativity has become a weekly ritual.
From My Family to Yours
Story by Pfc. Adrian Muehe
DIYALA, Iraq – The Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season in the United States is a popular time for donating and reaching out to those less fortunate families. However, for U.S. Soldiers stationed in Iraq, the giving season extends to all year around.
It is very rare to find a Soldier in 4th Platoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, without candy or pens in their cargo pocket to hand them out to the hoards of children that tag along during community patrols or whom gather around during combined Iraqi and U.S. civil affairs projects.
While working with their Iraqi police partners in Wasit, Iraq, Sgt. 1st Class Bruce Wolaver, platoon sergeant for 4th Platoon, has repeatedly noticed a child playing on the very same street corner with no clothes. Being his second deployment, Wolaver has interacted with many Iraqi children before, but this was the first time he's ever seen one run around nude.
Knowing he wouldn't want see his own boy like this, Wolaver decided that he had to help.
"I have a soft spot for kids," said Wolaver, Covington, Ohio ,native. "I called my wife and my mother-in-law, and asked them to send me some clothes for a two year old boy."
Stryker Soldiers Deliver
Story by Sgt. Chris Florence
KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Every week hundreds of letters and packages come into the Kandahar Airfield Post Office from family, friends and supporters of 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers to help close the distance between the pains of deployment and the comforts of home.
Receiving a letter or care package while deployed to a combat zone can be critical for Soldier morale. Cpl. Ryan Holden, the SBCT mailroom Non-Commissioned Officer-In-Charge can relate to his fellow infantrymen out in the fight. He knows how something as simple as mail can be so significant.
"I see my guys out there, and I know what they are going through," Holden said. "They come back to their tents hoping that there's a package on their bunk from their girlfriends, wives or families."
War Games
In a war zone, taking a virtual shot at the CO helps to ease the stress - The News Tribune
Bowman, a fire support specialist with the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, finally dropped his Xbox 360 controller, stepped out of his living trailer to light up a cigarette. The Stryker soldier took a few drags, bragged about his kills and snuffed it out.Another game of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beckoned.
“We play Modern Warfare 2 pretty much every night here,” Bowman said. “It helps us vent our frustrations a little bit, to be honest.”
Service members across Iraq spend countless hours playing first-person shooter video games, but perhaps none take it to the level of the soldiers of 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment.
Memorial for 5/2 SBCT Soldier Kyle Wright
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Family, friends, Service members and the Joint Base community will remember a Soldier who died while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with a ceremony to be conducted Friday, February 5, at 3 p.m. in the JBLM Lewis North Chapel.
Spc. Kyle J. Wright, 22, of Romeoville, Ill., died Jan. 13 at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered earlier that day when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Kandahar Province. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
Related:
Fallen Stryker soldier remembered - KOMO News
Memorial: Stryker soldier upbeat, had a way with words - The News Tribune
A Second Time Around in the New Iraq
Story by Pfc. Adrian Muehe
DIYALA, Iraq – "This is way easier than my last deployment," said Sgt. George Applegate, from Evergreen, Colo., a fire team leader for 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, while pulling security beside his Stryker vehicle that was staged next to the headquarters of the Iraqi Police's 7th Battalion Emergency Reaction Force in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, on the night of Jan. 31.
Applegate, and the rest of 2nd Platoon, conducted a night patrol in Muqdadiyah, searching for possible improvised explosive devices.
A couple years ago, Applegate wouldn't have been engaged in such a casual conversation while pulling security, because the threat of violence was much more prominent.
"This country differs greatly," said Sgt. Applegate, who was last deployed to Iraq from Aug., 2006 to Nov. 2007, with the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and was stationed just south of Baghdad.
On his last deployment, Applegate operated as part of a combat force in a light infantry unit, encountering violence on a regular basis. There were no combined operations back in those days.
"We were basically a quick reaction force for the entire country," said Applegate. "We were able to be deployed anywhere in a heartbeat."
Soldier Gain Closure Through Operation Proper Exit
Story by Sgt. Bryce Dubee
BAGHDAD – The last time they were here, they lost a piece of themselves. Years, and numerous surgeries later, they've returned to get a small piece back.
Six Soldiers, each severely wounded during combat operations in Iraq, returned to the battlefields where they were injured to gain a sense of closure as part of the Army's Operation Proper Exit.
Arriving in Baghdad on Sunday, the six men, all retired from the Army, visited and shared their stories with Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at the Warrior Chapel here Monday.
