Headhunters Sweat it out on the Streets of Baghdad
Story and photos by Spc. Jan Critchfield
122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Grab your body armor, lock and load, and come along for the ride. Jump in the back of a Bradley fighting vehicle, and join the men of Forward Operating Base Headhunter on one of their regular—and dangerous—foot patrols through the streets of Central Baghdad.
Engaging the citizens of Baghdad in conversation and scanning every rooftop for threatening silhouettes, Soldiers of Task Force 1/9 “Headhunters” are on the prowl for insurgents who, hiding amongst the populace, wait in ambush for coalition forces.
“If we get hit in an area and don’t go back there, that isn’t the message that we want to send people. We need to be back there the next day to let people know we’re going to be there for them,” said 1st Lt. Fred Saxton of C-Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment.
It is this attitude of caring and dedication that the Soldiers of Task Force 1/9 believe will produce the most powerful weapon they can wield in the fight against terrorism—a feeling of hope in the lives of the Iraqi people. Following leads and collecting evidence much like a police officer, the engineers, infantrymen, and scouts of Task Force 1/9 have had to be ‘Semper Gumby’—always flexible—with their new tasks. Learning and applying new tasks in a field environment is not an easy feat, but the Headhunters have clearly adapted well, and it shows in their professionalism and calm in the field.
“The morale of the guys is high, but the patrols are rough. It’s very hot out there, and it’s very time consuming. Some of the guys get frustrated because it’s very repetitious, doing patrol after patrol after patrol,” said Sgt. 1st Class Henry Gadsden, platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon, A-Company, 8th Engineers attached to C-Company 1/9 Cavalry.
“It’s important for the Iraqi people to see that [we’re in the streets with them] to help them out and keep them safe,” added 2nd Lt. William Richardson, platoon leader for the engineers’ 2nd Platoon.
Another task for the Headhunters is getting weapons off the streets in any way they can, making Baghdad a safer place for both Baghdad residents as well as coalition forces. “We find caches occasionally, with [rocket propelled grenades], mortars, hand grenades, C4… we found a couple of mortar tubes,” said Capt. Jack Crabtree, commander of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment.
“It is important to get weapons off the street, so we can protect the population and ourselves,” Crabtree said. “Things in my area have been going very well. The people in my area seem to appreciate what the United States has been doing for them. They’ve actually asked us to increase the number of patrols we do because it makes them feel safer,” he added.
In situations where the new Iraqi Police would be far outgunned, Iraqi Civil Defense Corps accompany the Headhunters on their patrols to aid in the hunt for those who seek to destabilize Iraq and recruit terrorists from among the Iraqi people. These soldiers, for many, represent a new hope for a stable and prosperous Iraq.
ICDC soldiers have been training hard for the challenge. They have become proficient in a wide array of tasks and tactics, including vehicle searches, urban warfare, and squad tactics.
The ICDC soldiers are getting hands-on experience that will serve them the most when US forces leave Baghdad, by accompanying Headhunter patrols on a regular basis. They often take the lead on vehicle searches, a procedure that might offend a citizen if a foreign soldier were to dive into their glove box and sift through the contents of their trunk.
Drenched in sweat upon return from patrols conducted during hot Baghdad nights, the Soldiers of Task Force 1/9 take a few hours of down time to catch some sleep and take care of personal business and hygiene before the next patrol.
With an operations tempo of nine or more missions per week, the Headhunters and Soldiers like them are undoubtedly some of the hardest working in the country.
