As the soldiers in his platoon provide security, Spc. David Bougourd, an infantryman in 3rd platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, pries open a door to a warehouse in Jisr Diyala. Below, soldiers in 3rd platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, search through high grass for weapons caches during a search operation in Jisr Diyala.Search Missions More Like Fishing
Platoon patrols for weapons caches and, at times, lands the big fish
BY MICK WALSH - mwalsh@ledger-enquirer.com --
Special to the Ledger-Enquirer
As the soldiers in his platoon provide security, Spc. David Bougourd, an infantryman in 3rd platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, pries open a door to a warehouse in Jisr Diyala. Below, soldiers in 3rd platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, search through high grass for weapons caches during a search operation in Jisr Diyala.
"It's a lot like fishing," said Pfc. Darrell Deshotel, trying his best to describe the missions he and his buddies perform every day. "Sometimes you catch something and sometimes you don't."
And on a recent patrol, searching for weapon caches, the platoon came up empty.
The fish just weren't biting.
For four hours, the 3rd platoon of Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, slowly patrolled up and down the streets of Jisr Diyala, making sure their Mine Resistant Armor Protected (MRAP) vehicle didn't pull down one of the hundreds of low-hanging telephone and power lines that stretched across each street like black vines.
After searching several homes and abandoned warehouses, the weapons cache they were searching for never materialized.
The platoon has conducted hundreds of such patrols in Jisr Diyala since last March.
For many of the younger soldiers, their current mission isn't what they expected. They had heard stories from more experienced soldiers in the 1-15 about gun battles and air assault missions. Their platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Donal Mathena, stresses to them that their current mission, while not as exciting, is just as important.
To his younger soldiers, "first-timers" he likes to call them, Mathena motivates and assures them that their service is just as important without firefights.
"What we trained them to do was based on what we were doing last deployment," he said. "It's different this time, but they have to realize that everything they do is a 'soldier's job.' There is no such thing as a tanker's job or a scout's job anymore. What you are trained for isn't necessarily what you will be doing."
Now that doesn't mean the platoon hasn't pulled in a big fish now and then during its deployment.
"We've grabbed every HVI (high value individual) and insurgent leader that has tried to operate here and haven't lost one guy doing it," Mathena said. "The platoon has done a good job. Instead of picking a target house, going in and ripping it apart, we have done a lot of knock-and-search operations. Our soldiers have been very respectful and I think the locals respond favorably to that. We don't allow cowboy actions in this platoon. Our guys aren't reckless. They stay professional at all times."
Platoon leader 1st Lt. Benjamin Hooker is proud of the way his senior noncommissioned officers have handled the platoon.
"They have been operating flawlessly in a sometimes fragile environment," he said. "I feel they are all very professional soldiers that deserve a lot of credit. I couldn't ask for a better group."
Hooker said the senior NCOs have been very effective in leading troops out in the field.
"The veterans have tactical patience," he said. "They have waited for things to develop where a lot of the younger soldiers would have rushed in."
Being patient and thorough have helped the platoon find three important caches, including one in Jisr Diyala.
"Every time we have rolled out and snatched up an HVI or a cache, it felt good," Deshotel said. "We make a difference out here every day. Our company set up the first Sons of Iraq program in 3rd Brigade's area of operations. We have gotten every HVI that has tried to operate here."
These accomplishments are important to Mathena, but he is most proud of the things in his battle space that don't make headlines.
He points out that improvised explosive device attacks are down. He explains that bullets haven't been needed by his soldiers to accomplish their missions. He believes his soldiers have made a positive impact on everyone they encounter.
"How are we gauging success in Iraq?" he said. "Do you gauge it by how much violence and action you are seeing in your AO or do you measure it by how peaceful your area is? Do you measure it by how many shots are fired or how many projects you set up? I'm proud of everything my guys have done here because at the end of the day, they did their job and helped the people here."
The 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team public affairs office contributed to this report.
Platoon patrols for weapons caches and, at times, lands the big fish
BY MICK WALSH - mwalsh@ledger-enquirer.com --
Special to the Ledger-Enquirer
As the soldiers in his platoon provide security, Spc. David Bougourd, an infantryman in 3rd platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, pries open a door to a warehouse in Jisr Diyala. Below, soldiers in 3rd platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, search through high grass for weapons caches during a search operation in Jisr Diyala.
"It's a lot like fishing," said Pfc. Darrell Deshotel, trying his best to describe the missions he and his buddies perform every day. "Sometimes you catch something and sometimes you don't."
And on a recent patrol, searching for weapon caches, the platoon came up empty.
The fish just weren't biting.
For four hours, the 3rd platoon of Company D, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, slowly patrolled up and down the streets of Jisr Diyala, making sure their Mine Resistant Armor Protected (MRAP) vehicle didn't pull down one of the hundreds of low-hanging telephone and power lines that stretched across each street like black vines.
After searching several homes and abandoned warehouses, the weapons cache they were searching for never materialized.
The platoon has conducted hundreds of such patrols in Jisr Diyala since last March.
For many of the younger soldiers, their current mission isn't what they expected. They had heard stories from more experienced soldiers in the 1-15 about gun battles and air assault missions. Their platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Donal Mathena, stresses to them that their current mission, while not as exciting, is just as important.
To his younger soldiers, "first-timers" he likes to call them, Mathena motivates and assures them that their service is just as important without firefights.
"What we trained them to do was based on what we were doing last deployment," he said. "It's different this time, but they have to realize that everything they do is a 'soldier's job.' There is no such thing as a tanker's job or a scout's job anymore. What you are trained for isn't necessarily what you will be doing."
Now that doesn't mean the platoon hasn't pulled in a big fish now and then during its deployment.
"We've grabbed every HVI (high value individual) and insurgent leader that has tried to operate here and haven't lost one guy doing it," Mathena said. "The platoon has done a good job. Instead of picking a target house, going in and ripping it apart, we have done a lot of knock-and-search operations. Our soldiers have been very respectful and I think the locals respond favorably to that. We don't allow cowboy actions in this platoon. Our guys aren't reckless. They stay professional at all times."
Platoon leader 1st Lt. Benjamin Hooker is proud of the way his senior noncommissioned officers have handled the platoon.
"They have been operating flawlessly in a sometimes fragile environment," he said. "I feel they are all very professional soldiers that deserve a lot of credit. I couldn't ask for a better group."
Hooker said the senior NCOs have been very effective in leading troops out in the field.
"The veterans have tactical patience," he said. "They have waited for things to develop where a lot of the younger soldiers would have rushed in."
Being patient and thorough have helped the platoon find three important caches, including one in Jisr Diyala.
"Every time we have rolled out and snatched up an HVI or a cache, it felt good," Deshotel said. "We make a difference out here every day. Our company set up the first Sons of Iraq program in 3rd Brigade's area of operations. We have gotten every HVI that has tried to operate here."
These accomplishments are important to Mathena, but he is most proud of the things in his battle space that don't make headlines.
He points out that improvised explosive device attacks are down. He explains that bullets haven't been needed by his soldiers to accomplish their missions. He believes his soldiers have made a positive impact on everyone they encounter.
"How are we gauging success in Iraq?" he said. "Do you gauge it by how much violence and action you are seeing in your AO or do you measure it by how peaceful your area is? Do you measure it by how many shots are fired or how many projects you set up? I'm proud of everything my guys have done here because at the end of the day, they did their job and helped the people here."
The 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team public affairs office contributed to this report.
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