SSG Brown and SSG Oberneder of Alpha Company 414th
Civil Affairs BN, speak with a local Iraqi
concerning ongoing security operations at the
Adahamiya DAC building.
Baghdad , Iraq - Operations concerning
the security of
Baghdad are ongoing as the surge of
troops continues here on the ground. Almost
daily new faces are showing up and being
utilized to secure and hold key neighborhoods of
Iraq ’s capital. While the insurgents
haven’t given up, progress is being made.
Recently on a mission that took me back to the
neighborhood of Adahamiya where both myself and
one of my soldiers were shot by a sniper in
October of 2006, my governance team attended a
security meeting at the District Advisory
Council (DAC) building to discuss how the
Baghdad Security Operation was being
received. Our security escorts on this mission
were new guys from a Brigade Combat Team out of
the 82nd Airborne Division. As we prepared to
depart on what would be their first mission
outside the wire, I looked into the youthful
eyes of those boys who would be manning their
Humvees as we convoyed to our meeting. Standing
before me were soldiers of average age and
common last names. They were the sons,
brothers, husbands and fathers to their loved
ones back in America , and they were just
starting what would probably be the longest year
of their life. Having volunteered twice to get
where they are now, the first time was when they
joined the army and a second time when they
attended Airborne School . Every one of them in
their early twenties dressed head to toe in the
Army’s newest camouflage and body armor.
Bearing the weight of their individual combat
loads consisting of weapons, ammo, smoke
grenades and other miscellaneous specialized
gear, some shifted back and forth in an attempt
to adjust and endure the strain of listening to
the convoy brief. Placing their helmets on and
tightening chinstraps as the briefing came to an
end, their convoy commander, a young sergeant
himself, asked if there were any questions.
Literally being the old man at 36 in this group
of soldiers, I explained the best ways in and
out of the DAC compound where we would be
traveling to attend our meeting. With head nods
and fingers tracing map routes laid on the hood
of the Humvee, I further explained my personal
thoughts about exactly how much I liked this
area in
Baghdad . I quickly reminded everyone
that we must be prepared for all eventualities.
Most of all, I reminded them that everyone
starts at the same point. “A year ago I was you
and going on my first mission, too,” I
continued. “No matter what happens, we complete
the mission and get through this day. Stay
focused, rely on your training, and do your
jobs.” Their sergeant gave the order to load up
and our convoy rolled down the street and out
the gates.
Stepping from the Humvee upon arrival
inside the walled compound of the DAC building,
I brought my M4 carbine to my shoulder and
quickly scanned the adjacent roofline on my
side. As the Humvees took up positions for
security, the convoy sergeant approached and
confirmed what I suspected. The other
CA Team and security escorts hadn’t
arrived yet. We were the only coalition forces
there. I then found and spoke with the
Department of State Foreign Service Officer from
the Governance Section of the
Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team
that I worked with to inform him of our current
situation. We decided that he and I would take
two soldiers into the DAC hall, do introductions
and take some atmospherics prior to the
beginning of the meeting. The convoy sergeant
would secure the outside and wait for the other
convoy. The DAC hall was crowded with numerous
Iraqis waiting to see their public officials.
After posting the two guards outside the office
door, I escorted the Foreign Service Officer
inside so he could begin speaking with the
District Chairman through our interpreter.
Since the conversation was going well, I went
back outside to check on everyone else and was
much relieved to see an American convoy entering
through the gates. As I turned around, I
literally bumped into my old roommate and fellow
team sergeant from Alpha Company. That big
Wisconsin smile and accent are hard to
miss. “What’s up, buddy?” he said as I extended
my hand. “Adahamiya looks great!” I replied
pointing to the numerous bullet holes on the
second floor of a building across the street.
“Best it’s ever been. Well, sometimes the
natives get a little restless,” he said smiling
as soldiers throughout the compound began taking
positions to ensure 360 degrees of security. He
and I returned inside and began speaking with a
few local nationals as the officers started
their security meeting. Many times while out
among the Iraqis, civil affairs specialists
engage in conversation with locals to get a feel
for conditions at the street level. This type
of firsthand reporting can be especially useful
when determining the progress and situation
developing on the ground and especially during
the security operations now taking place. Like
most meetings in
Iraq , starting on time is always a
challenge. Today would be no different than any
other meeting I’ve been at over the last year.
As the meeting was starting late, I knew we were
in for a long afternoon.
Throughout the day, I coordinated with the
convoy sergeant concerning the status of his
soldiers. We both checked on his men a number
of times to ensure they were alert and aware of
their surroundings. The only problem we had
during the meeting was that one of the Humvees
started to smoke because of a little fire in the
engine compartment. With the help of a few
soldiers, this was quickly put out and the
drivability for the return convoy was quickly
assessed. It was determined that the Humvee
would be able to make the trip back without
being towed, just no AC for the guys inside.
Back inside the DAC hall and after another hour
of trying to understand broken English with a
heavy Arabic accent, the security meeting was
finally over. About this same time, I heard a
muffled and distant boom outside. As three
soldiers came inside and ran up the stairs to
the roof of the DAC hall, we were given the
report of two IED’s (Improvised Explosive
Devices) detonating near our location. One of
the soldiers returning from the roof said that
another convoy had been going through the
adjacent traffic circle to the DAC hall when one
IED was used on the lead Humvee and a second on
a Bradley fighting vehicle. The patrol was able
to continue movement and did so without
sustaining any casualties or any further
engagement. Looking at my old roommate I said,
“The natives are getting restless again, glad
the meeting is over, I’m going to grab my
Department of State guy and return to base.
I’ll see you next time.” As he smiled he
replied, “You betcha, take it easy and see you
at BIAP (
Baghdad International Airport ) someday.”
The convoy sergeant began to ready his soldiers
outside for departure as I found my Department
of State Officer and his interpreter, helping
them both by putting their body armor back on
for our return movement.
As the convoy readied to leave, I thought
how strange that during this whole time in
Adahamiya I hadn’t heard any gunshots yet.
Alpha Company has always referred to this part
of
Baghdad as the Wild West. Of course that
means the insurgents are the Indians and us
being the good guys, we are the Cavalry. This
adversarial relationship has caused much
conflict in the past. However, today Adahamiya
had been very quiet, almost too quiet in fact.
Even with the two IED attacks from earlier,
there just hadn’t been the normal sporadic
gunfire that had made the Wild West famous.
Counting heads and making sure everyone had
their sensitive items, the Humvees began to
roll. Out the compound gates and taking an
immediate right, the normal street clutter was
shattered by a distinct three shot burst that
was all too common. As I glanced up at the
turret gunner, his voice cracked while he spun
around to his rear. The convoy radio was
instantly alive with the phrase, “Shots fired,
Shots fired!” being repeated over and over. The
turret gunner reported he didn’t see anything
and had no positive identification on the
shooter. A few seconds passed and there was
nothing. Members of the convoy were talking
back and forth when I interrupted and said that
the shots were more than likely just Iraqi
Police clearing vehicles out of the traffic
circle near the DAC hall. I then further
explained that a single three shot burst is most
often fired by the Iraqi Police who are trying
to “encourage” drivers to move along that have
lingered too much at intersections they are
providing traffic control over. I reassured the
convoy sergeant, whose vehicle I was riding in,
that the shots heard were exactly that and
nothing more. I further stated he and his men
would soon get used to it and be able to
distinguish the difference between encouraging
traffic to move vs. angry shots directed at
them. He gave me the strangest look before he
turned back around to peer out his front
windshield. Other than the half dozen or so
near misses on vehicle strikes during the return
convoy, the trip back was otherwise uneventful.
You see, a Humvee is extremely wide and the
traffic here, well on a good day it’s like a
continuous rush hour. Maneuvering Humvees in
Baghdad requires skill that most soldiers
usually receive through on-the-job training. It
just takes time to gain the necessary experience
required to complete daily missions. All in
all, the day’s mission was a success. We went,
we came back, and no one was hurt or killed.
Sometimes experience can be had without much
cost, today had been one of those days.
As I slammed shut the heavy armored door of
the departing Humvee, I thought how during my
deployment I’ve experienced and learned many
things. One of the most important lessons being
the understanding of how most everything can be
placed into one of two categories here in
Iraq. It’s either a problem or it’s an
issue. A problem is something of dire
consequences that usually begins or ends with a
boom or a bang. These problems demand your
complete and full attention and require decisive
action. Issues are simply everything else. I
hope this lesson is learned and stays with the
new 82nd soldiers. As talk of our replacements
and rotating home is commonplace now, even
though no exact date has been set, the challenge
to finish strong and not become complacent
remains paramount in our daily thoughts and
actions. But every once in awhile, I think of
home and all the fun I’ll have dealing with
issues again whether in
Jefferson City or at my house. I never
thought I’d look forward to the day when issues
would become a welcomed occurrence.
Until next time, be safe and God Bless.
A Civil Affairs
Team watches a
controlled
detonation of a
weapons cache
found during a
cordon and
search conducted
by elements of
the 82nd
Airborne
Division in
Adahamiya.
PRESS RELEASE
January 22, 2007
Returning to
IRAQ
While catching a â €śhop” on the Iron Horse
Express,
Representative/Staff Sergeant Jason Brown along
with another soldier head back into action in
Baghdad .
The rotor wash pushed sand and dirt up the back of my neck
with a stinging
sensation as I
stepped off the
Blackhawk and
into the night
of Forward
Operating Base
(FOB) Loyalty.
Walking toward
the company
garage 300
meters away, I
couldn’t
decide exactly
what I felt like
after spending
almost a week on
the return trip
to
Iraq . I
was somewhere
between John
Candy of “Planes,
Trains, and
Automobiles”
and Bill Murray
of “Groundhog
Day.” I have
to digress a
little. I
started my
return trip to
Alpha Company
the day after
Thanksgiving,
but due to a
scheduled
connecting
flight that
didn’t exist,
I was delayed to
Saturday. The
second trip to
KCI put me on a
plane that had
mechanical
difficulties and
was severely
delayed, thus
causing the
Trans-Atlantic
connection to be
missed. My
family and I
relived the same
good-byes two
more times
because of
another
mechanical
difficulty with
the plane on
Sunday. I
finally flew out
of KCI at midday
on Monday. One
would initially
think being
delayed and
having extra
days with your
family before
returning to war
would be a good
thing. However,
having to tell
your children
and your wife
good‑bye three
days in a row
wasn’t part of
my leaving that
I had planned
for. After
layovers in two
more airports
before arriving
at
Kuwait
International
and then being
bussed to Ali
Alsalem Air Base
for a two and
half day stay in
the desert, did
I finally get a
flight into
Baghdad.
Catching the
final helicopter
flight to my FOB
was the easiest
part of my
return trip.
While watching
the
Baghdad
city lights and
landscape rush
by as I looked
out the windows,
the reality of
being close but
not quite there
started to sink
in. The eyes on
the faces
sitting around
me were those of
young men filled
with the
experience and
tiredness that
comes from
combat. I
wondered what
stories they had
to tell as I
looked at the
patches on their
uniforms. It was
obvious these
soldiers were
catching a quick
ride to and from
while clutching
their downward
facing M4’s.
They quickly
loaded and
unloaded the
bird at the
numerous
touchdowns we
made at
different FOB’s.
Both the 2nd
Infantry
Division and 1st
Cavalry patches
filled the cabin
of the
Blackhawk. My
101st Combat
patch was quite
alone on this
trip.
Walking into the
light of our
garage, I was
greeted by the
stillness and
quiet of
midnight in East
Baghdad
. I angled
toward my room
and hoped my
roommate was
there so I didn’t
have to dig
through my
rucksack to find
a set of keys
for the door.
As I turned the
knob, the door
gave way to a
tall skinny
Wisconsin
kid sitting in
his folding
chair with a
surprised look
on his face. “Hey
welcome back
stranger, what
are you doing
here?” my
roommate
bellowed and
smiled as he
stood to shake
hands and
exchange a hug.
Last time we saw
each other was
when I turned my
head as I was
loaded onto the
medivac flight
prior to being
evacuated. After
exchanging a few
words, I sat
down and unlaced
my boots. As we
got caught up on
recent events, I
felt an easiness
drift back over
me as I sat and
listened to what
had been taking
place. I guess
after you spend
over eight
months with a
fellow sharing
the same living
space and the
same daily grind
of work mixed
with sweat, dust
and death, a
steady
reassurance of
the present
situation can
easily be
developed in
just a few
words. My
fellow team
sergeant and
roommate
explained
further that
after my team
got hit, the
overall
operational
tempo slowed
down. Our
Company’s CAT
A-Teams were
pulled back as
the new guys on
the ground took
charge. The 2nd
Infantry
Division had
begun replacing
the 101st
Airborne
Division by the
middle of
October and the
last of the
101st had just
left about a
week ago, he
stated.
Presently our
Company was
going through a
period of
transition and
adapting to new
plans that were
being
implemented. My
old team,
JawBreaker, was
in fact no more.
A new captain
and two new
sergeants had
replaced the
vacancies, and
with only one of
the original
members still on
the team, the
team was new.
Not just in team
members, but
with a different
mission and new
Standard
Operating
Procedures
(SOPs) under a
new tasking and
purpose, the old
CAT A-Team
JawBreaker was a
thing of the
past. My
roommate further
explained to me
what he’d
heard through
the rumor mill.
Supposedly
several soldiers
of Alpha Company
were in the
process of being
reassigned and
tasked to fill
other spots
within other
companies in our
battalion. As
he put it, “the
winds of change
are a blowing,”
he bellowed in
his best
northern
Wisconsin
accent. The
need for
experienced
civil affairs
specialists on
other CAT
A-Teams was at
an all time high
for the tour.
As the night
wore on, he also
informed me the
constant
shelling of our
FOB had
continued and
had actually
increased during
the last few
weeks. During
the afternoon
hours, we were
required to be
in full battle
rattle when
outside for any
reason. I made
this mental note
and glanced at
my gear hanging
in the corner of
our room.Â
During a recent
motor attack, a
fire was started
that burned up
just under 10
million dollars
worth of
reconstruction
supplies stored
at our FOB for
projects here on
the east side of
the river. The
fire actually
made Fox News
and was covered
by CNN. Â What
didn’t make
the news was the
fact that a
Carthusia Rocket
hit our building
through the
ceiling and
crashed into one
of our soldier’s
bedrooms.
Luckily for all,
it failed to
detonate. It
caused damage to
the garage, but
only minor
injuries to the
soldier that had
been asleep when
it hit. There
definitely had
been no lack of
excitement while
I was gone.
Over
the next week I
continued to say
hello and
exchange
handshakes and
smiles with
other company
members. It was
about the third
day back that I
finally ran into
our Company
Commander. He
had been the
fellow soldier
on the day of
the sniper
attack that
stabilized my
wounded team
member and gave
me lifesaving
aid until we
reached the
landing zone for
medivac dust
off. There
weren’t a lot
of words
exchanged
between us. A
handshake and a
thank-you said
more than I can
even describe.
I will always
believe God
placed him in my
Humvee that day
and that he
saved my life.
I will forever
be thankful for
his quick
actions on that
Friday afternoon
in early
October. We
talked about my
team member that
was also shot
that day and how
well he was
recovering at
home in Georgia
with his
family. It was
just after this
he broke the
news to me. He
explained that
the Battalion
Commander wanted
to speak with me
and that I
wouldn’t be
going back to my
old team. I
told the Major
that my roommate
had explained
what was going
on. Â Upon
reaching our
battalion via a
secure phone
line, our
Battalion
Colonel
explained to me
that I was going
to be a Team
Sergeant on
another team in
another Area of
Operations (AO)
in
Baghdad
within our
battalion but
under a
different
company, where
my experience
and leadership
could be used.
I would need to
be ready to move
in less than a
week. The news
was not what I
wanted to hear.
Since I had been
at home
recovering from
my wound, I had
planned on
returning to my
old team. I had
been looking
forward to
working with my
last remaining
team member, but
missions change
and soldiers do
as they are
ordered. I was
still going to
be a Team
Sergeant and
leading men, it
would just be
different
soldiers in a
new AO.
About
a week later
during my first
mission since
returning to
duty as an old
Team Sergeant on
a new team, I
heard the impact
of the first
mortar round
hitting just
outside the
building we were
having a meeting
in before I felt
the blast. As
the second and
third rounds
hit, the
concussion wave
and the slap of
air from the
first mortar
pushed through
the room. It’s
strange I
thought, while I
was at home the
salute fired at
the dedication
for the new
Veterans War
Memorial held on
Veterans Day at
the county
courthouse made
me jump even
though I knew it
was coming, but
this blast didn’t
even cause me to
turn and look
out the window.
As my eyes
looked about the
room, soldiers
and local Iraqi
leaders
attending our
meeting began to
scurry about
deciding what we
should do. I
thought quietly
to myself, “It’s
amazing what you
can get used to,
and I am
definitely back
in
IRAQ .”
God Bless and
please pray for
our soldiers and
their families.
.
Local Iraqi
elected
officials meet
with coalition
forces at the
weekly
District
Advisory Council
to discuss
ongoing
operations and
projects in the
area.
