Iraqi, U.S. Soldiers Keep Sadr Streets Safe

Courtesy Photo | 1st Lt. Jason Schwab, B Co., 3-15 Inf., platoon leader, speaks with the principal of a girl's school in Sadr City, July 28.  

SADR CITY, IRAQ

08.16.2005

Courtesy Story

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Spc. Ben Brody
2nd Brigade Combat Team PAO

SADR CITY, Iraq -- U.S. and Iraqi Army Soldiers now patrol Sadr City, and the result is safer streets in what was once a hotly-contested area.

After a change in their area of operations, troops from B Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division got to know their new neighborhood during a patrol July 28.

"It's a lot of work, getting to know a new sector -- we gather intel on terrorist operations, assess how receptive the locals are to our presence and develop informants," said 1st Lt. Jason Schwab, B Co., 3-15 Inf., platoon leader. "We try and impress upon them that it's in their best interests to help us, because the people who kidnap and extort them are the same ones planting bombs in the roads."

During the patrol, Schwab, from Gillette, Wyo., stopped at the Al-Kanasa Police Station and spoke with a warrant officer about the neighborhood.

"The people we talk to in the neighborhood have been pretty helpful and want things to get better in Sadr," said Sgt. Lee Minyard, B Co., 3-15 Inf. "They're starting to realize we're here to help them."

Minyard, from Augusta, Ga., pulled security throughout the patrol, which took the dismounted infantrymen through the streets and alleys of Sadr.

"We tell people that it's up to them to make a difference in their communities," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Brisley, B Co., 3-15 Inf., section leader. "They're so used to relying on one leader to make all the decisions, but they're gradually taking the initiative."

Along Sadr's dusty streets, Brisley remarked that the streets had rivers of sewage running through them six months ago.

"People see the improvements, and it makes them happier to see us than they were when we arrived in Iraq," said Brisley, a native of Glennville, Ga.

Soldiers stopped at a high school to assess its condition and to see if terrorists were storing weapons inside.

Finding the school clear, Schwab spoke to the principal about terrorist groups in the area.

"Building a rapport with influential people here is the best thing we can do right now," Schwab said. "Intelligence from the locals is the most effective means of deterring terrorist activity in (our) sector."

Both U.S. and Iraqi Security Forces plan and conduct missions in Sadr City, a quick reaction force always stands ready to aid either unit if they need additional firepower.

Soldiers from C Company, 3-15 Inf., staff the QRF and maintain a constant state of readiness.

The QRF has both M1 Abrams battle tanks and humvees at its disposal, and despite Sadr's narrow streets, some Soldiers prefer the tanks.

"The Abrams drives like a big Cadillac -- it's smooth as can be, even over rough terrain," said Spc. Christopher Hyde, a C Co., 3-15 Inf., driver and a native of Poteet, Texas. "Traffic parts like Moses at the Red Sea when a tank is coming through."

The QRF is in constant communication with their own unit as well as the Iraqi Army battalion, but they work much more with 3-15 Inf., said 1st Lt. Timothy Martin, C Co., 3-15 Inf., platoon leader.

"The IAB has their own QRF, and they've been launched several times," said Martin, of Wilson, Okla. "We've only been out to help them once -- they can pretty much take care of themselves out there."

Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3-15 Inf., have spent months helping to prepare Iraqi troops for duty in Sadr City, and the progress is showing.

"They've come a long way in the past six months," said Capt. Zan Hornbuckle, HHC, 3-15 Inf., commander. "They're now a fairly proficient infantry battalion."

Hornbuckle, from Tifton, Ga., has overseen much of the IAB's training, and said they consistently perform complex missions well.

"In the last two weeks, they've done two large cordon-and-knock operations which were big successes," he said. "They're building relationships with the local Iraqi Police, which is crucial to operating effectively in Sadr."

Hornbuckle said the IAB leaders are working hard to reach a common goal -- to get the IAB to the level of expertise where U.S. guidance is unnecessary.

"It's been a lot of work to get them where they are today, so it's a rewarding feeling to see them taking initiative and operating on their own," Hornbuckle said. "They're proud of what they've accomplished, and that pride makes them a stronger unit."

• Date Taken: 08.16.2005
• Date Posted: 08.16.2005 16:33
• Story ID: 2746
• Location: SADR CITY, IQ