3-1 Cav. Regt. Seizes Second EFP Cache in Three Days

Spc. Erin Hammer, from Manti, Utah, and Spc. Ronald Gardner, Durant, from Okla., both Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, pose behind munitions seized from a weapon cache in Jurf Nadaf, a village east of Baghdad, Feb. 10. Standing to the side is Sgt. 1st Class Maxwell Donahue, from Damariscotta, Maine.

By Maj. Joe Sowers
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – Soldiers from Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, seized a cache of explosively formed penetrators near Jurf Nadaf, a village east of Baghdad, Feb. 10.

The cache was the second seizure of munitions in the village by Troop C within a 72-hour period.

“Finding caches like this saves Soldier and civilian lives, and that is an important part of what we do,” said Sgt. Kenneth Storts, from Corning, Ohio, a cavalry scout in Troop C.

The cache contained five EFPs, three rocket-propelled grenades, 28 grenades and various materials commonly used in the making of roadside bombs.

Soldiers were searching an abandoned home after a tip from a local resident. While searching, Spc. Ronald Gardner, from Durant, Okla., found an infrared sensor. Infrared sensors are often used as triggers for EFPs.

“At first we didn’t know if it was hooked up to anything,” Gardner said. “That is when (Sgt. 1st Class Maxwell Donahue) told us to search the whole field.”

It was during the search of the surrounding fields and nearby abandoned buildings that they discovered the cache.

On Feb. 8, Soldiers from Troop C seized a similar cache in Jurf Nadaf containing 13 EFPs and various munitions.

The 3-1 Cav. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March.