Valor

A seriously wounded Soldier regains consciousness in the Landstuhl ICU. A few hours later he's doing well enough for the doctors to extubate him (remove the breathing tube).

After spending about 15 minutes hacking up a bunch of gunk from his lungs he's finally able to speak for the first time since being injured.

"What about Smith and Jones?", he asks. "Are they ok?"


This is a "composite" story, describing regular occurrances about which I write only in general terms. I do not write about specific patients during their stay here. I may write about them later, but only with permission or using previously published material.

2nd Cav cases colors in Vilseck

In July, less than a year after arriving in Germany, 2nd Cav soldiers began loading the more than 300 Stryker armored personnel carriers onto trains at Grafenwöhr for the land and sea journey to Kuwait. Seth Robson / S&S

Sunday, August 5, 2007 - While the soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment received plenty of encouraging words during their farewell ceremony Friday in Vilseck, Germany, they also got a dose of reality from one of the top generals in Europe.

“I’ll venture to say you’ll face a fight as soon as you hit the ground,” V Corps commander Lt. Gen. James E. Thurman, told the soldiers who are heading to Iraq for a 15-month tour.

It’s the second deployment for the 2nd Cav, but its first since moving to Vilseck in June 2006. The unit has been gearing up for the downrange mission for months, culminating with a mission-rehearsal exercise in June before the soldiers took a month of block leave in July.

A Company D, 2nd Squadron 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Regiment soldier takes a look from a Stryker during an exercise for the Iraq-bound unit in June. Seth Robson / S&S

The soldiers are ready to go, according to Command Sgt. Maj. Victor Martinez, who was with the unit during its last deployment to Iraq.

“It’s tough leaving, but I’m excited to get over there and serve the people of Iraq,” Martinez said in an Army news release. “I get guys who tell me ‘here we go again sergeant major, let’s do this,’ and it warms my heart.”

Col. John RisCassi, 2nd Cav commander, addressed his soldiers and the crowd after the colors-casing ceremony.

“It is our honor and privilege to carry these colors into battle,” RisCassi said in the release. “We will not let down the members of the regiment, past and present, nor our friends and family in Vilseck.”

The 2nd Cav will replace the 3rd "Arrowhead Brigade", 2nd Infantry Division, which recently moved from Mosul to Baghdad as part of the "surge". This is a familiar move for the 2nd Cav, which replaced the Arrowhead Brigade in October 2004 in Mosul. About a third of current 2nd Cav soldiers are veterans of that previous mission and most of the officers are combat veterans.

The 2nd Cav's final destination in Iraq is unknown.

In 2005 the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Light) moved from Fort Polk to Fort Lewis and was re-designated to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

The regiment's 3,900 soldiers called Fort Lewis home during its conversion into a Stryker brigade before moving to Vilseck in 2006.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment is the longest-serving regiment in the U.S. Army and has participated in nearly every U.S. military conflict, from fighting Indians in America's West to the invasion of Iraq.

Jalalabad Dustoff

Now I don't want to hear any whining about the Teddy Bears. They're fine ;-)

A Shout Out to the Sky Soldiers in Afghanistan

On June 6, the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, also known as “The Herd”, held a transition-of-authority ceremony on Forward Operating Base Fenty in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. The 173rd ABCT took over the AO of the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

This is the unit's second tour in Afghanistan, the first began in the spring of 2005.

In September 2006, 173rd Airborne Brigade of Vicenza, Italy, became the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. The change makes the 173rd the Army's newest and only separate airborne brigade combat team, which is a modular, self-sustaining unit.

The 173rd is also the European Command's only conventional airborne unit and is EUCOM's rapid response force. The brigade was formerly stationed solely in Vicenza, but now also has elements in Bamberg and Schweinfurt, Germany.

In March 2003 "The Herd" landed into the drop zone at Bashur, Iraq, opening a northern front in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

And here's a must-see video of that jump, beginning with almost 1000 Sky Soldiers lining up with their C-17s on the runway in Aviano, Italy.



The weather was bad at takeoff and the drop zone muddy after weeks of heavy storms.

And while the jump was good, the aircraft "jumped long", spreading the brigade out. As the sun rose, it revealed LGOPPs - "little groups of pissed-off paratroopers" - strung out along the impossibly muddy and almost 10,000-yard-long drop zone. LGOPPs form when paratroopers link up with whomever is near them, regardless of unit, and move as a group to the assembly points.

Eventually, over 2000 troops and equipment, including 5 M1A1 tanks, 5 Bradley fighting vehicles, 15 armored personnel carriers and 41 Humvees were airlifted to the field.


Click here for more 173rd ABCT Afghanistan posts.

Jack Army *heart* John Murtha

Ahhh, Rep. Murtha. Another one of those rare and wonderful gifts that just keeps on giving.

30,000 troops out of Iraq this fall?

Via the Army Times,

A key lawmaker said Tuesday that he expects the U.S. Central Command to propose in September an immediate 30,000-troop reduction in the number of U.S. forces in Iraq because of growing belief that the so-called “surge” strategy is working.

Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., the defense appropriations subcommittee chairman who made the prediction, said that does not mean that he believes the situation in Iraq is improving, but that an increasing number of White House and Pentagon officials and Republican lawmakers returning from visits to Iraq are all talking about success.

OK, so things still suck, no reason to believe the Surge is working other than folks saying that it is, but CENTCOM will reduce forces in Iraq in the spring because things are not getting better. Uh, has Mr. Murtha lost his mind? Where is the logic in that prediction?

But wait! As JA says, there's more. So go over and say hey to a deployed milblogger.

Cross posted at Villainous Company. Guess you've noticed Cass has asked me - along with several others - to guest blog at her place while she's taking some time off. So if things get quiet around here, go on over and join the party!

Beauchamp Officially Lying Sack of $hit

Update: Matt has two clarifications/corrections to his post. 1. Allegations (plural) 2. Surge Brigade (not battalion).

From Matt Sanchez:

Beachamp Investigation Concluded

After a thorough investigation that lasted nearly a week the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division has concluded that the allegation made by Private Thomas Scott Beauchamp, the "Baghdad Diarist", have been "refuted by members of his platoon and proven to be false"

But then again, you knew that already.

So enough about that jerk. More worth your time is to find out about about The Real FOB Falcon, where Matt arrived just a few days ago. A place where:

The atmosphere is amicable, and despite the big-screen television sets rotating the news from all the major outlets, most soldiers barely look up to watch the smaller than life images of an Iraq they know more intimately.

And a place where, you know, real soldiers are doing their real jobs each and every day. Like this guy.

Cross posted at Villainous Company.

What kind of person...

...could believe the world would be a better place (and we would be better off) if we turned our backs on this man and the children with whom he works?

It was really honor for me to hear from some one who appreciate what we do for our kids' future in land of freedom and please feel free to write whenever you like.

This kind of wonderful words will encouraging me to work harder and do my job with more loyalty. As far as you and every one in the USA know we are fighting the most brutal groups that have ever known by human history... Islamic radical groups and they are everywhere in the world. We are fighting in 3rd world war without we recognize.

We have to take good care to the new generations by helping them and educating them and teach them what is a reality of the life - not just blow your self up and you go to heaven.

Thanks so much for writing to me and your help and nice word to me making a big difference to hear, even if it is in a small way. We have to start somewhere to show others that there is life outside of oppression and death.

We all have already gotten victory and I say that because of what we are doing every day... Be Blessed...

EMail written to my friend Sara from SA. Soldiers often ask their Angels to support interpreters and others with whom they work. This gentleman agreed to let her share his words and the picture, saying it would "make me proud if I can build a good reputation and nice view for USA people of new generation of Iraq".

Cross posted at Villainous Company.

Radio notes

Michael Yon is taking a little R&R in Singapore where he joined Dennis Miller by phone for an interview.

Kevin and Gregg of Pundit Review Radio interviwed Marine father Darryl Sharatt together with Bruce of QandO. Darryl discusses his phone call with Rep John Murtha. Darryl's son, Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, is one of the Haditha Marines whom Murtha called a cold-blooded murderer. He's also Darryl's congressional representative. In spite of those two facts, it took 53 phone calls over 18 months before getting a return call from Murtha.

Fing_hot.jpg

But it's a dry 150.

I wouldn't last 5 minutes. Make that 1 minute.

When Good News is Bad News

This is just shameful.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) said Monday that a strongly positive report on progress on Iraq by Army Gen. David Petraeus likely would split Democrats in the House and impede his party's efforts to press for a timetable to end the war...

Many Democrats have anticipated that, at best, Petraeus and U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker would present a mixed analysis of the success of the current troop surge strategy, given continued violence in Baghdad. But of late there have been signs that the commander of U.S. forces might be preparing something more generally positive. Clyburn said that would be "a real big problem for us."

What does it say about Clyburn's party that if things go well for America, it would be "a real big problem for us"?

Update: David has some great commentary on this at The Thunder Run, and also points to Steve Shippert's thoughts.