Iraq Blog:  June 2007

The following news items are taken from the Blog web site
of the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division Commandos

TUESDAY, JUNE 05, 2007
Coalition Forces Detain Suspected Terrorists

MND-C PAO

   RADWANIYAH, Iraq - Coalition forces detained six suspected terrorists southwest of Radwaniyah, Iraq Friday.
   Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, N.Y., detained the suspected terrorists during a cordon-and-search operation aimed at capturing key leaders within the local insurgency.
   The detainees were taken into custody for further questioning.
  


THURSDAY, JUNE 07, 2007
Golden Dragons, Strykers Clear Radwaniyah Area

By Spc. Chris McCann
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO

   RADWANIYAH, Iraq - The area just west of Baghdad and the coalition forces’ Victory Base Complex is quiet – so quiet that the tiny villages south of Az-Zaidon get very little attention.
   But there are fears that this area, just southeast of Fallujah, is a bit too quiet.
   “It’s an intelligence gap,” said Capt. Josh Betty, a native of College Station, Texas, and the assistant plans officer for the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y.
   The battalion has made several incursions into the area, but hasn’t established a permanent foothold there. The intelligence gap – as well as some tips that two Soldiers captured in a May 12 attack had been taken to the Radwaniyah area – meant another mission in the area was due.
   Troops from Companies B and D of the 2-14 were dispatched June 3 to clear several houses in what was dubbed Operation Hermes. But with such a large area, the “Golden Dragons,” as 2-14 is called, needed assistance. They called on Co. C of the 1st Battalion (Stryker), 23rd Infantry Regiment, which had been aiding in the search for the missing Soldiers, to lend a hand.
   The 2-14 Soldiers air-assaulted into the area while the Stryker vehicles moved in under cover of darkness.
   “It’s an isolated objective area southwest of Baghdad,” said Betty. “Right now, we don’t have a lot of intelligence on the area, so we were gathering intelligence for conducting future operations.”
   The area, like most of the 2nd BCT’s area of operations, is pastoral. Children herd sheep and goats while adults work fields of wheat, alfalfa, and vegetables.
   The troops of the Stryker battalion cleared many houses as the 2-14 Soldiers provided the security cordon around the area, moving through the scattered groups of homes with Iraqi Army troops. One of the homes had an SA-7 – a shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile system - and two men were detained and taken to Camp Striker for questioning about the weapon.
   Having the extra Soldiers was critical, Betty said.
   “Due to our current situation, our organic elements are tied up with their own patrols and patrol bases – they don’t have a lot of people to flex one way or another. This gave us the ability to use our own small organic units and a whole company of personnel to actually go in and secure the objective – it let us put a lot more people on the ground.”
   The fields and farmlands of the Radwaniyah and Zaidon areas will continue to be patrolled by the 2-14th, Betty said, in an effort to keep terror at bay and the population there safe.
   “We’ve been up there a number of times,” said Betty, “and we’re continuing to operate in the area to make it safer for Iraq and get a better picture of what’s going on there.”
  


SATURDAY, JUNE 09, 2007
Golden Dragon Soldiers Awarded Silver Star, Soldier's Medal

Staff Sgt. Angela McKinzie
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) PAO

   PATROL BASE DRAGON, Iraq – The Silver Star is the fourth highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces and is awarded for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States. It may be awarded to any person distinguishing himself for extraordinary heroism.
   The Solder’s Medal is a military award of the U.S. Army that was introduced by law passed by the U.S. Congress on June 2, 1926, and may be awarded to any person distinguishing himself for an act of heroism not involving actual conflict with the enemy. Often, the medal is awarded to Soldiers who risk their lives to save others.
   Two Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment “Golden Dragons,” 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., received such awards during a ceremony at Patrol Base Dragon, Iraq June 8.
   Master Sgt. Eric Gagne, a native of Francestown, N.H., who serves as the reconnaissance platoon sergeant for 2-14, was awarded the Silver Star for distinguishing himself for exceptionally heroic conduct. He has been credited for capturing several improvised explosive device cells, IED caches, weapons and terrorists involved in hostile acts against Coalition and Iraqi forces.
   Gagne led the reconnaissance platoon on countless patrols to better seek out and destroy local IED cells. In addition, Gagne captured an IED triggerman and performed other missions resulting in the detention of terrorists throughout the Golden Dragon’s area of operations.
   Gagne was also commended for his attention to detail and ability to react to any situation. For instance Gagne, while waiting in ambush, spotted an IED triggerman attempting to move into position to detonate an IED. Moments before springing the ambush, Gagne noticed the triggerman had a small child with him. Instead of using lethal force against the triggerman, Gagne chose to leap out at the terrorist and tackle him, rather than risk the life of the child.
   After receiving the award for his many acts of gallantry Gagne shared some thoughts of his own.
   “I look at this award as more what the platoon has accomplished. I think the entire platoon takes ownership of this,” Gagne said after receiving the medal.
   The former ranger instructor noted that he is just performing standard infantry skills
   “We get out and walk,” he said. “So far the old school light infantry tactics are working. It is all basic Ranger School, Field Manual 7-8 tactics.”
   Gagne’s platoon has been awarded 12 valorous awards during Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08.
   Staff Sgt. Anthony Skirko, a native of Kemp, Texas, who serves as a fire support officer with 2-14, was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for distinguishing himself by rescuing Soldiers from a Humvee that had rolled over in a canal. While Skirko was on a search-and-attack mission in the Shakriyah Triangle, Iraq, he heard that a vehicle in his patrol had flipped over in a canal.
   Upon arriving at the site, Skirko threw off his helmet and body armor and submerged himself into the rancid water to open the door to free the trapped Soldiers. After forcing open the re-enforced armor door to the Humvee he crawled into the vehicle and pulled the Soldiers out.
“The task is difficult to do with a Humvee simply parked on the street,” said Lt. Col. John Valledor, the 2-14 commander and native of Weehawken, N.J. “But opening the doors under five feet of muddy water is nearly impossible. Sgt. Skirko, guided by a desire to save his fellow Soldiers, found the strength to, not only pry the doors open, but to remove all the crew members.”
   Eleven other Soldiers from 2-14 received valorous awards at the ceremony. Valledor commented about the Soldiers of 2-14 receiving such prestigious awards.
   “I am extremely proud of these men. Their actions personify selfless service and valor,” Valledor said of the awardees. “It is our desire that by highlighting the great deeds of these brave men their actions will inspire their fellow Soldiers to do the same.” “Our fight here is far from over and I have no doubt that there will be more ceremonies like this one in the weeks to come,” Valledor added. “Our battalion has a lot of history in front of it … If the actions of these great men are any indicator, the final accounting of our tour here will be simply inspiring. Golden Dragons!”
  


SATURDAY, JUNE 09, 2007
"Golden Eagles" Keep Supplies Moving, Trucks Rolling

Sgt. Glen Houghtaling
Co. E, 2nd Bn., 14th Inf. Regt.

   CAMP STRIKER, Iraq - For every heroic action that has happened, there are the unsung heroes who keep these Soldiers and their equipment ready for the battle. Company E, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment “Golden Dragons,” of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) from Fort Drum, N.Y., has been keeping the battalion’s four companies ready for the fight the past 11 months.
   The small distribution platoon within the company has logged more than 73,000 miles since deploying to Iraq in August 2006 to provide supplies to the troops in the 2-14th area of operation. ‘Distro’ is responsible for supplying everything Soldiers’ need to live from food, meals ready-to-eat, bottled water, bulk water for personal hygiene, generators, refrigerated trailers, automotive parts, and all types of fuel.
   The platoon also provides 24-hour mechanical support. The mechanics have spent countless hours ensuring the vehicles for the whole battalion are serviced and operational.
   Co. E also supports the units with food service specialist who prepare and inventory food for Soldiers on all of the 2-14th patrol bases.
   As a company, the Soldiers have completed 280 missions, logging more than 159,000 miles, and delivering more than 5,000 tons of supplies to the troops in 2/14th. Company E also takes part in major operations to include consequence management, detainee transport operations, and emergency re-supply operations.
   The Soldiers in the company maintain a 24-hour consequence management team. The team has to be operational within 30 minutes of being notified that a vehicle has been disabled by an attack. The team recovers the vehicle and returns it to Camp Striker for evaluation and maintenance by the maintenance platoon.
  


MONDAY, JUNE 18, 2007
"Golden Dragons" Foil Truck Bomb Attack On Patrol Base

2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI)
Multi-National Division – Center PAO

   PATROL BASE WARRIOR KEEP, Iraq - Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., thwarted a vehicle-borne improvised explosive attack today at Patrol Base Warrior Keep, near Sadr Al-Yusufiyah, Iraq.
   Spc. Brandon Rork, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a rifleman with the 2-14th was manning a machine gun on top of PB Warrior Keep and spotted a driver in a dump truck loaded with homemade explosives attempting to break through the base’s perimeter barriers.
  Rork and Spc. Charles Osgood, a native of Chesapeake, Va., a rifleman with an M-4 rifle, both fired at the truck repeatedly, until it stopped.
   The driver was removed from the truck and found to be wearing a suicide vest. The vest was removed, and the driver was treated for injuries sustained in the attack.
   “The Soldier in the machine gun position was very alert this afternoon and able to engage and stop a dump truck suicide bomber bent on destroying the entire patrol base,” said Lt. Col. John Valledor, a native of New York, N.Y., and the commander of the 2-14 “Golden Dragons.”
  


MONDAY, JUNE 25, 2007
Commando Eagle Starts Off Strong

   MAHMUDIYAH - A joint operation geared toward curbing terrorist activity southwest of Baghdad is yielding results almost immediately.
   Operation Commando Eagle, a mix of helicopter-borne air assaults and humvee-mounted movements, included Soldiers from several battalions of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., and the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division.
   The operation, which began today, targeted a series of houses which locals indicated were being used by al-Qaida cells to intimidate locals and launch attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces.
   Troops of the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd BCT, detained three men when their truck was found to contain documents requesting rockets as well as a spool of copper wire, commonly used to build improvised explosive devices.
   Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, IA Division found a cache containing four AK-47s, a 60mm mortar tube with three rounds, an SKS rigged with sniper optics, three bolt-action rifles, a camcorder with tapes, a roll of copper wire, 20 homemade grenades, four ski masks, 75 CDs of propaganda and terror techniques, methods to commit kidnappings and to shoot down coalition helicopters, and various other IED-making materials. Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd BCT discovered multiple series of caches during the operation.
   The first cache complex contained five AK-47s with three magazines, a roll of IED wire and a shotgun.
   A second cache included seven AK-47s.
   The third complex included an anti-tank mine, an anti-personnel mine, two rocket propelled grenade rounds, an RPG launcher and multiple pounds of TNT.Task Force 2-15 detained 16 individuals.
   Company A, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment detained nine men and Troop B, 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment detained four, all wanted for terrorist attacks or for possessing illegal weapons.
   Commando Eagle was named after the 2nd BCT, known as the Commandos, and the 4th Bde, 6th IA, called the Baghdad Eagles. This operation was timed in conjunction with a larger Multi National Division-Center operation, coined Marne Torch.
   The caches were seized and disposed.  The detainees are being held for questioning.

Iraq Blog:  June 2007
2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division Commandos
Page Copyright © 2008 Kirk S. Ramsey
Last modified: September 15, 2008