Band of Brothers - Operation Iraqi Freedom

Band of Brothers

'nuf said...

Facing a New Fight

The final numbers aren't in yet but the indication is that over 250 Stryker Brigade Soldiers were wounded and 15 killed during the past year - and the numbers are probably really much higher. Twenty eight of those wounded and four of the dead are from the 1-14 Cavalry - a group of men only 400 strong. Homecoming is bitter sweet for the men leaving Kuwait today. They have lost friends in combat and watched many of their wounded buddies "evac" to Germany and the US during the past months.

They face a new fight now. They have to adjust to a new way of life and for many it will be an uphill battle. These men haven't walked down a city street in almost a year without a weapon in their hands and a platoon of armed men with them. They haven't passed a civilian on the street without first giving thought to how they will defend themselves if things turn hostile. They have spent nearly every waking hour dressed in a Kevlar vest and helmet. They will feel exposed and defenseless for weeks, if not months, to come.

Stryker drivers have to un-learn twelve months of defensive driving. Toyota pickups coming down on-ramps to the Interstate will cause vivid memories to replay in their minds. They have to forget about the jack rabbit starts and the overly wide turns on corners. They have to learn how to stop planning the least dangerous way of extracting themselves from the center of a city. A habit of passing cars parked on the curb by using the oncoming lane has to be overcome.

Sleeping. These men are conditioned to perform on as little as four hours a night of sleep, for weeks on end. Catching forty winks when they can. Many won't adjust sleep patterns for months and some will always and forever wake in the middle of the night because of dreams that won't go away. Reaching out in the dark for a carbine that is usually right beside them and then momentarily panicking when it's not there.

The deployment is over but their fight may not be.

You Were There

We made the distance,
Yeah, we made the day.
You made all the difference
'Cause you found the way.

Without your wisdom
Lord, where would we be
Lost in the wilderness,
Somewhere out at sea.

But you were there
Through the days of wine and madness,
When I'd always put you down.
You were there
Through my joys and my sadness
And you never let me down

You found the meaning
And helped me to see
Where I was going to
All that I could be.

Without permission
You turned the key.
You climbed the prison wall
Deep inside of me.

You were there.

Eric Clpaton

We Made the Distance

We can breathe a little easier now. He's coming home. We've made it, we've gone the distance. Maybe now I can sleep better at night. Maybe now the fear will subside.

There were times when it felt like I was facing everything alone but I realize that there couldn't be anything further from the truth. She's been there for me, with me, through the entire journey and yes, I've been there for her as well. My wife, my very best friend. We've helped each other along the way.

This experience has strengthened our bond to each other. And not only that, it's become easier for us to reach out to others. Together, she and I, have tried to comfort and support our Soldiers girlfriend. Her family either couldn't understand or didn't want to understand what her needs were during this time. We were her support system too - the only one she had.

I feel honored to be the father of a soldier who has served our country in a dangerous distant land. I also feel that we were able to do something for him in return - we stayed at his girl's side and helped her through the past year as well. We are all closer as a result.

There's someone else I need to thank - that I need to acknowledge. Without His help things may have been much different - Thank you God, thank you.

Departure

Just after midnight Friday morning in the Middle East a military transport arrived at Camp Udari in the Kuwaiti desert. On board were members of the 1-14 Cavalry Regiment. The first ever Stryker Brigade Combat Team to deploy in wartime is on it's way home. Hooah!

We talked to our Soldier on MSN Messenger shortly after his arrival in Kuwait. He wanted to let us know that he was in Kuwait and would be on his way to the United States within 24 hours. October in the desert by the sea. It was cool and misting rain when we talked to him. Must be Mother Nature's way of acclimating him for what's to come once he hits Washington state.

Not Getting Any Better

I've learned that one of the Soldiers wounded in the Car Bomb attack in Mosul is a good friend. He lost an arm in the blast of the car bomb. He's in Germany now and soon will be coming home to the US.

The Year Comes to a Close

It's been up close and personal. Both over there and here at home. I want to thank everyone for their support and for being my "therapy group" during this past year. We've been through a lot together and I hope that I've been able to show you a side of the war you don't get on the 5 PM news.

Our Soldier will be stateside very soon - and home before we know it. He said he has one, maybe two, missions left to perform. He thought he was all done but the Army had other ideas.

My Stryker emails and blog posts will soon come to a close and hopefully will not have to be started up again in six months. I hope to find time to write a few more and tell you what it's like at homecoming but after that... Well, we'll chat about other things.
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We've seen and read a lot...

A little girl named Awara - probably only ten - on the side of the road trading us a Dinar for a Dollar. Barefoot and wearing rags, helping her family toil on the farm without any tools.

Civilians, women and children, throwing rocks at Strykers in the city of Samarra. Hearing the explosion and seeing the smoke rise from the first Stryker lost in battle earlier that same day.

Being rear ended by a bus on a city street, totaling the bus in the process.

Conducting raids and searches on farms and in homes while a half hour away Saddamm is dragged from his hole in the ground.

Making Kool-Aid in water bottles while a fire fight rages outside the Stryker near Rabeea. Walking through a live mine field. Remaining cool and collected. And seeing row upon row of Iraqi weapons waiting to be destroyed. Then watching as the weapon piles are blown up in earth shattering explosions.

Wounding and capturing Iraqi insurgents in a night time ambush on the Syrian border. One insurgent rising up out of the bushes directly in front of our Stryker as we sit in an over watch position.

Visiting the Governor of Nineveh Province and having lunch served - several times. Learning that the Governor died in a car bomb attack.

Escorting Benzene trucks into Iraq from Turkey. Escorting supply trucks from Kuwait into Baghdad. And providing escort for the Republic of Korea Army when they entered the country, 1500 strong - all two time volunteers, once for the ROK Army and again for Iraq.

Patrolling for 48 hours at a crack - trolling for whoop a$$. Driving around waiting for someone to attack. Learning what it takes to drive a 22 ton Stryker at night at 50 MPH staring through a slit window, with only night vision goggles to illuminate the way.

Passing a Humvee on the highway just as it is destroyed by a road side bomb. And not too many days later having a road side bomb go off under our Stryker causing some heavy damage - capturing the perpetrators minutes later. Plus hearing how taking the ditch sometimes saves civilian lives.

Conducting endless hours of sentry duty. Staring out at the city lights during the night. Sitting in the rain or sweating when the sun beats down fiercely. Getting lost in thought staring at a night sky full of more stars than you can imagine. Having to duck when mortar rounds land within feet of our position - feeling the blast wash over us and hearing the metal pelt down on the roof. Learning that if you hear the gun shot you are safe but if you hear the crack of the bullets dive for cover and realizing that if you are hit you'll probably have heard nothing at all.

Almost starting a gun fight with British Special Forces in a case of mistaken identity on a street in Tal Afar. Getting into real gun fights with evil men carrying weapons, not once, but over and over again - losing good friends in the process.

Guns, mortars, rockets, rocket propelled grenades, anti-tank grenades, land mines, road side bombs and car bombs - we've heard about all of them and learned what they are capable of.

Samarra, Rabeea, Tal Afar, Sinjar, Mosul, Dohuk, Baghdad, Balad, Al Kut and Scania - we've heard about these places. Getting the chance to visit them through somebody else's eyes.



Thanks again for coming on this journey with me - can't say it's been a lot of fun but it was really nice to have company.

Replacements in Place - Getting Their First Taste

The first replacement troops have moved into the operational area of the 1-14 Cavalry Squadron. The 1-14's work is almost done. They are coming home! Now the 2-14 is there to take over.

They arrived this morning - Thursday morning. And they were properly welcomed by the 1-14 plus they got a nice welcome from Iraq and from the Iraqi's.

It rained Thursday morning. Not a sprinkle, not a shower - a downpour. Iraqi sand became Iraqi mud. It sticks to everything. It's ankle deep, everywhere. The 1-14 is familiar with the mud of Iraq but the men of the 2-14 learned the hard way. Vehicles stuck. Mud caked on everything.

And then Thursday afternoon they learned that a supply convoy was hit by an ambush and now the 2-14 gets to experience their first food shortage and the 1-14 gets to experience their last. When you first get to Iraq the MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat - or - Meals Rejected by the Enemy - take your pick) suck and after you've been there 11 months they suck even more.

And just a few hours ago, about 8PM Iraq time, the FOB was hit by a rocket attack. The 2-14's baptism by fire. Though done with "work" he had to report back in after the attack to let headquarters know he was OK. He can sit back now. Sit back, but not relax. He can sit back and watch his newbie counterparts adjust to life in the FOB, adjust to life in Iraq but at the same time the rockets and mortars don't know he's off duty.

Plus, it's a small world. One of the men he went to Basic with at Fort Knox is there in Mosul with the replacement force. He was surprised to know somebody in the follow on troop - it was good to see a familiar face. They sat down. They talked. He gave this Soldier the same advice he was given when he arrived. "All the dumb ones are dead. Watch your back, never let your guard down."

He's coming home. We were given the date like this... "I'm leaving here ten days after my birthday but the month before." Operational Security dictates the "code" we used to pin-point the date. The Army doesn't want the enemy to know when our force will be it's "weakest" and most in-experienced so actual dates can never be spoken, written or transmitted. We keep them guessing.

mud!

Car Bomb - Mosul

The line of Strykers moves down the wide four lane highway, Soldiers in the air hatches scan the cityscape to either side. The one hundred and ten degree heat of early fall sends shimmering heat rising off the surface of the dark road bed. Civilians in cars and trucks share the road with the Soldiers as they go about their daily business. The Strykers are patrolling the streets of Mosul, Iraq - Saturday, October 2nd.

The men are vigilant. They watch for any sign of hostile activity. Any indication that someone is up to no good. Their "enemy" is not afraid to sacrifice themselves and have no regard for the lives of the innocent civilians around them. The low median strip provides only minimal protection from cars careening down the road going the opposite direction. And the wide road bed allows traffic to pass from the rear on either side of the Strykers.

A fast approaching compact pickup catches the attention of the Soldiers in the air hatches of one of the Strykers. It's coming down the ramp onto the highway from a side street. The pickup reaches the bottom of the ramp and is along side one of the Strykers in an instant. Then it pulls in between two of the Strykers and explodes. No, not just explodes, it disintegrates in a blinding flash and an ear-shattering roar. The blast is felt more than heard inside the other Strykers up and down the line as the shock wave reaches out and rocks them.

The Stryker nearest the blast absorbs most of the destructive force but two exposed in the hatches are wounded. The vehicle is pitted and scarred by the blast. The detonation leaves a five foot hole in the pavement. Strykers behind and ahead of the explosion suffer damage as well. Thick black smoke rolls up into the mid day sky as what's left of the car burns like a blast furnace. Even the road bed begins to evaporate and burn away in the intense heat. Charred car parts litter the highway. The pickup exploded so close to the Stryker that the blast force went up into the sky and away from other men standing in the hatches which probably saved their lives.

The Americans move quickly. They secure the area, keeping civilians at a safe distance. They provide medical assistance for their wounded. And they prepare to tow the damaged Stryker home.

The men move with practiced precision and speed. The wounded are brought through the rear hatch of his Stryker. The ramp comes up and several of the Strykers now race back to the FOB at top speed - nearly 70 mph.

He tells us about the car bomb just twelve hours after it had happened. He's more than a little surprised that his mother and I already know about the incident, thanks to the Fox News Network. And another thanks to the Reuters News photographer who was on the scene and took a picture...

The war in Iraq. Up close and way too personal.