Operation Able Warrior Sweeps Through Neighborhoods

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion 295th Infantry from Juncos, Puerto Rico search a room during Operation Able Warrior Aug. 4.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

08.16.2005

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

Sgt David Bill
48th Brigade Combat Team PAO

BAGHDAD --In the early-morning darkness of Aug. 4, Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 295th Infantry from Juncos, Puerto Rico, actively participated in Operation Able Warrior, a coordinated operation to capture and seize suspected terrorist operators and triggermen of explosive devices in the southwest Baghdad area.

This mission was in response to recent attacks that have claimed the lives of eight Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 48th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. Three additional brigade Soldiers were killed just before the start of this mission, creating a deeper emphasis for mission success.

This coordinated mission was conducted by 2nd Bn. to reduce the threat from improvised explosive device operators and take the fight to them.

Even in the dark of the early morning, these Soldiers from Puerto Rico are dedicated to the cause and are anxious to get to this mission.

The Soldiers from Co. C have a strong bond with each other and with their fellow Soldiers in the 48th. The company joined the brigade in March and prepared for this deployment as a unit within the 2nd Battalion. They have shown a strong sense of loss for those Soldiers from the brigade who have been recently killed, by posting their photos in the company tactical operations center and by attending the memorials held for those fallen warriors.

On Aug. 4, the unit moved into position with lightning speed around the various houses and working quickly, the Soldiers began to move throughout the residences, looking for suspects, suspected weapons and bomb-making materials. Even "Staff Sgt. Rambo," a military-trained bomb-sniffing dog was on hand to search for materials.

"The mission would not have been conducted as well as it was if we were not trained as well as we are," said Sgt. 1st. Class Hector Perez, 42, from Aborito, Puerto Rico.

"The men did a great job" said Capt. Jose Lopez-Molina, 48, from Caguaz, Puerto Rico, and Co. C commander, as he effortlessly switched between Spanish and English while talking with his Soldiers and to battalion headquarters.

As each house was searched, Soldiers could be heard speaking in Spanish and English. With the help from interpreters who would speak in Arabic to question the local residents, Soldiers began to gather all the detainees together for transport to the battalion area for additional questioning.

Many of the houses were vacant of males, but the women and children found in the houses were asked to move to a designated area, as Soldiers moved from room to room. Many of the women and children told the Soldiers that some of their men had not been seen for quite a while. At one house, an elderly Iraqi man was treated by a unit medic for dizziness.

"We got good information from the detainees," said Perez.

The mission came to a successful close at dawn as all the 2nd Bn. units rolled back into Camp Striker, their trucks loaded with detainees.

As detainees were processed, many of the leaders, though obviously tired from the long night's work, took time to laugh and discuss more relaxing subjects other than the mission.

More than 60 detainees were collected from the various battalion-level objectives"16 of those seized by Co. C.

"It was good for us to come together to get all these detainees," said 1st Lt. Eduardo Roman, 1st platoon leader, Co. C, 32, from Salinas, Puerto Rico.

"This came off as a picture-perfect mission. Everything went well and all of our Soldiers are back inside the wire safe and sound. It was a good operation," said Lt. Col. Steve McCorkle, 2nd Bn. commander from Warner Robins, Ga.

• Date Taken: 08.16.2005
• Date Posted: 08.16.2005 19:29
• Story ID: 2754
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ