Posted on 06/01/2003 6:56:47 PM PDT by Pokey78
AGHDAD, Iraq, June 1 — When they rumbled into the center of Baghdad two months ago, the soldiers from the Spartan Brigade thought their war was all but over.
But instead of going home, the troops have been given a new and complex mission: bringing order to Falluja, a town 40 miles west of Baghdad that has been the scene of deadly clashes and a thorn in the side of the allied command.
It is a task that has already frustrated other Army units. This time, the mission is sending an armored brigade: a force of some 4,000 soldiers who made their mark by clawing their way to Baghdad, and then leading the assault into the city.
The Spartan Brigade — officially the Second Brigade of the Third Infantry Division — will replace a 1,200-member cavalry squadron, and is expected to leave this week for Falluja and the nearby town of Habbaniya.
Falluja seemed to be just another obscure Iraqi town when American soldiers rolled into Baghdad, but in the last few weeks it has become a symbol of anti-American resistance.
The American goal is to secure the support of local leaders and to root out enemies, who include Islamic extremists, remnants of Saddam Hussein's government that migrated west when the Americans took Baghdad, and perhaps paramilitary fighters from neighboring countries.
That is a daunting mission in a town that has been the scene of anti-American demonstrations and the home of a fiery iman who has demanded that the Americans leave.
On Tuesday, two American soldiers were killed and nine were wounded in a guerrilla attack. The American military says there has been an incident in the area every few days, including a recent attack in which a mine was buried in the road and detonated under a passing American M-113 armored personnel carrier, a blast that shook the vehicle but did not cause any casualties.
"It will be a challenging mission, but based on our experience in Baghdad, we believe we can establish a good relationship with the Iraqi people and make a difference," said Lt. Col. Philip deCamp, the commander of TF 4-64 Armor, one of the brigade's battalions.
Going to Falluja was about the last thing the soldiers from the Spartan Brigade expected. Most of them believe that they have done more than their share by fighting their way into the Iraqi capital. They thought they would be heading home after their division handed over responsibility for Baghdad's security last week to the First Armored Division.
But the continued difficulties in stabilizing Iraq forced a change in plan. So did the Pentagon's decision to limit the deployment of fresh troops. The First Cavalry Division had been alerted to go to Iraq, but the Pentagon decided to keep the unit at home as a reserve for other potential crises and to limit the number of American troops in Iraq.
When American military commanders looked for additional forces to help secure western and northern Iraq, the soldiers in the Third Infantry Division were just about all they had to draw upon. The Spartan Brigade will cover a 30-mile-wide sector west of Baghdad.
Not all of the challenges the Army faces have to do with the Iraqis. Maintenance is an important concern. In its training in Kuwait and its march to Baghdad, the brigade put 2,000 miles on its vehicles, an enormous distance for an armored unit.
The wear and tear has taken its toll on track treads and other crucial parts. The problem, soldiers say, was compounded by the failure of the Army's logistical system to supply repair parts during the push to Baghdad. It was allowed to fester during the week of duty in the capital because the Army assumed that the Third Division would soon be sent home.
Some company commanders say none of their vehicles fully meet the Army's maintenance standards. While many of the vehicles can still operate, soldiers are concerned that they may break down, leaving troops exposed in dangerous parts of town.
Senior commanders say they are aware of the problem and are making adjustments to deal with it. Vehicles that are in poor repair, they say, will not be used for patrols, but put at checkpoints. The Army is also rushing to find spare parts for the brigade headed west to Falluja and Habbaniya, as well as for 3-7 Cavalry, a squadron that is expected to head north of Baghdad to help the Fourth Infantry Division patrol its sector. American commanders are also taking vehicles from other units and giving them to the brigade.
Another challenge for the Army command is morale, which has waned as the Third Infantry Division's deployment has been extended. Many soldiers say they believe that the way home was through Baghdad, and they fought their way to the capital only to find out just a few days ago that the Army had another mission for them.
"The soldiers are irritated and tired," said Capt. Christopher Carter, the commander of Company A, 3-7 Infantry, whose exploits include the rescue of an Iraqi woman who was shot by Iraqi troops on a bridge in the town of Hindiya.
"Of course, they are going to go in and do the job, and they will do it professionally as if they had been told all along that they were going to have to do it," he added. "But they almost feel betrayed. You put a nice prize in front of them and now you yank it away from them."
Motivating the brigade to take on its new mission was the main theme of a talk Col. David Perkins gave on Friday night to his senior officers and noncommissioned officers at a Baghdad conference center. The brigade commander said the division needed to recall its service in World War II, when it fought for 531 continuous days.
The soldiers who question the extension of their tour in Iraq by another 60 days, he said, needed to think about those members of the brigade who were killed and were not coming home. The brigade, Colonel Perkins said, needed to recapture the same sense of mission that it had when it pushed into the center of Baghdad on April 7.
Referring to the coming mission in Falluja, he said, "There is nothing there that we can't take care of."
The wear and tear has taken its toll on track treads and other crucial parts.
This is totally normal with tracked vehicles.
Some company commanders say none of their vehicles fully meet the Army's maintenance standards.
Also totally normal (depending upon what the term 'fully meets standard' means). If it means a vehicle that has zero defaults noted after a PMCS- well, I've never seen that. Just about any vehicle will always be carrying some gigs around with it that have differing priorities. A missing strap is nothing, even though it appears as a noted fault on the maintenance report. A 'Deadline' is the important thing. If they're running around relying upon a lot of vehicles that have deadline gigs- this is a problem. But still, one that can be easily remedied.
How long has the 3ID been deployed anyway? IFOR in Bosnia, for example, was initially a one year deployment when the troops first rolled across the Sava River. Helps to keep it in perspective.
Class III leak .... does the drop drip .... or does the drip drop? :)
Now quit whining and mount up. It ain't easy being the best, but you'll just have to live with it.
The day a military unit stops bitching is the day that unit needs to be pulled off the line.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.