No 'rude awakening' this time (Stryker Brigade)

The News-Tribune ^ | 8 MAY 06 | Michael Gilbert

[Future Snake Eater]

All the major training is done. The vehicles will be loaded onto ships later this month at the Port of Olympia, and by the end of next month, the Army’s first Stryker brigade will be on its way back to Iraq.

Nearly half the 4,000 soldiers in the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division were with the unit the first time it went over in November 2003.

Their experience, and that of the two Stryker brigades that succeeded them, have informed preparations different from the last time, the Fort Lewis-based soldiers say.

“Before, we went over thinking we knew what was going on over there,” said Staff Sgt. Scott Muetz, a Stryker infantryman preparing for his second trip. “Of course, it was a rude awakening.”

Before their first deployment, the soldiers prepared mainly for the big fight: traditional force-on-force confrontations like they might have encountered if they had been part of the initial invasion.

This time they’ve focused on fresh lessons from the counterinsurgency, with a heavy emphasis on understanding the Iraqi culture.

Training also has focused more on documenting evidence against insurgents who are captured, as if soldiers were police investigators.

“This trip we’re not going in blind,” Muetz said. “All the leadership, they’re all veterans. They’ve seen what kind of folks we deal with on a regular basis, they know how to interact, how not to step on toes unintentionally, and to make sure you’re stepping on the right toes.”

Brigade to aid Iraqi security forces

Everything is subject to change, officials said, but the plan for now is that they’ll replace the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright, Alaska, which is headquartered in familiar territory: Mosul. It’s where the 3rd Brigade soldiers spent most of their first deployment.

The 172nd also has a large number of troops based in the far west, in Rawah, along the Euphrates River near the Syrian border.

Maj. Adam Rocke, the 3rd Brigade’s operations officer, said the mission and locations are likely to evolve as U.S. forces hand over day-to-day responsibilities in parts of the country to Iraqi troops.

The brigade will continue to help develop Iraqi security forces “to an adequate level so that they are the lead and we, the coalition forces, are in a supporting role,” Rocke said.

But he said it’s likely U.S. commanders will continue using Stryker troops as a rapid-reaction force.

He said each of the three Stryker brigades to work in Iraq has proved its ability to rapidly move large numbers of infantrymen over great distances. Strykers will be a force commanders will call on even if they begin to reduce the number of troops in Iraq.

“I believe one of the last units out of Iraq will be a Stryker brigade,” Rocke said.

Bonding with the new guys

Officers say one of the brigade’s greatest strengths – its continuity – also is a source of concern.

“I think my greatest fear with this force is that the bond that those guys have, the veterans, is nurtured, while not shutting out the new guys,” said Lt. Col. Barry Huggins, who commands one of 3rd Brigade’s three infantry battalions, the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment. “We’ve got to integrate them, make them part of the team.”

Muetz, a 32-year-old staff sergeant who heads up a squad of mortarmen, said he and other veteran noncommisioned officers make sure their young soldiers are listening when it’s war story time. But they also stress that conditions in Iraq change all the time.

“It’s not a vacation. It’s not just pay. You’ve got to get over there and watch your butt.”

Simulating Iraq’s dangers

Capt. Brent Clemmer, a company commander in the 2-3, recently ran his troops through a final few days of training at the Leschi Town urban combat center. He said he set up “the whole smorgasbord of a day in the life of Iraq: from making nice with the mukhtar to meeting with the mayor, and everything in between.”

Clemmer parachuted into Afghanistan with the Rangers in 2001 before joining the 3rd Brigade for the previous Iraq deployment. Soldiers back then were all keyed up, with visions of the “Black Hawk Down” gun battle in mind, when they crossed the berm from Kuwait into Iraq.

This time, “You’re scared still, yeah, but we know what to expect.”

At Leschi Town, he watched one of his platoon leaders direct his men through the discovery of a mock roadside bomb, an improvised explosive device, or IED.

Some Iraqi soldiers – or, rather, brigade troops playing that role – brought the information to the platoon leader, Lt. Chris Alexander. It was just down the road, maybe 70 yards away, in a pile of cinder blocks at the corner of a wall.

For a time, the only thing between the platoon leader and the bomb was a chain-link fence.

Over the next several minutes, Alexander and his platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Martin, positioned their soldiers to keep people out of the way. They questioned some of the neighborhood men hanging around, who knew nothing, of course.

The leaders feared the bomber might be watching and waiting to detonate when enough soldiers or civilians got into the kill zone.

Alexander eventually moved his men back about 150 yards from the bomb; 300 is preferred, but that’s not always possible in an urban area. At least they had the cover of their 20-ton Stryker.

Afterward, Clemmer told Anderson [sic] and Martin they did well, but he reminded them to make sure they investigate IEDs “behind something thicker than the body armor you’re wearing.”

Later the platoon was sent out to find an insurgent mortar team during a traffic stop, then do it again. In the second exercise, commanders planned ambushes based on the platoon’s behavior the first time. The insurgents are always watching, Huggins stressed.

‘America still produces heroes’

Alexander, 26, was in his senior year at the North Carolina State University ROTC program in 2004 when many of the men in his platoon were fighting in Iraq.

Leading a platoon – 40 or so soldiers – is an entry-level role for new officers. They’re always paired with an experienced group of noncommissioned officers to coach them along.

“I was kind of nervous coming in, that all the soldiers were combat veterans,” Alexander said. “But I feel like I’ve been integrated in pretty well. … I feel like they’ve accepted me like I’ve been with them the whole time.”

Something else that’s different this time is the political climate at home. There’s more debate about the war. By late summer, Iraq likely will be a leading issue in the congressional election campaigns.

Soldiers said they’re watching it with interest, as citizens, but they’ll put it out of mind when it comes to their jobs.

“I tell these guys every night … how proud I am that America still produces heroes, is still able to assemble a force of young men like them from all walks of life, all backgrounds,” Huggins said.

“These guys really are a part of something that’s pretty special. I urge them … to hold onto that.”

Michael Gilbert: 253-597-8921

mike.gilbert@thenewstribune.com

Stryker brigades in Iraq

• 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis. Entered Iraq in December 2003. Was in Mosul for most of its year.

• 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis. Replaced 3rd Brigade in Mosul in October 2004.

• 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Replaced 1st Brigade in Mosul in September 2005.

• 3rd Brigade is scheduled to leave Fort Lewis in late June to replace 172nd.

• A fourth Stryker brigade, known as the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, is in development at Fort Lewis and is to be the next Stryker unit in the Iraq rotation in 2007.

[Future Snake Eater]

This reporter and a photographer followed my Stryker Platoon through an exercise at Leschi Town, an urban combat training complex at Fort Lewis, WA. It was a LONG day, but it ended up being some excellent training, even better than what I got at NTC, I think. Overall, a good article, I think.

Comments welcome from fellow FReepers!

Staff Sgt. William Cutcher rides on the back of a Stryker on Friday at Fort Lewis. The first Stryker brigade’s next mission will put it back in Iraq.

Members of the 3rd Brigade, like these soldiers training Friday at Fort Lewis, soon will replace the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright, Alaska, in Mosul, Iraq.

Clutching a machine gun, Spc. Steven Roman sits inside a Stryker on Friday while training at Fort Lewis. Some exercises simulate the finding of roadside bombs.

[Future Snake Eater]

Could I trouble you for a "Stryker Ping List" ping, please?

[Future Snake Eater]

I know you guys have seen this, but--

Shameless Self-Promotion Bump!

:-)

[GSlob]

BTW, would a single explosive-armor piercing round from, say, 14.5mm rifle reliably check that brick pile for potential IED? [Hungarians or Romanians, IIRC, make such a rifle - like a Barrett on steroids]. Expending one round is cheaper than sending the boys.

[repubmom]

God bless and protect all of our soldiers!

[jazusamo]

Thanks for posting.

[Future Snake Eater]

That's a BIG no-no. Apparently that was a TTP last deployment, but it got stopped in a hurry. I'm not an EOD tech, so I couldn't tell you why, but I know that I'd probably end up getting fired very quickly if I did that on a patrol.

[Future Snake Eater]

Save a lot of trouble: take no prisoners.

Dead men tell no tales, unfortunately. And these terrorists are such cowards that they'll sing like a canary the instant any pressure is put on them. Especially if we tell them we'll drop them with the Kurds. Heh heh.

[kddid]

My son is a member of this brigade. It is his first trip to Iraq. He was not in the Army the first time they deployed. I am glad they have leaders with experience.

[Future Snake Eater]

What battalion is he in?

[pickrell]

The problem is, that while the folks in the military have carried their end of the log, transforming themselves into the most effective military professionals ever to offer hope to future generations, overcoming truly despicable foes, and providing the chance,(again, the chance)... for those of the Middle East to seize a future for themselves which doesn't involve human detonation, and capital punishment for dress code violations...

... the politicians, meanwhile, back in the States have used the compliant media to embargo nearly all news of the good being done, and elevated defeatism to an actual party platform. To cover themselves, the Vichy cry is heard again in the land, that "..patriotism takes many forms, including denouncing the accomplishments of the present military action.."

How do we go about apologizing to those of you who have not only done everything your country has asked, and more,- but also went many steps above and beyond... only to be later maligned, isolated and discarded, now that the liberals are re-emerging from their hiding places in the tall grass, and are busily rewriting reality.

I wouldn't blame you all if after this theatre action you all throw up your hands and say, "What has the country done to deserve the sacrifices of those men who won't be returning home to their families?"

Old guys like me have few heroes left.

Our shame at how the present crop of heroes will be ignored and defamed makes it worse. But if you know anything- know this:

To have lived a life that touched so many, that saved so many others from the horrors and cruelty of evil men, and that fought, and in many cases died, to try to save uncounted millions more from the threatening catastrophe of unlimited worldwide religious warfare, elevates you into the Brotherhood of the Best.

It no longer matters how it all comes out. That you provided a chance.. even if it isn't eventually embraced by enough to make it work... is in my view almost a sacramental accomplishment.

Bravo to all of you. You define what is best in the world. That so many would offer the risk of their lives, so that others may breathe free, almost defies the efforts of amateur scribes to salute you.

But you don't need our words... even though you have our undying admiration.

[kddid]

I hate to admit this, but I do not know. If we communicate, it is by email. He said something about reconnaissance, but I am not 100% percent sure if that is where he ended up. He was in boot at Fort Knox, KY. Then he went to Texas, I think. Afterward, he was off to Fort Lewis. I have not heard from him for awhile now. I expect to get some news very soon. Do you have someone with them also?

[Future Snake Eater]

If he did basic training at Fort Knox, then he's either in an MGS platoon in an Infantry battalion (2-3, 5-20, or 1-23) or he's with the Cav Squadron (1-14).

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Stryker Brigade Combat Team Tactical Studies Group (Chairborne)

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Be careful out there. And post when you can. The SBCTTSG (ChABN) graphic and ping list is on my profile page. Start a blog. That'll be great for your career! Look what it did for Colby Buzzell.

[GSlob]

Sorry to parade my ignorance, but what is "TTP"? And to my addled brain a prohibition on such a sensible [sensible, that is, if it works] tactics is a prime example of idiocy triumphant.

[Fester Chugabrew]

The insurgents are always watching . . .

Until they catch a bullet between the eyes. BUMP!

[FreedomPoster]

Godspeed to you, your platoon, and the rest of the brigade as you deploy.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Fort Carson soldiers re-enlist (mass re-enlistment of 640 GIs)

[I got the rope]

Awesome post...BTTT.

[Future Snake Eater]

Sorry. TTP is tactic, technique, procedure.

I don't know enough about whether it works just to shoot an IED. I do know there are plenty of other methods of controlling IED detonations that the terrorists don't know about--and they're VERY effective.

[Future Snake Eater]

Thanks. My Soldiers are well-prepared, and my NCOs are absolutely top notch. I'm very confident in this upcoming deployment.

[Chgogal]

Good luck FSE, you, your family and your fellow soldiers will be in our thoughts and prayers.

[GSlob]

"I don't know enough about whether it works just to shoot an IED."
Depends. From my ages ago training in explosives, if one can shoot through a detonator, then yes, even a regular rifle bullet would work. But the probability of hitting the sensitive detonator [especially if the IED is hidden] is zilch. Thus, [just as for an aviation bomb], one is more likely to hit the body of relatively insensitive high explosive. To cause reliable detonation in such a case one needs either a hypervelocity projectile [not available] or a projectile which is itself explosive and would serve as a detonator, i.e. high explosive round- like decent-sized HEAP, if I remember the acronym. If IED is hidden in a pile of bricks, I'd go for 20mm HEAP, no less.

[FreedomPoster]

Ping.

[SLB]

I do know there are plenty of other methods of controlling IED detonations that the terrorists don't know about--and they're VERY effective.

They now know they exist. Careful what you say here, the walls have ears.

[R. Scott]

“I think my greatest fear with this force is that the bond that those guys have, the veterans, is nurtured, while not shutting out the new guys,” said Lt. Col. Barry Huggins, who commands one of 3rd Brigade’s three infantry battalions, the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment. “We’ve got to integrate them, make them part of the team.”

I wish him luck. The Cherry has always been left out by the veterans. I did it myself – and it wasn’t intentional.

[RightOnline]

Bump. Great article, son.

Give 'em Hell.

[Future Snake Eater]

I wish him luck. The Cherry has always been left out by the veterans. I did it myself – and it wasn’t intentional.

Well, the Patriot Battalion has done an exceptional job of integrating newbies like myself and brand new Soldiers out of basic. I said it in the article, and I'll say it here: I have been integrated very well into an experienced, been-there-done-that group of NCOs and officer leadership. I was most nervous around CPT Clemmer at first. I mean the guy's been a PL in Korea, and with the 3rd Ranger BN where, in Afghanistan, he made one of the few combat jumps in Army history! He is an absolutely amazing commander, and I couldn't have been put in a better position to be mentored and trained by him. He doesn't lord it over the PLs or the new Soldiers, but he uses his considerable experience to build us and show us how to "do it smart."

LTC Huggins has made such integration his mission since he took command. He told us from the get-go that we were going right back to Iraq and it was important to get everyone on an even keel as quickly as possible. The training events he has put together for the platoons have been surprisingly realistic, and it can be easy to forget for a moment that it's just an exercise. This particular training event was completely battalion internal. It involved a day of support, a day at Leschi Town being evaluated, and a full day on a range (which was terrific--we got a lot of our own platoon training done that day). My NCOs got to run their guys through some great demolitions, short-range marksmanship, dynamic entry training, and M203 marksmanship. My squad leaders are excellent trainers, and I've learned a lot from them, and I've seen their Soldiers grow very quickly under their supervision. They're tough and demanding, and it pays tremendous dividends; I know I can count on every Soldier due to their diligent training.

Basically, my rant can be summed up by saying we're all ready to go, and even us FNGs can be confident that we can keep up with the vets.

[archy]

Save a lot of trouble: take no prisoners.

Then you get very little intelligence. And lose some excellent opportunities to make some examples, when it's worth the blood fued against Americans that will continue long after we leave Iraq.

[colorado tanker]

Good article. I'm still getting my brain around the 172nd deploying from Alaska to Mosul. Talk about a "rude awakening"!

[archy]

To cause reliable detonation in such a case one needs either a hypervelocity projectile [not available]

Yes it is. Works just fine in 7.62x51mm NATO and .50x99mm Browning-family weapons, other than those with a muzzle break, which unfortunately includes the M107 Barrett semiauto .50 AMR.

But for most explosive charges, the Mk211 Mod 0 .50 Raufoss ammunition will do just fine, and nicely detonates either high explosive or flammible targets, including JP4 and JP8 jet fuel. Shooting old Soviet TM46 and TM57 15-pound antitank mines at a couple of hundred meters with .50 Raufoss is great sport, and spectacular.

[archy]

I wish him luck. The Cherry has always been left out by the veterans. I did it myself – and it wasn’t intentional.

Yep. But it's also true that the old hand showing the rookie the way things are really done is a reality as old as warfare itself. All the prior to in-theater training is really just preparation for what will be learned on the job.

[archy]

I know you guys have seen this, but--

Shameless Self-Promotion Bump!

Nah, it ain't bragging if you're in it up to your neck. But I would offer you a couple of helpful suggestions, the first of which is to read this.

[archy]

My NCOs got to run their guys through some great demolitions, short-range marksmanship, dynamic entry training, and M203 marksmanship. My squad leaders are excellent trainers, and I've learned a lot from them, and I've seen their Soldiers grow very quickly under their supervision. They're tough and demanding, and it pays tremendous dividends; I know I can count on every Soldier due to their diligent training.

Learn those belt-feds. Practice barrel changes and stoppage immediate action drills until your hands hurt. And if you're not the one carrying the Pig, at least be real sure where it is, especially when you're dismounted *and don't need it this time out.*

[R. Scott]

LTC Huggins has made such integration his mission since he took command.

A very smart and aware leader to even recognize it as a potential problem.

[archy]

No 'rude awakening' this time (Stryker Brigade)

Hope not.

[R. Scott]

But it's also true that the old hand showing the rookie the way things are really done is a reality as old as warfare itself.

And hopefully the rookie will listen and heed. Most of the ones I encountered were straight out of school and thought they knew it all.

[91B]

You were in 30th Brigade in 1998?

I was in HHT 1/119th IN from April 1998-September 2001. Drilled in Washington, NC. I transferred to 2/278th ACR when they deployed to the desert in 2004 and did a year at FOB Bernstein in Tuz Khurmatu.

Where in NC are you from? I live in Morganton.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Hammer's Slammer's and Casca the Eternal Mercenary paperpacks were what I killed time with in the field and on range. Should have read FM's.

[moviegirl]

God Bless you, your family, and your men. Go give em' hell and hurry back home, I'll keep you all in my prayers.

[GSlob]

Do not forget the pile of bricks or other garbage which has to be punctured through before hitting the IED, and the side wall of, say, 152mm shell in that IED as well. When I was shooting at TNT bricks ages ago [7.62mm at ca. 2500fps], there was nothing spectacular. A saboted round at 4000+fps worked fine, though. But the target was just a "naked" TNT brick - how much energy would I be able to deliver to it through a substantial metal or brick wall?

[patriciaruth]

Future Snake Eater, thank you for posting this information. I've pinged the 280 on our Merry Band of Patriots ping list to see it.

These are the replacements (the follow-on units) for the 2 Stryker Brigade companies we have adopted in Iraq, one near Mosul and one up near the Syrian border. Our Merry Band of Patriots have sent many packages to two of the current Stryker companies and to a company that was there before them in 2004-5.

We are currently buying items to send in the packages we will be mailing before the end of May for a 4th of July party for them.

Anyone who wants to help with donations or refreshments and/or decorations please let me or kattracks know. I don't know if some of the follow-on units will be there by the 4th and if extra goodies would be a good idea.

[Jewels1091]

Would you please post the address to send money?? I have another one going over in a couple of weeks...he is to the point in his training that all is mum, so the next time we hear from him, he'll probably be over there.

[The Shrew]

My best wishes to you both. You both have no idea how often I have kept you in my prayers. FSE - make sure you spend some personal time on the range. I don't want to best you ever again!

Semper Fi,

TS

[Straight Vermonter]

The Canadian troops in Afghanistan have been raving about their strykers (actually they call them the LAV-III). They love the combined mobility and protection.

[Straight Vermonter]

If you want good news get yourself on the Terrorist Round-up ping list. All the good news from the WOT everyday.

[patriciaruth]

The donations for the Merry Band of Patriots are generally sent to be by snail mail or by Paypal.

They are not tax deductible as we are not an organized charity, although we are definitely non profit, with 150% or more of donations going to the troops in purchased goods and postage expenses. Accounting is posted on our thread here at FR every 3-4 months.

I don't post my address on the web. Anyone wanting to send me a donation to spend on goodies for the troops can contact me for the address.

If anyone wants to send money to a tax deductible troop support charity, I recommend Operation First Response, which is now trying to do matching funds to keep a large donation that is contingent on matching funds.

Contact me for the internet link if you are interested.

Good luck to your soldiers. If you post his first name and location on our thread, we will add him to our prayer list.

[patriciaruth]

correction: sent to ME.