Thunder Squadron Soldiers, confident progression

Photo By Pfc. Cynthia Teears Van Cleve | The troop and company commanders, first sergeants and guidons line up during the ceremony for Col. Michael Bills, the commander, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, to personally attached the Combat Action Streamers to the guidons of the deserving troops on Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, Iraq, Oct. 29.  

MOSUL, IRAQ

10.29.2008

Story by Spc. Cynthia Teears Van Cleve 

11th Public Affairs Detachment

By Spc. Cynthia Teears
11th Public Affairs Detachment

MOSUL, Iraq - Several Soldiers of the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, also known as the "Thunder Squadron," received their Purple Hearts today, which were earned during the past year of missions in Mosul. One Soldier was awarded an Army Commendation of Valor and another was awarded the Bronze Star of Valor, as well. Col. Michael Bills, the commander, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, also attached the Combat Action Streamers to the deserving troop's guidons during the ceremony held on Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, Iraq, Oct. 29.

Spc. Dean Barrows, a combat engineer, from San Diego, CA, 43rd Combat Engineer Company, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, earned his Purple Heart this past March during a route clearance mission.

"The city wasn't as good as it is now," Barrows said. "We were going down one of the roads that we clear and we started to slow down because we thought we saw something. As soon as we slowed down, that is when the Improvised Explosive Device actually went off. It hit right underneath my door. It disabled our vehicle right then and there."

The city itself has changed a lot since the unit arrived here, Barrows said. There were attacks here every day, nonstop all day, for the first couple months.

"We started taking control of the city and it started to clear up," added Barrows. "You start to see more people out on the roads, more shops opening up. There's actually people doing things and going to work outside."

Sgt. 1st Class Ron Corella, a mortar platoon sergeant, Killer Troop, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, was awarded a Bronze Star for his decisive actions under fire.

"We were conducting a routine patrol," Corella said. "One of my trucks was shot at by a rocket propelled grenade. It missed. We identified one of the shooters and we started to move on them."

There was another RPG during the incident, Corella said. The sergeant then split his section into two vehicles, one to keep an eye on security and the other to maneuver on the enemy.

As the unit maneuvered on the enemy an antiarmor grenade missed the vehicles and small arms machine gun fire started from the southern and northern sectors, said Corella.

Air support was available, but was not able to positively identify the enemy because of the dense buildings in the area, Corella continued.

"So, myself and two dismounts, maneuvered on the ground trying to pinpoint the building," Corella said.

The unit maneuvered, in spite of continuing machine gun fire from an adjacent building, and marked the building for the air assets, Corella concluded.

"It's a lot safer place here now," Barrows said. "You are out here for so long sometimes you wonder why it keeps happening, but it's slowed down a lot."

"It's actually a really good thing," said Barrows. "We can see what we've done while we've been out here. How we've helped fix the city."

"It's getting better now, but it's been a fight," Corella said. "You couldn't roll through twice without being attacked before."

Now Corella runs patrols almost every day and very seldom do they get attacked, Corella said. There are more national police in the area too. The Iraqi national police are setting up more check points and being more proactive.

"The Iraqi's have definitely improved," said Corella. "We used to have to go and force them to man check points and go on patrols, but now it's us trying to keep up with them. They are running so many different patrols."

The Iraqi national police and Iraqi army are more willing to setup check points in an area that they feel is vulnerable to attack, Corella said. The Iraqi units will go and set up a check point on their own and all they ask from the Coalition Forces is a little bit of support.

"We still provide help for them, aide for them," added Corella. "They do 90 percent of the operations, thou. There is a lot more initiative on their part compared to when we first arrived to now."

There are more national police and Iraqi Army here with a recent influx, so they are willing and able, said Corella. They have awesome commanders for their police so it has been a drastic improvement.

"Very impressive, the 2nd Battalion National Police that work here, very impressive," Corella said. "They are the ones that control the area now and they are doing an outstanding job."

It's not so much about RPG's now, Corella said. There's still danger with some small arms fire and maybe a grenade. It's much easier to hide a grenade than a RPG launcher, but now the attacks are not near as bad as they used to be.

"It's definitely much better than it was six months ago," Corella added.

"It feels like we've accomplished a lot since we've been here," said Barrows. "You can actually see the work, all the hard work and hours that we've done since we've been here. You can see where it progressed to."

"It think what you see we've done up here, everybody sees," Barrows said. "How the city has become speaks loud enough."

• Date Taken: 10.29.2008
• Date Posted: 12.10.2008 14:27
• Story ID: 27469
• Location: MOSUL, IQ