Stryker Troops Lead Initial Push into Diwaniyah

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ECHO, Iraq, April 11, 2007 — With coalition forces focusing much of their efforts on Baghdad, many anti-Iraqi forces have fled the capital city and moved their operations to smaller towns around Iraq. Diwaniyah, located in southern Iraq, is one of these towns that has seen a spike in violence and anti-Iraqi force activity, and coalition forces have recently turned their attention toward restoring peace in the area.

"My troop was able to secure the route and that let everyone flow in, so we accomplished the mission there. The other troop and company seized their objective.”

"As a result of the surge, we believe that some of the key leaders who were causing the problems have moved out of Baghdad and into these outlying towns; so we're moving out to wrap these guys up," explained Capt. Gerald Resmondo, commander of Troop A, Task Force 1-14th Cavalry.

"Security in Baghdad has improved, so they were able to free up some combat power to do this, and we're part of that combat power."

Task Force 1-14 Cavalry, a Stryker unit which is attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, is currently operating out of Forward Operating Base Echo, which is located outside Diwaniyah and is leading the main thrust of what is known as Operation Wyatt Earp, focused on taking the town back from anti-Iraqi forces.

They were sent to the area after receiving a request for assistance from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, which controls the area surrounding Diwaniyah.

"There were reports of militiamen taking over that town. It was sort of like an old western type of story like the movie Tombstone," Resmondo, a native of West Palm Beach, Fla., said. "The bad guys have come in and taken over the town, and we're the good guys who come in to rid the town of the bad guys. So, our task force mission is to do exactly that - disrupt the AIF located in Diwaniyah."

After leaving Forward Operating Base Union III, April 3, the task force convoyed south to Forward Operating Base Kalsu where they stayed for three days making final preparations for their mission.

While at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, soldiers attended ranges and continued to build upon the training that started before they left Forward Operating Base Union III.

"The soldiers went through basically every battle drill and back to the fundamentals," Resmondo said of the preparations his troop's soldiers went through during the preceding weeks. "We ran them through a week of ranges, and they re-zeroed their weapons systems. We did some re-qualification out here (at Forward Operating Base Kalsu). They've prepped their equipment, and luckily, we have had time to do that prior to this mission and go through just about every battle drill possible to make sure that they are prepared for this mission."

After a reconnaissance mission the day prior, Resmondo and "Apocalypse" Troop led the task force out of Forward Operating Base Kalsu and into Diwaniyah early on the morning of April 6 for what would be 72 hours of consecutive combat operations for the task force soldiers.

"We're the lead element for the task force," Resmondo said. "It's our job to make sure that the rest of the task force gets into the fight. If we're successful, then the whole task force will be successful, so I feel that we've got a pretty important piece of this mission." Although they did encounter resistance, which was heavy at times, "Apocalypse" Troop had little difficulty entering the city and establishing security as the rest of the task force followed them in.

On the way into the city, the route clearance team discovered several roadside bombs and the soldiers were met with small-arms fire and rocket propelled grenades as they fought to establish their positions.

Once coalition forces had established themselves in the city, the AIF's will to fight seemed to taper off as the attacks decreased and the soldiers were able to accomplish everything that they set out to do over the first day.

"We did really well, and were successful in the fact that all the objectives that we decided to hit we did," Resmondo said. "My troop was able to secure the route and that let everyone flow in, so we accomplished the mission there. The other troop and company seized their objective. They fought their way through their objective and received a lot of contact coming in, but we were able to seize the ground and maintain our strongholds in the center of the city."

During the first 24 hours, 'Apocalypse' Troop was responsible for securing the area from their Strykers. They returned to Forward Operating Base Echo late on the night of April 6 and rested for a few hours before returning to the city early the next morning to begin clearing operations in conjunction with elements from the 8th Iraqi Army Division.

Their efforts paid off quickly as they came across a large cache of roadside bomb-making material in what appeared to be an abandoned building.

"Everything was just in plastic bags in here, and they tried to hide it up a little bit ... but they didn't go through too much trouble to hide it and the Iraqi Army found it," explained Spc. Raymond Watson, as he laid out the items that were discovered so they could be photographed and documented.

An explosive ordnance team was called in and the material was destroyed on site, as the soldiers continued their clearing operations of the area.

After wrapping up their clearing operations for the day, "Apocalypse" Troop took up a secure position within the city where they settled for the night, ensuring that they retained the ground they had gained during the day.

According to Staff Sgt. Jason Jones, much of what the task force is doing has become routine operations for the soldiers during their 10 months in Iraq, but he said that the operation as a whole is the largest that they have taken part in.

"This is the biggest one we've done," Jones, a native of Clarksville, Tenn., said. "Everything we're doing is on the fly. A lot of it is up to what the enemy does."

Resmondo agreed and said that one of the biggest factors he and his soldiers face is the fatigue that sets in from almost 72 hours of consecutive operations.

He said that he tries to get his soldiers some down-time whenever the chance arises and that hopefully in the days following the initial push into the city they will be able to transition more control to the Iraqi army, which would allow his soldiers more rest.

After the first two days of the operation, though, Resmondo said everything is going well. Several suspected AIF members had been detained by his soldiers and caches and individual weapons have been taken off the streets.

"So far, we've been really successful in fighting the militia and seizing ground from them," Resmondo said. "We've been able to maintain our strongholds in the center of the city and have done a lot of synchronization with the 8th Iraqi Army. All and all the mission has been very successful."

FR WAR NEWS!

WAR News at Home and Abroad You'll Hear Nowhere Else!

All the News the MSM refuses to use!

Or if they do report it, without the anti-War Agenda Spin!

Among the items were several bricks of C-4, claymore anti-personnel mines, mortar rounds, detonation wires, nine-volt batteries and an RC controller. Resmondo described the find as an improvised explosive device factory.

Doesn't sound "improvised" to me. These are purpose-built munitions, and their presence indicates a well-funded and -supplied operation. Whether it's coming from Iran, Syria, or someone stealing from coalition arsenals, it's imperative to cut off the source.

it's imperative to cut off the source.

That's pretty much what I was thinking. I think they really need to focus some effort on capturing this stuff as it comes across the borders. Yes, I know all about "ancient smuggling routes" but face it, if they're really that old, a lot of people have to know about them.

My son is a civilian contractor carpenter working at Camp Echo near Diwaniyah. He's really glad to see the troops moving in since they were getting almost daily missile or mortar round attacks.

A few weeks ago his former roommate was driving a truck in the camp when he heard the whistle sound of a missile coming in. He jumped out of the truck a few seconds before the truck took a direct hit. He was sprayed with shrapnel on his back and neck and was airlifted to Kuwait for treatment. The doctors decided not to attempt to take the shrapnel out of his neck. Amazingly he was able to return to Camp Echo about two weeks later.

One thing often goes unnoticed is the grueling schedules our men must keep. The goons can lay around on their fat asses and hide in holes most of the time. The United States Army and Marines have no such luxury. God bless them, and keep them whole in spirit and in body.

Great point, they also deserve credit for what they’ve done,

” “Security in Baghdad has improved, so they were able to free up some combat power to do this, and we’re part of that combat power.” “

Amen to that. They serve with honor and commitment. Gotta hit the rack. Do have a great upcoming day.

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