Articles 1.4.2005

The Desert Strike FRG site has an article on a humanitarian aid mission. Members of the 1-9th infantry and Marine Detachment 3, 4th Civil Affairs Group "delivered blankets, food and shoes to residents of the small, Kurdish town named Al Taash, located southwest of Ramadi... During the operation, members of the brigade passed out more than 9,500 humanitarian daily rations, 4,500 blankets and more than 3,000 pairs of shoes to more than 400 households. In all, the day-long mission served to improve the lives of more than 4,000 people." Al Taash is a refugee camp that was built in 1982 by the UN to support ethnic Kurdish refugees who fled Iran during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988). A 12.24.2004 IrinNews article reported that up to 1400 refugees had fled the camp in November, 2004, because of concerns over safety and sanitary conditions during the assault on Fallujah. The 1st Marine Division has been supporting the refugee camp at least since May 2004. Refugees International has a history of the displaced Kurds and the Al-Taash refugee camp.
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The Desert Strike FRG site also reports that "members of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division currently serving in Iraq donned their unit “combat patches” in battalion-level ceremonies during the last week of December... The patches, officially called Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, Former Wartime Service, are authorized for units who serve in hostile fire zones. 2nd BCT Soldiers may now wear the 2nd Infantry Division unit patch on their right shoulder to indicate they served with 2nd Infantry Division in Iraq."

Quotes from 2nd BCT Commander Col. Gary S. Patton:
“Like your forefathers before you, you now wear the distinctive 2ID Indianhead combat patch, marking you forever as a member in the long line of Warrior Division combat veterans,” said Col. Gary S. Patton, brigade commander, to his troops during a Dec. 26 ceremony at Camp Corregidor, Iraq. “Today, you join the ranks of the First Rock veterans who parachute assaulted onto Corregidor Island as U.S. forces liberated the oppressed citizens of the Philippines during World War II,” said Patton. “I am very proud of what you have accomplished here in Iraq in four months of combat, patrolling the streets of Ramadi and helping to secure what was formerly a terrorist stronghold. You have done it all and done it well. Wear your Indianhead combat patch proudly. You have earned it.”

Note: "Camp Corregidor" is the name of the recently built base near Combat Outpost in Ramadi that was the former site of an agricultural college. Also, I had to look it up, and it's pronounced "ke-reg-ih-dor", or "kar-reh-he-dor" in Filipino.
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Other articles from the region:
- USA Today: Iraqi candidates craving coverage
- NY Times (reg req'd): U.S. May Add Advisers to Aid Iraq's Military