Volume Four, Number 29 - 11-4-09
Mission - Soldier - Family - Team
For the latest news, pictures, and information from 4ID, regularly check:
http://www.carson.army.mil/units/4id/
-------------
This update is early, I'm going to be swamped through the weekend and into next week so decided to put this update out now. The next update will come out on or about Wednesday of next week.
You will note that there isn't much specific news on 4BCT of 4ID (our only deployed 4ID unit at this time) but there is a lot of good background material as the troops at home prepare to deploy next year to Iraq and Afghanistan, and some reporting on the situation in Afghanistan.
I'll also resume my weather report and WWII history lesson in the next update.
============
Colonel describes firefight that killed 8 Carson Soldiers
November 3, 2009
TOM ROEDER
Colorado Springs Gazette
It’s been a month since 100 Fort Carson Soldiers fought 400 insurgents in a narrow canyon in a remote corner of southeast Afghanistan. Eight of Col. Randy George’s 4th Brigade Combat Team Soldiers died in the day-long battle. So did as many as 150 of the enemy.
“They were phenomenal,” George said of his troops, by phone from his headquarters in Jalalabad.
The battle was the bloodiest for Fort Carson Soldiers since Vietnam, and the scale of the sacrifice made by the Soldiers of Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron 61st Cavalry Regiment drew nationwide attention.
It’s becoming clear the blow dealt to the insurgency has slowed violence in one of Afghanistan’s most dangerous places, George said. The enemy in the Oct. 3 battle at Combat Outpost Keating in Nuristan province was a mix of angry locals and hardened fighters who may have come across the border from Pakistan.
George said the enemy planned the attack carefully, arranging firing positions on the craggy canyon walls to blast the outpost with mortar and rocket fire from the high ground while raking the American positions with heavy machine gunfire. The Army calls it “plunging fire.”
“Anywhere you’re at, you don’t want to face that,” George said.
Before the fight the insurgents had told villagers nearby to clear out. The local police fled in fear, too. The enemy used the size of their force and a hail of rocket-propelled grenades to seize the airfield and force the Americans and their Afghan allies to fall back.
The Fort Carson Soldiers gave ground, but they never gave up, George said. “The enemy was obviously superior in numbers but not superior in discipline, professionalism and fighting skill,” he said. “That was our troopers’ advantage up there.”
The Soldiers formed defensive positions and called for air cover. The Air Force flew in with B-1 bombers and F-15E Strike Eagles, dropping 30 bombs. Still, the ground fight continued for hours; the Soldiers had to reclaim the airfield before reinforcements could be airlifted in to help. “They performed heroically and bravely,” George said.
The Soldiers’ resolve didn’t end with the battle, he said. Some wounded troops chose to stay with their buddies rather than head for the comfort of an aid station. It’s that kind of cohesion that won the battle, George said. The American Soldiers fought for each other, George said. Nobody wanted to let his friends down.
“It’s a very close-knit troop and a close-knit squadron,” he said. “They were well-trained. They were disciplined. They worked together.”
In a new strategy to quell violence, the Soldiers packed up and left the combat outpost two days after their desperate battle to hold it.
The Soldiers in all of George’s battalions are working closer to cities and towns, pulling out of the remote canyons and valleys in an attempt to keep the enemy out of population centers so rebuilding and economic development can take place. Four outposts, including Keating, have been abandoned.
George said it’s never easy to leave a battlefield, but winning the war takes priority. “It’s about doing the right thing on the ground for winning the whole fight over here,” he said. “We’re not here to hold a piece of ground, we’re here to be successful in our mission.”
October was the deadliest month for Americans since fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq began; Fort Carson lost 17 Soldiers.
The cavalry troop is back on patrol now. After the battle, George sent a team of chaplains and mental health experts to work with Soldiers who had lost friends and seen horror on such a massive scale. “That’s something we’ll consistently keep watch over,” he said.
For now, the Soldiers who won the day seem to be doing well, he said. “They’re out on missions; they’re motivated; they’re doing great.”
Copyright 2009 - Colorado Springs Gazette
A personal note from Bob: Ten days ago when I worked at the Atlanta airport USO, I talked with three Soldiers who were involved personally with this battle. One had gone in at the end of the battle as part of COL George's Personal Security Detachment, one was from a sister troop of B/3-61 CAV who had helped evacuate the bodies of the KIA's, and one was a B Troop Soldier who had been on R&R when the battle was fought. All will vividly remember the battle forever, as is the case of Soldiers from all wars.
============
Forces Detain Militants, Seize Weapons in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Nov. 4, 2009 - Combined Afghan and international security forces killed or detained several militants and recovered multiple weapons and explosives in operations in Afghanistan yesterday, military officials reported.
A combined security force detained a group of suspects in Khowst province (just south of 4IBCT/4ID's AO), including a Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin militant group commander believed to be responsible for managing a homemade-bomb network and working with Haqqani terrorist network elements in the area.
Recent media reports profile the Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin as one of the three main militant groups in Afghanistan, officials said. The group keeps a low profile by cooperating with Taliban and Haqqani elements and deferring credit to those factions for attacks it conducts.
The combined force targeted compounds near Paru Kheyl village in the Sabari district, north of Khowst City, after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force searched the compounds without incident and detained the suspects. One of the men surrendered and identified himself as the Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin commander. No shots were fired, and no one was injured...
In a separate operation, a combined force killed multiple militants and detained several suspected militants in Logar province while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for numerous attacks in the area.
The force targeted a compound near Shah Mazar village in the Baraki Barak district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militants, then searched the compound, recovered pistols, hand grenades and ammunition, and detained several suspected militants. All recovered items were destroyed at a safe distance from buildings and other structures. No civilians were harmed during this operation.
Meanwhile, a combined force killed several militants in Nangarhar province (part of 4IBCT/4ID AO) while pursuing an al-Qaida operative known for a range of duties, including militant training. He also is believed to be responsible for several attacks in the area.
The force targeted a compound near Baghdarreh village, south of Jalalabad City, after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militants. The force recovered a machine gun and assault rifles. All weapons were destroyed at a safe distance from the compound.
In a separate operation, a combined force killed a militant and detained a suspected militant while pursuing a Taliban commander responsible for supplying foreign fighters and homemade bombs to other militant elements in the area. He is known to be in charge of as many as 40 Taliban fighters.
The force targeted the building near Stazkhan village in Achin district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The joint force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the militant. The force then searched the building, detained a suspected militant and recovered bomb materials, rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and chest racks fully loaded with ammunition. No civilians were harmed during this operation.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
============
Mullen Urges Afghan President to Stop Corruption
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2009 - Newly re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai must take significant measures to cut government corruption and establish its legitimacy, the top U.S. military officer said today.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed concern about the government under Karzai, who was re-elected following a national election fraught with allegations of fraud.
"We are extremely concerned about the level of corruption and the legitimacy of this government," Mullen said at the National Press Club today. "It's far too much endemic."
Karzai, who sealed a victory this week after his opponent dropped out of a runoff election, "has got to take significant steps to eliminate corruption," Mullen said.
"That means that you have to rid yourself of those who are corrupt; you have to actually arrest and prosecute them," he said. "You have to show those visible signs."
The chairman added that "it will be evident pretty quickly" whether Karzai is serious about improving government legitimacy. "You have to have governance, not just in Kabul, ... but we also have to have it in provinces, in districts and the sub-districts," Mullen said. "The legitimacy really needs to be in the eyes of the Afghan people. That is, at best, in question and, at worst, doesn't exist."
The critique of the Afghan government comes as President Barack Obama and his advisors debate the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, which includes weighing a request from the top U.S. commander there for additional troops. But Mullen said today that military success depends on improvements to the Afghan government.
"If we don't get a level of legitimacy and governance, then all the troops in the world aren't going to make any difference," he said. Roughly 67,000 U.S. forces and 42,000 allied troops are in Afghanistan.
Deliberations within the U.S. national security apparatus about the way forward in Afghanistan are said to cover a spectrum of proposals ranging from deploying more troops to counter the insurgency to a narrower, scaled-down approach that targets terrorists.
Counterinsurgency, a form of warfare in which a civilian population is viewed as the center of a tug-of-war between an insurgency and the forces attempting to stop it, is the strategy endorsed by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top American and allied commander in Afghanistan.
Mullen today said positive effects are beginning to be seen from the international counterinsurgency campaign in Helmand province, where Marines have been heavily engaged since August. But he warned that problems in Afghanistan would not be fixed by the military alone.
"It's clearly not just a military solution here," he said. "The military is a necessary part of this, but it is not sufficient. There has to be some level of government and development."
============
This is a longer article than I normally include but it is great background as 3BCT of 4ID and 4ID HQ prepare for their fourth deployment to Iraq. The mission will be changed as 3BCT hits the ground in Iraq next spring as one of the new AAB - Advise and Assist Brigades. This story talks about one of the other AABs - 1BCT of 3ID - who recently completed their rotation at National Training Center. For those of us who have followed the war in Iraq since it started, you will see the drastic changes from the first deployment back in 2003-2004.
Brigade Prepares for 'Advise, Assist' Mission
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
FORT IRWIN, Calif., Nov. 3, 2009 - As the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade prepares for its fourth deployment to Iraq, its Soldiers are getting lessons in the art of leading from behind as they help to set the stage for the eventual drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq. The "Raider Brigade" (not to be confused with the 1BCT/4ID "Raider Brigade" - just the same nickname, a different unit) was part of the initial U.S. invasion into Iraq, and returned for two more deployments, in 2005 and 2007. Now, Army Col. Roger Cloutier, the brigade commander, calls it fitting that his Soldiers will serve as one of four new "advise-and-assist" brigades tailored specifically to support Iraqi security forces.
Cloutier spoke to American Forces Press Service about the new mission last week as his troops wrapped up their month-long rehearsal exercise at the National Training Center here. The rotation was their last major training before they deploy next month to assume a role unlike any they've had before in Iraq.
"This rotation was less about 1st Brigade, 3rd ID going out and doing the combat missions, and more about us advising and assisting our Iraqi partners in doing that," Cloutier explained. "Our mission is by, with and through our Iraqi partners. They clearly have the lead," he said. "So the rotation here was focused on that," with training operations and scenarios focused on helping the Soldiers learn how to provide support as required without taking charge.
To Cloutier, the new mission recognizes major strides made by the Iraqi security forces. "This will be my fourth deployment to Iraq, and each time I have seen the [Iraqi security forces] get stronger and more capable," he said. "So at least in my mind, it is a natural progression."
So during the NTC rotation, the Iraqis - portrayed by the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, NTC's permanent opposing force - took the lead in planning and carrying out every operation. During two out-of-sector operations, one at battalion level and one at brigade level, the Iraqi security forces led the planning, with concept development support from the U.S. stability transition teams. "They did the fighting, and they cordoned off the town and went inside and did most of the clearing," Cloutier said of the Iraqi forces role players.
The 11th ACR "Black Horse Regiment" welcomed its new, more active role leading counterinsurgency missions. Army Lt. Col. Scott Coulson, the 11th ACR deputy commander, said his Soldiers reflected the growing capabilities of the Iraqi security forces, while applying the wealth of expertise they've gained during their own Iraq deployment as well as preparing multiple Army brigades for deployments.
"We want to show [the rotational brigade] what right looks like. We want to show them the best doggone urban dismounted operations at platoon level they have ever seen in their military careers," Coulson said. "And our guys are gaining more and more urban, small-unit combat experience, and they get better and better at it."
Meanwhile, 1st Brigade Soldiers played a supporting role, providing the "Iraqi forces" attack aviation, artillery, intelligence and other enabling capabilities, as required, while mentoring from behind. The mission gave the Raider Brigade a sense of what it feels like to pass the lead responsibility and accept the outcome. "The biggest difference is [the Iraqis] are now clearly in the lead, and they have the final say in what does and does not happen," Cloutier said.
Army Col. Ted Martin, chief of NTC's operations group (former CO of 1BCT/4ID during OIF 07-09), said training scenarios are geared to help the advise-and-assist brigades apply new skills to the Iraq mission. "Not only do they have to do their own survival mission to prevail on the battlefield, but they have to do it by, with and through the Iraqis, with the Iraqis in the lead," he said.
"In the olden days, the U.S. Army would sit around the table, figure out what we want to do, and then launch a unilateral attack to get it done -- or a search, or a recon, or you name it," he said. "Now, we have to have Iraqi buy-in. They have to understand what the problem is, and then agree to the method to solve it. That's the tough nut they have to crack out there."
But as the brigade rotations progress, Martin said, he's gratified to see how the process unfolds. "Most of the time, units come in here without a lot of practice or experience doing this, but they get multiple repetitions at it here," he said. "On Day One, they are going to try to push everybody out of the way. On Day 14, they will socialize the plan and come to an agreement. It's interesting to watch this evolution happen."
Cloutier credited a recent mission, in which 1st Brigade spent 12 months as the first active-duty unit dedicated to supporting U.S. civilian authorities in the event of a homeland nuclear, biological or chemical attack, with helping to lay groundwork for its upcoming deployment. The Raider Brigade played a support role to U.S. civilian authorities as part of the Chemical, Radiological, Nuclear or High-Yield Explosive Consequence Management Force. "So we came in here understanding that construct," Cloutier said. "It is really the same mindset."
The brigade's advise-and-assist mission puts increased emphasis on relationships - with Iraqi security forces, mayors, governors, police chiefs, tribal sheiks and everyday citizens. "It's all about the relationship," Cloutier said. "Every day, you have to earn the right to be heard, and you have to have enough credibility with your Iraqi counterparts that they want to listen."
That's a whole new way of doing business, he conceded, especially for Soldiers who've operated at the tip of the sword during multiple past deployments. "You are used to developing your own plans and going out and getting after the enemy, but that is not your role any more," Cloutier said. "You are here to assist the Iraqi security forces, so it does take a mental shift."
The new mission required some concrete changes, too, as the brigade realigned some of its combat power to support security transition teams. The NTC rotation gave the 1st Brigade an opportunity to adjust to the new roles and the responsibilities those roles entail. "It takes some getting used to: How do you do that? Who talks to whom? And how does information flow?" Cloutier said. "Those are all things we had to work through."
He welcomed the opportunity to iron out the kinks in a training environment. "Were there points of friction? Absolutely," he said. "Did we work through them? Absolutely. Better to do it here than on the ground in Iraq. And that is what makes NTC so valuable. You are able to learn from your mistakes here and figure out where your weaknesses are and train on them."
Cloutier said he's leaving the National Training Center "with an extreme sense of confidence in our Soldiers' ability to get the mission done."
Army Spc. Daniel Fyne and Army Pvt. Reinaldo Gonzalez, both 1st Brigade Soldiers about to deploy for the first time, said they recognize their upcoming mission as an important step toward helping the Iraqis take full security responsibility for their country. "It feels pretty good, just to be there, closing down things and letting them take control," Fyne said. "I think it's pretty cool."
"They are savvy. They get it," Cloutier said of his Soldiers. "They understand that it is not about us any more. It's a step toward the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces." Cloutier praised his troops for the role they will play in helping to bring the U.S. mission in Iraq to a close. "They don't want to read about history," he said. "They want to be part of history."
============
Similar to the story above, this story describes what 1BCT of 4ID is training to do, starting sometime next summer, in Afghanistan. Although not a 4ID story, it should be of interest...
Combat Advisors See Afghan Troops in Action
By Army Sgt. Stephen Decatur
Special to American Forces Press Service
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov. 3, 2009 - Afghan soldiers in armored Humvees led a combined convoy of Afghans and Americans down Highway 1. As dawn broke, they passed an Afghan National Police checkpoint and dismounted by an Afghan army combat outpost. Their objective was Shah Hasan Kheyl, a village about a half mile off the road.
Starting in August, small, embedded training teams dispersed throughout Afghanistan started getting replaced with combat units from the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team to serve as combat advisors. The battalion-sized operation involved several companies of the Afghan National Army, their combat advisors, the Afghan National Police, and a company from the 2nd Infantry Division's 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
It was the first large-scale mission conducted by the Afghan soldiers in conjunction with their new combat advisors, and was aimed at increasing Afghan army presence in the village and surrounding communities in Zabul province.
As the soldiers made the uphill journey to the village, they spread out across multiple avenues of approach up terraces and into orchards. Green grass and trees by the Tarnak River made the area look like a completely different country from the broad desert they just came from. People waking up for their morning chores stopped and watched the group coming. Inside the village, Afghan soldiers knocked on doors, searched houses and interviewed the inhabitants.
U.S. combat advisors watched and observed their techniques. The people told the Afghan soldiers that the Taliban come in the evening and take their food and water. One boy came to a U.S paratrooper and told him in English that the Taliban beat him for going to school.
After searching outside the village, the paratroopers found fresh camp sites in nearby orchards.
The district chief arrived in the middle of the operation driving a sedan and carrying a Kalashnikov rifle. Shortly afterward, he and the executive officer for the Afghan 3rd Kandak, Maj. Mohammed Ahmin, gathered all the military-aged men in the village to hold a shura, or traditional meeting.
"This is a major opportunity for the [Afghan army] to get and prove what they can do," said Army Capt. Jacob White, commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th BCT. "It's also a chance to see where we're at and assess what we can improve."
Prior to the operation, the paratroopers were conducting patrols day and night with the Afghan soldiers in the district, and trained with them on tasks ranging from weapons skills to first aid and equipment maintenance. Part of the reason for conducting combined operations is to instill confidence in Afghan soldiers, said Army Lt. Col. David Oclander, commander of the battalion.
While on patrol with Americans, the Afghans have access to medical evacuation helicopters and heavier fire support.
Najibullah, a 3rd Kandak soldier who has been at his unit for about a year, said he has participated in numerous patrols and missions alongside Americans. "I've done more than 100," he said. "Who can count? If they're with us, we can get a medevac. If not, there's no medevac. I feel safer because they're with us."
Daily marksmanship practice also is one of Oclander's priorities for the ANA, he said. "When they hit what they aim at, it'll send a message that they are capable of fighting on their own. It'll also send a message to the Taliban that not only can they not stand up to the Americans, they can't stand up to the [Afghan army], either," he said.
One of the biggest confidence boosting measures taken in the past year was to equip Afghan soldiers with armored Humvees and weapons like the M16 rifle and M249 squad automatic weapon. Having the same equipment not only makes the Afghans easier to train, it also brings them closer to their American allies by leveling the playing field, Oclander said.
Transitioning from the routine mission of controlling battle space and pursuing the Taliban to training and assisting the Afghan security forces was not a difficult switch, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Lindsay, a platoon sergeant with A Company.
"This mission isn't any different from what we do every day," Lindsay said. "A squad leader's job is to teach soldiers. A platoon sergeant's job is to teach squad leaders." The only difference, Lindsay said, is that not only is he responsible for a 30-man platoon, he also is responsible for advising a 200-man company. But one thing Lindsay doesn't have to teach his Afghan counterparts is how to fight, he said.
"They're very proficient at their weapons and at their combat skills," Lindsay, said. "They're good warriors and fighters. A guy that comes in the army here and shows up at his unit is already at war. We talk about multiple deployments; there are soldiers who have been in this province for six years"
"They're fairly proficient as it is." White said. "Right now we're working more on planning and logistics."
Many of the issues facing the Afghan troops are supply-related, Oclander said. Lack of winter clothing and other necessities is extremely detrimental to the well-being and morale of many Afghan units, he said.
"Their greatest challenge is logistics," he said. "If they don't have the supplies they need, they'll lose the confidence to sustain the fight and take the fight to the enemy."
The combat advisors often must take a hands-off approach to resolving problems such as supply, because their ultimate goal is to make the Afghan army capable of accomplishing the mission on its own. "Before, if something was wrong, it often got fixed for them," Lindsay said. "We want them to fix it themselves."
White, who also served as a combat advisor for the Iraqi army, said he sees a lot of potential in the Afghan soldiers. "These guys are head and shoulders above the Iraqi army when I worked with them," White said. "We've got the opportunity to sow the seeds for future success here. We can go out and play and kill the Taliban, but if we don't build the local security forces, they'll just get replaced."
"It's rewarding seeing the Afghans learning," Lindsay said. "They want to go out and do better. They want to help their country. Ultimately, I hope the reward is that in three or four years we will not have to be here, or that my 12-year-old son won't have to come here 10 years from now."
(Army Sgt. Stephen Decatur serves with the 82nd Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)
============
Army Reduces 'Stop Loss' as Pentagon Begins Payments
By Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2009 - As the Defense Department begins to compensate military members forced to serve beyond the expiration of their contracts, the number of those still serving under "Stop Loss" has been greatly reduced, a Pentagon official said.
The Army, the only service still using the program, still has 9,600 Soldiers serving involuntarily beyond their resignation or retirement date, Sam Retherford, The Defense Department's director of officer and enlisted personnel management, said during an Oct. 29 "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable. That compares to 16,000 service members on Stop Loss in 2005, he said.
Those currently on Stop Loss will be reduced quickly, however, as the Army plans to cut the number of those deployed under the program in half by January and to end Stop Loss deployments entirely by June, he said. "They [will] not deploy using the Stop Loss authority," Retherford said, adding that "there should be no service members on active duty under Stop Loss by March 2011."
The new compensation policy allows service members who were "Stop Lossed" to collect $500 for every month or partial month they served after their service contract ended, Retherford said.
All of the services applied for Stop Loss authority. The Navy applied an average of 15 months of Stop Loss to 250 service members; the Air Force applied an average of seven months of Stop Loss to 39,000 service members; the Marine Corps applied an average of three months of Stop Loss to 9,500 Marines; and the Army applied an average of seven months of Stop Loss to 137,000 Soldiers, Retherford said.
Service members with an honorable discharge are eligible to receive compensation if they were involuntarily extended between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 30, 2009. Dependents of deceased service members who were Stop Lossed also can apply for compensation. In all cases, applicants must provide the proper documentation.
"The claims process requires that the member submit the documentation to show that they were Stop Lossed," Retherford said. "If the member doesn't have the documentation, then the service will, based on the claim, attempt to find the documentation to support the claim, but it has to be shown and proved."
Here's where to get information from each service:
-- Army: https://www.stoplosspay.army.mil or e-mail to RetroStopLossPay@conus.army.mil
-- Navy: E-mail to NXAG_N132C@navy.mil
-- Air Force: http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/stoploss/
-- Marine Corps: https://www.manpower.usmc.mil/stoploss or e-mail to stoploss@usmc.mil
Retherford added that Stop Loss authority was authorized in 1983, when Congress was concerned about the president's call-up authority and that the all-volunteer force may not be enough during times of national emergencies.
"There is a reason for Stop Loss, and that is an initial response to emergencies in dynamic situations where we need to maintain readiness and capability," he said. "But as time moves forward, things normally stabilize and efforts are made to minimize or reduce the use of Stop Loss."
For service members to receive payment, verification of their service is required, Retherford said. To file a claim, service members are required to complete the department's claim form No. 2944.
"Each service had to develop the Web sites to enable individuals to obtain information on the Web and to submit claims," he added.
For service members or their dependent survivors to be compensated, a claim must be submitted and postmarked by Oct. 21, 2010, Retherford said.
Congress authorized $534 million to pay an estimated 185,000 service members to be eligible for retroactive Stop Loss pay. Once the claim is verified by Defense Finance and Accounting Service, the payment will be deposited directly into the service member's bank account, Retherford said.
"We want to keep the public affairs effort going hard, because eight years is a long time, ... and many of these members are completely removed from service," he added. "Their military service obligation long ago passed."
(Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby serves in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
============
Courage in the face of war
KKTV (CBS), Colorado Springs, CO
By Lauri Martin
November 3, 2009
She's the one who breaks the news to Soldiers’ Families that their heroes won't be coming home. With one of the most difficult jobs in the Army, Chaplain PK Roberts, whose job to support military Families, is about to get even more personal.
She joined the Army to serve God and her country. “I’m blessed to be called by God to do what I do and that's to provide ministry for Soldiers and their Families," says Chaplain Roberts. On Sunday, you can find her preaching at the chapel inside Evans Hospital on Fort Carson. That comes easy for her, but what’s most difficult is doing death notifications.
She says, “I get called by the casualty office to assist a non-commissioned officer to carry the news that one of our Soldiers was killed in action. The thing that's most painful for me is walking up to that door knowing that in most cases, the person who opens the door and sees me standing there in my Class A uniform, that the news is not going to be good."
"The one case that surprised me most was when before we could give the news, the mother fell on the floor and refused to wake up to hear the news. She just refused to wake up," says the chaplain.
Chaplain Roberts says every time she walks away, she carries survivor's guilt. “When I make a death notification to a mother or a father and I leave, my question has been, ‘God, why not my son? How is it that he has survived three deployments to Iraq?’"
Her 32-year-old son, Sgt. Elijah Roberts Junior, followed in his mother's footsteps. He joined the army seven years ago. Now, Chaplain Roberts' only son is about to deploy to Afghanistan. He's doing what he loves to do for this country… I have to keep telling myself that."
She prays that she never gets that knock on her door, but Elijah told her if it ever does happen, “We love doing what we do, just like you, mom. If ever you are notified, you got to know that I do what I love to do, what I was called to do. Hearing that helps me do my job," says Chaplain Roberts.
While her job is to be a Soldier's mother and a chaplain, she remains courageous in the face of war. Her son is stationed in Germany. He's expected to deploy early next year.
============
What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers
1) Thanks for this latest edition of the 4th ID Newsletter. Yes, we did happen to see CPT (R) Tony Odierno throw out the first pitch at the ballgame the other night. He did a great job with it. He is an amazing young man and a true American hero, representative of so many who have served and who continue to serve. It was wonderful to see Yogi Berra with him on the mound that night, another American hero.
2) Dear Bob, I'd love to tell you what I've been hearing; but I haven't heard ANYTHING! My Soldier son returned to Afghanistan on 10/12, after a wonderful two weeks of mid-tour leave. Since then, nada. He is at FOB WIlson, which is still without wireless capabilities, so I really can't expect to hear from him except by snail-mail. And since they are so busy, I can't complain that he hasn't written... I'd rather he got some well-deserved rest than try to compose an, "I'm OK, how are you?" letter to his Mom! Or stand in line for over three hours for 30 minutes of computer time! So, unless things change dramatically, I don't suppose that I'll hear from him until Wilson is up and running. Or maybe Thanksgiving, if somebody takes pity on us! HOOAH! Thanks again for your work and calming emails... (Keep smiling - communications will get better before too much longer. Movements to new FOBs always cause some disruption).
3) Guess you will be eating a lot of crow - should make the next update interesting. FROM BOB - Okay, my football predictions weren't that good last week. I never really expected UGA to beat Florida, but had to jab a good friend who's an avid Florida fan (and I owe him his favorite beverage after losing our bet); OSU was loaded for bear , but got run over by a stampede of Longhorns - guess they aren't as good as I thought they are; and, finally - after a scare in the third quarter, my only real favorite team, the OU Sooners, succeeded in not totally ruining my football weekend.
4) Bob, Thank you so much for the years of service you have put into these emails. I have been with you for almost five years, through two and a half deployments my husband did while with 4ID. He is now a medic at Darnell ER and non deployable for three years. I no longer want to receive your email because I know no one in 4ID any more, all having gone to other units. Again Thank you for your loyalty and dedication to the families of 4ID.
=============
Continue to pray for our Soldiers and their Families. Remember - Veterans Day is next Wednesday - time for all veterans to show their colors, as well as everyone who supports our veterans.
Unless you're from Nebraska, I hope your favorite football team wins this weekend. I'm only rooting for OU the rest of this season.
-------------------
Bob Babcock - "Deeds not Words"
President, Deeds Publishing - www.deedspublishing.com
President, Americans Remembered - www.americansremembered.org
Past President, 22nd Infantry Regiment Society - www.22ndinfantry.org
Past President, Historian, National 4th Infantry Div Assn - www.4thinfantry.org
PO Box 682222, Marietta, GA 30068 - Phone 678-480-4422 (cell)
