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WASHINGTON, May 15, 2008 – A mix of force, good governance and economic stimuli has resulted in a turnaround for an area in Iraq that once was a hotbed of Sunni and Shiite insurgents. The 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team is completing a 15-month tour as part of Multinational Division Center, and the unit commander, Army Col. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr., spoke to Pentagon reporters yesterday about the deployment. The “Sledgehammer” brigade arrived in February 2007 as part of the surge of additional forces into Iraq. Violent crime was out of control, Grigsby said, and al-Qaida in...

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq, May 13, 2008 – The security environment in Basra, Iraq, has improved dramatically since 1st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force fought its way into the city April 1. An Iraqi soldier from 1st Iraqi Army Quick Reaction Force stops to talk with a local shopkeeper in the Hyyaniyah neighborhood of Basra, Iraq, April 19, 2008. The Iraqi quick-reaction force has been conducting clear-and-search operations in Basra since April 1. They were deployed from Anbar province by the Iraqi government to bolster local Iraqi security forces during Operation Charge of the Knights, the ongoing effort to eliminate...

Students stand in front of the newly renovated Omah Moktar School for Girls in the Qadisiyah Apartment Complex in Mahmudiyah May 8. U.S. Army courtesy photo. CAMP STRIKER — Iraqi citizens celebrated the completion of construction at the Omah Moktar School for Girls in the Qadisiyah Apartment Complex in Mahmudiyah, about 20 kilometers south of Baghdad, May 8. After nearly three months of construction, the Moktar School’s approximately 600 students can now enjoy new windows, gates and doors, as well as new auditorium furniture. Exterior improvements included raising the outer wall as an added security measure.“The educational environment was greatly...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — More than 15 judges and court administrators from Babil, Najaf and Diwaniyah Provinces received new laptops and a judicial software program here May 7 from Soldiers in the Judge Advocate Section, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. The 4th BCT computer distribution is a continuation of efforts begun by Multi-National Division – Center's Rule of Law team to distribute state-of-the-art laptops to Iraqi judges. "We provided laptops to … judges from different provinces south of here in order to help them with the administration of their particular court,” said Maj. Thomas Hurley, 4th BCT...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — Iraqi Police in Wasit Province have made significant capacity gains in recent months to improve security for the citizens of Iraq. Their planning ability has greatly improved and their effectiveness increases daily, said Col. Peter Baker, commander of the 214th Fires Brigade. Much of the improvement is due to the actions of Maj. Gen. Hannin al-Ameer, the provincial director of police, appointed in September. “He is very competent,” Baker said. “He has taken a large force and made immediate and long-term improvements – not an easy task for a unit of that size.” One significant...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ISKAN – Coalition forces are conducting joint patrols with the Iraqi army throughout the fish farm areas of North Babil, approximately 50 kilometers south of Baghdad. On one joint patrol, Soldiers of Company B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3th Infantry Division, evaluated the progress of fish farmers cleaning their farms preparing to receive economic aid from organizations such as the U.S. Agency for International Development. A year ago, the fish farms were not operational due to al-Qaida influence. However, with improved security, the fish farms are quickly becoming the major source of...

This spring, the President's Council on Bioethics released a 555-page report, titled Human Dignity and Bioethics. The Council, created in 2001 by George W. Bush, is a panel of scholars charged with advising the president and exploring policy issues related to the ethics of biomedical innovation, including drugs that would enhance cognition, genetic manipulation of animals or humans, therapies that could extend the lifespan... [Leon] Kass frequently makes his case using appeals to "human dignity".... In an essay with the revealing title "L'Chaim and Its Limits, " Kass voiced his frustration that the rabbis he spoke with just couldn't see...

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces, Sons of Iraq (Abna al-Iraq) and Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers seized caches and recovered weapons across Baghdad May 7. At approximately 9:20 a.m., SOI members in Adhamiyah discovered a possible improvised explosive device that had been inadvertently picked up by a sanitation truck. The SOI found two 81 mm projectiles, a 120 mm Hera Mark I mortar, a projectile booster and detonation cord. At approximately 10:45 a.m., Iraqi National Police, along with soldiers from the Company D, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, seized munitions found in an...

BAGHDAD — Providing services needed to sustain a city and the inhabitants within is a daunting task the Government of Iraq is working to solve. In neighborhoods where conflict has reigned, many of the day-to-day activities that keep a city’s heart pumping have been clogged and, in some cases, stopped completely. The recently opened Civil Military Operations Center at Joint Security Station Sadr City is working with the local government to repair essential services to the residents of northeastern Baghdad while Iraqi Army and Coalition forces work to restore security there. “The CMOC was established to facilitate civil military operations...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — Soldiers from Company C, 47th Forward Support Battalion, performed a simulated mass casualty drill at the troop medical clinic on FOB Hammer, May 6. A mass casualty (MASSCAL) event is any situation where there are more casualties than the aid station can normally handle. “When a mass casualty call comes in, all physicians, from dentists to surgeons, are called in,” said Capt. Aaron Mallory, of Panama City, Fla., Company C commander. “Those who cannot help on the treatment floor are sent to help with triage.” The 47th FSB used the training to rehearse procedures conducted...

BASRA — Operation Charge of the Knights has successfully completed missions in several districts -- rooting out criminal elements all across the city since it began on March 25. The Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police have formed a combined effort to systematically move through the districts of Basra, in some areas going house by house, to restore order and the rule of law. Soldiers and Policemen alike are working to make sure the criminal elements are kept out of the city by maintaining a highly visible status. In districts across the city, Iraqi Police and Iraqi soldiers are manning checkpoints,...

TIKRIT — Kirkuk’s Emergency Services Unit and the Aruba Police conducted a successful joint operation against members of a suspected kidnapping ring May 4. One of the suspects opened fire on police as they approached the target house. The police returned fire, killing the gunman. An Aruba policeman was also wounded in the attack. During a search of the premises, police recovered eight false identification cards, one AK 47 with 35 magazines and one pistol with 23 magazines. The police also detained another occupant in the house, who is currently been held for questioning. “The police are doing an excellent...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan, May 7, 2008 – Army engineers have completed construction of a combat outpost on the Afghan-Pakistani border to reduce insurgent attacks there. Soldiers of Company B, 864th Engineer Battalion, drill into the rocky earth to place charges used for blasting away rock. The soldiers set the conditions for a new combat outpost at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. For Task Force Pacemaker soldiers, the process started with coordinating with their maneuver brethren to secure the terrain where the new outpost would be built in Margah village in...

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2008 – The coalition has initiated a “focused district development” program in volatile southern Afghanistan to reform community police forces, a military official said yesterday. “[The program is] improving the security of the local people and building their confidence in the government of Afghanistan,” Army Col. Thomas McGrath, commander of Afghanistan Regional Security Command South, said in a teleconference with online journalists and “bloggers.” McGrath explained that the focused district development program removes Afghan police forces from their district for eight weeks to complete uniformed-officer training at a central location. The local police are backfilled with the...

HABBANIYAH, Iraq — Once a month, the Iraqi police are paid for their everyday services. Marines of the Habbaniyah Police Transition Team (PTT), who work with the Iraqi Police daily, ensured their hard work over the last 30 days was rewarded with a much deserved payday May 3. “They put in their time every day and look forward to getting paid,” said Lance Cpl. Adam C. Wemhoner, a gunner for the Habbaniyah PTT team, attached to 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1. “They’re doing a good job working with us and they are catching on to what we...

CAMP STRIKER — Iraqi Army, Coalition, tribal and Government of Iraq leaders met at the IA Compound in Mahmudiyah May 1 to discuss the progress of Operation Marne Piledriver. Marne Piledriver, a capacity-building operation, kicked-off April 15 with an air assault and dismounted patrols throughout the Mahmudiyah Qada, aimed at disbanding any remaining al-Qaeda threat in the area. “We want to build trust within Mahmudiyah and make sure the terrorist threat is gone for good,” said Sheikh Abu Amar, Mahmudiyah Qada Council chairman. “In gaining trust, however, we expect people to come to the government when they have issues or...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER — More than 1500 Iraqi farmers attended the Mada’in Agricultural Technology Exposition in al-Wahida, Iraq, recently. The expo resulted from efforts by the embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team, attached to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, to revitalize farming and agribusiness. The 3rd HBCT ePRT leaders emphasized agricultural initiatives in the qada to provide long-term economic stability in the primarily agrarian district east of Baghdad. Fifty-eight percent of the Mada’in citizens are farmers, and another 15 percent are in farm-related businesses, said Col. Bud Jameson, from Sherwood, Ark., ePRT deputy team leader. During the expo, Baghdad PRT...

CAMP STRIKER — The Yusifiyah Wholesale Farmers’ Market had a grand reopening last week after closing four years ago. “This was the center of commerce for the city before the war,” said Capt. Steve McGregor, from Longwood, Fla., projects officer for 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). “It shut down because of all the fighting ... It was the main way the farmers in this agrarian society made their money.” Now, the wholesale market may help turn a profit for local farmers. Regular markets only allow farmers to sell produce or goods...

CAMP STRIKER — The people of Yusifiyah had reason to celebrate when the Yusifiyah Iraqi Police Station officially opened its doors to serve the community last week. After 10 months of renovations, the Yusifiyah police force has a new headquarters. “The constant presence of police in Yusifiyah is going to provide a consistent level of security,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Rohling, the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) commander. Previous attempts at establishing a police station in the area failed due to al-Qaeda presence. “Security in Yuifiyah area is far better than...

Unit revives factory in Shiite town to lure Iraqis away from criminal behavior with work NARHWAN, Iraq — Before Lt. Col. Mark Sullivan arrived in this city of 120,000, he had his eye on the map.On the outskirts of Narhwan a big smoke-belching brick factory, once the economic engine of the region, was sitting idle. Before the start of the war, it employed more than 10,000. In the years that followed, though, it degenerated into a den of extortion. The extremists were shaking down the business owners. “It was a sanctuary. Weapons and ammunition were stored out there,” Sullivan said....