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A Soldier’s Story First Sgt. Robert Jennings |
Troops’ searches turn up
weapons caches
9 Aug 1000 hours >> We received a radio message and a coordinate to a suspected cache site. Spc. Austin Brown, Irvington, Ky., and members of 3rd Platoon were dispatched to investigate. After a thorough search, they uncovered two caches with 97 122 mm rockets and one 120 mm mortar.
Monday started with the change of command ceremony where we said goodbye to Capt. Todd Moe as Capt. Derek Bird assumed command. Moe will be moving to the Brigade S-4 job and will begin the long planning process for our redeployment. We will be using the rest of the week getting Bird familiar with the city and the reconstruction projects we have already begun.
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10 Aug 1230 hours >> We just received a call from one of the local police stations about another possible cache site. This time we dispatched Spc. Richard Woodruff, Pompano Beach, Fla., and members of 2nd Platoon to investigate. This was one of the larger caches we have uncovered to date. It contained 81 155 mm artillery shells, 45 120 mm mortar rounds and pieces from a mortar firing system. There were more than 120 rounds that were deemed unstable for movement and destroyed by the Army explosives unit.
When we discover these cache sites and remove the ordnance, we are making this city a safer place for coalition forces and Iraqi people.
Our enemy likes to make roadside bombs using three to five of these rockets and mortars either linked together or in the same blast.
Lately it seems they really don't care who they hurt as long as they are causing the people here to be afraid. It is very satisfying for all the members of Alpha knowing we were able to get this stuff in the right hands so it can't be used against us or the Iraqi people.
As we rolled into the middle of the week we were informed of a new development in the migration of people from the north. It seems they were told to move south and established a tent community near two of our smaller villages on the outskirts of town. This has posed a small problem for some of the village residents.
The land that they are squatting on is a former Army camp, which some of the village people were hoping they could claim through the government. We visited the camp and got the leaders from both villages and the tent city to agree on a line they would not pass in their migration.
This also gave us an opportunity to start assessing the area for future development projects.
This is one of those things soldiers have learned to do without being taught. The squatters are Kurdish and the villagers are Arab. The two ethnicities are known for their dislike for each other. We tried to get them to come to agreements on boundary lines for the safety of both groups. We will continue to monitor this area very closely because it has potential to explode anytime.
11 Aug 2130 hours >> Gunshots are heard a few blocks away at the Kirkuk Government Building. We already had a patrol in the area and they were instructed to move cautiously to the area and investigate. Sgt. John Pugh, Huntsville, Texas, was the team leader and reported that one police officer was wounded, but the suspects fled in a car before he arrived. Pugh and his men administered first aid to the officer, who was wounded in the foot, before an ambulance took him to the local hospital.
12 Aug 2130 hours >> Reports are coming over the radio about an explosion southeast of the patrol base. Over the radio we find out that a joint coalition-police patrol was ambushed using a roadside bomb. Final casualty count: no U.S. soldiers injured, one police officer evacuated.
13 Aug 2055 hours >> Rockets are heard flying over the patrol base toward the airfield. After the explosions we wait for information over the radio; no casualties, no damage. It looks like we have a new "rocketman."
God bless and aloha.
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Medic finds joy
in helping poor in Iraq
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Todaro said he didn't realize what he was going into before he arrived in Iraq. He added: "You just don't understand the magnitude of the danger or the situation of the people until you're right there with them. You can watch the news all day long and never realize the whole situation."
I asked Todaro what the most enjoyable thing he has done while in Iraq. He said, "It has to be when we go out to the poorer areas and hand out clothes and supplies."
He went on to say: "These are the things they need and it really makes me feel good inside. This is stuff we all take for granted back in the states. ... You wouldn't believe the look on a child's face when you give them a shirt, shorts or even a Band-Aid."
I asked Todaro what he missed the most about Hawaii. He said: "The freedom to just drive my truck and go to the movies or dinner. Here, you live with 130 guys and you can't move outside the patrol base unless you're going on a combat patrol."
He finished his interview by saying hi to all his family in Illinois, especially his children Ian, 11, Kayla, 9, and Parker, 7, back in Washington state. "I really miss you and can't wait to see you again."