DISMOUNTED PATROL - U.S. Army 1st Lt. Steven Robinson, conducts a dismounted patrol with his soldiers in Hor Al Bosh, Iraq, July 18, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army Photos by Spc. Daniel Herrera

Labels: 1-27 Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, Hor Al Bosh, Iraq, photos, US Army

From Multi-National Force - Iraq:


An Iraqi Army Soldier from 9th Iraqi Army Division provides security, along side U.S. Army Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division, during a dismounted patrol in Abu Atham, Iraq. Improved Iraqi Security Forces are considered one key reason for the improved security throughout Iraq. Photo by Tech Sgt. William Greer.


Tuesday, 24 June 2008
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON — The number of weekly attacks in Iraq has dropped from about 1,200 a week in June 2007 to about 200 a week now, the commander of the tactical unit responsible for command and control of operations in Iraq said June 23.

Mirroring this reduction in violence has been a 70 percent decrease in roadside-bomb attacks and an 85 percent spike in the number of weapons caches Coalition forces have found over the past year, Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of Multi-National Corps - Iraq, told reporters via satellite from Baghdad at a Pentagon news conference.

“I attribute most of these hard-fought gains in security to a few key factors: our Coalition forces aggressively pursuing the enemy, the improving capability of the Iraqi Security Forces, and the Iraqi people participating in the rebuilding process of Iraq,” he said.

But the general tempered his optimism, characterizing security improvements as fragile gains that coalition troops are attempting to solidify as they build the capabilities of their Iraqi counterparts.

“While the improved security is a great achievement, we clearly understand that our progress is fragile, and we continue to work to make this progress irreversible,” he said.

The general praised coalition troops for having al-Qaida “on its heels,” yet he identified the organization as the “primary threat” remaining in Iraq. The terrorist group yesterday launched an attack in Baqouba that killed at least 15 people, including several police officers, and wounded dozens of others.

“Even though we assess that they are on the run, they are still capable of launching spectacular attacks,” Austin said, noting yesterday’s bombing in the Diyala province city. “As a result, our operations in the north are focused on defeating their capability to perform these attacks.”

Austin cited recent operations in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, as examples of the increasing capabilities and effectiveness of Iraq’s security forces. Combined forces in the Ninevah province city over the past four days detained 16 suspects, including four high-ranking al-Qaida operatives.

“We continue to aggressively pursue al-Qaida and to take away their safe havens and to close off all their escape routes when they try to flee,” he said.

Austin, who assumed command of Multinational Corps Iraq in February, said coalition forces will continue helping to develop Iraq’s national security operators under his leadership.

“I'm absolutely confident, based on the indicators from the last few months, that they'll continue to make significant improvements, and we will be with them, side by side, as they progress,” he said.

Though they have made significant progress, Iraqi security forces in many instances are not yet prepared to take over day-to-day operations, thereby allowing coalition troops to assume an overwatch role, the general said.

Before Iraqi forces become autonomous, he said, they need to develop “combat enablers” with the capability of calling in and integrating fire support into formation. They also be capable of supporting themselves logistically, and begin using their own surveillance and reconnaissance to cull intelligence, then plan their own operations, the general said.

“We are working hand in hand with our coalition partners in all parts of the country,” he said. “They have improved significantly, but we've been clear about saying that they're not there yet.”

As Iraqi security forces mature in the midst of combating al-Qaida and Iranian-backed “special groups,” they meanwhile are gaining the support and confidence of Iraqi citizens, the general said. The majority of Iraqis have rescinded allegiance to extremism, he added, praising the efforts of civilian security groups like the “Sons of Iraq.”

“Now the overwhelming majority of the population has turned against the insurgents and the criminals,” Austin said. “Iraqis understand that al-Qaida and outside influences are not in the best interest of their country.”

Dovetailing with Iraqi security forces’ rise in public status has been a reduction in the number of people being held in detention. A coalition-led detainee release program has freed roughly 4,000 people who combined forces have deemed nonthreatening.

“[It] demonstrates that the coalition is committed to the welfare of the Iraqi population and to reconciliation,” he said.

Labels: 25th Infantry Division, 9th Iraqi Army Division, Abu Atham, Good News, Iraq, photos, US Army

WATER RELIEF - U.S. soldiers hand out water bottles to people who live in the landfill near Al Sabiat, a village northwest of Baghdad, June 15, 2008. The soldiers are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, Multinational Division Baghdad, U.S. Army photo by Capt. Ronnie Geronimo

Labels: 2-14 Cavalry, 25th Infantry Division, Al Sabiat, Baghdad, Humanitarian Aid, Iraq, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, photos, US Army

PAY DAY PATTERN
U.S. Army Spc. Collin Kelly oversees the pay day activities for the Sons of Iraq guards in the Taji Qada, northwest of Baghdad, May 28, 2008. Kelly is an infantryman assigned to 25th Infantry Division's Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.U.S. Army Sgt. Brad Willeford

Labels: 25th Infantry Division, Baghdad, Iraq, photos, Sons of Iraq, Taji Qada, US Army

Banners of appreciation from the community adorn the front entrance of the Tisin Playground, located in the ethnically mixed northwest neighborhood of Kirkuk, Iraq. The project is part of a larger plan that will include gardens, lighted walkways and 24-hour security. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


Lt. Col. James D. Hess (far rear), battalion commander, 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and Command Sgt. Maj. Randy Varner (back right), 325th command sergeant major, pose for a photo with neighborhood children during the grand opening of the Tisin Playground in Kirkuk, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


Two small girls are among the first children to enjoy one of several swings at the Tisin Playground in Kirkuk, Iraq. Local government officials and military leadership with the 25th Infantry Division's 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the Iraqi Army's 4th Division commemorated the grand opening of the playground with a ribbon cutting, Sept. 24, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


Maj. Zyad Junade, civil affairs officer, 2nd Brigade, Iraqi Army's 4th Division and U.S. Army Lt. Col. James D. Hess, commander, 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, pose for a photo at the new playground in Kirkuk, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


U.S. Army Lt. Col. James D. Hess (right), commander, 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, watches a young Iraqi boy enjoy one of four large slides during the grand opening of the Tisin Playground in Kirkuk, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts


A small girl enjoys one of four slides at the new Tisin Playground in Kirkuk, Iraq, Sept. 24, 2007. Local government officials as well as U.S. and Iraqi army leadership commemorated the grand opening with a ribbon cutting. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Mike Alberts




More photo essays at DefendAmerica

Labels: 2-4 Iraqi Army, 25th Infantry Division, 325th BSB, 4th Iraqi Army Division, children, Good News, Iraq, Iraqi Army, photo essays, photos, US Army

Photo - Army combat medics, Spc. Aimee Collver (right) and Spc. Vanessa Bolognese (center), both with the 25th Infantry Division’ 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Personal Security Detachment, take a moment to interact with the local population and relax during a mission in Amerli, Iraq, July 11. Photo by Army Spc. Mike Alberts.


1 Aug 07
by Spc. Mike Alberts
3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs


KIRKUK, Iraq – Temperatures exceeded 115 degrees during the five-hour mission in Amerli that day. More than 50 Soldiers were on site and tensions were high; Amerli was the scene of a massive suicide truck bombing just four days earlier.

Soldiers kept alert, but visibly struggled under the weight of dozens of pounds of battle gear. Throughout the sun-scorched day, all but two Soldiers limited their movement as much as possible. All but two could afford that luxury.

“Bolo” and “Collver” continuously walked up and down the lines of men. “Drink water,” they repeated. “Are you feeling OK?” they asked. They were the two Soldiers charged with ensuring that each man stayed hydrated and returned safely to base. As usual, they were the mission’s only dedicated medical personnel.

Spc. Vanessa Bolognese and Spc. Aimee Collver, combat medics, Personal Security Detachment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, kept all their male counterparts healthy “outside the wire” that day in Amerli just as they do every day in the Kirkuk Province, Iraq. Neither is doing exactly what she thought she’d be doing in the Army, but neither would trade her job for another.

“Before I enlisted, I was going to school to become a [registered nurse],” said Bolognese. “I wanted a medical job and my [military occupational specialty] is called health care specialist,” said the 21 year-old from Chino Hills, Calif. “In fact, the first time I heard the term ‘combat medic’ was during [advanced individual training] at Fort Sam Houston. They pretty much told us there, ‘You will be deploying. You will be working in Iraq.’” Bolognese’s colleague and roommate had similar motivations.

“I’d been working in a nursing home after high school,” said Collver. “When I walked into the recruiter’s office I knew that I wanted a medical job,” explained the 23 year-old from Puyallup, Wash. “The health care specialist job was available, and I was told that I would be working in a hospital setting,” she said. “Of course, I don’t work in a hospital and nothing out here in Iraq is anything like what I thought.”

What each combat medic is doing in Irag is working as the designated medical asset to the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s Personal Security Detachment (“PSD”). The PSD’s primary mission is to transport certain members of the brigade’s command group around 3IBCT’s area of operation. The PSD also provides personal security for the command group to and from their various destinations and while on site, according to Staff Sgt. Jeremy Brandon, non-commissioned officer-in-charge, PSD, 3IBCT.

Brandon is a native of Jacksonville, Fla., and is serving his third combat deployment. He’s charged with supervising both Bolognese and Collver and explained why each Soldier is vital to mission success.

“We often conduct operations as an independent element,” explained Brandon. “For that reason, we need to have our own dedicated medical support. Bolognese and Collver are that support. We always have one of them with us wherever we go,” he said. And Brandon couldn’t be happier with their performance.

“Both Soldiers are everything that one could ask for in a medic,” he continued. “They have done an outstanding job staying on top of their skills. They’ve constantly taken it upon themselves to retrain and stay certified, and have done an excellent job both outside the wire and back here on the [Forward Operating Base] by taking the initiative to give us various medical classes.”

Brandon’s PSD Soldiers agreed.

“We all respect them for their abilities as medics and as Soldiers,” said Sgt. Brian Tabor, squad leader, PSD, 3IBCT. Tabor is a five-year veteran serving his second combat deployment. “We haven’t had any issues because they’re female,” emphasized the Sacramento, Calif., native. “Bottom line: They’ve been a valuable asset to the PSD and it’s been a good thing having them with us.”

As for Bolognese and Collver, even though neither is working in the comfortable confines of a hospital, each loves her job and wouldn’t choose to do anything else.

“Of course, the job is mentally challenging because of the unknown anytime you leave the wire,” said Collver. “But I love being with this group because there’s so much camaraderie. I take a lot of pride in knowing that they’re well taken care of because I’m there for them,” she said.

“Their well-being depends on me when I’m with them,” echoed Bolognese. “In that sense, it’s wonderful to know that when I look back at my deployment I can say that I did go out there every day and risk my life to take care of other Soldiers,” she said. “That’s a lot more than most people can say.”

Labels: 25th Infantry Division, Amerliheroes, combat medic, Iraq, Kirkuk, military women, photos, US Army

HAIRCUT — U.S. Army Capt. Charles Popov gives Capt. Jeff Fuller a haircut on Forward Operating Base McHenry, Iraq, March 5, 2007. Popov and Fuller are assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway

Labels: 2-27th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, 3BCT, FOB McHenry, US Army Corps of Engineers