"Hailstorm" Soldiers roam at night with Iraqi forces

Photo By Sgt. Adrian Muehe | Sgt. Jeffery Ship, of Laurel, Mont., platoon sergeant of 4th Platoon, Company C, 2nd...... read more read more

Photo By Sgt. Adrian Muehe | Sgt. Jeffery Ship, of Laurel, Mont., platoon sergeant of 4th Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and 2nd Lt. Nicholas Beazley, from Roanoke, Va., platoon leader of 4th Platoon, Company C, 2/3 Inf., discuss the plan for a night patrol on with Capt. Laith Muhammed Nagen, commander of the Muqdadiyah Iraqi police Emergency Company Special Weapons and Tactics Team, and Capt Zehid Muhammed Shmiel, commander of 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division. These leaders have been working together for the past six months to provide security for the population of Muqdadiyah, Iraq.  see less | View Image Page

DIYALA PROVINCE, IRAQ

01.21.2010

Story by Pfc. Adrian Muehe 

1-2 SBCT, 7th Infantry Division

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DIYALA, Iraq - On the night of Jan 21, residents of Muqdadiyah, Iraq, were soundly asleep in their beds, completely oblivious to the "hailstorm" that was outside. No ice fell from the sky, just the "Hailstorm" Soldiers of 4th Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, doing their part in a joint combat patrol with their partners in the Iraqi army and Iraqi police.

The Soldiers of 4th Platoon, Company C, 2/3 Inf., rolled out late at night to meet up with soldiers of 3rd Company, 1st Battalion, 20th Brigade, 5th IA Division, and members of the Muqdadiyah IP Emergency Company Special Weapons and Tactics Team at the IP compound in Muqdadiyah.

After linking up, Capt. Laith Muhammad Nagen, commander of the IP SWAT team and Capt. Zehid Muhammed Shmiel, the commander of IA 3rd Company, provided 2nd Lt. Nicholas Beazley, from Roanoke, Va., platoon leader of 4th Platoon, with intelligence about people they were looking for and identified key points along their designated route where they observed suspicious activity.

Around midnight, the Soldiers of 4th Platoon, along with their IA and IP counterparts, set out on foot to patrol the streets of Muqdadiyah. The patrol, which consisted of about 60 people, marched on with night optical devices and a few flashlights. The city was so dark that one would have to use a flood light to see everyone involved. Communication was done through radios and low volume talking amongst Soldiers close to each other. If anyone looked out their window, they would have had no idea how many troops were out there.

The IA Company and the IP SWAT team took the lead, with 4th Platoon in the rear. The mission lasted approximately two hours and covered about seven miles.

"We didn't find anything, but this has been our best patrol," said Nagen. "The cooperation was really good."

This mission took four days of planning between the leaders of the three teams, but they have been working together for the last six months, especially 4th Platoon and the 3rd IA Company.

"We work with these guys every week," said Sgt. 1st Class Jeffery Ship, a native of Laurel, Mont., platoon sergeant for 4th Platoon. "They're our primary partners."

The Hailstorm Soldiers have created a good working relationship with the 3rd IA Company through training together and conducting joint combat patrols throughout Muqdadiyah.

The training courses covered a wide variety of combat skills. Soldiers of 4th Platoon have taught the IA Company different battle drills such as how to react to contact as well as a reacting to a near ambush. The IA soldiers have also learned how to search personnel and vehicles, and how to operate and move as a fire squad.

"We have a level of trust that allows for better cooperation during training and on missions," said Ship.

During this training, these warriors of two nations have created a bond.

"Since we started working with them, they have started joking a lot more," said Pfc. Nicholas Bartell, who hails from Syracuse, N.Y., a Stryker driver for 4th Platoon.

While working with this IA Company, the U.S. Soldiers have a first-hand view of the vast improvement in their skills.

"A couple of them have graduated from 'train the trainer' courses, and they have taught the other soldiers," said Bartell. "The ones who understand it easier teach the ones who don't seem to get it right away."

Even with this great relationship between these forces, the IA and IP are hopeful for a future on their own.

"Working with the coalition forces has been great, but we will be able to conduct these missions on our own soon," said Nagen.