| BALAD RUZ, Iraq, May 12, 2006 — In a combat zone, a quick reaction force has to be prepared for anything at a moment's notice when providing extra security for important visitors. Elements of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division's 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry are serving as Forward Operating Base Caldwell’s Quick Reaction Force. The unit’s platoon leader 1st Lt. James Wilson said, “We have a variety of missions … from providing security for (explosive ordnance disposal) on (improvised explosive device) calls, cache response and vehicle recovery.” On this mission, the quick reaction force was given the responsibility of establishing primary, secondary and tertiary landing zones in and around the city of Balad Ruz in anticipation of a visit to the local mayor’s office by U.S. Army Gen. George Casey, the commanding general of Multinational Forces in Iraq. “Just in case something happened and we need to get him out of the area fast,” said Wilson, who is from Mt. Vernon, Ill. They also visited the meeting place at the mayor’s office downtown prior to the visit to do a thorough search for anything potentially harmful. “Pay attention to the backside of the building,” Wilson told his rooftop security element during the mission brief. The mayor’s office is backed up to a populated residential area that could provide cover for an insurgent attack on the building, explained Wilson.
As Casey entered the government compound, the quick reaction force assumed the role of outside security, complete
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