2BCT on 2nd deployment to Iraq

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division is back in Iraq, with most of the brigade in the vicinity of Baghdad, including Sadr City, and one battalion (1/9 INF) back in Ramadi. This 2nd deployment began in Oct 2006. Early details of the deployment are provided by the Colorado Springs Gazette.

The official web-site and Family Readiness Group site is www.carson.army.mil/2BCT/.

Since my brother has left the brigade for another assignment, this blog will not be updated for this 2nd deployment. If anyone is interested in taking over the role here of providing centralized news links, I will gladly turn over all administration control.

To the soldiers of the 2BCT, Godspeed on this 2nd tour, stay safe, and stay strong.

Articles 12.1.2005 - 12.17.2005

By all accounts, the election in Ramadi was a large success. ( and on a personal note, this is the most optimistic update on Ramadi that I recall ever having posted in the 15 month life of this blog, although, sadly, 6 soldiers and Marines have been killed in Ramadi and Habbaniyah this month.)

A Multi-National Force Iraq Press Release discusses the turnout in Ramadi and the Anbar Province: "In the provincial capital of Ramadi, where only several thousand citizens took part in the [October] Referendum, tens of thousands of voters lined the streets to vote today. Residents were observed dancing, singing and waving the Iraqi flag in a rare display of national pride. Members of both the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police provided security throughout the city while Coalition Forces remained largely on the outskirts in the event they were needed for an emergency. It is still too early to tell what percentage of voters in the city actually voted, but the numbers are expected to be much higher than they were during the Referendum."

"No one can look at what happened in Al Anbar today and still deny progress is being made," said [General] Williams. "Overall, attacks against local citizens and Iraqi and Coalition Forces are down, voter turnout is much higher than before and the people are finally beginning to see the fruitlessness of supporting the insurgency. Credit has to also be given to the bravery of Governor Ma’moun, Governor of Al-Anbar Province, to encourage his Sunni population to vote through their tribal leaders’ encouragement. While we still have a long way to go, we have made remarkable strides since last January’s elections, and now have the potential to establish a real measure of order and security in the Province."
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Columnist Oliver North is back in the city with the 3/7 Marines and has his trademark positive outlook: "The election began at 7 a.m. with a bang, and the Marines were ready. They responded to the improvised explosive device (IED) and afterwards, for a time, the streets were nearly empty. But imams, sheiks and local leaders urged people to get out and vote, and because they did, the turnout was dramatic. One local imam told his followers, “God will bless you with a great life if you go out and vote.” That and similar messages were broadcast from mosques all around town. At the end of this historic day, there was not a sound of gunfire, but instead, as the polls closed, there was a call to prayer. It was even an occasion for celebration as the neighborhood children were out in the streets, after dark, playing soccer with equipment that was given to them by Americans in uniform." He concludes that "it is that kind of steady, persistent progress that American troops are making over here that accounted for the successful election today."
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A 5th "disruption" offensive (Operation Shank) was conducted in Ramadi during the lead-up to the election. According to the release, "The operation primarily involved targeted raids conducted by Iraqi Army soldiers and U.S. Forces against insurgent safe houses in the area. The raids resulted in the detention of four suspected members of Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) who were held for questioning." A 6th offensive (Operation Rams) resulted "in four weapons caches seized and at least five arrests." A 7th offensive (Operation Skinner) "netted four weapons caches and several detainees, and also two command-initiated rocket systems designed to ambush passing convoys in central Ramadi. U.S. officials also said the troops had discovered a “bomb-making factory” in the main shopping district. That discovery yielded artillery and mortar rounds, timers and remote detonators, a Marine official said."
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Reuters had an article on 12.6.2005 claiming "undreds of families have fled Ramadi, capital of the western Anbar Province, amidst fierce fighting between US military forces and Iraqi insurgents, according to aid agencies." However, US officials said the incidents were minor, including one rocket launched at a US base. A separate Reuters article discusses the voter turnout: "The demand for ballot papers suggests turnout in the province will be far higher than the two percent recorded in the January 30 vote for an interim assembly, when most Sunni Arabs stayed at home because they opposed the ballot or were too scared to vote."
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An Institute of War & Peace Reporting article discussed the determination of the Sunni Arabs to vote in the election. A Reuters article discusses how guerilla fighters were also urging citizens to vote.
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The New York Times (reg req'd) reports that security for the election in Ramadi was left predominantly up to Iraqi forces. Key quotes:
- "In the elections for an interim government in January, the percentage of registered voters who went to the polls in Ramadi was close to nil. Turnout in October's constitutional referendum was not much better, with only about 2,000 people - in a city of roughly 290,000 residents - casting ballots. Most of those were poll workers and Iraqi Army soldiers from other places."
- "American military officials say security in Ramadi appears to be improving, if marginally, and a series of small sweeps here recently uncovered dozens of arms caches. Officers with the Second Brigade combat team, which oversees security in greater Ramadi, say they have seen a drop in the frequency of road bombs, mortar attacks and small arms fire in the last two months. Several thousand Iraqi Army troops have arrived in Ramadi this year to complement the American forces."
- "In an indication of an improving political climate, walls in Ramadi are, for the first time, plastered with campaign posters. Locally hired poll workers, in defiance of death threats, took ballots to polling places on Wednesday in flatbed trucks unaccompanied by security guards."
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Reuters reported that one prominent Sunni candidate was killed while campaining in Ramadi, during the run up to the election.
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A Marine Corps News Release reports that Cpt. Patrick Rapicault, of the 2/5 Marines, was awarded a posthumous Silver Star. According to the report, "As company commander, Rapicault led his Marines through 50 firefights and 27 improvised explosive device ambushes between the time he took command of the unit and until he was killed Nov. 15, 2004. [...] Despite being the first Marine wounded in his Battalion and his company suffering the heaviest casualties during the street fighting, Captain Rapicault always displayed an infectious enthusiasm that motivated every Marine to fight hard and recover quickly from battle." His widowed wife accepted the medal on his behalf.
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A separate Marine Corp News Release reports on a high level general visiting the 3/7 Marines in Ramadi. One key quote: "He went on to say that U.S. forces might be ready to hand over all of Ramadi to the Iraqis by the end of 2nd BCT’s tour this coming summer. But if the Iraqis aren’t ready by then, they’ll most certainly be strong enough for American forces to leave the city following year, he added."
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A DoD News Article discusses how local citizens turned over a wanted terrorist in Ramadi. According to the article, "Amir Khalaf Fanus -- listed third on a "high-value individuals" list of terrorists wanted by the 28th Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team -- was wanted for criminal activities including murder and kidnapping. Ramadi citizens brought him to an Iraqi and U.S. forces military base in Ramadi, where he was taken into custody."
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A Sundbury Daily Item article discusses the duties of Army snipers with the 3/103rd Armor presently in Ramadi. A separate article also discusses the sniper teams.
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The official website of the 2nd BCT, 28th ID is at ironsoldiers.army.mil. The site contains pictures and newsletters.
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The Ft. Carson Mountaineer Newsletter reports that Col Gary Patton turned over command of the 2nd BCT, 2nd ID to Col. Jeffrey Bannister. The report also indicated that the 2nd BCT is slated for a National Training Center rotation in summer, 2006.
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globalsecurity.org indicates that 4 soldiers and 2 Marines have been killed in Ramadi and Habbaniyah in December. Our hearts go out to their families.

Articles 11.22.2005 - 11.30.2005

The Lufkin Daily News, TX, reports that a scholarship at Sam Houston State University has been established in the memory of SFC Todd Gibbs, of the 1-506th, who was killed in Khalidiyah in December, 2004. SFC Gibbs was a graduate of Sam Houston State, and the Todd Gibbs Memorial Scholarship will be based in the school's criminal justice department.
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Updates on Ramadi:

The Washington Post reports on a meeting in Ramadi between Marines and Sunni tribal leaders. The article described the meeting as "the largest meeting yet between those suspected of supporting the Iraqi insurgency and the U.S. forces battling them." The Sunni's wanted withdrawal, and "We're committed to withdrawing," responded Brig. Gen. James L. Williams of the 2nd Marine Division, "as soon as we have strong units" in the Iraqi army to replace U.S.-led forces."
A few quotes:
- "[General] Williams said he had discussed the planned gathering since July with Mamoun Sami Rashid Alwani, the third governor of Anbar to take office so far this year. One of Rashid Alwani's predecessors was killed in a U.S. firefight with insurgents; the other quit after his sons were kidnapped.
- "The American pitch was simple: Encourage tribal members to join the military, so that Iraq's national forces can build to a strength that would allow U.S. forces to withdraw, and to discourage attacks on American and Iraqi forces. The Anbar elders' demands were equally straightforward: Allow the tribes to build up their own army division for Anbar. Leave, and the attacks will stop."
- "Thus prodded, Marines and tribal leaders reached an agreement: Anbar's elders would come up with a plan that would satisfy U.S. conditions for security and allow U.S. troops to pull out of Ramadi, and Williams would try to pitch it to Baghdad. Despite the disconnect, both sides had gotten across enough of their points to satisfy, at least to a degree."

The St. George Daily Spectrum, UT has an article on the 2nd Bn, 22nd Field Artillery of the Utah National Guard, which is based at Camp Blue Diamond near Ramadi. A few quotes:
- "Coalition civil affairs units have had key successes restoring telephone and Internet service to the city (the insurgents had cut the lines), and re-opening a glass factory that was one of Ramadi's major employers and is now again providing 2,300 jobs."
- "It's also clear from military statements that coalition forces have accelerated the "ops-tempo" around Ramadi in the last couple of months, mounting a series of local operations to destroy the insurgent network and clean out the toughest sections of the city. Operation Mountaineers in October, then Operations Panther, Bruins and Bowie, and now Operation Tigers, have essentially merged into a continuous push."

Articles 11.21.2005

The Stars & Stripes has an article on operations in Ramadi, including Operation Bruins. Several quotes:
- "U.S. and Iraqi forces have launched "disruption operations" in northern Ramadi, seeking to dislodge insurgents in one of the most heavily entrenched cities in Anbar province. Some 150 Iraqi soldiers and 300 Marines and soldiers assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Marine Division launched Operation Bruins late Saturday, officials said. The operation is "part of a series of disruption operations in Ramadi and is designed to set the conditions for successful elections in December."
- "But U.S. officials said Operation Bruins was part of a larger string, including Operation Panthers, which targeted the Sophia district of eastern Ramadi. Bruins also follows a Nov. 17 incident, not reported at the time, in which U.S. forces fended off an attack and said they killed 32 insurgents in a downtown battle. While violence flares in the city, U.S. officials say attacks against Iraqi and U.S. troops in the city have decreased 60 percent over the past month."

Articles 10.26.2005 - 11.21.2005

KKTV News, CO, the Army Times and the Colorado Springs Gazette report that a 2nd BCT Soldiers was killed during a fight at Ft. Carson. Spc Piotr Szczypka, died Friday, 11.11.2005, after being struck with a fireplace poker by Spc. Timothy Parker of the 3rd BCT. The two had gotten in an argument outside of an apartment complex. Spc. Parker has been charged with 2nd Degree Murder. Spc Szczypka was 21 years old. According to the AP, his family emigrated from Poland in 1999. He served with B Company of the 44th Eng in Iraq. Our hearts go out to his family.
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The Winona Daily News, WI, has an article on a Veteran's Day tribute at a school. One of the honored soldiers was Sgt. Andrew Bossart, of the 44th Eng. Sgt. Bossart was killed by a car bomb on 3.7.2005 in Ramadi. His family established a scholarship in his name to be given to basketball players "who exemplifies the qualities Andy Bossert possessed: "teamwork, leadership, confidence, pride, integrity and honor."
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The Fresno Bee (reg req'd) has an article on a former 2nd BCT Soldier scheduled to return to Iraq. Cpt. Charles Romero was a battle captain with the 2nd BCT HHC at camp Ramadi (according to the stars & Stripes). He began training Iraqi soldiers in April 2005. Cpt. Romero is presently with an unspecified Hawaii-based unit, and expects to return to Iraq next summer.
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the Daily Item, PA, has a reporter embedded with National Guard troops in Ramadi. He regularly reports on the newspaper's web-site, and also has a personal blog and picture gallery. One of the articles describes upgrades at Camp Corregidor, Ramadi. Many of the National Guard Soldiers at the base have professional construction skills, which have proved invaluable in improving the Camp. The camp now has indoor heated showers, improved electrical systems, satellite dishes, a kitchen, and a small store operated by an Iraqi citizen. There are still no indoor toilets or a PX. Other articles describe various missions.
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The Fayette County Review has an article on A National Guard soldier on leave from Iraq who describes his impressions of the currect situation in Ramadi. WCAX News, VT, has an article describing NG Soldier's duties at Observation Posts in Ramadi.
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The Gulf Times, Qatar, reports that the woman who confessed to an attempted suicide bombing in Jordan last week came from Ramadi. In the article, Ramadi citizens describe their reactions, which were dominated by "doubts and disgust."
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In a NY Times (reg req'd) article on the pace of reconstruction, officials describe reconstruction in the Anbar province:
-"In Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province in western Iraq, virtually all Iraqi contractors are being brought in from other cities, primarily Baghdad, because local people in those roles have been tracked down and killed."
-"In Anbar, many projects have slowed or stopped because of insurgent attacks, Brig. Gen. James L. Williams of the Second Marine Division in Ramadi, the capital, said in an interview last month. General Williams said work had stopped on 19 projects. A spokeswoman for the American military in the province, Maj. Juliet Chelkowski, said the projects represented a "small slice" of the projects in Anbar, but General Williams said attacks had affected a large number of projects there. Mr. Speckhard said that $300 million had been spent in Anbar and that the projects "had not had trouble."
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The Department of Defense announced that 2 National Guard Soldiers of the 2nd BCT, 28th ID were killed by enemy forces using small arms fire in Khalidiyah on 11.10.2005. Our hearts go out to their families.

Articles 10.18.2005 - 10.25.2005

CNN.com reports that the Iraqi draft constitution passed. Only two provinces voted no by having at least 2/3 of voters voting no. According to the article, "The western province of Anbar -- with a large Sunni population -- overwhelmingly voted against the document, with a "no" vote of 96 percent. In Salaheddin province, 82 percent rejected the charter."
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The NY Times (reg req'd) has a lengthy feature on the current situation in Ramadi titled "Unseen Enemy Is at Its Fiercest in a Sunni City." Several Marines of the 3/7 Marines are quoted. Several quotes from the article:
- "Here in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, Sunni Arab insurgents are waging their fiercest war against American troops, attacking with relative impunity just blocks from Marine-controlled territory. Every day, the Americans fight to hold their turf in a war against an enemy who seems to be everywhere but is not often seen. The cost has been high: in the last six weeks, 21 Americans have been killed here, far more than in any other city in Iraq and double the number of deaths in Baghdad, a city with a population 15 times as large."
- "Ramadi is an important indicator of just how long it may be before an American withdrawal.The city has long been a haven for insurgents, but it has never fallen fully into enemy hands, as Falluja did last fall, when marines could not even patrol before an invasion in November. Senior commanders here will not rule out a full invasion, but for now, the checkpoints and street patrols continue. [...] Still, more than two years after the American invasion, this city of 400,000 people is just barely within American control. The deputy governor of Anbar was shot to death on Tuesday; the day before, the governor's car was fired on. There is no police force. A Baghdad cellphone company has refused to put up towers here. American bases are regularly pelted with rockets and mortar shells, and when troops here get out of their vehicles to patrol, they are almost always running."
- "Commanders remain hopeful that Iraqi soldiers will soon be able to take full responsibility for the city. The number of Iraqi Army soldiers here has doubled in recent months. A city council has begun to work, and a local police force is being trained. But the relentlessness of the insurgent violence here ties the American units to the streets, forcing them to focus on the fight."
- "The vast majority of Americans killed here since September have been victims of homemade bombs, what the military calls improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.'s. Sgt. William Callahan, a member of the bomb disposal team stationed with the Third Battalion, estimated that troops hit four such bombs a day in Ramadi. Most do not result in death or serious injury. Almost all are remotely detonated, which means someone is hiding in wait for coming vehicles."
- "Snipers are a constant plague. In one area of the city, snipers have hit four Americans since late August, and soldiers were obliged to set up blast walls for security for a polling center there last week in the dark. A law school in eastern Ramadi had to be shut down because sniper attacks were coming from it at night."
- "The line between civilians and insurgents is blurry in Ramadi. In a twist that sets it apart from other violent cities, insurgents usually do not attack civilians in large groups. There have been no suicide bombings in recent memory, and I.E.D.'s are rarely placed close to houses. Insurgents have left alone American projects that deliver services that locals want, like the installation of 18 transformers last month for more power. And when the streets empty out, the Americans know an attack is imminent."
- "The most immediate way forward, military commanders here agree, is training and deploying more Iraqi soldiers. Of the seven battalions in Ramadi, three are in eastern Ramadi with their own territory to patrol, said Maj. William R. Fall, the Iraqi Security Force coordinator. Still, only about a company and a half is based inside the central and western parts of the city.
Officers said Iraqi soldiers had vastly improved over the past year. The day of the referendum here was violent, with mortar and rocket-propelled grenade attacks raining down on many of the stations. But Iraqi soldiers stayed at their positions and returned fire when under attack, marines near the sites reported."

Articles 10.7.2005 - 10.17.2005

The Australian reports that " A higher than expected turnout by Sunni voters appears to have failed to stop passage of Iraq's draft constitution, with early counts suggesting a yes vote in all but two of the country's 18 provinces." (The AP indicates that it would take 2/3 of voters in 3 provinces voting no to defeat the measure). CNN.com reports that "Most Shiite and Kurdish-dominated provinces were running heavily in favor of the constitution. Anbar province around Ramadi was expected to strongly reject it, as was Salahaddin province, which contains Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, "with partial results pointing to a clear win for the new constitution." Overall, an estimated 63% of eligible voters participated, compared with 58% in the January 2005 elections.

A DoD news article reports that "terrorists caused no major disruptions at the polls in Anbar province." However, several separate coalition actions were reported across the Anbar province that killed an estimated 70 insurgents. In one incident, an F-15 pilot launched a precision guided bond after witnessing 20 men placing an IED in the exact crater in which a separate IED killed 5 servicemen just days earlier. In a separate incident, coalition forces responded to a small-arms attack against the government building in Ramadi. The Washington Post reports on condradictions between the DoD report and accounts from local citizens, who claim many of the casualties were civilians.

The AP indicated that "Though insurgent attacks were few in most of the country on voting day, Ramadi — a stronghold for insurgents — saw violence. Six mortar rounds hit the Hall of Sports, a facility being used as a voting center, then clashes erupted between gunmen and U.S. troops in the city’s center. It was not known if the five soldiers’ deaths were connected to this incident." Reuters reports that "Residents reported heavy gunfire and clashes in central and eastern parts of" Ramadi on Sunday, and says "U.S. forces have conducted a series of operations against insurgents around Ramadi and areas to the west over the past three weeks to try to bring better security ahead of the referendum." A CPIC news release reports that 24 suspected insurgents were detained and 12 killed in Ramadi on 10.15.2005 when "Coalition Forces conducted a series of raids Friday on suspected terrorist safe houses to capture terrorists operating near the town of Ramadi." Several weapons caches were also detained.
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An MNF-Iraq press release reports that 11 Soldiers and Marines have been killed in Ramadi in October. 5 soldiers were killed in an IED attack on 10.15.2005. Our hearts go out to their families.