Goodbye, ordinary world ("Army's second Stryker brigade" deploying to Iraq)

The News Tribune ^ | October 1, 2004 | ANGIE LEVENTIS

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

BRUCE KELLMAN | THE NEWS TRIBUNE Some blank-faced, some smiling, soldiers with the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment leave McChord Air Force Base on Thursday for Kuwait. The 400 or so men and women will eventually see combat in Iraq. They replace soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, who start returning next week.

Goodbye, ordinary world

ANGIE LEVENTIS; The News Tribune

Lt. Daniel Burkhart spent the last few days before his deployment to Iraq with his parents who flew in from Massachusetts to say goodbye.

His mother, Sandra Burkhart, didn't break down until it was time to go over the final details of the 24-year-old's will.

"But they're behind me 100 percent," the Fort Lewis soldier said. "All of us see purpose to this, even though it's going to be tough. It's for the good of us, and for the good of the nation."

Burkhart was one of about 400 from the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment who flew out of McChord Air Force Base on Thursday afternoon.

It's part of Fort Lewis' 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division. The Army's second Stryker brigade - made up of nearly 5,000 soldiers - is deploying to Iraq to replace Fort Lewis comrades from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division who are wrapping up a one-year tour of duty in the Mosul area. They will begin returning next week.

Sgt. Kyle Gazaway admitted he was a little scared as he waited to board a flight that eventually would take him to a combat zone.

"I never thought the day would come," the cavalry scout said. "I never thought I would see this."

But he was excited at the same time. It's the 22-year-old's first deployment, and he said he's glad to do his part.

He kissed his girlfriend goodbye at 6 a.m.

"She said that she loved me," he said.

The couple had been fighting more than usual the week before his deployment. He said his girlfriend, Elizabeth, often said she was angry at him, but didn't know exactly why.

"No one wanted me to go," he said.

The men and women waited for about three hours in the troop holding area at McChord, sharing the space with Marines from Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Some played cards, some slept on wooden benches, others stared blankly at a few televisions bolted to the drab, off-white walls. Some said they liked the extra quiet time to reflect before leaving.

Most were itching to get out.

Spc. Justine Derossett, 22, said she was grateful she got to go home to southern Illinois over the weekend. She visited with her parents and sisters and enjoyed her mom's homemade salsa and chicken.

The medic said she spent Wednesday night at New Testament Christian Church in Lakewood.

The sermon was on not making hasty decisions in the midst of a battle, not acting without thinking.

"The Lord is with you," she said, with her weapon in hand. "And if you have faith, he'll help you."

Col. Barry Halverson, deputy chief of staff of I Corps at Fort Lewis, gave the soldiers some final words of wisdom as they got in line to board a DC-10 commercial airplane for Kuwait.

Always know where your buddy is, he said. Don't become lackadaisical. Always pay attention. And never get relaxed - because that's when "things happen."

"We want every single one of you to come back here," he said.

Angie Leventis: 253-597-8692
angie.leventis@mail.tribnet.com

 

 

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Some blank-faced, some smiling, soldiers with the 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment leave McChord Air Force Base on Thursday for Kuwait. The 400 or so men and women will eventually see combat in Iraq. They replace soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, who start returning next week.

~*~

                              

    

                   

 Godspeed!

[leadpenny]

Reminds me of a few years ago when I left Ft. Lewis/McCord AFB with A Co, 4th Avn Bn, 4th ID for Vietnam.

Godspeed, men and women of the 25th ID.

[bayourod]

Remind this civilian what Stryker is and what their missions will be, if you don't mind.

My prayers are with our troops.

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[DTogo]

Check this out:

http://www.army.mil/features/strykeroe/

[SAMWolf]

God Bless, Bump

[blackie]

Stryker Brigade ~ Bump!

[leadpenny]

I get a little confused on this but I'll give it a shot. The Stryker Brigades are those that have been designed over the past few years (Shinseki initiative) that can deploy to anywhere in the world in 96 hours. Somewhat separate from this is the actual Stryker combat vehicle. That is the wheeled combat vehicle, able to carry a squad of infantry and has a 20 or 25 mm main gun. The stryker vehicle was also pushed by former Chief of Staff Shinseki.

I reserve the right to be wrong on everything I just said.

[No Longer Free State]

I get a little confused on this but I'll give it a shot. The Stryker Brigades are those that have been designed over the past few years (Shinseki initiative) that can deploy to anywhere in the world in 96 hours. Somewhat separate from this is the actual Stryker combat vehicle. That is the wheeled combat vehicle, able to carry a squad of infantry and has a 20 or 25 mm main gun. The stryker vehicle was also pushed by former Chief of Staff Shinseki.

I reserve the right to be wrong on everything I just said.

Good news! You're about 90% correct. The Stryker is actually a family of vehicles that are based on the infantry carrying vehicle you describe. The Stryker brigades are equipped with the Stryker vehicles. The two go together as only Stryker brigades are equipped with those vehicles, and, yes, Shinseki initiative.

[leadpenny]

Thanks, and I just learned from the link above that "Stryker" represents two MOH winners who gave their lives. (WWII and Vietnam). Now I wonder if they were related?

[xkaydet65]

I'm curious. Articles in SOF questioned the protection in the Stryker. How did the vehicle perform in its first deployment? What losses in vehicle and crew were sustained. Any on target info would be appreciated.

[watchin]

No links off hand to answer your question, but my son is in the brigade that is coming home. My wife told him when he left that she would pray every day that there would be no KIA's in his company during their year there.

The Lord answers prayer. We'll be glad - and very proud - to see our son home soon.

In spite of all the misgivings, there have been very few Strykers lost. They give the Iraqi's the eeby-jeebies. Fast, quiet, and deadly; they seem to appear out of nowhere.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Stryker drivers: The backbone of the Stryker Brigade

Story by Sgt. Fred Minnick 139th MPAD, Task Force Olympia Public Affairs Office

MOSUL, Iraq – After 10 months of intense driving in a combat zone, the Stryker drivers have developed a knack for steering the massive eight-wheeled beast through Iraq’s narrow alleyways, congested streets and dangerous overpasses. As the first Soldiers to use the Stryker, members of the 3^rd Brigade, 2^nd Infantry Division have seen the Stryker endure rocket propelled grenades, roadside bombs and small arms fire.

Since crossing the Iraqi border in November, the Stryker has bolstered the Army’s combat power and given battle planners a vital tool in winning the fight in Iraq. On several occasions, because of the vehicle’s combat power and mobility, top generals from Multi-National Forces Iraq have called upon the Stryker Brigade to move outside of its area of operations in northern Iraq to conduct operations in Al Kut, Balad and Baghdad.

However, the true success story of the multi-million dollar vehicle can be found sitting in the driver seats, said 1^st Lt. John Hicks, from Birmingham, Ala., the executive officer for Company B, 5^th Battalion, 20^th Infantry Regiment.

“We ask a lot out of our drivers. They sit in the hottest spot in the vehicle and literally are in charge of everybody’s life in the vehicle,” he said. “Without them, the Stryker is nothing but a 22,000-pound paperweight.”

According to those who sit behind the steering wheel, the Stryker is just a car, “except it’s wider and weighs about 20 times more,” said Spc. John Beaver Makawao, Alaska, a driver with the 5-20. “Being a Stryker driver is incredibly important and a good driver is patient. We are the backbone of this brigade.”

Drivers perform thorough maintenance checks on the Stryker before and after every mission. They conduct map reconnaissance of the route and try to determine the size of each road they will travel. 

“Drivers must know exactly how much room the vehicle has on each side, because the width of the Iraqi streets is inconsistent,” Beaver said. “You have to know how to operate everything in the vehicle and must be able to make decisive decisions about the routes and turns you take. After time, it becomes second nature.”

In addition to instinct, drivers depend on vehicle commanders to help them through the tight spots.

“We work as a team,” said Sgt. Justin Bliven from St. George, Utah, a vehicle commander for the 5-20. “I’m out of the hatch, so I can see what’s ahead and the drivers have a great understanding of where the Stryker can and can’t go, so we’re constantly communicating.”

Bliven recalls a time when his driver just stopped for no apparent reason. “It was at night and my driver said if we continued in the direction, we would hit a ditch. In the heat of the moment, he made the call to switch the route,” he said. “We rely on the Stryker’s stealth and quietness to sneak up on the enemy during missions. Most of the time, they never hear us coming because our drivers are so good at taking the right routes.”

The U.S. Army plans to field five additional Stryker Brigades, one of which – 1^st Brigade, 25^th Infantry Division – is fully operational and scheduled to replace 3-2. In addition, foreign armies, including Israel, have expressed an interest in integrating the vehicle into their army. Hicks said the first Stryker drivers set the standard for rest of the world on how to use the vehicle in a combat zone.“When I look back, I can say I was one of the first to drive the Stryker,” Beaver said.

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Photo: Soldiers from the 2^nd Battalion, 3^rd Infantry Regiment drive in a convoy of Strykers through a traffic jam in Mosul, Iraq. As a part of the 3^rd Brigade, 2^nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), the Soldiers are among the first to ever use the vehicle in a combat zone.   (Photo by Spc. Gretel Sharpee) -Task Force Olympia PAO

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Pinging the SBCT crew - Freepers who know (a few of them, at least). (^:

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Stryker Brigade Combat Team Tactical Studies Group (Chairborne)

 

===============================

Please respond to Cannoneer No. 4, now making

life even more difficult for the enemy.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Sgt. Adam Farrington from the 133rd Engineer Battalion, an Army National Guard unit from Belfast, Maine, sits with a group of Iraqi children during the opening ceremony for their new school.  The engineers built a new school for the children of Hamzan, a village in northern Iraq.  (Photo by Spc. Blair Larson) - Story - TF Olympia PAO

[VOA]

Sgt. Adam Farrington...snip...sits with a group of Iraqi children during the
opening ceremony for their new school.

What the Kerry supporters in Iraq are thinking:
"Picture of infidel dog, sitting with deserters of the one true faith.
May we blow them all up in our next action of liberation."

[xkaydet65]

Thanx and give your son a big civvie HUAH from me. Wjere do we get such men? Micherner asked in "Toko Ri". From families like yours.

[murdocj]

One Stryker lost when it burned after hitting an IED. Pic at http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/000777.html.

One Stryker lost after a hit from an RPG. Pic of burning machine at http://www.murdoconline.net/archives/001160.html.

No men lost in either incident. I've also heard that another Stryker may have been lost to enemy fire during a major firefight on August 4th, but I haven't seen confirmation. Maybe a Freeper knows about that one.

There have been a number of non-combat accidents, including two that rolled/fell into canals and one that was accidentally driven over a 30-foot embankment. A number of Stryker soldiers were killed in these incidents.

The "slat" armor (the cage-looking stuff around the vehicle) seems to be doing the trick against RPGs, which is what all the concern about protection was over. It seems quite a few Strykers have been damaged, some quite seriously, by roadside bombs, but the men have usually been just fine and in many cases the Stryker can drive back to base under its own power on the remaining tires.

Overall, I'd have to say that (given the info available publicly, anyway) that the first deployment of the Stryker has been a solid, though not perfect, success.

The troops rotating into Iraq will be using the same vehicles that the current unit is using instead of bringing their own, BTW.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Thanks for keeping up the SBCT TSG (ChABN)

I just flat don't have the time to do it anymore.