America Supports You: Summit Participants Motivated to Thank Troops

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2006 - Clutching a camo-clad teddy bear named "Hero" that she received from a soldier in Iraq, fifth-grader Bailey Reese stood out among the troop-support organization leaders who gathered at the Pentagon today for the second annual America Supports You Community Group Summit.

America Supports You is a Defense Department program that spotlights and facilitates support for the nation's servicemembers and their families by the American public and the corporate sector.

Representatives from more than 80 of the program's 234 nonprofit grassroots organizations met with DoD officials, coordinated their troop-support functions and shared their stories.

After a hurricane hit her hometown of Niceville, Fla., 10-year old Bailey started "Hero Hugs," an organization that sends care packages to troops.

"We were without power, so we went to one of the checkpoints and (Bailey) saw people snapping at the soldiers and complaining about the lines being too long," said Bailey's mom, Diana Calvert-Reese. "Nobody was telling them 'thank you.' She was really bothered by that, so she made it her mission to see that soldiers were thanked."

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who later was presented with an America Supports You poster signed by each of the participating partners, addressed the group. Rumsfeld's comments were followed by feedback sessions which gave the troop-support organization leaders the chance to discuss what they enjoy about the program and what could make it even better next year.

Strengthening the community of support for the nation's men and women in uniform is next year's goal, said Calvin K. Coolidge of Freedom Alliance, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships and grants to children whose parents have been killed or permanently disabled in combat.

Other ideas mentioned in feedback sessions included reducing shipping costs on items sent to troops abroad, and harnessing new media - such as blogging, virtual forums and chat rooms -- to keep America Supports You partners and their donors connected, said Allison Barber, assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and community outreach. Barber conceived of the America Supports You program, which was launched in November 2004.

Meeting with congressional representatives to explain their programs on Capitol Hill would also be helpful, several participants said.

"We welcome the scrutiny and the honesty and your critique, because it will make a stronger organization," Barber said to the auditorium of America Supports You partners. "We want to know what's on your mind, and we will help facilitate that. ... It's a great use of our time."

Discussion turned to the annual Freedom Walk, an America Supports You initiative designed to remember the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States and to honor the nation's veterans, past and present. Freedom Walks took place in all 50 states this year in addition to the national event held in the nation's capital.

"The Freedom Walk is a nice opportunity for people to get together and show our consolidated support for the military," said Linda Davidson, director of OMK, a McLean, Va., nonprofit organization that provides grants for extracurricular activities to children of deployed soldiers. Next year's Freedom Walk will be a good way to show support for military families too, Davidson said.

The annual summit underscores the participants' desire to honor and respect America's servicemembers, Coolidge said.

"Our troops need to know that they are supported by the American people; the America Supports You program helps them get that message, wherever they are," he said.

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2415]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Video E-mail Launches for Deployed Soldiers, Families

By Margaret McBride
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2006 - Soldiers and families can now communicate by video e-mail through the Army Knowledge Online intranet portal. On the first day, more than 3,500 video e-mails were transmitted.

"Thank you, that's all I can say," Pvt. Brenden Teetsell of the 44th Signal Battalion e-mailed on Dec. 6. "Thank you for allowing me to see my family. Your technology helps boost not only my morale, but thousands of soldiers a day."

AKO video messaging allows all deployed active-duty, National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers to create video messages on a computer with a Web cam. The message is then stored on a server and sent to the recipient via a link.
Upon opening an e-mail, the user clicks on the link to get streaming video and sound. The video-streaming software allows a soldier to hear and view video e-mail even in limited bandwidth environments, but the link can be accessed any time from anywhere.

Instructions are on a link on their AKO home page. Soldiers must follow the same Defense Department security measures used for standard e-mail and are not allowed to use Web cams in secure areas.

Families with an AKO account can send video e-mails from home with a personal computer and a Web cam. They can also use Web cams in many of the yellow-ribbon rooms on military bases. Military bases in deployed locations typically have Web cams available at cyber cafes, officials said.

"Families no longer need to coordinate times to ensure everyone is available to see each other," said Gary L. Winkler, director for governance, acquisition and knowledge in the Army Chief Information Office, who initiated the project.

"This will help geographically separated families stay closer during deployment, and we also expect other benefits from this capability as users become more familiar and comfortable with it," he said.

In the future, Army video e-mail applications could also be used for distance learning and training, recruiting and telemedicine, officials said.

(Margaret McBride serves with the Office of the Army Chief Information Officer.)
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2390]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

New Evaluation Brigade to Test Emerging Warfighter Technologies

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

FORT BLISS, Texas, Dec. 12, 2006 - A new brigade here will test some of the most revolutionary concepts and systems being developed for future warfighters, report how they operate under field conditions, and ultimately speed their fielding to troops on the battlefield.

The new Evaluation Brigade Combat Team being stood up here will test 18 major systems being developed for the Army's Future Combat Systems program, explained Col. Michael Wadsworth, chief of training and leader development for the Future Force Integration Directorate here.

"This is the most ambitious and far-reaching modernization the Army has had since World War II," he said.

The program's goal, Wadsworth explained, is to tap into the most advanced technologies possible "to enable soldiers and leaders to see the enemy first and understand his intentions.

"And once we understand what the enemy is going to do," he added, "we can act first and finish decisively, which is the whole notion of the Future Combat System."

The FCS will offer soldiers detailed battlefield information, provided through an advanced data and communications network to give them the upper hand in combat. By knowing what the enemy is up to, FCS-equipped brigade combat teams will be able "to act first on their own initiative to defeat the enemy on terms favorable to us," Wadsworth said.

The Future Force Integration Directorate is establishing a blueprint for that future force as it stands up the new Evaluation Brigade Combat Team and uses it as an operational test bed for new systems. Within the next six months, the brigade team is expected to reach its full strength of just under 1,000 troops.

"Basically, we're standing up an organization to inform the Army if (the FCS program) is doing what we think it will do," Wadsworth said.

As the evaluation brigade, the Future Force Integration Directorate is developing the doctrine, organizational structure, training programs, and tactics, techniques and procedures it will need to operate. Like the systems the brigade is testing, this groundwork will be tweaked along the way to ensure it's on target, Wadsworth said.

"We'll hand the brigade the concepts, get feedback and move forward," he said. "The beauty of this is that we'll have actual soldiers on the ground with the equipment, and these soldiers will advise us as we move this concept forward."

The Evaluation BCT will use a mixture of live training, experimentation and simulation to test systems ranging from sensors to automated systems to manned vehicles over the next 10 to 12 years. Testing will be conducted, both here and at neighboring White Sands Missile Range, N.M., through four "spinouts" that will enable the Army to build the new technology over time, Wadsworth said.

During Spinout 1, in fiscal 2008, the evaluation brigade will evaluate five new systems. These include the Intelligent Munitions System; the Tactical Unmanned Ground Sensor, which detects and reports on ground movement; the Urban Unmanned Ground Sensor, which detects motion inside a building; the Non-Line-of-Sight Launch System, nicknamed "rockets in a box"; and a battle command surrogate.

The second spinout, in 2010, will test a series of unmanned aerial vehicles. Spinout 3 will test six varieties of unmanned ground vehicles. The final spinout will evaluate eight kinds of manned ground vehicles that operate from a common platform, as well as the network.

The network is evolving incrementally, with additional sensors added to it with each spinout, Wadsworth explained. The goal is a fully capable, fully equipped Future Combat System brigade combat team supported by a state-of-the-art network in 2014.

But the Army doesn't intend to wait until then to get some of the best new technologies being developed to warfighters in the field, Wadsworth said. Some, including unmanned aerial vehicles that can be carried in a backpack and small unmanned ground vehicles that can carry sensors into buildings, caves and other dangerous spots, are already in limited use in the combat theater.

Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, emphasized the importance of the Future Combat System, and of getting its capabilities into the operational force as quickly as possible, in October during his keynote address at the Association of the U.S. Army convention in Washington.

"The goal is to enable the soldiers to see first, understand first, act first and finish decisively," Schoomaker said. "I want there to be no doubt that we are totally committed to fielding the future force, enabled by the FCS."
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2389]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Police, Soldiers Respond to Explosions Near Baghdad Mosques

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2006 - Iraqi police responded to several explosions at both Sunni and Shiite mosques in Baghdad today.

A car bomb exploded across the street from the Kamalia mosque, a Shiite mosque in the New Baghdad section of eastern Baghdad, around 9:45 a.m.

Forces from 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division, supported by coalition forces, were on the scene for support. U.S. soldiers from 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, were also called for support to conduct a damage assessment on the mosque, U.S. officials said.

Later in the day, U.S. soldiers from 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, responded after hearing an explosion at the al-Samouri mosque, a Sunni mosque in the eastern part of the city, not far from the Kamalia mosque. The soldiers had been conducting operations nearby. The patrol confirmed that two car bombs detonated in the street.

The unit assisted the Iraqi police in securing the area and reported that the explosions did not damage the mosque.

Elsewhere today, coalition forces detained six suspected terrorists and seized a weapons cache near Tikrit while seeking a terrorist associated with al Qaeda in Iraq. Intelligence reports also indicated that insurgents were producing improvised explosive devices in the targeted area.

When ground forces searched the targeted building, they discovered a weapons cache consisting of machine guns, pistols, rocket-propelled-grenade boosters, and a sniper-rifle scope. The forces also found the equivalent of more than $200,000 in Iraqi dinar and more than $160,000 in U.S. currency.

In other news from Iraq, an Iraqi army patrol accompanied by coalition forces discovered three vehicle bombs in the Mansour district of western Baghdad yesterday. Soldiers of 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, teamed with U.S. soldiers from 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, were searching a building when they found one car bomb and two motorcycle bombs. They also discovered additional vehicle-bomb-making materials and five rifles. An explosive ordnance disposal team disabled the bombs.

A day earlier, Iraqi troops from 2nd Battalion, 6th Iraqi Army Division, arrested five suspected terrorists for criminal activity near a pharmacy college in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of Rusafa on Dec. 11. The Iraqi unit was sent out to investigate a report of the kidnapping of several university students. During the patrol, the soldiers spotted and detained five men engaged in illegal activity at the university.

The men were armed with pistols and ammunition. The men also had fake university police badges. The detainees said they were university police, but were spotted carrying weapons, and the car they were using had civilian license plates.

Also on Dec. 11, an Iraqi National Police sentry destroyed a suicide car bomb as it attempted to enter the police barracks in Baghdad's Jazar neighborhood. Brig. Gen. Ghazwan Sharif Abd-al-Hamid, the national police commander in the area, said a blue van approached the entrance to the barracks during the morning attack and failed to stop when the sentry signaled it to do so. The sentry fired into the speeding van, which ran into two parked police vehicles and exploded.

Six policemen were injured and two police vehicles destroyed in the attack. Officials estimated ¬that the van contained more than 300 pounds of explosives.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2409]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Bush: U.S. Will Stand by Iraqi Government

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2006 - Discussions on Iraq between President Bush and military and civilian leaders at the Pentagon today were "candid and fruitful," Bush said after the meeting.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, his successor Robert M. Gates, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff met with Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney in "the Tank," the room where the Joint Chiefs routinely meet. The men discussed a new way forward that will help the Iraqi government confront and manage problems within Iraq.

"We all agree it is in our nation's interest that we help (the Iraqi) government succeed," Bush told media members after the meeting. "We recognize there are enemies that would like to topple this young democracy so they could have safe haven from which to plot and plan attacks against moderate nations in the Middle East, as well as attacks against the United States."

Bush said the violence in Iraq has been horrific and that he is saddened by the loss of every life to this violence. U.S. personnel are paying the price, he noted, especially in Anbar province and Baghdad. "Our commanders report that the enemy has also suffered," Bush added. "Effective operations by Iraqi and coalition forces against terrorists, insurgents and death squad leaders have yielded positive results. In the months of October, November and the first week of December, we have killed or captured 5,900 of the enemy."

The enemy is far from defeated, the president said, but he stressed that the Iraqi government and coalition forces are taking the fight to the enemy.

In the midst of the strategic review the administration is undertaking, military operations are still taking place day and night in Iraq, the president said.

Bush also shared his thoughts on U.S. servicemembers. "The men and women in uniform are always on my mind," he said. "I am proud of them; I appreciate their sacrifices; and I want them to know that I am focused on developing a strategy that will help them achieve their mission."

He said troops pay attention the debate at home over the mission in Iraq. "They hear I am meeting with the Pentagon or the State Department or outside officials," the president said. "(They hear that) my national security team and I are working closely with Iraqi leaders, and they wonder what that means.

"It means that I am listening to a lot of advice to develop a strategy to help you succeed," he said.

Bush reiterated that he will tell the country what his changed strategy will be after due deliberation and that he wants Gates to have time to contribute to the discussion. Gates is scheduled to take office Dec. 18.

The United States remains committed to a strategic goal of a free Iraq that is democratic, and that can govern itself, defend itself and sustain itself, and be a strong ally in the war against radicals and extremists, Bush said.

"The troops deserve the solid commitment of the commander in chief and our political leaders and the American people," he said. "You have my unshakeable commitment in this important fight to help secure the peace for the long term."

Bush pledged to work with the new Congress to forge greater bipartisan consensus. "I will continue to speak about your bravery, your commitment and the sacrifices of your families to the American people," he said, in a message directly to the troops. "We're not going to give up. The stakes are too high and the consequences too grave to turn Iraq over to extremists who want to do harm to the American people."

Military members present at the meeting were Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace, Vice Chairman Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Mullen, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley, and Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway.

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=2412]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

U.S., Iraqi Forces Thwart Terrorist Attacks In Mosul

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2006 - Iraqi security forces teamed up with American GIs to defeat two nearly simultaneously launched enemy attacks in the Mosul area Oct. 12.

U.S. soldiers from Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, attacked and destroyed a terrorist mortar cell after Forward Operating Base Marez received indirect fire.

Two terrorists were killed, one wounded and one detained in the attack. The GIs also found a significant weapons cache in the area that contained three 82 mm mortar tubes with 18 mortar rounds and a 120 mm mortar tube with multiple mortar rounds.

U.S. soldiers saw terrorists flee to a nearby building during the firefight. The building was encircled, and then 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division, soldiers launched an assault, killing two terrorists inside and capturing three.

Around this time in western Mosul, Iraqi troops teamed with U.S. soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, to defeat a complex terrorist attack involving small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire.

During the fighting, Iraqi police and soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division, captured several mobile weapons caches and killed and detained numerous terrorists. One Iraqi soldier and four Iraqi police were wounded in the fighting.

Iraqi police in Mosul reported they detained 39 suspected terrorists, wounded two terrorists and killed eight terrorists after the Oct. 12 firefight. The police also captured several small-arms weapons caches, 10 vehicles suspected of being used for terrorist activity and one large truck with weapons.

Twelve coalition forces soldiers were wounded in the initial mortar attack on Forward Operating Base Marez East. Four soldiers were treated and returned to duty, five were not seriously wounded and three were seriously wounded. Their names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=1612]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Iraqis, GIs Find Bombs, Big Weapons Cache In Western Ramadi

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2006 - U.S. soldiers detained 15 suspected insurgents, discovered two vehicles being fitted as suicide bombs, and found a big weapons cache Oct. 12 as part of "Operation Dealer" conducted in the Tameen area in western Ramadi, Iraq.

Based on a tip from a local resident, soldiers from Task Force 1-35 detained 15 individuals who were identified as suspected terrorists.

"This is a great example of the cooperation and support of the local residents in the task to rid their neighborhood of anti-Iraqi fighters," said Capt. Matt Graham, commander, Bravo Company, 2-6 Infantry, one of the units in the U.S. and Iraqi task force conducting Operation Dealer.

The task force captured two stripped-down vehicles in the process of being converted to suicide bombs. Four suspects were detained in connection with the operation.

The large weapons cache the task force discovered consisted of four rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, 34 155 mm artillery shells, 13 60 mm mortar rounds, eight AK-47s, a PKC machine gun, a Dragonov sniper rifle with scope, three pounds of high explosives, 400 pounds of detonation cord, 48 blasting caps, eight radio controlled IED initiators, four pressure activated IED initiators and more than 600 rounds of small-arms ammunition. Several smaller caches and additional munitions were found during the course of Operation Dealer.

Operation Dealer involved Iraqi army, Iraqi police, and coalition units. The Iraqi police assisted by establishing vehicle check points at critical intersections and searched vehicles to deny insurgent forces the ability to evade the combined Iraqi and coalition force operation.

The 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division, with elements of 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division, conducted house-to-house searches to help establish a new combat outpost.

"This was truly a joint operation. I had U.S. Army soldiers, Marines and airmen alongside Iraqi army and Iraqi police units," said Lt. Col. Tony Deane, Task Force 1-35 commander. "It shows what great effects can occur when each of these units bring their special capabilities to the fight. Each unit did what it does best, and the results speak for themselves."

Iraqi security and coalition forces experienced a great deal of enemy resistance in the Tameen area, said Col. Sean MacFarland, commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. Operation Dealer was launched to establish a combat outpost in the contested area, he said.

"Local residents were cooperative, and individuals who were displaced in the establishment of the new combat outpost received immediate initial compensation and will be provided full compensation through the civil-military operation center," MacFarland noted.

(Compiled from Multinational Division Iraq and Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=1610]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

U.S., Iraqi Troops Kill, Detain Terrorists, Nab Weapons

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2006 - Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers worked together to kill three terrorists and detain 14 suspected terrorists over two days this week.

U.S. soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, seized a large weapons and munitions cache while conducting a combat patrol west of Baghdad Oct. 11.

The soldiers seized 5,000 13.5 mm armor-piercing rounds, 130 82 mm mortar rounds, four 120 mm mortar rounds, 30 60 mm mortar rounds, five rockets, 28 RPG rounds, five 40 mm high-explosive rounds, 13 grenades, five RPG launchers, five rifles and various bomb-making materials.

An explosive ordnance disposal team performed a controlled detonation of the weapons and munitions.

And, a combined U.S.-Iraqi patrol consisting of U.S. soldiers from the 463rd Military Police Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and Iraqi policemen engaged an unknown number of terrorists during a firefight in Saab al Bour, north of Baghdad, on Oct. 11. Two suspected terrorists were detained. Iraqi soldiers from 2nd Tank Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, identified the two in custody as the same men who had fired at them on previous days.

Meanwhile, a separate U.S. patrol from 1st BCT observed eight local nationals acting suspiciously and detained them near Boob al Sham, north of Baghdad on Oct. 11. The GIs requested assistance from Company C, 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th Infantry Division.

The reinforcements arrived to assist the first patrol and to maintain custody of the detainees. The second patrol returned to their base to question the detainees. All were released except for an Iranian fighter.

And, a combined U.S.-Iraqi patrol from 2nd Tank Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, and 463rd Military Police Company, attached to 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, killed three terrorists and detained one during a firefight in Saab al Bour on Oct. 10.

After receiving small-arms fire, the patrol engaged the terrorists, killing one and wounding several others. The patrol then called for aviation support and continued to press the fight against the enemy forces. U.S. Army AH-64D Apache attack helicopters from 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, responded and engaged two terrorists in an open field.

In a separate incident, U.S. soldiers from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, detained a terrorist cell leader and three of his associates in Adhamiyah Oct. 10.

And U.S. soldiers seized a large munitions cache while conducting a combat patrol northwest of Baghdad, Oct. 10.

The soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, seized 123 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, seven 120 mm mortar rounds, five 20 mm mortar rounds, 41 illumination rounds, a RPG launcher, four boxes of .50-caliber ammunition and various bomb-making materials.

An explosive ordnance disposal team performed a controlled detonation of the munitions.

As of Oct. 11, Iraqi forces and U.S. soldiers had cleared more than 95,000 buildings, 80 mosques and 65 muhallas, detained more than 210 terrorist suspects, seized more than 1,700 weapons, registered more than 750 weapons and found more than 41 weapons caches in support of Operation Together Forward. The combined forces have removed more than 206,393 cubic meters of trash from Baghdad streets.

(Compiled from Multinational Division Baghdad news releases.)
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=1611]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

'Operation Commando Hunter' Team Finds 75 Weapons Caches

By Staff Sgt. Angela McKinzie, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Oct. 15, 2006 - U.S. soldiers continue to find multiple weapons caches, some with improvised explosive devices, for a seventh day as part of Operation Commando Hunter.

The soldiers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, seized 21 caches Oct. 13, bringing the total to 78 caches seized in the area located near Yusufiyah, 20 miles southwest of Baghdad.

The 21 additional weapons caches consisted of three blocks of dynamite, 21 120 mm mortar rounds, five 60 mm mortar rounds, 80 7.62 mm rounds, an AK-47 assault rifle, three rocket-propelled grenade launchers, five RPG rounds, an improvised rocket launcher, a Meals, Ready to Eat bag with explosive materials in it, 54 20 mm anti-aircraft rounds, three 105 mm artillery rounds, seven 82 mm mortar rounds, an improvised-explosive device air compressor, a sniper rifle, four 82 mm mortar tubes, a 14.5 mm receiver barrel, 17 rigged and ready-to-use IEDs, an anti-aircraft gun and various bomb-making materials.

On Oct. 11, Operation Commando Hunter soldiers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, seized 12 caches near Yusufiyah, 20 miles to the southwest of Baghdad.

Those 12 weapons caches consisted of two anti-aircraft guns, 35 60 mm mortar rounds, two 500-pound aircraft bombs in shipping crates, 57 82 mm mortar rounds, two Dragonov sniper rifle scopes, 200 Dragonov sniper rounds, two rocket-propelled grenade launchers, eight RPG rounds, two 60 mm mortar tubes, a 120 mm mortar tube, three 120 mm mortar rounds, 42 home-made hand grenades and various bomb-making materials.

Operation Commando Hunter is a 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, operation intended to deny terrorists sanctuary near Yusufiyah, south of Baghdad.

(Army Staff Sgt. Angela McKinzie is assigned to 2nd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs, 10th Mountain Division.)
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=1609]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

GIs, Iraqi Troops Nab Terrorists, Weapons in Multiple Raids

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2006 - Special Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers captured several terrorists involved in murders and bomb attacks, as well as contraband weapons, during recent raids in Baghdad and Taji.

Iraqi forces, with coalition advisors, conducted an Oct. 14 air assault mission at a site in Taji and detained one suspect without incident. The suspect allegedly belongs to a terror cell that is kidnapping and murdering innocent Iraqis, conducting improvised explosive device attacks, and has ties to al Qaeda in Iraq insurgent forces.

Iraqi forces caused no significant damage and there were no civilian, Iraqi forces or coalition forces casualties during the operation.

The raid was conducted as part of Operation Together Forward to dismantle a terror cell in the Taji area. The operation highlights the ability of Iraqi forces to carry out wide-ranging missions against insurgent forces.

Iraqi and U.S. soldiers seized a weapons cache Oct. 13, and detained 11 suspected terrorists Oct. 12, during separate raids in Baghdad.

In a separate Oct. 13 incident, U.S. soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, received a tip from a detainee that a house in Saab al Bour, northwest of Baghdad, contained illegal weapons. After further exploration, the soldiers discovered 13 120 mm mortar rounds and various bomb-making materials. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the munitions.

Also, a patrol from 2nd Tank Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, partnering with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, found a murdered Iraqi citizen and detained five suspects in Saab al Bour on Oct. 12.

In a separate Oct. 12 incident in Saab al Bour, a patrol from 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th Infantry Division, reacted to a small-arms fire attack, returned fire and detained two suspected terrorists, .

In another incident Oct. 12, an Estonian Infantry Platoon patrol attached to Troop B, 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, returned fire when terrorists attacked them, wounding two terrorists and detaining two others. The Estonians seized a rocket-propelled grenade launcher from the terrorists.

Meanwhile, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 506th Regimental Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, detained two known terrorists, one of whom had three complete improvised explosive devices in his possession, while conducting combat operations in Baghdad's Doura district Oct. 12.

The suspects were detained for questioning.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq and Multinational Division Baghdad news releases.)
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}
if(typeof(dstb)!= "undefined"){ dstb();}

[Web Version: http://www.defenselink.mil/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=1608]

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================