Another concerned Iraqi citizen came to the squadron headquarters in Tall Afar and turned in one RPG launcher, an antiaircraft gun and 200 anti-aircraft gun rounds on 26 Feb.

In Tikrit, an Iraqi citizen provided information that helped soldiers from 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, capture three suspects along with one RPG launcher, six 82mm mortar rounds and five ammunition magazines filled with AK-47 ammunition.

Soldiers from the unit raided a building in Sordonia, nine kilometers southwest of Riyadh, on 24 Feb looking for a weapons cache and the persons responsible for storing the weapons.

Another Iraqi citizen provided information to the battalion about a possible weapons and ammunition cache south of Kirkuk. Soldiers went to the location on 24 Feb and discovered one 37mm anti-aircraft gun and 100 rounds of 37mm anti-aircraft ammunition. The patrol disabled the weapon with hand grenades and an explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the ammunition.

Soldiers from the Task Force 1st Armored Division seized a weapons cache in the Al Rashid district on 24 Feb during a routine patrol. Confiscated were 50 122mm artillery rounds, 36 125mm artillery rounds, 200 14.5mm rounds, 10 fuses and two hand grenades.

On the same day, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, discovered an ammunition cache southeast of Kirkuk. The cache consisted of 126 60mm mortars and 60 82mm mortar rounds. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the munitions.

Officials reported U.S. Army psychological operations teams moving out into communities of Baghdad to combat fear and misinformation being spread by anti-coalition elements.

Soldiers from the 315th Psychological Operations Unit, San Jose, CA, part of Task Force 1st Armored Division, are meeting with residents to ensure that the Iraqi people “hear and see the truth” about what is happening in their country. The teams are distributing copies of Baghdad Now, a bimonthly newspaper written in Arabic and English by Iraqi journalists. The newspaper contains neighborhood news and events, and information from local military leaders.

How do the troops feel?

John D. Banusiewicz, American Forces Press Service

SHANNON, IRELAND, 22 FEBRUARY 2004 - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his traveling party weren’t the only Americans to refuel here in today’s wee hours.

Two companies of soldiers from the 120th Engineer Battalion, 90th Troop Command, Oklahoma National Guard, were getting ready to reboard their aircraft. Their civilian aircraft pilot saw the Secretary and introduced himself as a former Air Force pilot. He told Rumsfeld more than 200 soldiers were right through the doors the Secretary’s party was about to enter.

The Defense Secretary needed no introduction. The soldiers gave him a spontaneous, tumultuous welcome and quickly surrounded the beaming Rumsfeld. The Secretary shook some hands, exchanged some greetings and posed for countless pictures with the soldiers for about 10 minutes. Then he stood on a chair and offered them words of thanks and encouragement, punctuated by the soldiers’ hearty shouts of “Hooah!”

The Guardsmen of the 120th have been mobilized and in training for their deployment since mid-December. Spc. Rebecca Patterson of Wagner, OK, said she and her comrades had no idea they’d meet the Secretary of Defense. She pointed out that the small amount of time they spent together had a big effect on her level of motivation.

“Every word he said inspired me,” she said. “He has a real presence, and this was a great surprise.”

How do the troops feel?

A day in Iraq

Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, raided three locations in Samarra just after midnight 17 Feb and captured specifically targeted individuals suspected of attacking coalition forces.

Residents near Balad asked soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, to remove weapons from their home 17 Feb. The soldiers removed and confiscated an improvised rocket tube, a rocket, three AK-47 assault rifles, one SKS automatic weapon and assorted electrical components similar to those used to make improvised explosive devices.

An off-duty Iraqi police officer stopped a patrol from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, in the village of Wajihiyah and told the soldiers about an ammunition cache.

The soldiers went to the location and found 30 rounds of 152mm artillery shells. In another incident, Iraqi police brought an explosive device made of four 155mm artillery rounds to soldiers from the 4th Military Police Battalion. The police found the device partially buried at the side of the road near the village of Jabal Makhul.

Soldiers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, were in Bayji on 17 Feb when they saw a pickup truck drive away at a high speed. The soldiers were not able to stop the fleeing truck, but went to the house from which they saw the truck leave. They located and confiscated two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, two AK-47s, eight Beretta submachine guns, a recoilless rifle sight and numerous containers for missiles. The house was littered with military paraphernalia. One person was detained for questioning.

In Muqdadiyah, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, conducted two raids on 17 Feb looking for individuals suspected of being involved in attacks against coalition forces. One person specifically targeted was among six people they captured. Soldiers confiscated two AK-47s, three bolt-action rifles, one SKS automatic weapon, a shotgun, an antiquated machine gun and six AK-47 ammunition magazines.

Three people were seized on 17 Feb after a coalition helicopter crew saw them attack an Iraqi Civil Defense Corps headquarters near Balad with automatic weapons and flee to a nearby building. Soldiers also confiscated an AK-47, an SKS automatic weapon and a .45-caliber pistol.

Have a comment?
Send me an Email I'd love to hear from you!