Staff Sgt. William Piper, squad leader for squad A, 2nd platoon, Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, gets ready to leave Combat Outpost Cashe and return to Forward Operating Base Hammer Aug. 24. By Spc. Ben Hutto, 3rd HBCT Public Affairs
Sep 1, 2007 - 4:12:55 PM
Blackanthem Military News
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – It was several hours before the scouts of 2nd platoon, Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment were set to go on a night raid Aug. 24, and all appeared to be normal.
Scouts listened to music, took naps and watched movies on their computers. Occasionally one member of the troop would become the object of the group’s good-natured ribbing.
“If you are part of this group, you better be ready for jokes at your expense,” said Sgt. Thomas Young, a team leader in Troop B. “We give each other a hard time, but it’s all in fun. You can’t take it too seriously. If you do, you are just gonna get more of it.”
The light mood is briefly interrupted by Staff Sgt. William Piper, a section leader in 2nd platoon.
“Everyone out front for walk-throughs,” he ordered his men.
Everyone in the room put away what they were doing and woke up the few scouts that were napping. They filed through the halls of the Tactical Operations Center at Combat Outpost Cashe to a dry-erase board set up near the entrance of the building.
A rough map was drawn beside a list of names and times on the board. The scouts surrounded the board and 1st Lt. Mike Barth, platoon leader of 2nd platoon, and waited for the meeting to begin.
“How’s everyone doing?” Barth asked. “Here is what we have going on tonight.”
With quick and precise language, the platoon leader outlined the mission, the target and the logistics of the night’s operation. The room was silent except for his voice.
“We have to get in fast, blow that door and get in there,” Barth said. “I want you guys dropping the ramp on that Bradley before it stops. This has to be fast tonight. This is a bad guy. We want to get in there, get him and get out. Any questions?”
Several Soldiers, ranging in rank from staff sergeant to private first class, asked questions about the route out and where they were supposed to set up. They offered suggestions on how the plan could be made better. Some were implemented, some were not.
Before everyone took off, Barth asked one of his Soldiers a question.
“What is the name of our target?” he asked.
After a few moments of silence, the Soldier smiled and said he could not remember. The process was repeated a few more times before someone answered correctly.
Barth smiled.
“Make sure we all know this stuff,” he said. “We have to know our route in and out, our target’s name and where everyone is. We’ll go over it again before we leave. Make sure your kits are good to go. Get to it.”
As quickly as the meeting started, it was over.
Back in the barracks, the scouts of Troop B started filling camelbacks and taping infrared chemical lights to the back of their gear. Music played in the background, as they went back to joking with one another. In the midst of all the preparation, drivers and gunners went out to their vehicles to conduct their pre-combat checks.
“We’ve been together a long time,” said Spc. Thomas Monk, Barth’s gunner. “We are a tight knit group. We all joke and play with one another, but when it is time to go to work, we are all business. You have to get serious and focused come game time.”
Five hours later, everyone was ready to go. Exactly as Monk promised, everyone in the platoon was serious and focused. No one in the troop answered a question wrong. Equipment was checked by a team leader to make sure he had everything. The inspection went perfectly; all scouts passed inspection.
“All right, everyone out to the vehicles,” said Barth. “We SP in 30 minutes.”
This type of intricate planning isn’t unusual for the troopers.
“We conduct an extensive amount of preparation,” said Barth. “It’s all based on the intel we have. We are as safe and effective as we can possibly be. The more we can plan and rehearse, the more we can mitigate risk.”
Walking outside, most of the scouts had already loaded up into their vehicles. A few made last minute adjustments to their gear.
Night fell, but the moon provided enough light for the scouts to see.
“I like the night,” said Monk. “There are fewer people on the streets and if they are out there, they probably shouldn’t be. It makes our job easier.”
Barth agreed.
“During the day, it is much harder to tell who’s good and bad,” he said. “We also have an advantage on the enemy, because we are better equipped to fight at night.”
That point was drilled in as the platoon exited the gates of COP Cashe and started moving toward their target in Jisr Diyala. One by one the headlights of the vehicles go out. The rest of the way into Jisr Diyala was completed under the cover of darkness.
Through the lenses of their night vision goggles, scouts negotiated the roads of the neighborhood to get to their target. Over the radio, Barth was notified that the cordon protecting the scouts was set. As they pulled up to the house, the ramps on the Bradley’s came down and troops poured out.
The first team started clearing the wrong house, but Barth sprang forward.
“I need people on this house now!” he said as he runs up to the correct house. “We have to get in here. Open that gate and let’s get in there.”
The lock on the gate was quickly cut and scouts filed into the courtyard and cleared it. Within moments, they were in the house and clearing rooms. The plan was altered because of the earlier mistake, but Troop B rolled with it.
Piper took control and directed traffic in the house. He put all the women and children living in the house in one room and told his team to begin searching for contraband. Room by room the scouts meticulously searched for anything that was not supposed to be there, but the clock was ticking.
A loud explosion a few minutes later caused everyone’s head to snap up for a moment. Barth stayed on the radio.
“They are using rocket propelled grenades!” he shouted. “The cordon is returning fire. We’ve got to hurry. Sgt. Piper, you have 10 minutes!”
Piper’s men continued their search as the echo of small arms fire came from a few blocks over. When Barth told everyone that it was time to get back to the vehicles, the scouts quickly complied. The target was not there.
The scouts quickly mounted up, and the vehicles took off. Headlights blazing, the vehicles quickly moved through the streets. There was no attempt to hide at that point. Platoon B was trying to get back to Cashe as quickly as possible.
Scouts in the lead Bradley sat shoulder-to-shoulder through the rattling ride. Nobody tried to speak over the roar of the tracks, but when a flash temporarily lit up the back of the vehicle everyone perked up. Before they made it back to Cashe, two RPGs were fired at them. Luckily, both of them missed.
When everyone returned to COB Cashe, they began clearing their weapons and talking about what happened.
“I saw that rocket go across your vehicle,” said Sgt. William Morris, one of the Bradley commanders in the convoy, to the scouts riding in the back of the lead vehicle. “That was a close one.”
Barth called everyone over and explained how the mission went. The target was apprehended by Soldiers in the cordon as he attempted to get away from his house. Piper’s scouts found an AK-47, ammunition, several cell phones and large sums of cash. One of the cell phones contained some images that implicate the target in several illegal acts.
“Good job guys,” Barth said. “We got a really bad guy tonight.”
As his troop headed back to their sleeping quarters, Barth reflected on what happened.
“This isn’t typical scout stuff,” Barth said. “These guys are doing a lot of things that are typically infantrymen stuff, but they are doing great.”
Barth is quick to point out that he is proud of how they performed, despite the mistake his Soldiers made.
“We had a great rehearsal, but when we got out there things changed and we had to adapt,” he said. “It was a complex mission, but we got through it and accomplished our mission.”
Barth explained why he was never worried through out the operation.
“The most important thing I can do is use our experience,” he said. “I wholeheartedly trust my guys’ ability to make decisions on the ground and I give them the freedom to do that.”
Morris appreciates his platoon leader’s faith in him.
“The leadership lets us focus on what we have to do,” Morris said. “There’s no yelling or micromanaging out here. It’s good to have that trust.”
The 3rd Squadron, 1st Cav. Regt. of the 3rd HBCT are assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Ga. The brigade is from Fort Benning, Ga.
Sep 1, 2007 - 4:12:55 PM
Blackanthem Military News
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – It was several hours before the scouts of 2nd platoon, Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment were set to go on a night raid Aug. 24, and all appeared to be normal.
Scouts listened to music, took naps and watched movies on their computers. Occasionally one member of the troop would become the object of the group’s good-natured ribbing.
“If you are part of this group, you better be ready for jokes at your expense,” said Sgt. Thomas Young, a team leader in Troop B. “We give each other a hard time, but it’s all in fun. You can’t take it too seriously. If you do, you are just gonna get more of it.”
The light mood is briefly interrupted by Staff Sgt. William Piper, a section leader in 2nd platoon.
“Everyone out front for walk-throughs,” he ordered his men.
Everyone in the room put away what they were doing and woke up the few scouts that were napping. They filed through the halls of the Tactical Operations Center at Combat Outpost Cashe to a dry-erase board set up near the entrance of the building.
A rough map was drawn beside a list of names and times on the board. The scouts surrounded the board and 1st Lt. Mike Barth, platoon leader of 2nd platoon, and waited for the meeting to begin.
“How’s everyone doing?” Barth asked. “Here is what we have going on tonight.”
With quick and precise language, the platoon leader outlined the mission, the target and the logistics of the night’s operation. The room was silent except for his voice.
“We have to get in fast, blow that door and get in there,” Barth said. “I want you guys dropping the ramp on that Bradley before it stops. This has to be fast tonight. This is a bad guy. We want to get in there, get him and get out. Any questions?”
Several Soldiers, ranging in rank from staff sergeant to private first class, asked questions about the route out and where they were supposed to set up. They offered suggestions on how the plan could be made better. Some were implemented, some were not.
Before everyone took off, Barth asked one of his Soldiers a question.
“What is the name of our target?” he asked.
After a few moments of silence, the Soldier smiled and said he could not remember. The process was repeated a few more times before someone answered correctly.
Barth smiled.
“Make sure we all know this stuff,” he said. “We have to know our route in and out, our target’s name and where everyone is. We’ll go over it again before we leave. Make sure your kits are good to go. Get to it.”
As quickly as the meeting started, it was over.
Back in the barracks, the scouts of Troop B started filling camelbacks and taping infrared chemical lights to the back of their gear. Music played in the background, as they went back to joking with one another. In the midst of all the preparation, drivers and gunners went out to their vehicles to conduct their pre-combat checks.
“We’ve been together a long time,” said Spc. Thomas Monk, Barth’s gunner. “We are a tight knit group. We all joke and play with one another, but when it is time to go to work, we are all business. You have to get serious and focused come game time.”
Five hours later, everyone was ready to go. Exactly as Monk promised, everyone in the platoon was serious and focused. No one in the troop answered a question wrong. Equipment was checked by a team leader to make sure he had everything. The inspection went perfectly; all scouts passed inspection.
“All right, everyone out to the vehicles,” said Barth. “We SP in 30 minutes.”
This type of intricate planning isn’t unusual for the troopers.
“We conduct an extensive amount of preparation,” said Barth. “It’s all based on the intel we have. We are as safe and effective as we can possibly be. The more we can plan and rehearse, the more we can mitigate risk.”
Walking outside, most of the scouts had already loaded up into their vehicles. A few made last minute adjustments to their gear.
Night fell, but the moon provided enough light for the scouts to see.
“I like the night,” said Monk. “There are fewer people on the streets and if they are out there, they probably shouldn’t be. It makes our job easier.”
Barth agreed.
“During the day, it is much harder to tell who’s good and bad,” he said. “We also have an advantage on the enemy, because we are better equipped to fight at night.”
That point was drilled in as the platoon exited the gates of COP Cashe and started moving toward their target in Jisr Diyala. One by one the headlights of the vehicles go out. The rest of the way into Jisr Diyala was completed under the cover of darkness.
Through the lenses of their night vision goggles, scouts negotiated the roads of the neighborhood to get to their target. Over the radio, Barth was notified that the cordon protecting the scouts was set. As they pulled up to the house, the ramps on the Bradley’s came down and troops poured out.
The first team started clearing the wrong house, but Barth sprang forward.
“I need people on this house now!” he said as he runs up to the correct house. “We have to get in here. Open that gate and let’s get in there.”
The lock on the gate was quickly cut and scouts filed into the courtyard and cleared it. Within moments, they were in the house and clearing rooms. The plan was altered because of the earlier mistake, but Troop B rolled with it.
Piper took control and directed traffic in the house. He put all the women and children living in the house in one room and told his team to begin searching for contraband. Room by room the scouts meticulously searched for anything that was not supposed to be there, but the clock was ticking.
A loud explosion a few minutes later caused everyone’s head to snap up for a moment. Barth stayed on the radio.
“They are using rocket propelled grenades!” he shouted. “The cordon is returning fire. We’ve got to hurry. Sgt. Piper, you have 10 minutes!”
Piper’s men continued their search as the echo of small arms fire came from a few blocks over. When Barth told everyone that it was time to get back to the vehicles, the scouts quickly complied. The target was not there.
The scouts quickly mounted up, and the vehicles took off. Headlights blazing, the vehicles quickly moved through the streets. There was no attempt to hide at that point. Platoon B was trying to get back to Cashe as quickly as possible.
Scouts in the lead Bradley sat shoulder-to-shoulder through the rattling ride. Nobody tried to speak over the roar of the tracks, but when a flash temporarily lit up the back of the vehicle everyone perked up. Before they made it back to Cashe, two RPGs were fired at them. Luckily, both of them missed.
When everyone returned to COB Cashe, they began clearing their weapons and talking about what happened.
“I saw that rocket go across your vehicle,” said Sgt. William Morris, one of the Bradley commanders in the convoy, to the scouts riding in the back of the lead vehicle. “That was a close one.”
Barth called everyone over and explained how the mission went. The target was apprehended by Soldiers in the cordon as he attempted to get away from his house. Piper’s scouts found an AK-47, ammunition, several cell phones and large sums of cash. One of the cell phones contained some images that implicate the target in several illegal acts.
“Good job guys,” Barth said. “We got a really bad guy tonight.”
As his troop headed back to their sleeping quarters, Barth reflected on what happened.
“This isn’t typical scout stuff,” Barth said. “These guys are doing a lot of things that are typically infantrymen stuff, but they are doing great.”
Barth is quick to point out that he is proud of how they performed, despite the mistake his Soldiers made.
“We had a great rehearsal, but when we got out there things changed and we had to adapt,” he said. “It was a complex mission, but we got through it and accomplished our mission.”
Barth explained why he was never worried through out the operation.
“The most important thing I can do is use our experience,” he said. “I wholeheartedly trust my guys’ ability to make decisions on the ground and I give them the freedom to do that.”
Morris appreciates his platoon leader’s faith in him.
“The leadership lets us focus on what we have to do,” Morris said. “There’s no yelling or micromanaging out here. It’s good to have that trust.”
The 3rd Squadron, 1st Cav. Regt. of the 3rd HBCT are assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Ga. The brigade is from Fort Benning, Ga.
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2 comments:
My hubby is deployed with 3rd brigade. I've been a reader of your blog since the deployment started. And I love it.
I wanted to let you know I found a yahoo article on 3rd brigade that gave a "shout out" to your blog. Here is the link for you:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20070830bcusiraqsurge_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop
Congrats and thanks for all your hardwork on this blog. And THANK YOU for "serving" along side your son. We ALL make sacrifices!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20070830bcusiraqsurge_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop
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