82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers Takes Over Operations in Bayji

Photo By Capt. Amy Bishop | 1st Lt. Jerry Mitchell, Administrative Officer for the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division oversees the distribution of funds to pay Iraqi Army soldiers at K2, the Iraqi Army base co-located with Forward Operating Base Summerall near Bayji, Iraq.  

09.17.2006

Story by Capt. Amy Bishop 

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Capt. Amy A. Bishop
133rd MPAD

BAYJI, Iraq (September 17, 2006) – The torch has been passed in the city of Bayji as Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division took control of the area from Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division.

Paratroopers from 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division officially took command and control of Forward Operating Base Summerall from the Rakkasans of the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division to continue current operations in the Bayji area.

As the Troopers arrived, the 1/187th Infantry Regiment passed on their wealth of knowledge by leading the Troopers on patrols and giving classes on such things as improvised explosive device detection and reaction, reaction to contact with the enemy, and live fire exercises to prepare them for their upcoming year.

The city of Bayji provides a great deal of electrical power to the city of Baghdad and northern Iraq. It also has an oil refinery and pipeline that is crucial to the success of Iraq's new economy. The battalion's primary mission is to assist Iraqi Security Forces in protecting these assets, but they have a number of other responsibilities as well. Over the course of the year, Troopers will be working with the Iraqi Army Soldiers from the Iraqi Army base K2, which is co-located with FOB Summerall, to ensure that they are prepared to take over security responsibilities in the area.

Other missions include assisting local government officials in project planning, facilitating reconstruction efforts and overseeing infrastructure projects. The will also work with the Police Transition Team to ensure the success of the local police department.

"This is a very pivotal time in the entire war in Iraq," said Lt. Col. Scott Harris, Commander of the 1/505th PIR, and a native Akron, Ohio. "We are at the point now where the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police, the total Iraqi Security Forces, are really beginning to build up. They have done a lot of training, they are equipped, so my focus over the next year is working on being able to get the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police out front so that they can become a legitimate force in the eyes of the Iraqi citizen."

As the Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division fly home, the Troopers of the 82nd Airborne Division get settled in for the long road ahead, but say they are ready for the challenge.

"We are excited to be here," said Harris. "My Troopers have trained for this for the past year....we look forward to helping the people in this area out and hope to make a difference.

• Date Taken: 09.17.2006
• Date Posted: 09.18.2006 09:48
• Story ID: 7758