Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    The First Leg: Bastogne Brigade sets conditions for success in Salah ad Din

    The First Leg: Bastogne Brigade sets conditions for success in Salah ad Din

    Photo By Rick Rzepka | Capt. Josh Kurtzman, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team,...... read more read more

    By Spc. Rick Rzepka
    1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division

    SALAH AD DIN, Iraq – Since arriving in Iraq in September, 2007, Soldiers from the Bastogne Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, have been tasked to set the table for Iraqi success in the Salah ad Din province.

    The Bastogne Brigade, which is on its third deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, conducts combined counter-insurgency operations daily, to secure the population of the Salah ad Din province. The Brigade is committed to allowing Iraqi security forces and the provincial government here to independently provide security and essential services to the people of the region.

    Salah ad Din, which is roughly the size of Vermont, is home to the four key cities of Samarra, Bayji, Tikrit and Balad. It is a geographically diverse area of Iraq that ranges from fertile farmlands to sprawling desert. From the mud huts of Mushlaka to the Mineret of Samarra, Bastogne Soldiers have built a foundation of trust and cooperation with Iraqis here over the last eight months.

    "If you had told me when we got here that we would be where we are today, I wouldn't have believed you," said Maj. William Rice, Bastogne civil affairs officer.

    The diverse nature of the province has required Bastogne Soldiers to adapt quickly to the dynamic environment. Soldiers here, often find themselves patrolling the hectic city streets of Tikrit one day while combing the vast western desert the next. Soldiers are also conducting more non-lethal operations than ever before. The job description of the 1st Brigade Soldier is no longer the monochromatic "meet and destroy the enemy" mission of the past. As the war against terrorism has evolved, so to the warrior has evolved. A Bastogne Infantryman's resume now includes words like ambassador, humanitarian, peacemaker and philanthropist. Soldiers here know that their success is the Iraqi people's success.

    Bastogne Soldiers work daily to enhance the four principles of security, governance, economics and strengthening of the Iraqi security forces. For lasting development, there has to be complementary advancements in all areas, said Rice who is encouraged by the brigade's progress in the region.

    "A lot of the work that the brigade has done to just open up everything from small markets to entire cities to major economic thoroughfares, has done a tremendous amount to help the province realize its potential," he said.

    Rice credits the recent security advancements with having a positive effect on commerce and the lives of Iraqi citizens, as well as encouraging the Iraqi government to act in the best interests of the people.

    Benefiting from operations aimed at removing insurgent chokeholds on certain areas of the province, major lines of communication have been opened, increasing freedom of movement for the Iraqi people.

    The insurgent grip on the major road from the population centers in al Anbar province to Samarra was removed, and the road now bonds the two major economic centers together creating enhanced economic cooperation between the regions.

    To ease congestion, a more convenient thoroughfare between the oil-hub city of Bayji and its neighboring cities to the northeast was constructed. The reconstruction of the al-Fatah bridge, once ruble, now offers civilians a secure, swift trip into the heart of the restive city to conduct trade and commerce.

    "At the national level we are beginning to see better support for the provinces, we are beginning to see healthier debate," he said. "Compromise is becoming a way of doing business here and I would argue that we are seeing the same thing at the provincial level."

    The enhanced security in the Salah ad Din province is a result of enhanced cooperation between Bastogne Soldiers and Iraqi Security Forces. In January alone, Bastogne and Iraqi Army Soldiers teamed up to find 20 vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices in the northern part of the province.

    "The key thing that a lot of people don't know about the ISF is that these guys are motivated, go getters," said Sgt. 1st Class William Banse, 1st Brigade Combat Team's ISF liaison.

    The majority of the Bastogne Brigade's operations in Salah ad Din are conducted in partnership with the Iraqi security forces who are becoming more and more adept at their jobs everyday.

    "More and more we are seeing an Iraqi face on the security of the area," said Banse. "They are on an upward trend here. The valor that these Soldiers put forth every day is staggering," said Banse. "They're patriots."

    The partnership between the ISF and the Bastogne Brigade to secure the cities and townships of Salah ad Din has paid dividends.

    Beginning in May, the brigade has cashed in on recent operational successes in the Balad area. Bastogne Cavalrymen have seen more than 350 former insurgents detach themselves from insurgent ties by choosing to pursue their goals through political means rather than armed conflict. The reconciliation of these former fighters is the shape of things to come in the area.

    "People who reconcile must be treated fairly. If others see that those reconciling are treated fairly, then they will come in, the process will work, and reconciliation will have been responsible for bringing peace," said Lt. Col. Robert McCarthy, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment Commander in Balad.

    Banse compares the relationship between security, economics and governance here, to a three-legged stool. "With any one of them taken away, the stool falls over," he said.
    As Bastogne Soldiers continue their latest rendezvous in Iraq, they can look back on the first leg of their tour with a sense of accomplishment and pride.

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.28.2008
    Date Posted: 05.28.2008 14:14
    Story ID: 19880
    Location: IQ

    Web Views: 512
    Downloads: 442

    PUBLIC DOMAIN