Iraq Citizens Behind Much of Brigades' Success

Volunteers helping soldiers find weapons, decrease violence
BY MICK WALSH

Col. Wayne Grigsby Jr., commander of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, ties his unit's ultimate success in Iraq with the continued involvement of concerned citizens in the brigade's Rhode Island-sized battle space.

"Building relationships with concerned citizens is the key," said Grigsby during his late September visit to Fort Benning.

That sentiment has spread to the brigade's public affairs office.

Noticeable in recent releases from the Sledgehammer brigade is the capitalization of "Concerned Citizens."

For example, here's how the most recent release began:

"Local Concerned Citizens brought a large cache of weapons to a 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, combat outpost east of Baghdad on Oct. 5."

Later came two more mentions of "Concerned Citizens."

The Army earlier began capitalizing "Soldier." Now this.

But whether upper case or lower case, the relationship between the Soldiers and Concerned Citizens of Iraq is growing by the day.

The cache referred to earlier included 21 mortar rounds, one 57 mm projectile, two 100 mm projectiles, one 122 mm rocket warhead, three PG-7Ms, four PG-7s, and one rocket propelled grenade. They were turned in to "Soldiers" from the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, at Combat Outpost Cashe.

Committed groups

The cavalry regiment officials estimated that more than 1,000 rounds of small arms ammunition and 60 pounds of TNT were turned in as well.

"Concerned Citizens" groups are local volunteers who are committed to cooperating with coalition forces to decrease violence in their communities, much like a neighborhood watch program. Soldiers from the 1-15 have been working to establish "Concerned Citizens" groups in Jisr Diyala, a town southeast of Baghdad, since July. Currently, two "Concerned Citizens" groups total approximately 300 volunteers.

Also in the 3-1's area of operation on the same day, local citizens informed Iraqi police of a potential improvised explosive device along a major road.

Iraqi police were able to remove the roadside bomb and "Soldiers" from the brigade secured the explosive for proper disposal.