Photo By Staff Sgt. Russell Klika | Pvt. Shane Irwin and Pvt. Zachary McDaniel of Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 33rd...... read more read more
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Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAGHDAD, Iraq - On any given day thousands of Soldiers, roll "outside the wire" acting as American ambassadors to the people of Iraq.
For one group, Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, the battle lies in the heart of Sadr City, Iraq. It is a city of 2.5 million people, most of whom are unappreciative of the Soldiers" presence, as is evident by the negative graffiti on the metropolitan walls.
The Soldiers laugh it off. One wants his picture taken with the message.
"That's a negative," says the driver as they make their way through the streets.
The first stop of the day is Camp Al-Amal (Hope) at 6 a.m. to pick up a platoon of Iraqi Army Soldiers who will take the lead on the joint patrol.
"This is a great group of [Iraqi Army] Soldiers," said 2nd Lt. Christopher Hudson, a platoon leader for Charlie Troop. "They have our backs and are not afraid to engage the enemy."
As Charlie Troop pulls into the gate, the IA Soldiers are waiting for them. Everyone, including the Iraqis, gets a good laugh. One asked why the Americans were late. Some good-natured ribbing is exchanged and one American responds "We're not late we just gave you the wrong time." They roll out the gate together.
As a beat-up truck loaded with IA Soldiers leads the convoy down the narrow streets, the disdain is palpable, accentuated by some rock throwers.
After a few hours of patrolling, Hudson, with the help of his interpreters, relays to the lead IA vehicle to stop and set up a hasty checkpoint. The IA Soldiers quickly dismount, set up the checkpoint and halt traffic in all directions. The Americans dismount their vehicles and head toward pre-assigned targets. Their weapons, sporting high-powered scopes, are at the ready.
For the next thirty minutes, the Soldiers constantly move in a circle, fixing their sights on the slightest rooftop movement. Their only communication is to inform each other of any motion in their sector. Soon, children slowly approach the Soldiers. Keeping their backs to concrete walls, the Soldiers talk with the youngsters. Some offer information on insurgents, and others just want to exchange names and discover if the men have babies like them back home.
The call to "mount-up" comes and the Soldiers, some walking backwards, the others forward, provide security for each other as they approach their vehicles. The Troop is happy that there were no problems at the checkpoint. After a few hours, the IA decides they have had enough and head back to base.
"We can't push them," said Sgt. 1st Class Alan Rogers, a Charlie Troop platoon sergeant of Ridgecrest, Calif. "We need them later tonight," referring to a mission scheduled for later. The troops head back to base, fuel up and sleep for a few hours.
Shortly after rolling out the gate, an Improvised Explosive Device detonates on the night patrol, but no one is injured. The Soldiers perform a quick search of the area and continue with the patrol. After several hours of zigzagging the streets of Sadr, Hudson spots a suspicious vehicle. He radios all elements and stops the target. Weapons still at the 'ready," the Soldiers approach the vehicle and find two men in the back seat gagged and flex-cuffed.
"Kidnappers," said Hudson. "The hostages are on their way to be executed."
The driver and passenger are detained and then turned over to the Iraqi Police.
"We just saved two lives," said Hudson, "all in a days work."
The patrol ends, but the paperwork consumes the rest of the night.
"It must be done right so that the charges of attempted murder and kidnapping will stick on the two detainees," said Hudson.
Charlie Troop catches a few hours of sleep and is back on the road again. This time the mission is to provide security for a forensics archaeologist hired by the U.S., searching for Saddam era mass graves. The trail leads down a road running parallel to a trash-strewn, carcass-lined abandoned canal.
The men establish security while nearby children shout profanity and brandish posters of their leader, Sadr. The forensics crew arrives and starts to dig. The top soil of the compost pile is removed, unleashing a stench that fills the air and assaults the nose.
After several hours, the team comes up empty handed and moves to another location. Soldiers patrol along the purple colored water edge of the canal, discovering the day's first and only body. It is obvious it has been there for a while. The Soldiers call the Iraqi Police to investigate.
Once they arrive, the Soldiers continue down the canal road past a children's cemetery. Rusted cans, slabs of scrap metal and bicycle parts serve as grave markers. Wild dogs scrounge the cemetery for garbage discarded by neighboring homes. These Soldiers are used to these scenes, having seen many like it before. The Soldiers are ready to head back to the base after a ten-hour stint in the fly infested landfill. Their next mission begins in less than six hours.
"Charlie Troop is a very tight knit group of Soldiers," said Maj. Shawn Daniel, Operations Officer for the 1/33rd Cavalry Regiment. "Every time they move, they quickly establish themselves in the community. They bounce right back from anything thrown at them. It's phenomenal," he added referring to the four times the unit has moved since arriving in Iraq.
Their next mission would show just how tight Charlie Troop is. During the early morning hours of the patrol, three Soldiers are injured in a roadside bombing. The crew leaps into action, removing the Soldiers from the burning humvee, providing first aid and rushing them back to the Forward Operating Base.
"We had them ready to move in a very short time and made it to the base in sixteen minutes," said Rogers.
All three Soldiers are now recovering in Germany. These Soldiers have had their faces marred by dust, sweat and blood, and have taken their place in history as Rakkasans of the 1/33rd Cavalry.
Editor's Note - Photos 1-8 are in one gallery, photos 9 - 39 are in another.
| Date Taken: | 05.10.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 05.10.2006 15:25 |
| Story ID: | 6344 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 603 |
| Downloads: | 225 |
This work, Riding with the Cav in Baghdad Iraq, by SSG Russell Klika, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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