5th Special Forces Group/101st Airborne rotate in/out...

[NcDeuce]

More and more 101st Airborne Divison troops are pouring in from overseas. 5th SFG is rotating its battalions. It is a happy time for most of the men & women at Campbell...here are a few articles that have come in the past couple days.




Injured soldier lives 'minute by minute'

By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle

One would never know Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Briscoe lost his right arm in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq last year because he spends most of his time uplifting others with his positive attitude.

He says he's just thankful to be alive.

"A lot of guys said 'you're one tough guy,' but I know where my strength came from," Briscoe told the congregation at the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church on Market Street Sunday. It was his first day back to the church since he left for the Middle East in September.

"God brought me through it by sending an angel ... either through a card or a letter. I used to live life year by year, now I live it minute by minute," Briscoe said.

The 5th Special Forces Group radio man nearly lost his life Oct. 31 when his team of nine men was hit by enemy fire in western Iraq near the Syrian border. He now wears a prosthetic arm that is controlled with the muscles in his back and right shoulder. He keeps his left arm in a modified sling.

Briscoe will undergo more surgeries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., in the next few weeks to finish repairs to his left arm that was broken and received nerve damage.

Briscoe's wife, Beverly, and their three children are doing fine, the couple said, and they are expecting a fourth child next month. When Mrs. Briscoe found out her husband was wounded, her initial response was shock.

"It took a while to get used to it because they said he hurt his arms," Beverly Briscoe said. "It wasn't until I finally was able to talk to him and he told me what happened. I don't think I really believed it until I saw him."

Although Joseph Briscoe, 36, occasionally has his bad days, it is the support of the community that helps the couple deal with the change.

He says he'd like to serve his remaining three years before retiring from the Army with 20 years. He has been with 5th Group for six years.

The Rev. Jimmy Terry said he wanted Joseph Briscoe to tell his story to church members because it showed what strength people can gain through faith in Jesus Christ.

"I didn't want him to come here and not celebrate," Terry said. "We wanted to rejoice because it could've been a funeral."

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Joseph Briscoe hugs a fellow member of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church on his first Sunday back since his return from Iraq. Briscoe has been at Walter Reed Army Medical Center recovering from injuries he received Oct. 31 in Iraq.

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Joseph Briscoe, second from left, holds his daughter Inaya, 2, and is surrounded by his family, including his sister Jane Couch, left, wife Beverly and daughters Ebony, 12, and Tatiana, 8, at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church's worship services Sunday.

One helluva soldier. I hope more of you younger forum members take note of this, when you see some CNN report saying 7 soldiers or whatever have been wounded, it usually means the injuries include lost limbs and such. Hats off to this man!!!

[NcDeuce]

'Bastogne Brigade' has long, respected history

First Brigade, also known as "Bastogne," is the historic 327th Infantry Regiment. The three battalions are called respectively, "Above the Rest," "No Slack" and "Battle Force." The regiment traces its history to the 164th Infantry Brigade of the 82nd Infantry Division in 1917 at Fort Gordon, Ga.

In addition to its most recent deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the "Bastogne" brigade has been involved in three conflicts and one peacekeeping mission: World War I, Vietnam, Southwest Asia and Haiti.

In northern Iraq, soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team and its battalions caught hundreds of Iraqi insurgents and seized thousands of weapons and ammunition while on organized patrols and other missions.

Just after the the war started, the brigade suffered its first casualties for the division in Kuwait March 23, when a fellow soldier tossed grenades into three tents, killing two and injuring 15 others.

Once the brigade left Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait, a few days later, it took three days for hundreds of vehicles to cross the barren Iraqi desert. The battalions took up temporary homes in and around An Najaf -- about 50 miles south of Baghdad.

Once the city was secured enough for the Marines to take over, the brigade made its way in late April farther north toward Mosul, where it has been since.


TOTAL RETURN

As of Sunday, 2,835 division soldiers have returned to Fort Campbell since Jan. 7.

RETURNING SOON

The following schedule is subject to frequent changes and delays.

Today, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment.

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327th comes home

By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle

The final Sunday touchdown of the commercial airplane "Freedom Bird" with more than 200 soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment was sweet.

Not only was it the initial group of 327th soldiers returning from a nearly one-year deployment in Iraq, but the troops' homecoming came after agonizing delays.

First in Mosul, the airfield came under fire twice, which stopped the unit's military flight to Kuwait. The flight was postponed from a Saturday evening arrival to an early Sunday morning landing that was also delayed a couple of hours. Then the plane's first landing attempt failed as the pilot appeared to have come in too high and too fast on the approach to Campbell Army Airfield because of the rainy weather.

But once on the tarmac, family members forgot the long wait and cheered, waved American flags and held banners. The unit's remaining soldiers should return within the next few weeks.

Sunday was the first time Capt. Joseph Cimato, commander of Company C, was able to hold his son, Jackson, after being gone for 11 months.

"We had a real tough time coming home because we had rocket attacks at Mosul. But this is great," Cimato said as he looked around at hundreds of people welcoming the soldiers home in Hangar 2.

Cimato said his unit saw increased attacks in the past two months in northern Iraq, but the soldiers had to continue with the mission. "We just focused one day at a time and tried not to think about all that was going on (at home)," he said.

As for fatherhood, he had no idea what to expect. "I've only held one other baby before -- my niece," he said as he bounced 10-month-old Jackson on his shoulders. "But I think I'm picking up pretty quick."

Catherine Cimato had waited for Sunday's homecoming the 11 months her husband was away, and she wasn't sure how her son was going to take to his daddy.

"I was afraid he'd have stranger anxiety, but I'm so glad he's such a people person, just like his father," she said.

The transition to civilian life will be a little bit smoother for Capt. Cimato, his wife said, once he gets delivery of a motorcycle he ordered online while in Iraq.

"Now he gets to see his new son, new truck and his new Harley-Davidson," she said.

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Capt. Joseph Cimato kisses his wife, Catherine, while she keeps an eye on their 10-month-old son, Jackson, who enjoyed having his dad around for the first time. Cimato is Company C commander of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment and was with the first wave of 1st Brigade troops to arrive at Fort Campbell Sunday.

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Sgt. Jeffrey Stiger, 42, shaves near his truck, which sports the sentiment of the 101st Airborne as they start their trek home from Iraq.

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Medics with 86th hospital exercise combat triage skills
Trauma team from Vandy teams with post soldiers

By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle

The battle-tested medics of 86th Combat Support Hospital showcased their combat triage knowledge in a training exercise at Fort Campbell Monday before a scrutinizing audience -- a trauma team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

The recent partnership between Vanderbilt and the 86th has linked the military and civilian medical worlds where the professionals can glean insights from one another.

For the exercise, the soldiers were made up to have realistic-looking injuries often found on the battlefield such as gunshots, shrapnel and head wounds, explosive burns and missing limbs.

The 86th teams then rushed the moaning casualties to trucks, and after a brief evaluation, carried them on gurneys into tents.

"This is exactly what happens in the real world," said Maj. Rob Harmon, R.N. "We put the worst (injured) patients in the back of the tent so they can be taken to the emergency room."

The 86th, the most deployed Army medical unit since the first Gulf War, recently returned from Iraq. The mobile hospital is designed to set up a fully functional medical facility in 72 hours anywhere in the world. In Iraq, the 86th treated more than 1,100 patients.

"I absolutely believe we delivered trauma care to soldiers in Iraq that's equal to or better than any hospital in the U.S.," said Col. Harry Warren, 86th commander.

The tents are set up to keep the flow of casualties moving depending on their level of needed care. A surgical center tent with state-of-the-art equipment and sterile medical instruments is also available.

For Sgt. Stephanie Hoffar, the training just reinforces what she learned in Iraq.

"Actually being over there, you don't have time to react, but here you get to stop and be taught inside our scope (of knowledge)," she said.

Because Vanderbilt is one of the premier medical centers in the country, Dr. Jeffrey Guy, the burn unit's director, said he sees similar kinds of trauma daily. But watching the soldiers in action here and at his facility just displays the professionalism of the Army medic.

"We want to make sure these soldiers keep their skills, and it also helps with motivating our (Vanderbilt) staff because many of them have (loved ones) deployed," Guy said. "We're very happy with (the soldiers') output and enthusiasm."

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Spc. Irene Zerpac, left, Sgt. Stephanie Hoffar, Pfc. Marbou Christman and Maj. Rob Harmon attend to a mock patient during a training exercise at Fort Campbell Monday. Medical staff members sharpened their skills by using soldiers from other units as wounded patients.

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101st artillery batteries return home
Troops didn't get to use 'big guns' much in Iraq

By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle

After 260 artillery troops stepped onto Campbell Army Airfield Tuesday to a roaring crowd of well-wishers, some soldiers talked about how few opportunities the had to shoot off the "big guns" while in Iraq.

The soldiers with Division Artillery -- Battery C, 1st Battalion Field Artillery Regiment, and 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery, said most of their mission in the Middle East was to provide support and security for the 101st Airborne Division.

"During this war we didn't have to defend the air," said Pfc. Scott Carpenter with the 2-44th. "Basically we did security or convoys."

But helping to rebuild a country ravaged by war and years of neglect is a worthy accomplishment said the assistant operations officer and crew for Divarty -- short for Division Artillery.

"We were actively involved in the day-to-day basics of everything from building schools and sports clubs to rebuilding governments and providing security," said Maj. Bruce Coyne. "Once the war was over and we went up to Mosul, our mission varied."

Coyne said the emotions of coming home were a bit overwhelming, and he didn't know how or what to feel. But his pride was obvious for serving with such an "outstanding team of young soldiers."

Sgt. David Duncan, 27, of Battery C, 1-377th, said his unit had no problems using their 155-mm Howitzer artillery guns on which they trained for months before deploying. From 20 miles away, the artillerymen would hit a target with incredible accuracy after the location was called in by another soldier who was closer to the action.

While Duncan and his soldiers were far from the targets, they were never too far from danger.

"One day, our convoy was hit with an Improvised Explosive Device (roadside bomb). I was two trucks ahead. Thankfully nobody was seriously injured, but it was a scary situation," he said.

While the roadside bomb happened in the summer, Duncan's wife, Melody, endured her own nightmare a few months later when she didn't hear from her husband for weeks in November.

"There was a while he didn't call and there was the helicopter crashes," she said. "It was a long wait."

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Melody Duncan, wife of Sgt. David Duncan, cheers for her husband's unit as they stepped off the plane Tuesday. Mrs. Duncan had the "Big Guns" banner made by a friend and shipped from Indianapolis.

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First of 502nd lands on post

By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle

A surprise guest welcomed the 101st Airborne Division's "Strike" Brigade, also known as 502nd Infantry Regiment, or 2nd Brigade, at Campbell Army Airfield Sunday afternoon after spending nearly a year in Iraq.

Former division commander Lt. Gen. Richard A. Cody was in town for an event later this week and made a welcome speech in Hangar 2 for more than 300 of the 502nd and other soldiers.

"We couldn't be more proud of you," Cody said. "This country of 280 million people will always be home of the free as long as we have soldiers like these. Welcome home and a job well done."

Cody's two sons, Capt. Clint Cody and 1st Lt. Tyler Cody, both Apache helicopter pilots with the division, as was their father once, will be home this week after serving in Iraq.

Lt. Gen. Cody, a battalion commander during the first Gulf War with the 101st, fired the first Hellfire missiles of the war from his Apache, destroying Iraqi radar equipment in January 1991.

Although Spc. Juan Rodriguez and Pfc. Miguel Castillo of 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment didn't have family meet them at the airfield, they had each other and took time to reflect on the war in Iraq.

"Our first job when we got to Iraq was providing check points, registering Iraqi weapons and giving power back to (Iraqi) police," said Rodriguez, 22, "basically we were trying to keep them from attacking us."

Castillo, 19, said the rocket-propelled grenade attacks at the hotel where they stayed in Mosul became a regular event, and one landed too close for comfort.

"One went to my left, and one went up, but they missed me," Castillo said.

Rodriguez said he became accustomed to the enemy attacks, but he isn't sure if his presence made a difference.

"We probably won't know for a few years, but I hope so," he said.

Although the 502nd Infantry Regiment traces its lineage to World War I with the 80th Infantry Division, it didn't link with the 101st Airborne Division until 1964 at Fort Campbell. The soldiers of 2nd Brigade participated in 12 Vietnam War campaigns with the unit returning to Fort Campbell in 1972 with many combat decorations.

In 1991, 2nd Brigade along with 1st Brigade, led the division's largest helicopter assault in military history to seize the Middle Eastern terrain during Operation Desert Storm to establish an aviation forward operating base.

The unit has since served in Panama in 1994 and participated in a six-month peacekeeping mission in Kosovo during 2001.

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Soldiers with the 502nd Infantry Brigade wave to family and friends welcoming them home from Iraq Sunday. It was the first group of 502nd troops to return to Campbell Army Airfield after being deployed for nearly a year to the Middle East.

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Lt. Gen. Richard A. Cody


TOTAL RETURN

As of Sunday, 4,310 division soldiers have returned to Campbell Army Airfield since Jan. 7.

RETURNING SOON

The following schedule is subject to frequent changes and delays.

Today, three planes carrying more than 600 soldiers, mostly from 502nd Infantry Regiment and 101st Aviation Brigade, are scheduled to return.

Tuesday, about 1,200 division soldiers are slated to arrive.