Stryker Brigade lands in Kuwait (Welcome To the War, Boys)

ARNEWS Army News Service ^ | Nov. 12, 2003 | Sgt. Jeremy Heckler

[Cannoneer No. 4]

PORT OF KUWAIT, Kuwait (Army News Service, Nov. 12, 2003) -- For the first time since World War I, the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division has deployed overseas.

The brigade’s Stryker vehicles and other equipment arrived Nov. 12 in the port of Kuwait on board the USNS Shughart and USNS Sisler after a three-week voyage from Fort Lewis, Wash., via the Port of Tacoma.

The deployment marks the second time that Stryker vehicles have landed on foreign soil though. In August a platoon from the Army’s first Stryker Brigade Combat team conducted a capabilities demonstration in South Korea.

Also on Nov. 12 the first main-body flight of Arrowhead Brigade soldiers completed their day-and-a-half trip from Fort Lewis Kuwait. The troops got onto buses and headed for Camp Udari in northern Kuwait while some went to the Port of Kuwait to assist in ship offload operations.

Soon after docking, advance-party crews from 3rd Brigade and members of the 598th Transportation Group (Forward), a Reserve unit deployed to Kuwait, went to work unleashing the vehicles and equipment in the ships’ cargo holds to prepare them for unloading, and eventually for their convoy to Camp Udari.

The team hopes to have the approximately 2,300 pieces of cargo unloaded in less than 48 hours, according to Maj. Faris Williams, 598th Transportation Group (Fwd).

“What makes it go so fast is that equipment is all fully mission capable and can be easily transported off the ship,” said Williams.

The goal for the 3rd Brigade soldiers is to get their vehicles ready for action.

“We are trying to download the ships and get the equipment to the marshalling yard,” said Staff Sgt. Darren Rone, 367th Maintenance Company, 44th Corps Support Battalion.

In the days leading to the ships’ arrival, the advance-party crews received safety briefings and were drilled in every aspect of the operation to ensure that the offload would be as safe as possible, said Maj. Sean McKinney, 3rd Brigade S-4, the unit’s logistics’ officer. The crews also had time to rest from their trip from Fort Lewis.

“Job number one here is taking care of the soldiers doing the work,” said McKinney. “The soldiers here were given crew rest and a place to recover and rest for the next day’s operations.”

That rest included time to go to the Internet café and take in the post exchange at the port so that they would be ready to go when the ships sailed in.

Rone said two shifts are working around the clock to put the vehicles in action. The teams of drivers and safety workers come from all across the brigade. Drivers are told to get in the vehicles they are licensed for and drive them off the ship.

“My job is to drive trucks off the ship and get them lined up for the soldiers to take to the marshalling yard,” said Spc. Sean Cruz, 296th Brigade Support Battalion.

A second set of drivers take the vehicles from the port to the marshalling yard further inland and ready them for their trip to Camp Udari, said McKinney. Once enough vehicles are ready, groups of soldiers will come down to the marshalling yard from CampUdari and begin the convoy north. The vehicles will head for each company’s motor pool and each unit will make final preparations for the journey into Iraq.

The brigade has been preparing to leave Fort Lewis for about a month. It held a going away ceremony Oct. 30.

The ceremony featured leaders from 1st Corps and 3rd Bde. who furled and cased the unit’s colors, a gesture symbolizing the end to the unit's training period and the beginning of its new mission as a certified combat unit, ready for action in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Following the ceremony, Soldiers were showered with kisses from spouses and hugs from children.

"I think (the departure ceremony) was a great idea," said Maj. Mark Landes, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Bde. "It allows a sense of closure and a sense of community getting behind the unit. It's great for the families, too."

While the departure ceremony helped prepare families for separation, everyone knew the upcoming year would be challenging.

"It's tough. But I am here to support my husband - sending letters as much as possible, sending pictures (of the children)," said Karin Markert, wife of Maj. John Markert, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Bde., and mother of three.

(Editor’s note: Sgt. Jeremy Heckler is the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs non-commissioned officer in charge. Steven Field, a journalist with the Northwest Guardian newspaper at Fort Lewis, also contributed to this story.)

[jriemer]

The holy grail on rail guns is to get the power source to something manageable in terms of power and size. You don't want to have a super-large gas-turbine powered generator for each and every RGun you wan in the field.

The heat signature of the turbine (or other powersource) would outweigh any advantage of the RGun's range / rate of fire because any missile with an IR seeker could find it.

[Lazamataz]

Archy, you are an absolute wealth of hardware information. I bow to your superior knowledge.

Plus it doesn't hurt that you backed my pro-LOSAT position. :o)

[archy]

I know LOSAT isn't Javelin. The two videos make that clear.

Three:

LOSAT [short video, with music!

LOSAT [longer version] {Check out the LOSAT on the M8 AGS chassis!]

Javelin [It works!]

[archy]

Archy, you are an absolute wealth of hardware information. I bow to your superior knowledge.

Plus it doesn't hurt that you backed my pro-LOSAT position. :o)

You wait until I've got a burned, blackened road wheel over the fireplace mantle to do any serious bowing. But I pay a lot of attention to what I want in my hot little hands when the bad guy stuff is around the next hill or gully.

I don't think LOSAT is necessarily the best solution to most possible armor problems, but it's an answer to a lot of them. And a mix of vehicles with a couple of LOSAT tracks or Hummers could be a real nasty surprise, indeed.

But they do have long reload time problems, and probably want to be deployed in paired teams, at least, so much as possible. And remember, the Humvee LOSAT doesn't swim; the tracked version does.

K

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks for the ping, for sharing your expertise re. the Stryker...for helping the troops prepare.
~~~~~

For the first time since World War I, the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division has deployed overseas.

The brigade’s Stryker vehicles and other equipment arrived Nov. 12 in the port of Kuwait..

...Once enough vehicles are ready, groups of soldiers will come down to the marshalling yard from CampUdari and begin the convoy north...and final preparations for the journey into Iraq.

~~~~
Godspeed, Stryker Brigade.
~~~~~~~~~

[MEG33]

Stryker bump

[Humidston]

My granddaughter's school friend is also in the same unit, I believe (3rd Brigade). She just told me the other day, so I'm learning a lot via this thread. Her friend's name is Donald and he's from Houston. Who knows? He and your son may be friends!

[Libertina]

Your're from my area Stryker Brigade! Cheers to you, God bless, kick some b*tt, and come home to us safe and sound!

[Graybeard58]

It's very possible that they may know each other. My son is from Illinois but the unit is from people all over the U.S.

His name is Steve Agee.

[Humidston]

I've sent this link to my granddaughter who is away at college. Unfortunately I don't recall Donald's last name. I just know they've been buddies since they were in elementary school. He's a sweetie and like a brother to her.

BTW, I'll add Steve to my prayer list if you don't mind. And I'll let you know Donald's last name when I hear from back from her.

[Humidston]

PS - I'm from Illinois, btw..... Lansing, when I was a wee child. I was born in Indiana. Small world!

[Light Speed]

Alot of possibilities now as *strength comes up into Iraq.

Bugs will scatter..to bad they will not leg it out where Apaches ..ROV and SAT can herd them to killing zones.

If Hamdi stands..there will be collateral damage....have to accept this and do them in situ.

Iraqi's have had time to choose sides...some will help with good last minute intel..and if ready line has within a few minutes outbound cycle..could see AC-130'S..and Apaches save the troop from getting near or hit in trans.....do them from above.

well..hope intel has been brushing up on how Hamdi flee's and melts into the local environs..cuz thats the opp at his end for the next while..unless he is assigned to Mullah Omar's Martry points program.

Hope intel are chatting with the Israelis'...not that they need Israel..but it couldn't hurt to get their lay of what will happen.

never too late for more "Shock and Awe"...lets see how Hamdi does on the run : )

[exnavy]

Tallyhoe! here we go. Keep your butts down and your rifles up, and may God be with you.

[archy]

Hope intel are chatting with the Israelis'...not that they need Israel..but it couldn't hurt to get their lay of what will happen.

And with the Russian FSB and GRU. A little bird in the spook business in Iraq tells me a lot of Saddam's foreign *Fedayeen* got their experience in Chechnya killing Russian teenage conscripts, funded by the Saudis, equipped by the Iraqis. Maybe we can get some payback for those Russian kids.

But that means they've got experience dealing with 8-wheel armored cars. I guess we'll find out soon.

-archy-/-

[SLB]

Looks like the real test is on the horizon. I pray the leaders remember the TTP for the SBCT and follow them. The Stryker is NOT a tank, should not be used as a tank. It is an armored troop transporter. The unit is a Stryker Brigade Combat Team and needs to be employed as a team. If it is used correctly we should see some successes from it, if not . . . . . . . . .

[Dave Elias]

Yeah but a LOSAT is pretty useless in the current Iraq situation.

[Lazamataz]

Yeah but a LOSAT is pretty useless in the current Iraq situation.

(Cartman whining voice) But I wanna use a $75,000 missile to take out a $10 tent.....!!!!

[dogbyte12]

The commander of the Stryker brigade was already enjoying the local club scene in Kuwait.

[windchime]

Bump!

[Dave Elias]

That's about it.. :)