Soldier Killed in Collision (Revised contact information)

[seruriermarshal]

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Soldier Killed in Collision (Revised contact information)


BAGHDAD, Iraq - A 16th Military Police Brigade Soldier was killed in an accidental collision between the Soldier's Humvee and a U.S. tank southwest of Baghdad around 10:15 p.m. May 9.

The Soldier was transported to the 31st Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, where he later died of his injuries.

The Humvee's gunner was transported to a nearby field hospital for a precautionary medical check and was returned to duty.



1st Infantry Division Soldier Killed by IED

TIKRIT, Iraq - One 1st Infantry Division Soldier was killed and another Soldier was wounded when an improvised explosive device exploded during a patrol near Samarra on May 8 at about 9:30 a.m. The Soldiers were conducting an IED sweep when the attack occurred. The Soldiers were evacuated to the 67th Combat Support Hospital. The names of the Soldiers are being withheld pending the notification of the next of kin. The incident is under investigation.



One Task Force Olympia Soldier Dies from Small Arms Fire Attack
MOSUL, Iraq - One Task Force Olympia Soldier died May 10 from injuries following a small-arms-fire attack on a patrol in western Mosul. The Soldier was evacuated but later died of wounds at the combat support hospital in Mosul. The deceased Soldier's name is withheld pending notification of next of kin. Task Force Olympia extends heartfelt condolences to the Soldier's family.




REGIMENTAL PRAYER

Almighty, merciful, and loving Father,
you are the one who hears all our prayers and grants our petitions.

We ask you to remember, as we do,
the tremendous sacrifice made by those who went before us.
They have given their lives so that we might live and breathe freely.
We ask you to receive them into your hands.

Father, give us the strength and wisdom to learn from their example,
to uphold freedom and life at home and around the world.

Keep us vigilant as we guard the frontiers of freedom.

Give our leaders the wisdom and the strength to lead well.

Grant all of us courage and confidence.
Be, for all of us, troopers, a wise counsel in keeping peace
and a strong shield for us against our enemies.
Oh heavenly Father, give us the determination
that the peace and freedom won at such a high price be lasting!

Father, hold all of the troopers in the palm of your almighty hand
and protect them in the shadow of your wings.

Amen.

[seruriermarshal]

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Anti-Coalition Forces Killed in East Baghdad


BAGHDAD, Iraq — Task Force Baghdad Soldiers killed 16 anti-Coalition insurgents starting late May 9 in eight separate engagements in the Thawra district here.

Fourteen of the insurgents were members of rocket-propelled grenade launcher teams, one was part of a mortar team engaging a Coalition base, and the final one was killed when he fired on a Coalition patrol.

During one incident, anti-Coalition forces fired RPGs wildly at Coalition troops, missing and hitting a building across the street.

“This is an example of how [insurgents] fire at us: with wanton disregard for collateral damage,” said Col. Robert “Abe” Abrams, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, which is responsible for the security of the Thawra district. “Our forces use precision fire for the sole purpose of eliminating the risk to innocent people and reducing collateral damage. The anti-Coalition forces do not.”

Beginning around 10:30 p.m. May 9, Coalition patrols began encountering RPG teams. In five separate engagements over the next two hours, six RPG gunners were killed after firing on task force troops.

A mortar team was spotted firing on a Coalition base around 1:30 a.m. May 10. Coalition troops killed the mortar crewman and destroyed his vehicle.

Ten minutes later, a coalition patrol encountered two trucks carrying eight RPG gunmen. The patrol engaged the enemy, killing all eight and destroying the two trucks.

The final incident occurred around 4 a.m., when a task force patrol came under small arms fire. The patrol returned fire, killing the shooter.

No Coalition force casualties or damage to vehicles or equipment were reported. The fighting followed five engagements Sunday that resulted in the deaths of 19 insurgents.




Fallujah Brigade Provides Route Security for Marines Meeting with City Officials


CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq -- With the 1st Battalion of the Fallujah Brigade providing security all along their route, Marines from the I Marine Expeditionary Force traveled into downtown Fallujah May 10 to meet with city officials.

The commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, Maj. Gen. James N. Mattis, met with Mahmood Ibraheem Al Jurasi, Fallujah's mayor, and a group of tribal sheiks to discuss plans to rebuild and revitalize the city.

The Fallujah Brigade established security conditions facilitating freedom of movement for the Marine convoy. Brigade officers participated in the operational planning for the convoy. Marines took no hostile fire during their time in the city on May 10. Fallujans reportedly waved to them as they made their way in and out of the city.

Marine officials say freedom of movement in Fallujah is crucial to the city's rebuilding and revitalization efforts. Greater access to the city will accelerate contracting, engineering, fiscal and employment initiatives for Fallujah, they said.

Officials said continued cooperation between Marine units and the Fallujah Brigade is an important element in the way ahead. Officials added that teamwork like this serves notice to those who violently oppose stability in Iraq: they are nothing more than unwanted barriers on the road to a truly free Iraq.



Improvements on tap for Fallujah, Al Kharma

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - Marines will soon start the Fallujah Outreach Center Project designed to train and employ more than 80 young Iraqis in such trades as plumbing, electrical work and construction work.

The center will be built north of the Fallujah Liaison Team building using materials and equipment from local businesses and vendors.

Employment for Fallujans continues to climb. Since the end of offensive operations, 1,700 Iraqis are employed in the Fallujah Brigade and another 138 are employed in locally contracted projects. Projects yet to be started will boost that number by another 205.

Marines also attended the Al Kharma City meeting. Visits were put on hold during offensive operations last month. Marines paid the Al Kharma youth director $10,000 to start construction on the Al Kharma Youth Center.

The Al Kharma sanitation director said improvements to the city's sanitation system would begin May 12. Additionally, the city's water director would submit bids May 12 for a project to bring potable water to seven outlying villages.

THE WAY AHEAD: The 1st Marine Division is focused on destroying anti-Coalition Forces in the Al Anbar province while establishing a patient, persistent presence in the key areas throughout the province. Marines will support the development of competent, trustworthy, Iraqi Security Forces and conduct civil military operations.



3rd Brigade Combat Team Completes Al-Hather School
Baghdad -- An opening ceremony for the Al-Hather Secondary School in southern Baghdad took place May 7, marking the completion of United States-funded renovations to the school.

The $57,500 renovation had been under way since late March, said 2nd Lt. Stephen Jaworski, Emergency Response Program coordinator for the 161st Infantry's 1st Battalion.

The school will serve more than 700 students and have a staff of 30 teachers, Jaworski said.

"The future lives by the students," said Majid Mohammed, chief consulting engineer in charge of the renovation. "The students here in Iraq, in all the days before, were neglected by the government."

Al-Hather is one of 16 schools in the Diyala district of southern Baghdad that have drawn from a pool of $500 million that has been allocated to the First Team's 3rd Brigade Combat Team for reconstruction efforts in the region.

Renovations to the school included a thorough cleaning of the grounds, painting and finishing work, installation of new bathrooms, running water, electrical wiring, and the construction of an exterior wall.

Local craftsmen were hired for the project.

"It also gives a sense of pride to the neighborhood," Jaworski added. "The next thing we're looking at are desks, chalkboards, and books."

Jaworski works closely with the Diyala District Area Council (DAC), a group of community leaders, helping to prioritize and organize projects for Diyala's reconstruction and modernization requirements.

Besides education, the Diyala DAC is also working towards other projects such as a working sewer system.

"If there's a worthwhile project, we don't seem to have any problems getting funding for it," he said.

[seruriermarshal]

Iraqi Police, Coalition Forces Conduct Raids in Mosul


MOSUL, Iraq - More than 50 Iraqi police officers conducted three simultaneous cordon-and-knock operations in southwest Mosul May 7 to attempt to capture three people wanted for attacking Iraqi police in the Tal Ar Ruman neighborhood a week earlier.

Task Force Olympia supported the raid by establishing the cordon around each targeted location.

The operation, planned by the Iraqi police with Coalition assistance, began with police and Soldiers gathering at an undisclosed location to rehearse each team's movements during the raids.

Following the rehearsals, the police and Coalition Soldiers moved to their respective locations. The Soldiers established the "cordons" by securing the perimeter of each target area, and the Iraqi police immediately moved in to begin the "knock" operation.

Within one hour, the police searched all targeted areas and detained four individuals, including one of the suspected attackers. Police seized three AK-47 assault rifles, and other weapons.

After 60 minutes, the Iraqi police completed the operation and left all search areas. No Iraqi police or Coalition Soldiers were injured in the operation.



Italians Renovate School Near An Nasiriyah

AN NASIRIYAH, Iraq - The 6th Italian Air Force detachment, part of the Italian joint task force, recently helped renovate a school in Al Zahiira, a village of about 3,000 people near An Nasiriyah.

The Italian civilian-military cooperation center in An Nasiriayh financed the project, which was completed by a local contractor under the direction of Italian Air Force engineers.

Brig. Gen. Gian Marco Chiarini, Italian joint task force commander, re-opened the school in a ceremony with village leaders. The school now has eight large classrooms, a playground, modern conveniences, and a new roof so students can stay in class even when it rains.

Village leaders thanked the Italians for their help, giving special thanks to General Chiarini for keeping an eye on the problems in the province. General Chiarini said promoting the children's education is very important to developing the community.

After the ceremony, the 6th Italian Air Force detachment distributed humanitarian goods, ranging from food to clothes, to stationery and other school equipment, all donated by the Italian city of Catania, and transported to Iraq by an Italian military flight.

Also, an Italian special infantry unit of the 11th "Bersaglieri" Regiment donated 300 schoolbags to the school children. The Italians plan to distribute other humanitarian goods to Iraqi villages in the Dhi Gar province in the coming weeks.



Civil Affairs Team Improving Life in Central Baghdad
By Spc. Jan Critchfield
122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A loan of nearly $2.5 million to a local Iraqi entrepreneur by the 478th Civil Affairs Battalion is expected to increase food production here, as well as create more jobs for the local populace.

Karadah district businessman Abdul Wahid Al-Sa'ady currently owns a plastics factory and hopes to use the loan to diversify into food production service similar to the one he ran before the 1991 Iraq War. The loan should double the number of Al-Sa'ady's employees and improve the local economy, according to Capt. George Angle, assistant team leader for Team 3, B Company, 478th Civil Affairs Battalion. He added there is another benefit to stimulating the local economy: it offers an alternative to violence.

Al-Sa'ady is one of Karadah's most successful businessmen. One issue facing him is that squatters have taken over some of his factory buildings, occupying space that could be used by his food production business. Al-Sa'ady's proposed solution is to construct an apartment complex to house the families staying in his buildings.

In addition to working with local leaders in the Karadah district on improving the economy, the 478th recently arranged a donation of fire-resistant suits and helmets to the Karadah Fire Department. Currently, the 478th is in the process of assessing the needs of one of only three maternity hospitals that operate in Iraq, and is working with the Overseas Disaster Humanitarian Civic Assistance Fund to meet the hospital's needs.

The 478th also works with area schools, delivering donations of books and school supplies. Angle said improving area schools will have huge implications for the future of Iraq.

"Literacy is paramount to any culture," he said. "With the new democracy it is very important for everyone to be able to read and understand such a document [as the new Iraqi constitution]. This is a wonderful opportunity to be here and help the Iraqi people."