Release Date: 5/9/2003 3:24:00 PM
By Sandra Schroeder, NAVAIR Public Affairs, PEO(W)
CHINA LAKE, Calif. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy’s new Tomahawk cruise missile, Block IV or Tactical Tomahawk, was launched May 8 from an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Stethem (DDG 63).
The event marked the second launch of the Tactical Tomahawk from an operational surface ship and the first live warhead demonstration.
The missile blasted from the vertical launching system and transitioned to cruise flight for the 760 nautical mile mission to target impact on San Clemente Island.
The missile flawlessly navigated the assigned mission through the use of global positioning satellite and Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator. The test successfully demonstrated the unique Block IV weapon system communication capability between Stethem and the in-flight missile. Using the Tomahawk Strike Network, messages were sent from the ship, successfully retargeting the missile and collecting bomb damage indication information. The missile performed a planned terminal air-burst maneuver and destroyed the satellite antenna target.
The Tomahawk missile is ship and submarine launched, and was first employed operationally during Desert Storm. Since then, the missile has been heralded for its accuracy and lethality in numerous operations. The Tactical Tomahawk boasts several enhancements as demonstrated today, which increase warfighter effectiveness and responsiveness, while significantly reducing acquisition and life cycle costs. The missile will become operational in the middle of 2004.
“I am extremely proud of USS Stethem's contributions to the Tactical Tomahawk program," said Cmdr. David Melin, commanding officer. "Every shot is a significant program milestone that gets us one step closer to fielding this next-generation force multiplier for the Navy's land attack warfare mission. The efforts of the 340 ‘steelworkers’ of USS Stethem, program offices, land-based test sites and contractors are paying huge dividends, as evidenced by this second flawless launch from Stethem and fifth perfect flight of the Block IV missile.”
Marines' shifting mission calls for trigger-ready diplomacy
BAGHDAD, Iraq(May 09, 2003) -- Tension mounts as Staff Sgt. Mario Ribas listens to a resident of this war-torn city emphatically make his case for the return of his AK-47 assault rifle.
Marines found two weapons lying in high grass inside an apartment complex soon after arriving to patrol a Baghdad neighborhood. An accompanying M1A1 Main Battle Tank crew staged outside the walled residential area radioed Ribas after watching Iraqi men pitch the rifles onto the lawn. Attached to 1st Tank Bn., the Marines are part of Alpha Co., 1st Infantry Bn., 7th Marine Regiment, from Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.
"If you have a weapon, you have to keep it inside. Tell your people they can't have a weapon visible while we're in the area," the 32-year-old Miami-born Ribas calmly tells the man as a growing number of sympathetic Iraqis try to enter the conversation.
"We have to protect ourselves against thieves. That is why we have them," the man repeatedly states with growing frustration.
As the crowd grows, the Marines repeatedly extend their arms forward as a warning to the gathering Iraqis to keep their distance. Ribas doesn't budge but doesn't raise his voice either. After he's relatively assured that the man's intentions are as stated, he instructs his Marines to pass the weapons back to their owners.
"[The Iraqis] are allowed to have weapons for their protection against thieves and looters," says 1st Lt. Jonathan Bonnette, a Headquarters Plt. executive officer for Alpha Co. "If they keep them in their homes and out of sight, we don't have a problem with it," he says.
Still, the Marines take the magazines "to give us time to get out of the area," says Ribas, indicating the precarious nature of patrolling an area where friendly gestures can turn deadly in seconds and where civilians and combatants are too often indistinguishable.
"You really can't tell. You have to kind of take their word for it," says Cpl. Adam Sommer, squad leader, 2nd Plt., Alpha Co., 1/7. "If these guys seem pretty up front and they just want to protect their families, then we give them that right while trying to keep out of harm's way as much as possible."
Soon after entering Baghdad, Marines began patrolling the city's neighborhoods "looking for bad guys," said Bonnette. Part of the Marines' mission is to act as an on-the-ground barometer of Iraqi sentiments.
"We're talking to people to get an idea of their attitude toward the Marines and for what's going on in their city and country right now," says Bonnette. "Hopefully, they'll give us information about where to find weapons and ammunition that are cached in buildings."
Some have come forward with information regarding hidden weapons caches and possible locations of remaining hostile elements. But when the Marines first arrived, Iraqi civilians were more standoffish, unsure of the Americans intentions. "I think they wondered whether they were being liberated or conquered," says Capt. Douglas Schaffer, Alpha Co.'s commanding officer from Arlington, Va.
But contact with the local population is "improving" the relationship.
"They're coming out and saying 'Down with Saddam' and 'We love you,'" Schaffer said.
Children often crowd around the patrolling Marines like rock-star groupies seeking autographs for their soccer balls or just a chance to say "hello." Little girls offer flowers as a sign of affection. Iraqi men of all ages engage the Marines in conversation while women stand in doorways waving and smiling. Some come forward holding babies to hand off to their husbands. Others offer the Marines cold water.
"One lady asked if we wanted to stay for dinner," says Pfc. Christopher Light, a young Alpha Co. machinegunner from Concord, Calif.
Like many of his peers, Light arrived in Iraqi with just a few months as a Marine under his belt. "I've been in for nine months," he says, smiling. "Our [School of Infantry] instructors were telling us to train for war."
Some SOI graduates linked up with the unit after it deployed to Kuwait. Veteran infantrymen like Ribas, who patrolled in Somalia, mentor and train Marines like Light "day and night" to help hone their infantry and leadership skill, says Ribas. In Somalia, he adds, "We were shot at a lot more."
But Baghdad is still a very dangerous place. The Marines are finding "lots of weapons," including rocket-propelled grenade launchers and mines, says Schaffer. "There are still bad guys and there are still shots being fired," he adds.
In mid-April, gunfire and explosions were heard throughout the city at any given time of the day. Accounts of American fatalities from hostile Iraqis circulate amongst the Alpha Co. Marines.
"We know [the Iraqis] are friendly, but there's still a guy out there who doesn't like us," says Pfc. Jason Rodden, an Alpha Co. team leader from Arkansas. "You can't get lackadaisical or it will come back and bite you."
The Marines keep on their toes. When the distinct "pop" of an AK-47 breaks the relative calm of one of 1st Plt.'s afternoon patrols, Marines reacted swiftly and aggressively. One team clambers over a wall in the direction of fire while another skirts along the wall with weapons at the ready. A quick house-to-house search fails to produce the shooter.
Five minutes later, Jensen and his Marines load up in amtracks and humvees to travel back to their base camp. Along the short return route, the Marines will wave a dozen times to Iraqis offering salutations. The minute-to-minute transitions from warriors to goodwill ambassadors require discipline, maturity and courage but the Marines believe they are positively impacting Iraqi lives.
"The country is liberated and the people know it and they tell us that every day. They're very happy we're here. They are looking forward to a free government, which our government has promised, and a freer way of life," Bonnette said. "That makes it all worthwhile."
Submitted by: 1st Force Service Support Group
Story Identification Number: 20035935616
Story by Cpl. Jeff Hawk
Mementos, Diversions, Extra Gear:
What Soldiers Carry to War
By U.S. Army Spc. M. William Petersen
MUTLAA RIDGE, Kuwait — Ask any soldier what his or her most important piece of gear is, and most will reply, “my rifle,” or “my protective mask.”
But when asked what non-issued item is most important, each soldier in 11th Signal Brigade has other answers, and sometimes stories behind it.
Some soldiers have utilitarian items they can’t live without. While many soldiers carry multitools, such as those made by Leatherman or Swiss Army, and Camel Backs™, portable water carriers, that they refuse to part with, others have more unusual items they brought to the desert.
“I don’t like to walk a lot, and with my job, this makes moving around from job site to job site a lot faster,” Sgt. Jeffrey Kilgo, an air conditioner repairman with 19th Signal Company, about the mountain bike he brought to Camp Udairi. Kilgo commutes to and from his work sites on the bike. “It’s a lot easier to park than a HMMWV, and it’s good exercise. So instead of using a truck, I use a bike.”
One item today’s soldiers are bringing to the field that their predecessors didn’t have is a laptop computer.
“I use my laptop for everything,” said Spc. Robert Topchi, a ‘cable dog’ with 69th Signal Company. “It’s good for games, pictures and keeping a diary. It’s all of that in one package.”
The free time he has is often easily occupied with his favorite game on the laptop, Diablo. Other soldiers have also found a pleasant diversions in video games while deployed, some bringing handheld games and others toting full-size systems along. Sgt. Robert George of 11th Signal Brigade brought his PlayStation game system with him and considers it indispensable.
Many soldiers have found a temporary escape from their surroundings in music.
“My CD player is the most important thing to me because I’ve got to have my music to get me out of here,” said Sgt. Ramiro Padilla of 385th Signal Company.
Unfortunately, the sand and rough handling his CDs endured at Mutlaa Ridge, Kuwait, left many of Padilla’s collection of Spanish music -- Azul Azul, Mana and Molotov -- discs beaten beyond repair.
For Pfc. Chris Van Horn of 19th Signal Company, his music helps him drown-out the sounds of his tentmates. “There are more than 50 guys in the tent, so it gets loud,” Van Horn said. “I can go to sleep with my CD player on.”
Soldiers looking for a quieter diversion have turned to books. Sgt. Eric Greenwood of 385th Signal Company brought a large stack of books when he deployed to Kuwait nearly a year ago. Now stationed at Mutlaa Ridge, Greenwood has already read more than 50 books and is in the process of ordering more.
“ I read whatever I can get my hands on,” Greenwood said. “It eats up time. We also do correspondence courses, CLEP tests and college courses while we’re here.”
Staff Sgt. Lin MacCollum, noncommissioned officer-in-charge for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Signal Brigade, has a different memento that he carried overseas with him. Perched on a shelf in his wall locker at Camp Doha, Kuwait, is a small stuffed dog with a leprechaun pinned to its collar.
“When my wife and I got married in Tombstone, Ariz., it was given to me to carry over the border to Iraq if I go,” MacCollum said. “I see it as a reminder of my wedding day as well as a good luck charm.”
Spc. Carl Manzano, a light-wheel vehicle mechanic with HHC, 11th Sig. Bde., is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. His good-luck charm, a baseball cap, has been deployed to the Persian Gulf before.
“ This hat’s been here before,” he said. “It’s pretty beat-up now, so I don’t wear it all the time, but it’s my lucky hat.”
The hat acts as a reminder of Manzano’s hobby: he is an avid outrigger canoeist, which is a hobby not readily available in the desert.
Other soldiers carry reminders of their loved ones. Many have pictures hanging by their bunks, like Cpl. Raymond Hookfin, another mechanic with HHC 11th Sig. Bde.
“The pictures are important to me because I know I still have something to go home to,” said Hookfin, pointing at photos of his girlfriend. “She’s going to be the next Mrs. Hookfin.”
Pfc. Robert Speed, microwave systems analyst with 11th Sig. Bde., wears his reminder everywhere he goes. “We got engaged 20 days before I joined up,” said Speed, raising his engagement ring up. “It helps me think about my fiancé and remember some of the good things in life.”
Another ring-carrying soldier, Spc. Kenneth Dabney, a signal support systems specialist with 11th Sig. Bde., wears his wife’s wedding band and his newborn son’s first ring on a chain around his neck.
When Sgt. David Lee Miller, a signal support systems NCO, was asked what he values most, he pulled out a small laminated news article. “One year after my grandfather died, my dad wrote a [memoriam] into the newspapers,” Miller said. “It became my good luck charm.
“We were very close,” Miller said about his grandfather. “He was a father figure when I was growing up. This is a way to always keep him there. He’s gone, but not forgotten.”
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