KIRKUK, IRAQ " Following a lead, Bastogne Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, quickly exited the UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter in which they were riding to search the muddy farmland near Hawijah, Iraq for a suspected weapons cache.
Once outside the helicopter, the Soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, quickly spotted the smoke grenade that had been dropped by Soldiers from the 2nd Squadron (Reconnaissance), 17th Cavalry Regiment, an aviation unit that had been patrolling the area, marks a bare patch of land where a suspicious white bag was laying.
With the location sighted and Kiowa Warrior helicopters providing security from above, the Company D Soldiers made their way to a clay farmhouse near the field to question those inside before starting their search.
As the Soldiers finished questioning the residents of the home, the pilots of the light observation helicopters relayed news to the Soldiers on the ground of several other suspicious sightings in the area; one object was only 400 meters from the initial site.
On leaving the farmhouse, the Bastogne Soldiers split into two teams, with one team traveling south to investigate the newest discovery and the other heading off to dig through the clay near the white bag. Both teams would be rewarded for their efforts.
As it turns out, the object the Kiowa pilots had spotted while providing security for the Soldiers was actually the trailer for a two-person air defense system. The trailer was inside a ravine, sticking halfway out of the ground as though the recent rains had washed away the dirt that had been hiding it. In the dirt surrounding the trailer, the Soldiers discovered a link of ammunition for the weapon, as well as a number of loose rounds.
Meanwhile, after an hour of digging, the team of Soldiers at the original site had unearthed two sub-machine guns, an AK-47, and a large stash of ammunition for the three weapons.
Proud that their days work had spoiled the plans of local insurgents and increased the level of security for residents in the area, the Soldiers loaded their find into the Blackhawk that would take them back to their base, while the unit's explosive ordinance disposal team moved in to destroy the trailer and ensure the area was thoroughly cleared.
| Date Taken: |
03.07.2006 |
| Date Posted: |
03.07.2006 09:22 |
| Story ID: |
5626 |
| Location: |
KIRKUK, IQ |
| Web Views: |
128 |
| Downloads: |
26 |
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