MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune
NEAR DULUIYAH, Iraq - Guerrillas fired about a dozen rockets into the Stryker base camp early Sunday, the first time the camp has been attacked since the brigade began arriving 2 1/2 weeks ago.
The 107 mm rockets struck no closer than 400 yards to any occupied structure, and no one was injured.
But the 12:30 a.m. attack sent sleeping soldiers hustling for the earthen bunkers outside their tents.
Iraqi insurgents regularly mortar other U.S. bases in this region; many around the Stryker camp have been saying it was only a matter of time before they struck near them.
"That was a wake-up call for a lot of these guys last night, that's for sure," said 1st Sgt. Gene O'Day of the brigade headquarters company.
The brigade's counter-battery radar identified a point about 2 1/2 miles south of the camp from where the rockets were fired. A battery from the 1st Battalion, 37th Field Artillery responded with 155 mm howitzer fire, which apparently sent the attackers fleeing.
Capt. Vincent Bellisario, the headquarters company commander, took the base's quick reaction force out to the scene in pursuit of the attackers. He said it appeared the artillery landed within 50 to 100 yards of the insurgents.
Crews also fired on the location with .50-caliber machine guns, sending arcs of red tracer rounds flying through the night sky.
There was no sign that anyone had been hit, he said.
Instead, Bellisario and his patrol at first light found another 19 of the rockets, all armed with improvised fuses shoved into the base of the round. They were all leaning against earthen berms so that when ignited, they would fly in the direction of the camp.
He said he believes the artillery fire stopped the guerrillas from firing the rest of the rockets.
Because of the crude method of aiming the rockets, it would've been a fluke if they'd have hit anything. Tents, motor pools and work areas are spread out in clusters that are hundreds of yards apart from each other on this sprawling former Iraqi air base.
Still, incoming artillery is incoming artillery.
"It's low-tech, it's ineffective, there were no injuries, no casualties," said Lt. Col. Joseph Piek, the brigade spokesman, "but it has caused us to continue to be very aware of our our surroundings" and refine the base defenses.
"It shows they're still willing to fight," he said.
Michael Gilbert: mjgilbert41@yahoo.com
(Published 12:01AM, December 22nd, 2003)