8500 U.S. Army Units in Europe to Deploy

U.S. Army in Europe units scheduled to deploy

January 22, 2007
Release No. 20070102

HEIDELBERG, Germany – As part of the 07-09 force rotation announced by the Department of Defense Nov. 17, several Army in Europe units have been ordered to deploy for the next Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom rotations. ( ... )

The rotation for the listed units is scheduled to begin in mid-2007, and the units are planning for a 12-month deployment. They will be assigned to an area that best supports the combatant commander’s objectives.

The following units are scheduled to deploy as part of the next OIF rotation:

Units from V Corps
12th Combat Aviation Brigade
HHC, 12th CAB, Katterbach, Germany
3-158 Assault Aviation Battalion, Katterbach, Germany
2-159 Attack Aviation Battalion, Katterbach, Germany
412th Aviation Support Battalion, Katterbach, Germany
243rd Theater Construction Management Detachment, 18th Engineer Brigade, Hanau, Germany
535th Engineer Support Company, 18th Engineer, Brigade, Vilseck, Germany

Units from SETAF
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy
HHC, 173rd ABCT, Vicenza, Italy
1-503 Infantry Battalion, stationed in Vicenza, Italy
2-503 Infantry Battalion, stationed in Vicenza, Italy
1-91 Reconnaissance Surveillance Target Acquisition Battalion, Schweinfurt, Germany
4-319 Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, Bamberg, Germany
173rd Special Troops Battalion, Bamberg, Germany
173rd Brigade Support Battalion, Bamberg, Germany

Units from 21st Theater Support Command
HHC, 18th Military Police Brigade, Mannheim, Germany
HHD, 95th Military Police Battalion, Mannheim, Germany
212th Military Police Company, Wiesbaden, Germany
230th Military Police Company, Kaiserslautern, Germany
HHD, 14th Movement Control Battalion, Kaiserslautern, Germany
HHD, 28th Transportation Battalion, Kaiserslautern, Germany
240th Quartermaster Company, Bamberg, Germany
606th Movement Control Team, Mannheim, Germany
627th Movement Control Team, Bamberg, Germany
635th Movement Control Team, Wiesbaden, Germany
41st Transportation Company (PLS), Vilseck, Germany
51st Transportation Company (PLS), Mannheim, Germany
68th Transportation Company (MED TRK), Mannheim, Germany
69th Transportation Company (MED TRK), Mannheim, Germany
70th Transportation Company (MED TRK), Mannheim, Germany
109th Transportation Company (MED TRK), Mannheim, Germany
515th Transportation Company (POL), Mannheim, Germany
5th Ordnance Company (DS), Kaiserslautern, Germany
95th Military Police Battalion, Mannheim, Germany
- Eleven Patrol/Explosive Detection Dog Teams

Unit from HQ U.S. Army in Europe & 7th Army
19th Battlefield Control Detachment, Kaiserslautern, Germany

Units from 7th Army Reserve Command
1172nd Movement Control Team, Kaiserslautern, Germany
209th Army Liaison Team, Wiesbaden, Germany

Unit from 5th Signal Command
44th Signal Battalion, Mannheim, Germany

Unit from Europe Regional Medical Command (30 MED BDE)
71st Medical Detachment (Preventive Medicine), Vilseck, Germany

Unit from 266th Finance Command
Bravo Detachment, 39th Finance Battalion, Katterbach, Germany

Following units are scheduled to deploy as part of the next OEF rotation:

Units from 21st Theater Support Command
527th Military Police Company, Giessen, Germany
720th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, Mannheim, Germany
95th Military Police Battalion, Mannheim, Germany
- seven patrol/explosive detection dog teams

Unit from 266th Finance Command
Alpha Detachment, 208th Finance Battalion, Kaiserslautern, Germany

According to Stars & Stripes, these deployments are not part of the surge.

Those of you failiar with the Soldiers' Angels Germany shipping address will recognize the name of our friends at the 21st TSC.

No Average Joe

"Back in the real world, I am just your average Joe, no different than any other person on the street."


"Here, the men and women who put on the Uniform make a difference, not only to those that we come in contact with here, but also for those of you at home."


"All the sacrifices, pain and loss that is reported on CNN cannot compare to all the worthwhile things we do here."


"From teaching Iraqi soldiers how to defend their own country to helping a child get to the US for an operation to getting things that would take the whole deployment to get so I can better take care of a village of people and my own soldiers."


"This will be the 16th Christmas I have been away from my family in the past 20 years. This year I have a new family of friends and you all mean as much to me as my own flesh and blood. Thank you for everything you have done for my men and me."

If you'd like to support SGT Art and others like him at the field hospitals and surgical units of Iraq and Afghanistan, email Roger, Soldiers' Angels Tactical Medical Support Director.

More photos, feedback, and information at Roger's blog here.

Meeting the President

On January 11, 2007 Deborah and David Tainsh, parents of fallen hero Army Sgt. Patrick Tainsh, met with President Bush along with other Gold Star families.

This is Deborah's account of the meeting, published here with her kind permission.

After a final hug and handshake with the Johnsons, President Bush stepped in front of us. Dave introduced himself and spoke about Patrick as he locked a handshake, after which the President looked straight into my eyes, asked how I was doing, then gave me, as he had the other moms, a bear hug and kiss on the side of the face.

I held in my hands Patrick’s green military issued notebook. The one he had written briefing notes inside, the one he left a 3 page letter in for his family in case he was killed. ( ... )

“This is the book our son wrote in while in Iraq, and this is the letter he left for us in the event of his death.

"Mr. President, our son believed in the Iraqi people, in this letter he states that he hopes the Iraqi people will someday experience the same freedoms that he was blessed to experience, that it was an honor to live, fight and die with an American Flag on his shoulder. He tells how he cried for the children because he didn’t have food and water for them. He said they were worth the fight.”

I soon saw President Bush fighting back thick puddles of tears. With his hands entwined behind him, he straightened his shoulders as though to re-compose himself.

As my voice began to break and tears moistened my cheeks, I pointed to the last words printed in red on the page, Love, your son, Patrick, and said,

“Mr. President, would you please write a note to Patrick. Tell him you won’t let him down.”

I then handed the book and a pen to President Bush and he wrote:

Patrick, thank you for your courage. I won’t let you down.
George W. Bush.

Read the rest.

God bless you, Deborah and Dave. Godspeed, Sgt. Tainsh.

Bill Roggio's Back in Iraq

I'm back in Iraq for a brief embed with a Police Transition Team in the Habbaniyah region, which is just west of Fallujah. This will complement my coverage from Fallujah in December of 2006, and will allow me to compare and contrast the state of the Iraqi Police in the two regions.

Head over to see his latest posts about the Iraqi Army and the joint US Army and Marine Military Transition Team who are working with them.

Hit his tip jar while you're there, if you can. We need more reporting like this.

Update: Badgers Forward reports that Bill has just left Iraq, making this "Maybe the shortest embed of the war." I'm sure Bill will have more posts on this short embed.

Soldiers' Angels Mourns Spc. Matthew T. Grimm

From Cathy of the Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team:

We have a fallen Hero from Soldiers' Angels, Spc. Matthew T. Grimm.

Matt, 21, of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. died Jan 15 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations.

He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas.

Matt is survived by his parents, Eldon and Jean, and his brother, Andrew, who is serving in Iraq. Andrew is coming home this week to be with their family.

Cathy

Matt joined the Army after graduation from Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School in 2004 and was sent to Iraq in late October of 2006. His brother, Andrew, 23, serves in Iraq as a specialist with the Wisconsin National Guard.

In summer of 2004 Matt worked with Reffner Motor Sports in Stevens Point, the stock car racing team of his cousin, Bryan Feffner, the 1995 champion of the American Speed Association.

"He was always ready to take on a new challenge," Reffner said Tuesday. "Matt worked in the shop, and in racing, that's 90 percent of the work."

Source: Today's TMJ4

The Patriot Guard Riders are standing by to ride for Spc Matthew T. Grimm.

Three other Task Force Lightning soldiers based out of Fort Bliss were also killed in the same attack: 2nd Lt. Mark J. Daily, 23, of Irvine, Calif.; Sgt. Ian C. Anderson, 22, of Prairie Village, Kan.; and Sgt. John E. Cooper, 29, of Ewing, Ky.

Update: Blackfive has more on all four soldiers here.

Update 2: An 'angel' remembers communication with Grimm

“We wrote back and forth pretty much everyday,” [Soldiers' Angel Jennifer] Krzys said via telephone Monday. “It was such a short period of time, but it was intense... We became really close, you just felt that way with Matt, you just had this bond. He was so caring and so loving and so funny, you just couldn’t help but be drawn in.”

A veteran angel, Krzys has sent hundreds of letters to dozens of soldiers over the past few years. ( ... )

As part of her curriculum [as a teacher], Krzys has her students write letters to soldiers as well. Even though she became emotional during class, she informed her students of the news Monday.

“I wasn’t ashamed to let them see me sad,” she said. “I told them, ‘If you only learn one thing from me this year... it’s what the flag stands for... when you see the flag, or sing the pledge, think of Matt.’

Remember our Heroes.

The Wind

The windows rattle. I hear it outside in the trees. Always in the trees... the pine trees.

I have to go out, be with it, be in it.

It's louder outside. It's everywhere, all encompassing, omnipotent. The sound of the wind in the bare, leafless trees. The much louder sound of the wind in the pines.

Away from the houses, in a field. A huge, full, lone pine tree writhes in the wind. Like an amoeba.

Loud, deafening, insistent. It bends the trunk and moves very branch, every needle.

I know what it wants, I know what it's saying.

Remember... remember...

This is what we're fighting...

"You're the only thing standing between me and a burqa."

- Patti Patton-Bader, founder of Soldiers' Angels, to her son before his deployment.

LGF has video clips from the UK's Channel 4 documentary called Dispatches: Undercover Mosque.

Taped with hidden cameras, much of this shocking coverage shows so-called mainstream Muslim preachers openly calling for Islamic supremacism, heinous misogyny, and violence against democracy and the UK government at Britain’s leading mosques and Muslim institutions.

This is what we're fighting. It's the Long War, and it has many fronts.

Patriot Guard Riders: Must-See ABC News Video

ABC Video - Click Here to Watch

And here's the accompanying article, which is also well worth your time to read.

At first, the sight of these burly bikers had some, like Marine Col. Greg Boyd, Stephen Morris's commanding officer, wondering who these bikers were and why they were at the funerals.

"I had a misperception about them when I first saw them. I didn't know what to expect," he said. "But after I got a chance to … see them in action, talk to them and meet them, shake their hands, I know their hearts are in the right place. Nothing could stop them from being there." ( ... )

Boyd said he understands why they do this. "I think for the Patriot Guard Riders it is love of country. That's really what I think is in their heart, they really want to honor this country.

"People stop their cars and get out, put their hand over their heart, stop what they're doing and pay attention," said Boyd. "They'll remember that when they read it in the paper. Tomorrow it'll be about Lance Corp. Stephen Morris. And they'll know that that's him, that he's gone by. And I don't think they'd probably know that if they didn't see those Patriot Guard Riders and all those flags."

See the Patriot Guard Riders website for more information about this incredible organization.

Soldiers' Angels Mourns Cpl. Jeremiah J. Johnson

From Renee of the Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team:

We have a fallen Hero from Soldiers' Angels, Cpl. Jeremiah J. Johnson.

Johnson, 23, of Vancouver, Wash., died Jan. 6 in Landstuhl, Germany of wounds suffered when his vehicle rolled over Dec. 26 in Baghdad.

He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Jeremiah is survived by his wife, Gale and 2 year old daughter, Rya and son, Isaiah, 5; his parents, Elizabeth and David Johnson, his sisters, Naphtali, 21, and Lauralee, 20; and his brothers, Zachary, 17, and Timothy, 15, all of Vancouver. WA.

Renee

Elizabeth Johnson was taking down Christmas decorations in her Vancouver home when she got a call from the Army on Dec. 26 saying her son had been critically injured in a rollover accident while on patrol in Baghdad, Iraq.

She, her husband, David, and Jeremiah's wife, Gale, flew to Washington, D.C., the next day, got their passports issued to them in an hour and were on a flight to Germany, arriving at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in time to spend almost a week at Jeremiah's bedside before he died Friday.

Elizabeth brought along family photos, magazines and sweets for her son, not realizing how grave his condition was. The reality set in only after two neurosurgeons briefed the family, telling them that Cpl. Johnson had suffered severe hypothermia and brain damage after his Humvee tipped over on a road along a canal, pinning him underwater for 10 minutes.

"I said, 'You mean that I will never hear Jeremiah talk to me again?' and they said, 'That's correct. You'll never know Jeremiah the way you have known Jeremiah,' " Elizabeth said Tuesday from Vancouver.

"I have never cried that deep inner [cry], you know? Jeremiah was the most awesome son you could ever hope for. He was the boy next door, the kind of boy you'd want your daughter to marry."

Source: The Seattle Times

Please take a momen to read the Army Cpl. Jeremiah J. Johnson tribute at the Soldiers' Angels Fallen Heroes blog.

The Patriot Guard Riders rode for Cpl. Jeremiah J. Johnson.

Remember our Heroes.

Soldiers' Angels Mourns Spc. Eric T. Caldwell

From Renee of the Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team:

We have a fallen Hero from Soldiers' Angels, Spc. Eric T. Caldwell.

Caldwell, 22, of Salisbury, Md., died Jan 7 in Iraq of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire.

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Eric is survived by his mother, Vanessa Caldwell of Gloucester, Va.; his father, Brian Caldwell of Philadelphia; two sisters, his twin Andrea Caldwell of New Orleans and Katie Caldwell of Philadelphia; his aunt and uncle Melvin "M.J." Caldwell Jr. and Pamela Caldwell of Salisbury, MD; and his paternal grandparents, Melvin and Naomi Caldwell of Salisbury, MD.

Renee

Caldwell's military service was inspired by his grandfather, Melvin Caldwell Sr., 83, a U.S. Army Air Corps radio operator and navigator on B-25 bombers in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Known affectionately in the family as "Boss," Melvin Caldwell Sr., a former attorney in Salisbury, wore his bomber jacket into old age.

His grandson worked hard to enter the military. Eric Caldwell struggled with a learning disability and spent months studying to earn his graduate equivalency diploma and pass written tests to enlist, M.J. Caldwell said.

"He found his calling. He loved it. He enjoyed the fraternity, the camaraderie, the quasi-family atmosphere."

Despite a new home in the military, Caldwell never forgot his family. Whenever possible, Caldwell e-mailed from his post outside Baghdad. He bought a pricey Iraqi cell phone so he could call at least every 10 days, at $2 per minute.

When Caldwell phoned last Thursday to say he would be home soon on leave, his aunt promised to pick him up at the airport and prepare a holiday turkey dinner, but he joked that he would be happy eating at Chuck E. Cheese's as long as he could spend time with family.

Source: The Daily Times.


The Patriot Guard Riders are riding for SPC Eric caldwell.

Please take a moment to read the Army Specialist Eric T. Caldwell tribute at the Soldiers' Angels Fallen Heroes blog.


Remember our Heroes.