Concerned Citizens Round Up Caches, Improve Security

By Spc. Ben Hutto, 3rd HBCT Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Concerned citizens from the village of Al Arafia delivered a large collection of munitions, including a 200 pound bomb, to Combat Outpost Cashe Oct.16.

The most recent delivery came as no surprise to the Soldiers of Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment and elements of the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, stationed at Combat Outpost Cashe.

Company D helped organize the first concerned citizen program in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s area of operations. Since then, the brigade has integrated the concerned citizens into missions and used their tips to capture key insurgents.

The cache was transported via a civilian truck by the concerned citizens. The cache, consisting of munitions collected throughout Al Arafia, contained two 105 mm artillery shells, twelve 75 mm armor piercing rounds, two improvised explosive devices, one container of homemade explosive, six 50 mm and two 82 mm mortar rounds, one 200 pound bomb, and one unidentifiable artillery round.

Concerned citizen tips have led to the seizure of 10 caches, the discovery of 12 improvised explosive devices and the detention of 103 suspects, according to Maj. Rhett Griner, from Jonesboro, Ga., effects coordinator for the 3rd HBCT.

“The concerned citizens in Tuwaitha have been very proactive,” said 1st Sgt. James Woody, from Portsmouth, Va., the first sergeant of Company D, 1-15 Inf. Regt. “They are doing an outstanding job of protecting their communities. They are the standard that the concerned citizens groups in the qada are following.”

Woody pointed out that the Sunni concerned citizens live in a low-crime area alongside the Tigris River and have done an excellent job of staying vigilant and keeping insurgent elements from taking root in the community.

“On a weekly basis they are leading us to weapons caches or munitions,” said Woody. “They are really on top of it. Just last week they led us to six different IEDs and two caches.”

Now many of the citizens of the Mada’in Qada – a district east of Baghdad with roughly 1.2 million citizens - have shown their support by joining the Concerned Citizen Program. The 3rd HBCT has conducted numerous missions with group members either leading or providing tips.

There are more than 1,600 concerned citizens operating throughout the Qada, according to Griner. The 3rd HBCT is working with local leaders to create more groups and working with the Ministry of Iraq to eventually transition the volunteers into the Iraq Security Forces.