Spc. John Ray, Bozeman, Mont., 3-1 Cav. Regt. pulls a two-hour guard shift with the help of a concerned citizens on the roof of the home where Soldiers slept during Operation Tuwaitha Sunrise II in Tuwaitha Village, Iraq, Sept. 19. (Photo by Sgt. Natalie Rostek, 3HBCT PAO)Moving forward hand-in-hand, Soldiers of 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment and members of a concerned citizens group conducted Operation Tuwaitha Sunrise II Sept. 19-20 in Tuwaitha Village.
The mission was the second of its kind, the first being Operation Tuwaitha Sunrise conducted earlier this month. During these missions both 3-1 Cav. Regt. Soldiers and concerned citizens conducted patrols to clear the area of improvised explosive devices and weapon caches. The area is known for its high volume of insurgent activity.
Pfc. David Menillo, Fairfield, Conn., a medic from Troop B, 3-1 Cav. Regt. said during the first iteration, approximately 120 concerned citizens came forth to participate in the operation.
“There were so many of them out here last time,” he said. “They walked up ahead of us. They found IEDs and told us about them. Then we got the explosive ordnance disposal team to blow them up.”
According to Lt. Col. John Kolasheski, Louden, Tenn., commander, 3-1 Cav. Regt., the series of missions came about when concerned citizens, tribal leaders, and National Police, expressed concerns with security on the route. The road is a major transportation route from Tuwaitha to the Jisr Diyala market place.
“They have been basically cut off from civilization,” Kolasheki said. “It has been very difficult to get to the market in Jisr Diyala because they have to make their way through an al-Qaeda controlled area.”
Some 3-1 Cav. Regt. Soldiers arrived at the site a day early to coordinate the event and then spent the night at a resident’s house.
Kolasheski said the owner of the house, an elderly woman who had left her residence because of the al-Qaeda presence in the neighborhood, returned to her house. He said many of the residents of the village are returning to their houses after concerned citizens and 3-1 Cav. Regt. Soldiers began to secure the area.
Soldiers of 3-1 Cav. Regt. expressed their appreciation and pride for their concerned citizen brothers by telling stories of heroic accomplishments.
Spc. James Conner, Cincinnati, a medic in Company E, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment who was providing engineer support for the mission, told the story of one concerned citizen who consistently stepped up when an IED was found.
“There was one guy who, when they find IEDs, goes out and disarms them,” Conner said. “He didn’t want any money or anything. All he wanted was a Gerber. I don’t know where he got the skills to disarm the IEDs. Maybe he’s an insurgent gone good.”
The concerned citizens are also proud. One of the leaders of the group said through a translator, they are revolutionaries.
“We are not the kind of revolutionaries you may think,” he said. “We are revolting against al-Qaeda. We are taking our communities back.”
While clearing houses 3-1 Cav. Regt. Soldiers found a booby-trapped house containing one hand grenade and other explosives. Conner said many of the houses in the area have been occupied by al-Qaeda.
During the mission, concerned citizens established and manned 17 checkpoints. Kolasheski said he has high hopes for the citizens to keep the checkpoints manned and fully operational.
On the first day, 3-1 Cav. Regt. Soldiers found two 57mm projectiles and a large propane tank IED, one pressure plate activated 120 mm IED, one crush wire activated 155 mm IED, two fire extinguishers, two extinguishers and one propane tank filled with explosives, and one rocket propelled grenade.
After an overnight stay at a stronghold house on the route, Soldiers and concerned citizens continued the mission. Day two resulted in three more weapon caches in three separate houses. In total 19 propane tanks, three identification cards, one 55 gallon drum containing an oil and fuel mixture, a suicide vest, a suicide belt, two 120mm mortars, a rocket propelled grenade, two canisters of munitions, two Iraqi hand grenades with bullets as fragmentation, one set of body armor, and one acetylene tank were found in the houses.
“It was a great mission for the concerned citizens and 3-1 Cav. Regt. which significantly increased the security for Tuwaitha Village,” said Maj. David Fivecoat, Delaware, Ohio, operations officer for the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team.
The 3-1 Cav. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2007.
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