3-1st Cav. Regt. Captures High-value Individual

By Spc. Ben Hutto
3rd HBCT Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Scouts from the 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment’s Time Sensitive Target Team apprehended an insurgent during a night raid near Tameem Nov. 13.

Leaders in the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, considered the insurgent a high-value individual.

Second Lt. John Lorme, from Aberdeen, Md., team leader of the TST, explained that the capture of the individual was another big step in clearing 3-1 Cav. Regt.’s area of operation of insurgents.

“This is the nineteenth HVI (high value individual) we’ve gotten in eight months here,” Lorme said. “Missions like this are becoming more of a battle drill for the platoon. From our youngest private first class to our platoon sergeant everyone is doing great.”

The detainee was wanted in connection to indirect fire attacks on Combat Outpost Cashe and improvised explosive device attacks on 3rd HBCT forces in 3-1st Cav. Regt. and 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment’s areas of operation.

“The capture of a suspected Shia extremist with experience conducting explosively formed penetrator attacks and 107 mm rocket attacks on coalition forces is a huge success for 3-1 Cav. and the 3rd HBCT,” said Maj. David Fivecoat, from Delaware, Ohio, the operations officer of the 3rd HBCT. “His detention eliminates a dangerous insurgent from the Mada’in Qada.”

The 3-1st Cav. Regt. and 1-15th Inf. Regt. are both assigned to the 3rd HBCT, 3rd Inf. Div. from Fort Benning, Ga., and have been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom V since March.