Spc. Eric Marquez, an infantryman from El Paso, Texas, digs for hidden weapons as an Iraqi Army Soldier looks on during a combined weapons sweep in northwestern Baghdad, Nov. 1. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.
Posted on 11/02/2009 3:22:25 PM PST by SandRat
BAGHDAD — A concerned local citizen recently contacted U.S. Soldiers about a site insurgents used to store weapons here, just northwest of Abu Ghraib. Spc. Eric Marquez, an infantryman from El Paso, Texas, digs for hidden weapons as an Iraqi Army Soldier looks on during a combined weapons sweep in northwestern Baghdad, Nov. 1. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.
With the help of local Iraqi Army Soldiers, the Fort Lewis-based troops assigned to Company A, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, quickly sprang into action and dug up the insurgent’s weapons cache, Nov. 1.
The combined search uncovered a mortar tube, a tripod and a base plate used by insurgents.
For these Soldiers who have been in Iraq for almost two months, it is a tangible sign they are helping the security situation here, said Spc. Eric Marquez, an infantryman with Co. A, from El Paso, Texas.
"I was pretty excited...I broke a little sweat, but it was worth it," Marquez said.
"This is the first thing that we've found since we've been here," stated a sweat-soaked and dirt-covered Marquez.
Though it wasn't a major find and there's plenty of work to be done, Sgt. James Hall, an infantry team leader from Orangeville, Calif., did admit that it's a positive step.
"Insurgents can't use it anymore to shoot indirect fire on our FOBs [Forward Operating Bases], so it's a good feeling and a good find," said Hall, also with assigned Co. A. "It also makes the community feel like we're still here to find the bad guys."
In rural areas such as this, earning the trust of the community can be a tough task, but doing something about the weapons in the area can go a long way, explained Staff Sgt. Henry McCormick, a human intelligence collector from Oceanside, Calif., assigned to Co. A.
According to McCormick, one of the biggest steps in building a relationship is trust, so he ensures that local citizens feel comfortable and safe if they want to give U.S. forces information about insurgents.
His help led to the tip that found the mortar tube buried in the field.
"They [locals who offer information] believe in what we're doing and that we can help make a difference with the security of this country," said McCormick. "A large part is that they want to protect their village and their friends, so they give us information because they can trust us."
McCormick also thinks that there is another, deeper connection that some Iraqis have with U.S. Soldiers that breeds trust.
"They see that we're away from our friends and families and then think, 'Hey, they're sacrificing by being over here, so it's alright to sacrifice some things too to try and make a difference,'" said McCormick about the willingness of locals to give him information.
Though not everybody is willing to step up and point out where insurgents operate, it's a good sign when people do and it pays off, he added.
The pay off for U.S. and Iraqi Security Forces is that one more weapon is off the streets and the community is a little safer. Today, the Soldiers of Co. A are one step closer to creating a trusting and safe community.
(By Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, Multi-National Division – Baghdad)
LMAO! This is hilarious. I love the MNF-I propaganda tools. How do you post pics here? I have a bunch of pics of my squad digging up caches. These turds over there will get low on money and will “sell” one of their caches to us and then take the reward money to train new fighters. We just need to build a giant fence around Iraq and then let them kill each other off. But, seriously, what’s the HTML code to upload pics?
Type < then img src=”” inserting the website URL that the JPG has been posted to in beteween the “” then type width=”400” and end it with a >
Thank you. GO STRYKERS!
Will that pull it off my hard drive or just off of a website?
It has to be on a web site to work.
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