Attacks Way Down Thanks to You

MG Rick Lynch, 3 ID Commander Task Force Marne

I spent last week engaging groups of concerned local citizens in each brigade.

I met with Meda’in concerned citizens at Patrol Base Assassin, Route Malibu concerned citizens in Qarghouli Village, Hawr Rajab concerned citizens, and concerned citizens in Haswah along Route Dolly.

The concerned citizens are definitely the Division’s decisive effort – we are at a point where we have more concerned citizens – approximately 23,000 – than we do Coalition Soldiers. Sustaining the concerned local citizens program is the key to the future security of Iraq.

It is because of you that we arrived at this point. You all – Task Force Marne Soldiers – worked tirelessly to secure Iraqis, and you’ve done it so well that they feel safe enough to secure their own neighborhoods, their own farms, and their own families against both the al-Qaeda terrorists and the Shia extremists who want to destroy the Iraqi nation.

Everywhere I visited, the concerned local citizens leaders gave you credit for helping get to the point where they could build and man their own checkpoints. Every sheik noted that he has wanted security for the past few years, and that you have been the ones to empower him.

I couldn’t be more proud to be Marne 6.

Attacks are way down across the entire Division, a direct reflection of who you are – Soldiers who are doing the right thing every day. You are vigilant and well trained – you know what needs to be done, and you do it right every time.

Last week, the Army Combat Readiness Center visited 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division and 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division to conduct sensing sessions and safety assessments. It was obvious to the safety professionals that our leaders take safety seriously, and I expect that principle to trickle down to every junior leader and every Soldier.

The Center brought up many valid concerns, and I refuse to lose a Soldier to a safety failure. I have zero tolerance for safety accidents. Leaders must remain engaged; NCOs must set and enforce the standard, and every Soldier must remember that he or she is a safety officer. No one should ever let an unsafe act go unnoticed.

Across our battlespace leaders are engaging safety with creative thinking. In Commando’s AO, NCOs are rigging harnesses for Soldiers to lift and lower their gear into guard towers. At Patrol Base Hawkes, two sergeants built floors into the guard towers so that if a Soldier falls it is only a few feet instead of 30 feet. Their ingenuity embodies the spirit I expect every Task Force Marne Soldier to have – Soldiers’ safety is the No. 1 priority every day, and any step we can take to improve it is a positive step for the entire Division.

I grow more proud of you every day, and I am continually amazed by your acts of courage and your fierce determination to succeed beyond all expectations. You truly are America’s finest sons and daughters.

Rock of the Marne!