BAQUBAH, Iraq (March 9, 2008) Iraqi girls walk to school with their teacher in Baqubah, Diyala Province, Iraq. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Sean Mulligan

Labels: Baqubah, children, Diyala Province, Iraq, photos, US Navy

SECURITY FOR SOCCER GAME
A U.S. Army soldier pulls security during an evening soccer game in Baqubah, Iraq, Oct. 26, 2007. Photo By: U.S. Army Spc. LaRayne Hurd

Labels: Baqubah, Iraq, photos, US Army

GREETINGS — U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, speaks with a local woman during his visit to Baqubah, the capitol of Diyala province, Iraq, Aug. 30, 2007. Crocker walked through the local market in downtown Baqubah, greeting many of the townspeople and listening to their concerns about the government. U.S Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud

Labels: Baqubah, Diyala Province, Iraq, photos, Ryan Crocker

BREAK TIME — U.S. Army Spc. Shaun Martin and Spc. Erik Gonzales from 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, rest from searching houses with soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, in Baqubah, Iraq, Aug. 5. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jason Edwards

Labels: 1-23 Infantry, 2ID, 3SBCT, 5th Iraqi Army Division, Baqubah, Iraq, photos, US Army

Michael Yon brings word that in Baqubah, things are getting quiet:

Today marks D+30 since the start of Operation Arrowhead Ripper. The initial goal of Arrowhead Ripper was to clear Baqubah of al Qaeda, and then attempt to “jump start” the city back into civic life, which had all but ceased while the terrorists were in control. Though relatively minor clearing operations are still underway, there is little combat in the city...


Read the Rest

Labels: Baqubah, Blogwatch, Good News, Iraq, Michael Yon, Operation Arrowhead Ripper

American Forces Press Service

BAQUBAH, Iraq, June 25, 2007 – Iraqi security forces and Task Force Lightning soldiers discovered an execution house and an illegal prison in the Baqubah neighborhood of Khatoon yesterday during the sixth day of Operation Arrowhead Ripper.

The two buildings were in the same area as a torture chamber and illegal courthouse linked to al Qaeda, which were found on the fourth and fifth day of the operation, officials said.

Soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, discovered the execution house using information from local citizens, who said it had been used by al Qaeda. Soldiers searching the house found five bodies buried in the yard behind the building and bloody clothes in several rooms inside it.

Located nearby, a house had been converted into an illegal prison, with several numbered rooms and bars covering the building's windows. Several blindfolds were found inside.

Elsewhere in Baqubah, soldiers from 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, identified a house that was filled with explosives and had been booby-trapped. The soldiers cleared the area and destroyed the house through the use of attack aircraft and indirect fire.

"The fact that we continue to find these booby-trapped houses filled with explosives and torture chambers only reaffirms that al Qaeda has no regard for the safety and welfare of the people of Baqubah. They only want to see death and destruction," said Army Col. Gary Patton, chief of staff for Task Force Lightning.

Iraqi and coalition forces also discovered 10 weapons caches throughout Baqubah yesterday. These included four anti-tank mines, three rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 18 rocket-propelled grenades with boosters, 13 AK-47 assault rifles, nine hand grenades, two flak vests, thousands of rounds of ammunition and a box of al Qaeda propaganda.

Since the beginning of Operation Arrowhead Ripper, at least 58 al Qaeda operatives have been killed, 60 have been detained, 23 weapons caches have been discovered, 52 improvised explosive devices have been destroyed, and 17 booby-trapped structures have been destroyed.

(From a Multinational Corps Iraq news release.)


Related Sites:
Multinational Corps Iraq

Labels: Baqubah, Iraq, Operation Arrowhead Ripper, US Army

Soldiers in Baqubah use smoke as concealment to move through the neighborhood of Buhriz, Iraq, April 10. Soldiers with Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., took part in a three-day battalion-sized effort to clear the Buhriz neighborhood of terrorists. After the operation, Soldiers along with Iraqi police and Iraqi army continued to maintain a presence in the neighborhood to maintain security for the local people.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# 0416-05
April 20, 2007

By Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAQOUBA, Iraq — Soldiers with 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment continued their systematic attack on terrorist forces in Baqouba with another clearing operation in the city April 10.

In this latest effort, Soldiers of 5-20 Inf. Regt., 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., spent three days clearing the neighborhood of Buhriz, described by Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Bruce Antonia as “al-Qaida’s battleground.”

When the Stryker battalion first arrived in Baqouba in March, it encountered resistance from the neighborhood’s insurgents in the form of roadside bombs, rocket propelled grenade fire and small arms fire.

During the mission, Soldiers operating alongside Iraqi Security Forces conducted house-to-house searches for terrorists and weapon caches. They learned from residents that many terrorists had fled Buhriz in the face of the advancing battalion.

“We’ve pushed al-Qaida out of here,” said Sgt. Matthew Benzshawel, with 2nd Platoon, Company A, “We are a pretty lethal force. When (insurgents) see a battalion’s worth of Strykers coming, (they) usually move out.”

Nonetheless, the battalion reported that coalition forces detained about a dozen suspected insurgents, including one man described by the unit as a “high-level” terrorist.

The battalion also reported that it found and destroyed more than 20 small weapon caches, which included a Dishka machine gun, grenades, mortar rounds, rocket propelled grenade rounds, sniper rifles, AK-47’s and ammunition.

Soldiers from the battalion say they have managed to make the area safer for the local people with their continuous efforts against al-Qaida in Iraq.

“We’ve denied them the terrain,” said 1st Lt. James Dobis, 2nd Platoon leader, Company A. “They have not been fighting with anybody, they have not attacked us … they have not attacked any civilians.”

The assault into Buhriz served as a catalyst to secure a foothold in the area. Iraqi Security Forces, along with Soldiers from Troop B, 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, which is attached to 5-20 Inf. Regt., plan to maintain a permanent presence within the neighborhood by collocating troops at an Iraqi police station in Buhriz and continuing to patrol the area.

Battalion leaders plan to continue their assault on al-Qaida in Iraq forces in and around Baqouba.

“We have taken their battleground,” said Antonia, after the operation. “We are going to keep the pressure on the enemy. That is the only way to push them out.”


More photos here

Labels: 1st Cavalry Division photos, 2ID, 3SBCT, 5-20 Infantry, Baqubah, Buhriz, Iraq

Sgt. Eric Nunn and Pvt. Bradley Griffith, both of Company A, attached to Co. C, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, joke with each other while hanging out at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqubah, Iraq. On Nov. 25, 2006, their humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat patrols. Nunn, who was injured by the blast, was carried out of the smoking humvee by Griffith, who also pulled out another Soldier and got the two injured Soldiers to safety. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# 041107-01
April 11, 2007

By Spc. Ryan Stroud
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

BAQUBAH, Iraq -- “You never get over something like this; you have to live with it. November 25, 2006, will be a day that lives with me for the rest of my life,” said the solemn Pvt. Bradley Griffith about the day he and his crew were hit by an improvised explosive device while traveling on patrol in their humvee.

“I think about it everyday, because you can smell something that will trigger a memory,” said the Soldier with Company A, attached to Co. C, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.

What started out as a routine day for Griffith, also known as “Griff” to his peers, quickly turned into a rollercoaster of events that would forever shape the young Soldier’s life.

Griffith, along with other Soldiers, was gearing up for a routine mission in Diyala province in Iraq. As they were preparing for their journey, Griffith said he felt something in his body that was “just not right.”

Griffith quickly put his “bad feeling” to the side and continued with his mission at hand.

“We got ready to leave -- Sgt. Nunn was gunning and I was driving,” continued Griffith. “We headed out the gate and received word that there was a possible IED [up ahead]. After we made it through that area, we felt alright that we made it but we noticed there was no one around.”

And that’s when it happened. After passing a checkpoint, Griffith’s humvee was hit by an IED, sending the humvee into a swerve as Griffith did his best to regain control of his vehicle.

“I think this was the first day that nothing was said amongst us inside the humvee,” he said. “Usually, something was said. It took me a minute to realize what just happened, because it was my first IED that I’ve gotten into.”

“I tried to keep the vehicle on the road as much as possible and it finally came to a stop,” he continued.

With no time to think, Griffith quickly exited the vehicle and ran to his battle buddies aid. He first saw Nunn in the gunners hatch, jumped on top of the humvee, and started pulling him out.

“The first thing that popped into my mind was everyone needs to get out of this vehicle because there might be a secondary IED about to go off,” he said. “I knew I needed to get these guys out and get them to safety.”

“I jumped out [of the vehicle] to figure out what I was going to do next,” Griffith said with a bit of distress in his voice. “I grabbed Sgt. Nunn out of the humvee; he was still in the gunners hatch. He was asking me how his face was. I told him everything was going to be alright, because I didn’t really know how bad he was.”

“I’ve tried to forget [the experience],” said Nunn, a native of Kansas City, Miss. “I remember the blast and smoke and [Griff] dodging and swerving, trying to keep us on the road. My first reaction after the blast was the pain in my right side. I thought I lost my hand.

“And in the haze and the buzzing noises around me, all I see is Griff yelling, ‘Get out! Get out!’” Nunn said.

“He got me out of the vehicle through the top [gunner’s hatch] and all I remember after that was waking up in another humvee,” he said. “I passed out.”
“At that point, the commander’s humvee had pulled up right next to us, so I took Sgt. Nunn between the two humvees,” Griffith said. “I knew DeNeutte was still inside the humvee.”

Griffith quickly moved around the large vehicle to attend to his comrade but he couldn’t get him out of his door. So, with quick thinking and brute strength, Griffith ran around the other side of the vehicle and pulled the injured DeNeutte out of the smoking humvee.

“I couldn’t get to him because his door was combat locked, I just couldn’t get in,” Griffith said. “So I went around the other side of the humvee and pulled DeNeutte by his [equipment] and pulled him over the seats of the humvee and got him out. I then drug him between the two humvees.”

“DeNeutte kept asking me if he looked alright and I told him everything was going to be alright,” said Griffith. “I laid him down and our [doctor who was traveling with the convoy] came running up.”

As the medic rendered aid, Griffith manned the machine gun, scanning his sector for the triggerman.

Nunn and DeNeutte were quickly evacuated from the area to receive treatment for their wounds. Nunn has since returned to the unit, while DeNeutte is still recovering back in the States.

“I suffered a broken hand, shrapnel in the right side of my face, in my right arm and little pieces of shrapnel in my right thigh,” said Nunn.

Upon Nunn’s return to the unit after being hospitalized for two weeks, he and Griffith finally crossed paths with each other.

“I think the first thing we did when we saw each other was hug,” said Nunn. “It was a big experience for the both of us.”

“I was happy to see him back,” added Griffith. “It was a good feeling. We talked for a few minutes and carried on.”

And the duo has carried on with their missions since. Griffith has been “hit” by a total of four IEDs now, each taking him back to Nov. 25, 2006, but said he has not been fazed by these experiences. Griffith has stood his ground and handled each situation with care.

“This is what my NCOs and Chain-of-Command has taught me,” he said. “Before we came over here, being it was my first time, they taught me what to do in a situation like that. If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t have known what to have done.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t catch the triggerman that day, but we did catch him later on another mission,” Griffith added. “It was an awesome feeling. It just felt good to know we got the guy who did this. It was a relief.”

Griffith also said he has talked with DeNeutte since the attack.
“He wanted to thank me for getting him out,” Griffith said. “He said, ‘Thanks for what you did.’”

Nunn said it was good to be back and didn’t want to go home -- he preferred to stay in the fight and carry out his mission, with Griffith by his side.

“He acted on a reflex,” said Nunn, proudly. “It wasn’t, ‘What should I do? Somebody tell me what should I do?’ As soon as [the blast] happened, he handled the vehicle. Once the vehicle stopped, he quickly analyzed the situation, jumped up and got me out of the vehicle.

“When the other vehicle pulled up, he quickly got me in-between the two vehicles,” he continued. “He jumped back into the vehicle, got DeNeutte out and he knew there had to be a triggerman on the outside of the road. He jumped in the gunners spot and started looking for that guy.

“If you have never been through something like that, it doesn’t matter what anybody teaches you,” said Nunn. “You’re either ready, or your not, and Griff proved his worth that day. It shows a lot about his character and what he’s willing to do for his team.

“It’s reassuring…there are guys who know how to handle a situation and know how to respond without being told what to do. Those are the guys you want riding in your vehicle, sitting next to you and going where you go,” Nunn said.
“This is real,” added Griffith. “I just knew something needed to be done, so I acted.”

Griffith’s and Nunn’s unit knows there is a bond between the two that will never be broken. The two Soldiers joke with each other, give the other one a hard time, but deep down, there is love between the two - love for their fellow Soldier and brother.
“I don’t think proud is the right word for [my feelings toward] Griff…it’s more than that,” Nunn said. “Griff and I are family.”

Sgt. Eric Nunn and Pvt. Bradley Griffith, both of Company A, attached to Co. C, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, are survivors of an improvised explosive device which took the life of a fellow Soldier, Nov. 25, 2006. Nunn, who was injured by the blast, was carried out the smoking humvee by Griffith, who also pulled another Soldier out and got the two injured Soldiers to safety. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Labels: 1-12 CAB, 1st Cavalry Division, 3BCT, Baqubah, Good News, Iraq, photos

Pvt. Eric Rundquist, left, and Pvt. Jason Taylor, both with 1st Platoon, Company B, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, hold on to a strap inside a Bradley fighting vehicle after the Bradley hit a roadside bomb. The Soldiers were en route to the Forward Operating Base Gabe medical station after one of their fellow Soldiers was injured when they encountered sporadic sniper fire for about two hours during a house clearing mission in the Tahrir neighborhood of Baqubah. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# B236
April 10, 2007


By Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment


BAQUBAH, Iraq -- Sweat mixed with dirt on the face of Pvt. Eric Rundquist. Slowly, it made glistening streaks down his face as he rode within the dusty confines of a Bradley fighting vehicle, March 28.

A muffled thud briefly shook the 40-ton personnel carrier, and those inside checked on each other. The Bradley had just hit a roadside bomb — another combat experience for Rundquist, as he rode away from the scene of his first firefight in Iraq.

His experience may have been similar to the media’s portrayal of a Soldier’s life in Iraq, but not identical. With little more than two weeks spent in Baqubah, Rundquist said he has learned that there’s more to his job than combat.

“As a little kid, watching war movies, I was like, ‘I want to be a Soldier,’” Rundquist said, “My uncle was a Soldier. He pretty much glorified it all for me.”
The 22-year-old Rundquist has been in the Army for nine months. He acknowledged the rush of adrenaline he felt during the firefight, but he can’t ignore the satisfaction he’d experienced when performing other duties, such as handing out food to the residents of Baqubah.

“It’s not always action,” he said of his duties to this point.

Rundquist now realizes he had a false impression about the Army and its presence in Iraq, which was shared by family and friends in his hometown of Streamwood, Ill. Their perceptions, he said, were influenced by what they’d seen on the news.

“You only hear about the bad stuff. You never hear about the good things,” Rundquist said. “I mean, we are doing good things out here.” [Emphasis mine -- Pam]

Rundquist, a member of Company B, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, said he didn’t know about the humanitarian aspect of being a Soldier until he arrived in Iraq.

“You think every time you go out there, its going to be a firefight,” he said.
But his first mission in Baqubah was handing out shoes and food to civilians. He said his interaction with the Iraqi people helped him let go of misconceptions about the country’s people, as well.

“There are good people out here,” said Rundquist, “They are just trying to live their life. They just happen to be caught in the middle of a war.”

In his first few weeks in Baqubah, Rundquist has faced the intensity of war. Minutes before the Bradley hit the roadside bomb, Rundquist and his fellow Soldiers had finished a sporadic engagement with insurgent snipers that lasted about two hours.

But Rundquist has also talked with Iraqi children. A feeling of compassion for the Iraqi people now dominates his attitude.

“People actually have to live around that stuff 24 hours a day, and people will and are getting killed,” he said. “I would somehow like to help. They deserve it - a normal life away from all this war.”

Before he joined the Army, Rundquist worked and spent time with his friends like most people his age. He said his experiences in Baqubah make him feel like he is living a small part of history.

Sometimes he thinks, “Look what you were, now look what you are … look where you have gone. Now, you are in Iraq, halfway around the world, in a street in Baqubah, in a firefight.”

He will remember when he returns home that war is not like what it’s portrayed as on the news, he said.

Until then, he is determined to keep his mind here in Iraq, and as the new kid in his squad, he’s determined to be an asset to his team.

“I’m going to keep my morale high, because I do not want to let anybody down,” he said.

Labels: 1-12 CAB, 1st Cavalry Division, Baqubah, FOB Gabe, Iraq, Tahrir, US Army

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# 040607-01
April 6, 2007

By Pfc. Ben Fox
3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

Spc. Kimberly Smith, attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, prays at the Good Friday Prayer Breakfast at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqubah, Iraq, April 6. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Ben Fox, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


Bowing his head, Spc. Hosie Richard, Company C, 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, prays at the Good Friday Prayer Breakfast at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqubah, Iraq, April 6. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Ben Fox, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


Capt. Marolyn Pearson, Medical Company C, 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, prays over her bible at the Good Friday Prayer Breakfast at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqubah, Iraq, April 6. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Ben Fox, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


A gospel choir sings praise and worship during the Good Friday Prayer Breakfast at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqubah, Iraq, April 6. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Ben Fox, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


At the front of the room, Maj. John Sinclair, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, leads a prayer during the Good Friday Prayer Breakfast at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqubah, Iraq, April 6. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Ben Fox, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Labels: 1st Cavalry Division, 3BCT, Baqubah, FOB Warhorse, holidays, Iraq, photos

Spc. Steven M. Devries, a medic with 1st Platoon, Company B, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and an Iraqi Army soldier with the 5th IA Division, take cover from a sniper behind a Bradley fighting vehicle March 28 in the Tahrir neighborhood of Baqubah, Iraq. Soldiers of 1st Platoon Co. B and Iraqi soldiers encountered sporadic sniper fire for about two hours during a house clearing mission in Tahrir. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


Spc. Steven M. Devries, a medic with 1st Platoon, Company B, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, points out the position of a sniper to a fellow Soldier March 28 in the Tahrir neighborhood of Baqubah, Iraq. Soldiers of 1st Platoon Co. B and Iraqi soldiers encountered sporadic sniper fire for about two hours during a house clearing mission in Tahrir. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


A Soldier with 1st Platoon, Company B, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, guards a street in the neighborhood of Tahrir in Baqubah, Iraq, March 28. Soldiers of 1st Platoon Co. B and Iraqi Army soldiers encountered sporadic sniper fire for about two hours during a house clearing mission in Tahrir. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


Pvt. Eric Rundquist and Pvt. Jason Taylor, both with 1st Platoon, Company B, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, hold on to a strap inside a Bradley fighting vehicle after the Bradley hit a roadside bomb. The Soldiers were en route to the Forward Operating Base Gabe medical station after one of their fellow Soldiers was injured when they encountered sporadic sniper fire for about two hours during a house clearing mission in the Tahrir neighborhood of Baqubah. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


Spc. Orlando Jesus Garcia, 1st Platoon, Company B, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and an Iraqi soldier with the 5th Iraqi Army Division await news, outside the Forward Operating Base Gabe aid station, on the condition of two Soldiers injured during a firefight in the neighborhood of Tahrir March 28. One American Soldier and one Iraqi soldier were injured when Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Co. B, and the Iraqi Army encountered sporadic sniper fire for about two hours during a house clearing mission in Tahrir. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


Soldiers of Company B, 1-12 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, rush a fellow Soldier on to a medical evacuation helicopter in Baqubah, Iraq, March 28. One American Soldier and one Iraqi soldier were injured when Soldiers of 1st Platoon Co. B and the Iraqi Army encountered sporadic sniper fire for about two hours during a house clearing mission in the Tahrir neighborhood of Baqubah. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Labels: 1-12 CAB, 1st Cavalry Division, 3BCT, 5th Iraqi Army Division, Baqubah, Iraq, Tahrir, US Army

A Soldier with Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., pulls security during a night mission in Baqubah, Iraq, March 25. Soldiers of the Stryker battalion arrived in the city on March 13 to reinforce recent successes made by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)




Soldiers with Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis Wash., move through the outskirts of palm groves in Baqubah, Iraq, during a night mission March 25. Soldiers of the Stryker battalion arrived in the city on March 13 to reinforce recent successes made by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)



Soldiers with Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis Wash., talk inside of a building they searched during a night mission in Baqubah, Iraq, March 25. Soldiers of the Stryker battalion arrived in the city on March 13 to reinforce recent successes made by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)



A Soldier with Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., monitors his tactical radio inside of a building Soldiers of Co. A searched during a night mission in Baqubah, Iraq, March 25. Soldiers of the Stryker battalion arrived in the city on March 13 to reinforce recent successes made by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Labels: 1st Cavalry Division, 3SBCT, 5-20 Infantry, Baqubah, Iraq, Operation Iraqi Freedom, photos, US Army

Women and children from a Shia neighborhood in Baqubah file past a Stryker vehicle of Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., March 22. Soldiers of Company A visited a sheik in the neighborhood and met with area residents. The unit arrived in Baqubah on March 13 to reinforce recent successes by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


A schoolgirl in a Shia neighborhood in Baqubah stares at a Stryker vehicle of Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., March 22. Soldiers of Company A visited a sheik in the neighborhood and met with area residents. The unit arrived in Baqubah on March 13 to reinforce recent successes by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


Schoolgirls in a Shia neighborhood in Baqubah file past a Stryker vehicle of Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., March 22. Soldiers of Company A visited a sheik in the neighborhood and met with area residents. The unit arrived in Baqubah on March 13 to reinforce recent successes by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


A Soldier with Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., walks by a bullet-ridden window in a building in Baqubah March 22. Soldiers of Company A visited a sheik in the neighborhood and met with area residents. The unit arrived in Baqubah on March 13 to reinforce recent successes by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)


A Soldier with Company A, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Fort Lewis, Wash., pulls security from a rooftop in Baqubah March 22. Soldiers of Company A visited a sheik in the neighborhood and met with area residents. The unit arrived in Baqubah on March 13 to reinforce recent successes by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sergeant Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Labels: 1st Cavalry Division, 3SBCT, 5-20 Infantry, Baqubah, Iraq

STRYKER BATTALION
Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, conduct their first mission in the Diyala province, engaging anti-Iraqi forces in Baqubah, Iraq, March 14, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stacy L. Pearsall

Labels: 1st Cavalry Division, 2ID, 3BCT, 5-20 Infantry, Baqubah, Iraq, photos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR# 031707- 01
March 17, 2007

BAQUBAH, Iraq – Iraqi soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, shot and killed a suicide bomber today, south of Shakarat, Iraq.

Coalition Forces near the area where the incident occurred reported that the suicide bomber was running toward an Iraqi tactical check point, and after failing to obey several verbal warnings to stop, the IA shot him, which prompted the vest to detonate.

This is the second suicide bomber incident in two days in the Diyala province.

Friday, a suicide bomber targeted the Balad Ruz Chief of Police during his visit at the Balad Ruz Hospital.

Iraqi Police reported that the suicide bomber was walking toward the hospital between the Iraqi Police’s posted vehicular security. The IPs warned the individual to stop, but were forced to engage him when he continued toward them. When the individual was shot, the vest detonated, injuring three IPs on site.

“The terrorists are now seeing and experiencing the effectiveness of the Iraqi Security Forces,” said Col. David W. Sutherland, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division commander, and senior Coalition Force officer in Diyala province. “This is why we are seeing an increase on audible attacks — attacks that are attempting to create fear within the local population.”

“I applaud the ISF members who’s vigilance and attention prevented those suicide bombers from achieving their targets,” said Sutherland. “Those are the actions of a professional force, which is helping gain the support of their people.”

Labels: 1st Cavalry Division, 3BCT, 5th Iraqi Army Division, Baqubah, Diyala Province, Good News, Iraqi Army, Iraqi Security Forces

SECURING BAQUBAH — U.S. Army Spc. Alex Horton with Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, pulls security in Baqubah, March 14, 2007, during the company’s first mission in the city. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonieta Rico

Labels: 3SBCT, 5-20 Infantry, Baqubah, Iraq, US Army

Pfc. Richard Chamberlin, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, poses with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills’ cheerleaders, the Jills, during their visit to Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Feb. 25. The Jills signed autographs, posed for pictures and performed a routine for the Soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# 022607-02
Feb. 26, 2007

‘Buffalo Jills’ visit Troops in Baqubah

By Spc. Ryan Stroud
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

BAQUBAH, Iraq (Feb. 25, 2007) -- Most Soldiers stationed in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08 don’t wake up to cheerleaders, but that’s exactly what happened to the Soldiers stationed on Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Feb. 25.

The National Football League’s Buffalo Bills’ cheerleaders, the Buffalo Jills, arrived, via helicopter, in the morning to greet the anxious crowd of Soldiers stationed on Warhorse.

The Jills partook in an autograph session, took pictures and hung out with the Soldiers at the FOB’s Faulkenburg Theater, all in hopes of raising morale.

“We, the Cheerleaders from the Buffalo Jills, are here for a meet-n-greet, signing autographs and hangout with the troops,” said Natale. “We came to support our troops, show them we love and appreciate everything they do for us.”

“[The Jills’ visit] shows there are a lot of people back in the states that support us and care about what we do,” said Pfc. Freddie Scott, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “These cheerleaders really have raised morale out here. It was a good experience.”

“They have shown support by signing autographs and taking pictures with the Soldiers,” added the Tallahassee, Fl., native. “I feel like the really have made an extra effort to show they support us and care.”

Natale added she hoped the visit would make the Soldiers smile, have a good time and give their morale a big boost.

“We really enjoy getting the chance to boost some morale and have fun with the Soldiers,” Natale said. “I love signing autographs and taking pictures with them.”
“To actually be here and see everything, it’s amazing,” she added. “I feel we are doing a good thing. I hope the Soldiers feel the same as well.”

She also said the experience of meeting Soldiers would be one she would never forget about.

“I’m having a great time here [with them],” said Natale. “I hope this does show that we love them and care.”

Natale, along with eight other cheerleaders, also performed a dance routine for the Soldiers. But the routine performed would cost the Soldiers – they also had to dance for the Jills.

“If you make an agreement, you have to live up to it,” said Pfc. Brad Thomas, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd BCT, 25th Infantry Division.
The Jills said they would dance only if the Soldiers danced as well, said the Kansas City, Mo. native.

And that’s what the Soldiers did – they performed the “Macarena” for the Jills.

“We don’t normally get the chance to have fun like this, so when it comes, you make the most of it,” added Thomas, who got on stage and strutted his stuff.

As their visit came to an end, the Soldiers said their last goodbyes to the Jills, laughing about the experiences they just had. The Soldiers started on their way to work, joking with each other about who was the best and worst dancer amongst them.

“The cheerleaders were really nice,” said Scott. “They were just talking and interacting with the Soldiers like they’ve known them for years. It was a good visit.”

Natale agreed with Scott, the experience was one of the best.

“To see the smiling faces, it really makes us feel amazing,” she said. “I hope we just made the day a little extra special for them.”


Soldiers stationed on Forward Operating Base Warhorse were treated to a visit from the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills’ cheerleaders, the Jills, Feb. 25. The Jills signed autographs, posed for pictures and performed a routine for the Soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


Soldiers from Forward Operating Base Warhorse were told if they didn’t dance for the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills’ cheerleaders, the Jills, the Jills would not perform their routine for them. These Soldiers quickly jumped on stage to perform the “Macarena” for the Jills. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


Soldiers from Forward Operating Base Warhorse dance at the Faulkenberg Theater with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills’ cheerleaders, the Jills, during the Jills’ visit to the FOB, Feb. 25. The Jills also signed autographs, posed for pictures and performed a routine for the Soldiers. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Labels: Baqubah, Central Criminal Court of Iraq, FOB Warhorse, photos, Supporting the troops, US Army