Photo By Staff Sgt. Zachary Mott | Soldiers from Company A, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Zach Mott
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
ADHAMIYAH, Iraq – It's an operation with a funny name and, as if fate had intervened, a somewhat comedic result, as well.
The joint operation, dubbed Trunk Monkey by the Silver Lions of 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad and their Iraqi counterparts with the 3rd Battalion, 45th Brigade and 1st Battalion, 42nd Brigade, both of the 11th Iraqi Army Division, was designed to identify accelerants coming into the area as well as disrupt enemy movement across northeast Baghdad, said Maj. Rob MacMillan, the operations officer for the Silver Lions Battalion.
Beginning in late November, Soldiers with Headquarters Company and Company A, 1st Bn. 68th Armor Regt., scoured the streets of Adhamiyah with their Iraqi army counterparts searching upward of 1,000 vehicles per day in an effort to diminish the terrorist threat in the area.
"Since this operation started we saw immediate results in reduced numbers of attacks on [main supply routes]," said Capt. John Spencer, a Richmond, Ind., native who commands Co. A, 1st Bn. 68th Amor Regt.
The term "trunk monkey" refers the common practice of sneaking people into a drive-in theater by way of a vehicle's trunk. In that theme, Soldiers searched the large portions of each vehicle in an effort to identify and eliminate possible threats. What the Soldiers weren't prepared for was what confronted them the morning of Jan. 18.
Shortly after a patrol from White Platoon of Co. A, 1st Bn. 68th Amor Regt., led by Platoon Sergeant Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Donovan left the gates of Joint Security Station Apache, they found an actual monkey in the trunk of a car.
"The owner of the car said it was his life-long pet that traveled with him everywhere," said Col. John Hort, commander of the 3rd BCT, 4th Inf. Div. "When the patrol mentioned to the car owner that their operation was called Trunk Monkey, the owner of the vehicle laughed and offered his pet up as a gift for keeping his street safe. Fortunately, the patrol declined the offer and continued on their way."
"Attack Company has encountered a number of different 'trunk finds,' some of which included a local national, sheep and cauliflower to name a few," joked 1st Lt. Brendan McNichol, a Morris, Conn., native who serves as the effects coordinator for Co. A, 1-68 AR, about the other "finds" during the operation.
In total, Soldiers have searched more than 25,000 vehicles in Adhamiyah which has no doubt served to increase security across this northeast Baghdad district.
"I think it's a great opportunity because [traffic control points] stay static and with this Soldiers stay mobile," said Spencer. "It's a quick search of the large parts of the vehicle that allows the Soldiers greater interaction with people."
| Date Taken: | 01.30.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 01.30.2009 09:55 |
| Story ID: | 29461 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 411 |
| Downloads: | 368 |
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