H A P P Y H A L L O W E E N
Volume Four, Number 28 - 10-31-09
Mission - Soldier - Family - Team
For the latest news, pictures, and information from 4ID, regularly check:
http://www.carson.army.mil/units/4id/
Seven Day Weather Forecast: .
Baghdad, Iraq - Sun, Hi - 87, Lo - 68, mostly sunny; Mon, Hi - 86, Lo - 63, partly cloudy; Tues, Hi - 75, Lo - 57, light rain; Wed, Hi - 78, Lo - 57, mostly sunny; Thur, Hi - 81, Lo - 57, sunny; Fri, Hi - 80, Lo - 59, partly cloudy; Sat, Hi - 81, Lo - 59, sunny.
Kabul, Afghanistan - Sun, Hi - 70, Lo - 46, partly cloudy; Mon, Hi - 68, Lo 40, mostly cloudy; Tues, Hi - 68, Lo - 39, partly cloudy; Wed, Hi - 69, Lo - 39, partly cloudy; Thur, Hi - 66, Lo - 41, partly cloudy; Fri, Hi - 66, Lo - 41, mostly sunny; Sat, Hi - 65, Lo - 36, partly cloudy.
I hope the snow is beginning to melt at Fort Carson - sounds like you took a real pounding this past week.
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A bad week in Afghanistan...
DoD Identifies Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Oct. 23 in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. The Soldiers were assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.
Killed were:
Spc. Eric N. Lembke, 25, of Tampa, Fla.
Pfc. Kimble A. Han, 30, of Lehi, Utah.
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The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Sgt. Eduviges G. Wolf, 24, of Hawthorne, Calif., died Oct. 25 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked her vehicle with a rocket propelled grenade. She was assigned to the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
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The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Pfc. Devin J. Michel, 19, of Stockton, Ill., died Oct. 24 in Zhari province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
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Let us keep the Families and fellow Soldiers of SGT Wolf, SPC Lembke, PFC Han, and PFC Michel in our thoughts and prayers.
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65 Years Ago This Week - 4ID in Germany - 1 - 7 November 1944
1 November 1944 - D+149
The 4th Infantry Division remained in its position in the vicinity of Bullingen, Belgium. During the first days of November, a portion of the Infantry was sent on pass to Paris and to the Corps Recreation Center at Eupen, Belgium. It meant baths, shaves, clean clothes, good rest and various leisure activities, and also church services.
Enemy patrol activity was relatively light. Mortar fire, however, showed an increase, and small arm fire was directed at our front lines. About 24 shellings, mostly 75 mm and 105 mm were reported.
The 4th Infantry Division maintained its present main line of resistance, continued combat, contact and security patrolling, harassed the enemy positions with artillery, anti-tank weapons and machine guns. The 8th Infantry sent patrols into no man's land with the mission of capturing prisoners but failed to encounter the enemy. The 1st Battalion supported by light tanks conducted company attack problems in the woods. The 12th Infantry continued combat and contact patrolling without encountering the enemy. The 1st Battalion conducted training in woods fighting and coordination of tanks with infantry. The 22nd Infantry did the same things as the two other regiments with the same results.
2 November 1944 - D+150
The enemy defended its Siegfried defenses by employing patrols and dug in outposts. An increase in mortar fire and continued harassing fire from small arms and automatic weapons was in evidence.
The 8th continued combat patrolling, contacted enemy patrols, harassed them and captured two prisoners. The 1st Battalion relieved the 2nd Battalion, and the training continued. The 12th Infantry continued combat and security patrolling. Companies were rotated to conduct training with emphasis on small unit problems, flame thrower, mine detection, scouting and patrolling. The 22nd Infantry continued security and contact patrolling but limited by our own artillery fires. Company A encountered a stronger enemy patrol and after a short skirmish, returned without suffering casualties. Long range caliber .50 machine gun fire and artillery was used to harass enemy positions. Training continued with personnel not actively engaged with emphasis on platoon attack problems, woods fighting and mine detection. The 4th Division Artillery fired a diversion mission in conjunction with the attack of the 28th Infantry Division.
3 November 1944 - D+151
In addition to the harassing fire, the enemy increased its patrol activity sharply.
Company I, 8th Infantry, was attacked by an enemy patrol of twelve men but dispersed them. The 2nd Battalion conducted training with emphasis on the attack of a river line. The 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry, repulsed an enemy patrol of six men at 0400. Non employed personnel conducted training with emphasis on enemy mines, coordination tanks-infantry and log exercises. Patrols of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry, were engaged in skirmishes with the enemy, captured one prisoner and withdrew without casualties. Reserve elements received additional training in woods fighting, automatic weapons and demolitions.
4 November 1944 - D+152
Only two small enemy patrols were reported. Harassing small arms fire was again directed at our front line troops.
The 8th and 12th Infantry continued the same activities. The 22nd Infantry continued patrolling, placed harassing fire, long-range fire from machine guns, and a 57 mm antitank gun on enemy positions. It made plans for relief on 5 November by elements of the CT 39, 9th Infantry Division. Reconnaissance was made of the area in the vicinity of Krinkelt for contemplated new assembly area.
5 November 1944
Scattered harassing small arms fire and minor patrol activity constituted the enemy action.
The 8th Infantry was relieved by elements of the 39th and 60th Regiments, 9th Infantry Division, beginning at 0955 and completed at 1400. The 12th Infantry was relieved by CT 60, beginning at 1130 and completed by 1200. The 22nd Infantry was relieved by CT 39, beginning at 0900 and completed by 1330. Then the three Regiments moved to temporary assembly areas occupied prior to the move to the north. The 4th Reconnaissance Troop moved to an assembly area in the vicinity of Holzheim.
6 November 1944 - D+154
The 4th Division made preparations for and initiated movement of some of its elements to assembly areas in the vicinity of Zweifall. The CT 12 crossed the IP at 1810 and was still en route at the end of the day.
7 November 1944 - D+155
The 8th Infantry sent 50 vehicles with reconnaissance personnel to the new assembly area and they closed at 1920. The remainder of the 8th Infantry remained in the vicinity of Hunningen until 2200 at which time movement was initiated. The 12th Infantry completed movement and closed in assembly area in the vicinity of Zweifall. Upon arrival, it was attached to the 28th Infantry Division and completed relief of the 109th Infantry Regiment at 1300. The 22nd Infantry sent 50 vehicles with reconnaissance personnel to the new assembly area and the remainder, still assembled in the vicinity of Krinkelt, continued preparation for movement 8 November. Division HQ moved at 0900 and opened the new CP in Zweifall at 1300.
(November 8, 1944, marks the beginning of the most epic battle in the long and proud history of the 4th Infantry Division. Most of you have never heard of the Hurtgen Forest. Read this history lesson closely over the next month. The toughest battle ever fought by the 4th Infantry Division was waged in the Hurtgen Forest in November and the first few days of December of 1944. I'll cover that each week - and you'll see why our 4ID vets from WWII will always talk about the "hell in the Hurtgen Forest" when talking about their toughest days in combat. The 12th Infantry Regiment entered the battle first, followed on 16 November by the rest of the 4ID.
Thanks to Philippe Cornil for providing these historical segments for us.
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Kirk doesn't feel like a hero: Soldier says he was just doing his job
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — U.S. Army Cpl. Heath Kirk remembers every detail about the night he lost his right leg. The 21-year-old Lorain native was driving his unit back to their home in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on Sept. 24 when a rocket exploded against the side of their Hummer.
Even though he knew he was injured, Kirk continued to drive the team's vehicle until he was able to slow down and stop. If he would have lost control of the Hummer, Kirk said he could have injured, or even killed the three other members of his unit from the 704th Brigade Support Battalion.
"It came through my door and I knew I had to pull over and stop because that was what I had to do," Kirk said yesterday during a phone call from the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio where he is being treated. "I knew everything I had to do, and I did it. It was just another day for me. It might have been the day I lost my leg, but I look back on it now, and it was just another day."
After realizing he couldn't open the driver's side door of the Hummer, Kirk pulled himself across the Hummer and fell out the passenger-side door. He crawled roughly 5 feet away from the Hummer before Specialist Orlando Bell discovered him and dragged him away from the danger, Kirk said.
A medic from Kirk's unit, Specialist Helen Ruhl, started working on Kirk as soon as she got the opportunity. Tourniquets were placed on both of Kirk's legs, one of which was missing the skin near his thigh after shrapnel from the rocket blew it away.
"I stayed conscious and calm. I didn't freak out or anything," Kirk said. "The only thing that was in my head was what I was taught. I was taught everything I needed to know that night. It was nothing. I did what I had to and I got out."
Kirk was put inside a transport truck, which was driven to a nearby hospital by Bell. From there, Kirk was flown to another hospital in Afghanistan where he underwent two different surgeries: one to amputate below his right knee, the other to amputate above the right knee.
"My unit stayed with me while I was asleep and going through surgeries in Afghanistan," Kirk said. "They told me they loved me and would see me soon. I couldn't open my eyes, but they told me I pointed at myself and drew a heart and pointed around the room."
When Kirk woke up, he found himself being treated at a Landstuhl, Germany, hospital. He said one of the first things he asked was whether he had kept his legs. A nurse told him he had lost his right leg.
"I didn't realize until I looked down on that first surgical table that my leg was gone," Kirk said. "I didn't know my leg was gone. I thought it was just hurt." While Kirk was being treated at the German hospital, doctors began having trouble treating infections from first-degree burns on his hands, face and arms. He was kept overseas until doctors were able to break his fever, and was flown to the San Antonio Brooke Army Medical Center on Sept. 29.
Kirk was placed in the San Antonio hospital's burn unit for two days until his skin scabbed over and healed. The scabs on his hands from shrapnel that had embedded itself during the explosion were also treated before Kirk was put in a step-down unit, where he is currently. All of his surgeries are complete, but Kirk is still waiting to be fitted for his prosthetic leg so he can begin training with it. Right now, he said he is walking with a crutch.
"I am walking, using a walker and able to get into wheelchairs and do a lot of things on my own," Kirk said. "Once I learn how to walk with my prosthetic, I'll be out of here. I'm just waiting to learn how to walk."
Looking back on the ordeal, Kirk said he knew the area he was patrolling was getting bad before his Hummer was attacked. He called both his parents, Gidget Roark and Tim Kirk, before his mission and told them what was going on, but for Kirk, it was just another day in the Army. "It wasn't anything special for me. It was just another day driving in that truck, another day we made it to where we were supposed to go and we were on our way home," Kirk said. "I don't feel like I'm the big hero. I don't feel like I'm the pity story."
Although Kirk's Family members were planning on having a welcome home ceremony for him when he finishes rehab, Kirk said he doesn't want a party. Kirk, who joined the Army in November 2007, said he did what he had to in order to survive and does not want anyone making him into something he isn't. "I know what I did, my team knows what I did and that's enough," Kirk said. "I don't need a million people out there giving me pity. I served for my country, for my team, for us."
Instead of a party, Kirk said he hopes people think about joining the Army when they read his story. He has been awarded a Combat Action Badge as well as a Purple Heart, but Kirk said his real reward was being able to grow into a man during his time with the Army.
"People don't understand how much training I went through, how much heartache I went through, but all that I went through saved my life in the end," Kirk said. "If one person sees my story and is inspired and joins the Army because of it, that's one more person who will grow to be a man or grow to be a woman. That's what the Army does. It takes who you are and forces you to grow into a better person."
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Runoff elections take center stage in Kunar
By Air Force Capt. Tony Wickman
Provincial Reconstruction Team-Kunar Public Affairs
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Oct. 27, 2009) – Kunar provincial sub-governors met Oct. 26 with Provincial Reconstruction Team-Kunar leaders to discuss the Nov. 7 runoff elections in the province.
The Kunar provincial sub-governors and some district development association representatives met at the Kunar provincial governor’s compound in Asadabad to discuss their concerns about the upcoming elections and ongoing development in the region.
Many of the sub-governors said the biggest issue facing the province for the elections was security.
According to Mohabub Pasha, Nurgal district sub-governor, the elders and shuras must work to have the people ready for the elections. Pasha also pointed out the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has an obligation to get the Kunar people ready to vote. “UNAMA must train the people for the coming elections. We haven’t seen anyone come to train the people for the election, nor have we seen anyone come and campaign for Karzai or Abdullah,” said Pasha.
He also voiced hope for the elections and that security wouldn’t be an issue. “I hope the elections would be good and safe and people would use their words to elect the next leader. The Afghan National Army, Afghan National Border Police and Coalition Forces share in the responsibly to provide security in the districts for the people to vote,” Pasha said.
According to U.S. Navy Cmdr. Leonard Remias, PRT commander, Afghan national security forces and coalition forces share the responsibility with the provincial government and tribal leaders to provide a safe environment for people to vote. “As you all know, each and every one us has a responsibility in these elections. Not just the PRT, or Coalition Forces or the ANSF, but all of us have a role to play in the elections,” Remias said. “I ask that you all express your concerns to the battalion commanders in your districts to address your security concerns. They work directly with ANA commanders in your particular areas to provide security.”
Remias reinforced that the runoff election is happening because it is mandated by the Afghan Constitution since President Karzai didn’t get the required number of votes. He said leaders need to remind people of this and to go out and vote.
According to Haji Wazir Gul, Nangalam shura tribal director and a resident of Kandaroo, Waygul Valley people are ready for the elections and feel they will give people confidence in the national government. “These elections are good for Afghanistan and will make it stronger. All the people around here want to and will vote again in the next election,” Gul said. “In the beginning, people were angry thinking the government was not hearing their words. Most were angry and unhappy with the initial results because many thought Karzai had 60 percent of the votes. But this time they are ready to go. The recent (regional) Jirga is giving people confidence in the second round of elections.”
Those sentiments were echoed in a brief survey Oct. 24 of voting eligible residents in Kandaroo. People told PRT members that security and ethnic concerns were driving issues on voting. One voting age male who didn’t want to be identified said many people think ethnic lines between Karzai and Abdullah will drive the runoff election. Many of the other villagers said security was their biggest concern and were upset they had to vote again.
Regardless, all said they would vote and that elections would strengthen Afghanistan. “Well coordinated elections can raise confidence in the government, unlike the last election that wasn’t organized,” said a Kandaroo villager. “People just want to move forward from here.”
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Afghans attacked by insurgents: Soldiers provide life-saving treatment, so that others may live
Written by U.S. Army Spc. Eugene H. Cushing
Tuesday, 27 October 2009 18:34
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The doors of Combat Outpost Monti’s aid station flew open on the night of Oct. 1, as medics from the 704th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, rushed an Afghan truck driver to one of the waiting litters.
The medics hurried to the injured man, trying to locate injuries under his blood-stained clothes. About an hour earlier, the man was driving his truck along a remote mountain road in a convoy escorted by coalition forces, in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, when anti-Afghan forces rained down small-arms fire from the mountain.
U.S. Army Spc. Daniel J. Sigler, a medic attached to Company C, 704th Brigade Support Battalion, was first on the scene. Sigler, of Houston, Texas, raced to the first of the trucks hit and found the driver, bleeding from several shrapnel wounds.
“He was just scared,” said Sigler. Sigler treated the man and rushed him to a nearby U.S. Army armored vehicle, and raced to the next truck.
The driver of the second truck was in bad shape. “The first thing I did was look where he was bleeding from, but I couldn’t tell,” said Sigler. He grabbed the man and rushed him behind cover. Sigler put tourniquets on the man’s legs to stop the bleeding, but the man had no pulse. He died on the side of the road...another casualty of AAF violence.
The aid station at COP Monti has seen these types of incidents before. According to U.S. Army Capt. Patrick L. Barker, a physician’s assistant for 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, they treat “everything that comes through.”
As the convoy pulled up, they were ready. At the aid station, the medics treated the first driver. He was in good condition.
Outside, Sigler thought back to the man he couldn’t save, and asked himself, “What could I have done differently?”
The medics in the aid station helped the first driver to his feet. They finished treating him and let him return to his friends in the truck yard.
The next morning Sigler was in the truck yard checking on his patient. He smiled as Sigler checked his bandages, happy to be alive. Sigler said he felt a little angry, partly about not being able to save the other man, and partly at the insurgents who killed him.
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U.S. Seeks to Counter Enemy's 'Weapon of Choice'
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2009 - The Defense Department expects U.S. forces in Afghanistan to continue to be targeted by improvised explosive devices -- which have claimed more lives there than any other weapon -- while it seeks ways to counter the threat, officials said.
As President Barack Obama and his advisors weigh decisions on the next phase of the Afghan war, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is working to protect against and defeat the growing threat from IEDs, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today, noting that October has been the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the eight-year war. "Secretary Gates is working to ensure that this department continues to do everything possible to provide our men and women in uniform with the very best protection and capabilities to defeat the growing IED threat," Morrell said in a news conference at the Pentagon.
More intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, including the most advanced drones and other equipment, are among the supplies the department is working to field to troops in Afghanistan, where one defense official today said the IED has emerged as the enemy's preferred means of attack.
Gates last month ordered nearly 3,000 extra route clearance and explosive ordnance disposal teams and other key personnel downrange, in addition to a parcel of the more than 6,600 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles designed specifically for Afghanistan's rugged terrain that the department plans to field.
Morrell has said previously the department would like the M-ATVs, as the vehicles are known, to have an effect in Afghanistan similar to the one that the original MRAP vehicles had when they were delivered en masse to Iraq, leading to a reduction in casualties resulting from roadside bombs.
"Even with all these additional counter-IED resources, there will no doubt be many difficult and dangerous days ahead for our forces," Morrell cautioned.
A Defense Department component dedicated to countering the IED threat, meanwhile, indicated that use of the makeshift bombs has gained widespread appeal among insurgents in Afghanistan. "Although initially slower to develop in Afghanistan [than in Iraq], the IED has now replaced direct-fire weapons as the enemy's weapon of choice," Army Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, director of the department's Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, said today.
"Furthermore, Afghanistan's local insurgents, tribal factions and the Taliban enjoy a greater freedom of action to emplace large numbers of IEDs in movement corridors, such as the ring road, which are so vital to our success," Metz told the House Armed Services Committee.
The organization, known as JIEDDO, formed as a means to aid combatant commands in addressing IED attacks. Metz said he is pleased with the organization's efforts in Iraq, and that it will remain focused on the country as U.S. forces draw down in accordance with an agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
But lessons gleaned in Iraq are not always applicable to Afghanistan, Metz added. "In addition, while we have an enormous amount from our experience in Iraq, not all of these efforts translate to our efforts in Afghanistan," he said. "The environment and the enemy in Afghanistan pose many different and difficult challenges."
Though it's impossible to chase IEDs off the battlefield, Metz said, the United States must continue to eliminate their ability to affect its forces strategically. "We must be willing to invest the money, the time, the energy, and the talent to make sure we win," he said. "This is not an easy task, but I believe that it is necessary."
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Corrections experts, PRT engineers visit Kunar prison construction site
By Air Force Capt. Tony Wickman
Provincial Reconstruction Team-Kunar Public Affairs
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Oct. 31, 2009) – Correctional experts and Provincial Reconstruction Team-Kunar engineers visited the Kunar Prison construction site Oct. 29 to conduct a quality assurance check and address potential security concerns. Experts with the Corrections System Support Program, a Department of State contractor working with the Government of Afghanistan to build its prison system, and PRT engineers met with the Kunar Prison Afghan National Police deputy commander and the construction site engineer to discuss prison security and site construction.
According to Del Moad, CSSP team leader, the purpose of the visit was to do an assessment on the prison construction and provide feedback to the PRT on potential security flaws. “We wanted to look at the construction of the new prison and give insight to the PRT commander and engineers on things to consider that could be problems that could potentially cause the inmates to get out,” said Moad, an expert with more than 10 years of experience working in U.S. prisons. “There were a couple of issues we had concerns with that we think need to be addressed in the design of the prison, but overall I think it will meet the needs of the Afghan people with regard to protecting the civilian population.”
For U.S. Navy Builder Chief Petty Officer David Zahm, PRT engineer and a native of Las Vegas, Nev., the project is progressing, but there are construction shortfalls that need to be addressed. “Overall, it’s a good project with a lot of complexity. This site is a little different than most Afghan construction projects because they have to worry about focusing on keeping people out and keeping people in,” Zahm said. “They’re moving along pretty well, but have some construction issues to address to make sure it meets standards.”
Zahm said the site manager was very receptive to the PRT’s inputs and was willing to listen and ask questions on how to do better construction on the prison. “When we told him he needs to do things a certain way, he was absolutely willing to listen and comply,” Zahm said. “We also told him we want him to work with the Kunar Construction Center because they have a lot of building expertise that will improve the quality of the construction and lessen our need to come to the site.”
According to Jaman Gul, Kunar Prison ANP deputy commander, security on the site was good and they had not had any recent attacks on the construction site by Anti-Afghanistan Forces. Gul said there will be more than 20 guards working at the prison when it is completed, with an average salary of approximately $110 per month.
The site visit was coordinated with Task Force Mountain Warrior’s rule of law office to enhance the cooperation and understanding between the host nation, the U.S. military and other agencies involved in the development and governance of Afghanistan.
“The purpose of our visit was to coordinate better between the U.S. military and other government and non-government agencies concerned with rule of law,” said U.S. Army Capt. Craig Scrogham, Task Force Mountain Warrior rule of law attorney and a native of Richmond Hill, Ga. “As for the prison, I think there are some things they need to work on with regard to blueprints, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.”
The prison is scheduled to be completed in mid-2010.
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Postal Service Announces Holiday Mailing Guidelines
By Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Jung
Special to American Forces Press Service
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, Oct. 28, 2009 - U.S. Postal Service officials have announced recommended mailing dates for delivery by Christmas to U.S. service members serving in Afghanistan and other overseas locations.
First-class and priority mail for service members stationed in Afghanistan should be sent by Dec. 4 for arrival by Christmas. The deadline for parcel airlift mail is Dec. 1, and space-available mail bound for Afghanistan should be sent by Nov. 21.
Officials recommend that parcel post mail to all military overseas locations should be sent by Nov. 13.
A chart with recommended mailing deadlines for all types of mail to various APO and FPO addresses is available at the Postal Service's Web site at http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2009/pr09_082.htm.
Express mail cannot be used to mail packages to Afghanistan; however priority mail is available.
Priority mail packaging products, including priority mail flat-rate boxes, can be obtained free at any post office, or online at http://shop.usps.com. The priority mail large flat-rate box can be used to mail to any overseas military address, no matter the weight of the box, for $11.95.
The Postal Service offers free military care kits, designed for military families sending packages overseas. To order by phone, call 800-610-8734 and ask for the military care kit. Each kit includes two "America Supports You" large priority mail flat-rate boxes, four medium-sized priority mail flat-rate boxes, six priority mail labels, a roll of priority mail tape and six customs forms with envelopes...
(Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Jung serves in the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs office.)
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Face of Defense: Immigrant Serves Adopted Country
By Army Spc. Eugene H. Cushing
Special to American Forces Press Service
NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Oct. 28, 2009 - A native of China's Fujian province who was not in the United States long before she decided to serve her adopted country says the dedication of her fellow Soldiers helps to inspire her own service.
Army Spc. Meirong Wang was about to finish her college degree and start teaching high school physics when she was granted the opportunity to leave China and travel to the United States. "When you see a different country, it's not about the country or the area, it's about the people," she said of her decision to leave China. "People are brave to stand up for the things [they] want to fight for."
Wang said she is proud to be here, and cited the discipline required in the military as something that makes it different from any other career. "As long as you maintain discipline, you want to do better," she said. A human resources specialist for Task Force Mountain Warrior's 4th Special Troops Battalion, Wang uses her discipline to better herself every day.
"Specialist Wang makes my job easy," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason A. Coulter, Wang's noncommissioned officer in charge. "Her work ethic, attention to detail and willingness to take on responsibilities [make her] the type of Soldier leaders want and the Army needs."
Though Wang's discipline and desire to do better drive her every day, Coulter said, she still faces some challenges as she works to overcome the language barrier. "Specialist Wang has identified that as a weakness, and has improved her English tremendously," he said. "As leaders, we identify our weaknesses and seek self-improvement. Wang has many characteristics of a leader, and that is just one of them."
Wang attributes much of her success to her fellow Soldiers and leaders.
In the process that led to her being named as Task Force Mountain Warrior's Soldier of the Quarter, Wang had to face many challenges and her teammates helped her to prepare. Even though the competition was an individual event, she noted, it still took a team effort for her be selected.
"So many people stood behind me and supported me," Wang said, adding that her leaders want her to be a good leader as well. "They also tell my comrades we need to support each other to be good leaders," she said.
Coulter proudly recalled how Wang's fellow Soldiers helped her prepare for the evaluation board. "Specialist Wang and her co-workers pulled together as a team; they went to the gym together, woke up early and did physical training," he said. "And the team drilled her with evaluation board questions daily."
The support paid off in Wang's selection as Soldier of the Quarter.
"There's no way I could win this board without everyone here," she said. Coulter said it's typical of Wang to give credit to her leadership and fellow Soldiers. "She is an unselfish Soldier [who] exemplifies selfless service," he said.
(Army Spc. Eugene H. Cushing serves in the Task Force Mountain Warrior public affairs office.)
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Another sign of the continued progress and success that we are having in Iraq - sadly, not reported by the mainstream media...
Gulf Region Division cases their colors as part of the responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq
By Ron Elliott
Gulf Region Division
October 24, 2009
Baghdad, Iraq — When Maj. Gen. Michael Eyre and Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Mitch Prater cased the colors of the Gulf Region Division, Corps of Engineers at the majestic Al Faw Palace here October 23, it was not just the end of a unit—but the end of reconstruction efforts under combat operations and the beginning of reconstruction under stability operations.
Earlier this year, US Forces began leaving the cities and towns under the U.S. – Iraqi security agreement, the transition to a responsible drawdown began. A wide variety of troops and units have already started returning to their home stations but the Corps of Engineers’ Gulf Region Division is the first division to leave the Iraqi theater as part of the drawdown.
Multi-National Force-Iraq Commander, General Ray Odierno, stressed that the accomplishments of the Gulf Region division extended far beyond the visible brick and mortar construction projects. “Your efforts have not been limited to the development of physical infrastructures, but also have included partnerships with the Ministries of electricity, housing, construction, municipalities, public works, water resources and oil. You have vigorously shared your expertise and have helped Iraq make tremendous progress in developing human capital and the technical skills necessary to continue to move forward and build a more vibrant and modern state.”
Odierno told the audience that although the inactivation ceremony was a step toward the responsible drawdown of U.S. forces, that there was still much work to be done. “We are not yet finished. Our mission still continues,’ said Odierno. “We are on a road to success but we still have much work to do to attain that success. Therefore, we will still have a significant engineering presence and a mission here in Iraq.”
Since their inception on Jan. 25, 2004, the Gulf Region Division has helped to rebuild a war-torn nation that had very few essential services by providing full-spectrum engineer and construction management support to the Government of Iraq.
As of October 1, GRD had completed nearly 5,300 projects valued at more than $9 billion. In Fiscal Year 2009 alone, they completed 325 projects valued at nearly $1 billion consisting of: 41 school projects, 20 village road projects, 25 water distribution projects, 21 electric distribution projects, 12 police stations, 7 court projects, 2 military command centers and numerous other projects aimed at improving the infrastructure and providing vital services for the people of Iraq.
But according to Maj. Gen. Michael Eyre, commander of the Gulf Region Division, the number of projects is not the true measure of the work that was accomplished by the Gulf Region Division. “This headquarters team is leaving this land, the Cradle of Civilization, with something that is so much bigger than any dollar value that we can place on projects,” said Eyre. “For this nation, and its citizens, now has hope. These projects are providing electricity, clean water, transportation, police and fire stations, medical care and educational opportunities to the people of Iraq, things many of us take for granted.”
“Although these ceremonies are often bitter-sweet, I know that today’s inactivation means that we have done our job in supporting Multi-national Forces-Iraq’s mission requirements, continued Eyre. “ It is a measure of the success of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and a testament of the Government of Iraq’s ability to lead a secure, stable, sovereign and self-reliant nation.”
Addressing the remaining members of the GRD team, General Eyre reassured them that their hard work and sacrifices enabled the change of their mission to stability operations. “I am inactivating the division today knowing that this is absolutely the right thing to do, and the right time to do it. What we are witnessing this morning is transformation, and the responsible drawdown, before our very eyes. Our work here is something we can all be extremely proud of not only today, but forever. The work that each of you performed individually and collectively, has played an important role in building strong foundations yesterday and today for a secure, stable, sovereign and self-reliant Iraq well into the future.”
With the inactivation of the Gulf Region Division, two Corps of Engineers units will remain in Iraq to finish the reconstruction mission in Iraq; the Gulf Region South district headquartered in Tallil and the Gulf Region District headquartered in Baghdad. These districts now come under the command and control of the Corps of Engineers’ newly established Transatlantic Division, headquartered in Winchester, VA. The new division unifies all Corps of Engineers’ programs in the U.S. Central Command operations area, which covers 20 countries from Egypt through the Arabian Gulf to Central Asia.
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Fort Carson Soldiers increasingly on the Sidelines in Iraq
The Gazette
By Tom Roeder
As the U.S. presence shrinks in Iraq, tales of the war are absent from nightly newscasts and slipping from front pages around the country.
Fort Carson’s Col. Butch Kievenaar thinks that’s the way it should be. “That means we’re achieving the mission,” said Kievenaar, who came home in August after a year in Iraq leading the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
Kievenaar spent time in Iraq when it was front-page news every day — as a roiling insurgency destroyed progress and killed civilians and Soldiers at an alarming rate. He leaves a country that, while not without ongoing struggle — including a major insurgent bombing in Baghdad Sunday that left 155 dead — has achieved a degree of security and autonomy, that was only theory a few years ago.
And Americans are now mostly on the sidelines as Iraqi units work to secure the country.
The one thing he does want people to remember is the work his Soldiers did to make this relative placidity in Iraq possible. “Things like today are important for the community to understand the work these Soldiers did,” he said after addressing a roomful of business leaders to outline the brigade’s accomplishments.
Those Soldiers, he said, proved flexible over a nomadic year at war and proved their ability to prepare Iraqi troops for success.
The brigade went to Iraq in August 2008 and took over a wide swath of southern Iraq while also sending 900 Soldiers to patrol Mosul and later Kirkuk. The brigade’s 3,800 Soldiers changed jobs as the country changed, starting with patrols and anti-insurgency operations before moving to a training role while providing humanitarian and rebuilding aid.
In the city of Basra alone, the unit committed more than $160 million to rebuilding, Kievenaar said.
All the efforts came together last spring, when the brigade’s Soldiers oversaw provincial elections. Americans were in the back seat as Iraqis provided security. “It was the quietest day I have ever experienced,” Kievenaar said.
He gives full credit to his Soldiers and their Iraqi partners. “It takes leaders who think,” he said.
Copyright 2009 - Colorado Springs Gazette
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CBS Evening News - Report on 22nd Infantry veterans reunion on Sunday, Nov 1 at 6:00 PM EST
During our 22nd Infantry Regiment Society reunion in Seattle earlier this month, a CBS News crew followed us around on the day we visited Fort Lewis, the post where we trained before going to Vietnam. The focus of their work was when we visited a museum in Tacoma where bunks taken from the troop ship we rode to Vietnam, the USNS Nelson M. Walker, are on display. Many Soldiers passed their time on the long boat trip to Vietnam writing graffiti on the canvas bunks. Art Beltron and his wife, Lee, have spent untold months preserving these priceless treasures from the last of the troop ships taking troops off to war. I'm anxious to watch it - and thought some of you, especially the Vietnam vets reading these updates, would also enjoy the segment on CBS News. Who knows, you may even see me in the background of some of the shots. I was wearing a black cap with a 4ID patch, and a long sleeved khaki shirt. You can also see pictures from the reunion on our web site at www.1-22infantry.org.
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What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers
1) From a 4ID Vietnam vet: Bob..I read with great pride and affection the article about the artillery and the forward observers that called in the "call for fire" for them. I was a 13-F serving with 1/20 FA and 2/20 FA. It takes hours and hours of practice to react the way they did, a comradeship that one never forgets. My heart turns heavy as our Brothers, who have paid the Ultimate Price, are brought home to a grieving Family. My thoughts and condolences are with the Families, Friends, and Comrades of each and every one of these Newest American Heroes. God Bless them All. I will never forget.
2) You continue to not tell me what you are hearing - this section is only as good as what you send me.
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Happy Halloween - drive carefully today and tonight, the kids are all excited and won't be paying attention to traffic as much as they normally do.
It was one year ago today that my son, Rob, and his wife, Amy, were married. Happy Anniversary, Rob and Amy!
Hopefully those of you who watched the first game of the World Series on Wednesday night turned it on early and saw CPT (Ret) Tony Odierno throw out the first pitch. He is the son of former 4ID CG, Ray and Linda Odierno. Linda was proudly watching from the stands. And Yogi Berra, who was out on the mound with him, drove a landing craft on D-Day, June 6, 1944, bringing 4ID Soldiers into the fight on Utah Beach.
Continue to pray for our Soldiers and their Families.
For you Florida fans reading this, my Georgia Bulldogs are going to pull a tremendous upset over the #1 team in the nation today - mark my word. And my Sooners are going to continue their dominance over the state of Kansas with a win over the K-State Wildcats tonight. And you Longhorn fans better watch out for the OSU Cowboys, they're armed for bear. As for the rest of you, I hope your favorite team wins.
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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)
