Soldiers reflect on mission ahead

Photo By Spc. Paul Harris | Pfc. Brian Taylor, native of Cabot, Ark., track vehicle driver, Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, tasked to Bulldog Troop, 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, prepares to turn his track vehicle to improve the angle for the mortar tube during a training exercise at Logistical Support Area Anaconda near Balad, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Paul J. Harris, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, June 18, 2006)  

06.20.2006

Story by Spc. Paul Harris 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

Six months into the Iron Brigade's deployment Soldiers are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, thinking about coming home and reflecting on the mission so far.

One such group was four men from Bulldog Troop, 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, who occupy mortar pits at Logistical Support Area Anaconda near Balad, Iraq. It is their job to provide indirect fire against the enemy.

One of the advantages the mortar squad has against previous deployments is the new mortar fire control system that uses advanced Global Positioning System technology to give greater accuracy to the fire team, said Staff Sgt. Marcus Mueller, indirect fire infantryman squad leader, Bulldog Troop, 2nd Squadron, 9th Cavalry. We used to have to use aiming poles stationed along the ground to align the gun, now with the new system it speeds up the process in which we can return fire.

Mueller was a recruiter in Pittsburgh for three years before being assigned to Fort Carson, Colo.
"A day never goes by that I wish I was back in the office," Mueller said. "It is nice to be back here (in a line unit) and to be able to lead people and help mold Soldiers."

This is Mueller's first deployment to Iraq and he left behind his wife Capt. Tracy Mueller, legal assistance officer, 7th Infantry Division, at Fort Carson. He recently saw her on leave but found it difficult to get on the plane a second time to come back to Iraq. He is however, grateful for the amenities LSA Anaconda has to offer. Very few forward operating bases in Iraq have the same luxuries such as a swimming pool, movie theater and 24-hour post exchange; comforts Mueller did not expect to find in Iraq.

Sgt. Eric Smith, indirect fire infantryman squad leader, B Troop, 2nd Sqdn., 9th CAV, enlisted in the Army two months after Sept. 11, 2001. He has a constant reminder of the fateful day, a tattoo of 09-11-01 on his right wrist. He joined the Army to do his part for his country.

Smith is a devout Free Mason and has a Bible verse tattooed to his left arm saying "it is better to give of yourself than of your possessions" one of the Free Mason's mantras.
Smith is part of the Mason's Mountain Post Lodge 26 and is involved in its charity fundraisers.

He deployed with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to Iraq in 2003. He noticed insurgents are getting smarter about their tactics and procedures from the first time he was deployed but has also noticed a change in the local Iraqi populous as well.

You can see the Iraqi people want change, Smith said. They want Iraq to be a better place, which is helping in the fight against the insurgents. Smith joked, "With less attacks you can spend more time at the pool instead of on patrol."

His wife Spc. Andrea Smith, dental specialist Company C, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd HBCT, stationed at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, is not far from LSA Anaconda.
Though some people would consider themselves fortunate to have their spouses so close to them while deployed, Smith does not see it that way.

I wish she was 7,000 miles away, because here there is the threat of her being in danger, Smith said. It messes with me a lot.
Mason is tattooed on the front of his left wrist and Riley is tattooed on the right, representing each of his child's names. Smith missed the chance to be with his sons on Father's Day but even though there is the pain of not being able to be with his children, he seeks comfort in the mission at hand.

"If I am out here doing this now, it just means that they will not have to come out here," he said.
The heat is a challenge for every Soldier deployed in Iraq during the summer months. With the heat can come complacency, Smith said. Keeping a structured schedule keeps Soldiers from getting into trouble for little things.

Pvt. Andrew Leach, assistant mortar gunner, and Pfc. Brian Taylor, track vehicle driver, both are from Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery, and were tasked to B Troop, 2nd Sqdn., 9th CAV.

They were initially trained to work on Paladin artillery vehicles but due to a greater need for mortar men they were asked to learn a new job. A challenge the two Soldiers quickly rose to but were shocked to find out that life in Iraq did not meet their expectations.

"It is easier than I would expect it to be," Leach said. "I would not have expected a Burger King, Baskin Robbins (or) Popeye's (Chicken). It's gravy being here."Putting the perks of LSA Anaconda aside, Taylor is looking forward to getting back to Fort Carson where the self proclaimed "Citadel Mall rat" can get back into the groove of playing guitar and skateboarding.
"Freedom," Taylor calls it.

• Date Taken: 06.20.2006
• Date Posted: 06.20.2006 08:39
• Story ID: 6863