Courtesy Photo | Pfc. Xavier D. Coleman, fire support specialist, Company A, 4th Battalion, 23rd...... read more read more
Spc. Jeremy D. Crisp
MNC -- I PAO
October 23, 2005
MOSUL, Iraq -- Today the streets of Mosul are crowded with Iraqi citizens going through their daily routines. These same streets play host to the constant footfalls of Soldiers and the rumbling of their Stryker light armored vehicles carrying them to the battlefield.
Citizens smile as the Soldiers roll through and the greeting of the day from the infantrymen is "As-salam alaikum," in Arabic meaning "peace be with you."
An Iraqi man holding the hand of his child places his other hand symbolically over his heart and replies, "Wa alaikum as-salam," -- "and upon you be peace."
Then there are the children.
"Mista, Football!" they beg.
"No football," is sometimes the reply from the Soldiers.
The troops had soccer balls this day though, but not enough for everyone.
One group of children gives way, only to be replaced by another, but there wasn't much time for talk because the Soldiers had to continue through the neighborhood, weapons across their shoulders and eyes alert for anything out of the ordinary.
This is an everyday occurrence in the year-long deployment for the Soldiers with Company A, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Richardson, Alaska. However, much more is involved in the infantry mission here.
"As a company, we do the combat operations; the platoons do cordon and searches, set up traffic control points and other missions," said Cpt. Robert R. Craig, commander, Co. A, 4th Btn., 23rd Inf. "The company provides presence and security in the streets."
Craig joins his troops every day, but as the company commander he performs specific tasks alongside the missions his platoons conduct. He and a handful of Soldiers are assigned as the tactical command post, a "rolling operations center," as he calls it.
The TAC (short for TAC-CP or tactical command post) consists of Craig's headquarters element: Craig, the fire support officer, a radio telephone operator and a medic.
"We go out to gauge the feel of the city and conduct information operations," said Craig, a native of Springer, N.M.
This includes stopping in and visiting with numerous Iraqi citizens, business owners and teachers to determine how the residents feel about things going on in the city, Craig explained.
The hot topic of the day was the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum vote.
"Right now we are gauging how the people feel the voting went," said Staff Sgt. Ricky Walker, senior medic, Co. A.
"How do you feel about the security of the referendum voting compared to that of the January elections?" Craig asked a gathering of school teachers. "Did you feel safer? Did you think the voting was fair?"
This is the third day Co. A is gathering information since the voting, and they've talked to at least a hundred people or groups in that time frame, Craig said.
"I've had two people who didn't have a positive reaction, but everyone thought it was fair, and nobody felt unsecured."
Seven Iraqis working at a gas station responded similarly. The middle-aged men, including the station's owner, his brother and a flour distribution warehouse manager, all echoed the sentiment.
"We didn't feel forced to do anything or vote any particular way like we did in January," the shop owner said through the use of an interpreter. "We were much safer as well."
Craig and his Soldiers reminded the Iraqis that they were secure because of their own forces.
The Iraqi police secured the polling sites during the Oct. 15 voting, while the Iraqi army secured the perimeter. Co. A was outside that perimeter pulling security.
"That's one of the things we try to let the citizens know; "you were safe because the IP and IA were there, not because of us,"" Craig said. "We want to reinforce â?¦ that it was their own people pulling security."
While most information gathering missions end in success, the constant gunfire and improvised explosive devices can lead to frustration, Craig said.
"There are days that it's rewarding, where we feel like we've definitely made a difference; but we've had a lot of enemy contact," he said.
"We want to be out there as much as we can," said 1st Lt. Robert B. Dapice, fire support officer, Co. A. "There have been times when we haven't been able to maintain a presence in our sector because there is an operation that requires a concentration of troops, and this allows the enemy a chance to stage an IED.
"It's satisfying though when you can meet the citizens you need to meet and work towards the goals that you share with the Iraqis," Dapice continued. "We're all here to try and hand the reins to the Iraqis, and in a lot of cases they are already holding the reins and we are just looking over their shoulders."
All told, Craig and company spoke with three different schools and a handful of business owners, gave numerous handshakes, pulled security at the scene of a battle, helped confiscate a weapons cache and spoke with Iraqi soldiers at a forward outpost before calling it a day.
The TAC element reported the information they gathered during their mission to their command. Names and photos gathered from citizens were compiled to help with future IO missions, and preparation for the next day's patrols began that night.
"It's a 365-day job, seven days a week," Craig said.
Another successful day wouldn't be had without the dedication of the Soldiers in his unit, Craig said.
"I'm very proud of these Soldiers," he said. "They are just doing an incredible job. They are disciplined, motivated and they have concern for the culture. It's motivating for me to watch how they do operations and how the platoons work together within the company."
Unsung praise is given to the vehicle that gets the Soldiers of Co. A into and out of their battle space: the armor-laden Stryker.
"The Strykers are incredible," Craig said. "It is an outstanding platform for combat operations; the survivability, maneuverability; you can get from one end of our sector to the other in minutes."
The vehicles are capable of speeds up to 60 mph with a range of 300 miles and have armor that offers protection from .50-caliber rounds and 152 mm airburst artillery shells. All Strykers within the 172nd are outfitted with "bird-cage" armor around the outside offering additional protection from rocket-propelled grenades.
"We've seen (Stryker) vehicles get hit with IEDs and take no more damage than just a few tires blown out, and the vehicle would still drive itself back to the (Forward Operating Base)," Craig said.
On the horizon for Craig and the Soldiers of Co. A. is more work with their brother at arms in the Iraqi security forces.
As the IA and IP become more integral in securing Iraq's future, Co. A will continue to help in the effort. The unit conducts joint operations with their Iraqi counterparts and is always working to involve them more.
"We've done joint operations with the Iraqi army, but they haven't been mixed in totally," Craig said. "We have a couple of Iraqi platoons working with us, and in the future we are hoping to have some of the IA mix in with our squads."
| Date Taken: | 10.28.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 10.28.2005 15:44 |
| Story ID: | 3515 |
| Location: | MOSUL, IQ |
| Web Views: | 814 |
| Downloads: | 31 |
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