Story and Photos by Sgt. Daniel W. Bailey
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FORWARD OPERATING BASE O'RYAN, BALAD, Iraq -- The role of the Coalition Forces in Iraq has evolved into maintaining security and building a new Iraqi army capable of standing on its own.
Since December, Task Force Liberty Soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, have been keeping Coalition Forces and the Iraqi population safe while developing the new Iraqi army into an autonomous unit by patrolling the area west of Highway 1 in the Task Force 1-128 area of operations.
Task Force 1-128 is comprised of Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, from the Wisconsin Army National Guard and Troop K, 3rd Battalion, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, from the Tennessee Army National Guard.
Company A has three main tasks in accomplishing its mission, according to the Company A commander, Capt. Clinton Ronnestrand.
"Our first tasking is to maintain the security in that area, gather human intelligence, and reports on criminal, terrorist and anti-Iraqi forces activity," said Ronnestrand, a native of Bloomer, Wis.
"Our second tasking would be to seek out and maintain contact with the spheres of influence; sheiks, muftars, city mayors, city councilmen, police chiefs and captains of the Iraqi army in Ad Dujayl.
Our third tasking right away when we got here was to train and mentor Company D, 203rd Battalion of the Iraqi army that is headquartered in Ad Dujyal."
Company A, which also now works with Company B, 4th Battalion, Iraqi army, accomplishes its mission by combining all the taskings and incorporating Iraqi army soldiers on every patrol.
"We've been integrating the Iraqi army more and more with each mission we do," said Sgt. 1st Class Dean Kowalke, 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment.
"We work them through the planning phases of the mission, pre-combat inspections and pre-combat checks, then take them out on the mission, watch how they do their job and, when we finish the mission, we have an after action review going over the good stuff and the bad stuff, so they can improve."
The Iraqi soldiers are even beginning to lead missions on their own.
"Right now, they are to the point they are doing semi-independent patrols where our trucks stay in the background [for observation] and they run their own mission start to finish," said Sgt. 1st Class Brian Faltinson, 3rd Platoon Leader, Company A, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment.
Five of eight platoons in Companies B and D have successfully conducted semi-independent patrols with few issues, building hope that they will be ready to take over operations on their own when Company A leaves in the fall.
The mission has been a challenge for the Soldiers of Company A. They are maintaining security and training a new army through a language barrier, but they have learned to accept their role and excel in it.
"Company A is doing outstanding," said Ronnestrand. "The mission is not quite what the training was focused on, but they've adjusted quickly. They're doing exactly what they need to do."
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| Date Taken: | 06.21.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 06.21.2005 13:47 |
| Story ID: | 2224 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 7 |
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