Cold Steel 'drops in' on neighboring town

Photo By Master Sgt. Ryan Matson | Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, walk out of the town...... read more read more

Photo By Master Sgt. Ryan Matson | Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, walk out of the town of Al Ruffayah, Iraq, towards the outlying mountain landscape April 14, walk out of the town of Al Ruffayah, Iraq, towards the outlying mountain landscape April 14.  see less | View Image Page

04.19.2006

Story by Staff Sgt. Ryan Matson 

101st Combat Aviation Brigade

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Sgt. Ryan Matson
101st Combat Aviation Brigade

Three units from the 101st Airborne Division recently combined for an Air Assault mission near Kirkuk, Iraq. The mission shed some light on a neighboring village and its people.

Company C, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment "Cold Steel," combined with 5th Battalion, and 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade for an Air Assault mission to a small village in their area of operations near Kirkuk.

The Cold Steel Soldiers Air Assaulted into a village they had previously called the "no-name" village to see what the needs of the villagers may be and if the villagers could help provide any information on attacks on coalition forces in the surrounding area.

"The mission was basically to announce our presence in the area and gauge the concerns of the citizens of the village," 1st. Lt. Patrick Smith, 1st Platoon's Platoon Leader, C 1-327, said. "We try to figure out the conditions of the village and what need and remind then we're in the area. It was our first time in this particular village."

The "Cold Steel" Soldiers met with the leader, or muktar, of the village, which they learned is named Al Ruffayah. While "Cold Steel" Soldiers pulled security around the town, Smith and an interpreting team talked to the muktar and his family. It was like many typical Iraqi villages. They found that the people of Al Ruffayah are of the Am Garghom tribe and that they have a school which about 60 children attend, although there are only two volunteer teachers. The town was powered by generators, but only those houses who could afford generators had power.

Smith said the visit was a typical trip for the Soldiers of Cold Steel.

"We try to hit all the villages in the Area of Operations," Smith said. He said the Soldiers will typically conduct follow-up visits to see what they can do to improve conditions in the villages. They also, with the help of 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, continue to observe the activity around the towns to ensure coalition forces and innocent Iraqi people are not killed by terrorist activity, such as Improvised Explosive Devices.

The mission, although a routine one for the Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division, involved "Cold Steel" and two aviation units from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.

Blackhawk helicopters from Company A, 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade Air Assaulted "Cold Steel" to their objective. Meanwhile, while the mission was in progress, Kiowa Warrior helicopters from 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, provided security and reconnaissance over the village and outlying area in the event of hostile action.

"Cold Steel" has worked with 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment since February, when they were attached to the Cav to patrol a piece of ground in the area. Both the Cav, and Cold Steel have been extremely happy with the arrangement.

"I am honored to be intergrated fully into a ground Brigade Combat Team," Lt. Col. Lou Vogler, Commander, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, said. "It's an indication of the trust that we have for each other. As a commander, there is no higher reward that can be given than more troops to command, and that is what has happened here. Because we work with them on a routine basis since they are attached now, it simplifies the coordination and integration of the combined arms of the fight."

He said the integration has also enabled the Cav to have a broader mission in the AO.

"It has broadened the scope of our mission and its focus," he said. "We now have contacts with senior Arab leaders and deal more with the local police."

Smith said he and his Soldiers have also enjoyed the experience of the new arrangement.

"I love working with a Cav unit," he said. "It give us so much more mobility with these air assets available. We spent six months around Bulldog's AO getting blown up and losing guys driving. This gives our guys the chance to work on more than just convoys. We're back to the light infantry tactics we're accustomed to. We don't ever want to leave."