On May 1, President George W. Bush, addressing sailors and aviators on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln, announced that major combat operations in Iraq are over and that the United States and coalition forces had prevailed. Difficult work remains ahead, he said, including bringing order to the country, pursuing the prior regime's leaders and searching for weapons of mass destruction. Regarding the military's conduct of the war, the President said, "America is grateful for a job well done."
After the fall of Baghdad on April 9, when cheering Iraqis filled the streets and statues of Saddam Hussein were toppled, resistance still existed in parts of the country. Small skirmishes and exchanges of gunfire occurred as other parts of Iraq came under coalition control. Formal surrenders of large Iraqi units took place near the cities of Mosul and Al Ramadi. Kurdish forces, with the help of U.S. Special Forces and the 173rd Airborne Brigade, captured Kirkuk on April 10. U.S. forces also took control of the border checkpoints into Syria and Jordan.
As the fighting died down, food, water and medical supplies began flowing into Iraq. On April 12 humanitarian flights began landing at the Baghdad International Airport. Water and wheat soon began arriving by ship to Umm Qasr. In addition to foreign supplies, U.S. troops began distributing captured enemy supplies to Iraqi citizens.
To stop looting and other criminal activities, the Army began patrolling until a new Iraqi police force could be installed. To aid in the roundup of Baath Party officials, soldiers were issued the now famous decks of cards showing 55 most wanted Iraqi leaders. The cards were developed by the 99th Reserve Operations Command.
The Army is also helping to rebuild the country and return it to normal. Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division. (Mechanized) worked to reopen Baghdad University's College of Agriculture, while civil affairs teams made rapid assessments of Baghdad's clinics and other facilities in order to restore adequate medical care to local citizenry. One civil affairs team, the Direct Support Team 2 of the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion, was part of the force that raced from Kuwait to Baghdad. Once in the city, the unit worked to reopen neighborhood schools, assess electricity and sewage problems, organize garbage collection and address problems with unexploded ordnance.
This work reflects the efforts made across the country to bring order back to Iraq. Soldiers removed stockpiled Iraqi ammunition from sites in Baghdad to prevent black marketing. Schools and hospitals have reopened in major cities.
Low-intensity warfare is ongoing in the country, and tensions between the Iraqis and U.S. forces have flared up, particularly in the town of Fallujah. On April 28, an anti-American demonstration turned violent for members of the 82nd Airborne Division when the school they were staying in came under fire. The soldiers defended themselves, returning fire. No casualty assessments could be made since the crowd retrieved its dead and wounded. Two days later, U.S. soldiers came under attack from civilians throwing rocks and firing weapons. They returned fire, killing two Iraqis. One American was injured in the incident. On May 1, seven American soldiers were wounded when they came under small arms and grenade fire. Five needed medical attention, but all were in stable condition.
Fighting in Afghanistan. One American soldier was killed and five were injured when approximately 20 enemy fighters attacked an American platoon that was responding to suspicious activity east of Fire Base Shkin near the Pakistani border on April 25. The soldier killed was Pvt. Jerod R. Dennis, 19, of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 82nd Airborne Division. An Afghan military force soldier was also injured. Two days earlier, in a separate incident, a U.S. Special Forces team returned fire after the enemy had fired two rocket-propelled grenades at them near Asadabad.
On April 21 during a raid in Kandahar province, coalition forces killed the man who murdered a Red Cross worker. They also captured seven of his accomplices. Using intelligence gleaned from the raid, a coalition assault team conducted an air assault search-and-seizure mission north of Kandahar. Four Black Hawk helicopters transported between 150 and 200 personnel to the area.
On April 9, 11 civilians were killed and one was wounded when a coalition bomb accidentally struck a home after an Afghan militia checkpoint came under attack in Shkin and coalitions forces responded. Four militiamen were wounded in the attack. The previous day more than 500 soldiers from the 504th PIR and special operations forces launched Operation Resolute Strike in Helmand province. In the initial raid, 41 people were detained, many of whom were later released, and a number of weapons were captured.
Enemy forces continue to fire rockets, mortars and small arms at various American bases, prompting calls for air support. No Americans have been injured in these attacks.
Army Casualties. The following is a list of U.S. Army personnel who have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom from April 14 to May 12. All names have been released through the Department of Defense and families have been notified.
Spc. Edward J. Anguiano, 24
Spc. Roy Russell Buckley, 24
Cpl. Richard P. Carl, 26
Pvt. Jason L. Deibler, 20
Spc. Thomas A. Foley III, 23
1st Sgt. Joe J. Garza, 43
PFC Jesse A. Givens, 34
Spc. Richard A. Goward, 32
CWO Hans N. Gukeisen, 31
SSgt. Terry W. Hemingway, 39
Sgt. Troy David Jenkins, 25
SFC John W. Marshall, 50
PFC Joseph P. Mayek, 20
Spc. Gil Mercado, 25
1st Lt. Osbaldo Orozco, 26
Sgt. Sean C. Reynolds, 25
Cpl. John T. Rivero, 23
PFC Marlin T. Rockhold, 23
Spc. Narson B. Sullivan, 21
CWO Brian K. Van Dusen, 39
Closing German Facilities. The Army will partially close the Giessen General Depot in Germany, and return its other facilities in Giessen, Friedberg, Butzbach, Wetzlar and Bad Nauheim to Germany beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2006 as part of the U.S. Army's Efficient-Basing East project. The closures and returns will occur incrementally until 2008. USAREUR has said that the facilities are in excess of its needs.
In FY 2006, the MacArthur family housing area in Friedberg, the George Gershwin family housing area in Wetzlar and the Alvin York Village family housing area in Bad Nauheim will be returned to Germany. In FY 2007, operations at the Ray Barracks in Friedberg, the Friedberg training and storage area, Schloss Kaserne in Butzbach and the Roman Way Village family housing area will end. In FY 2008, facilities in Giessen, including Pendleton Barracks, the John F. Dulles Village Housing Area, the George C. Marshall Village family housing area and the Giessen military community facilities will be closed. Operations at the Butzbach training area and range will terminate then as well. Also in FY 2008, the Giessen Depot will partially close.
Civilian Employee Deployments Tracked. The Army's new automated civilian tracking system, CIVTRACKS, maintains data on its more than 2,100 civilian employees. Employees' locations, the operations being supported, dates of deployment and redeployment and other details are recorded.
The Army first realized the importance of tracking its civilian force during and after Operation Desert Storm and developed the system to capture data on deployed Army Appropriated Fund and Non-appropriated Fund employees and Red Cross workers. Today the web-based system also tracks contractors and Army and Air Force exchange service employees.
Deploying employees are given user IDs and passwords from their home station and are required to log onto a website and input data each time they change duty locations during the deployment. This includes the initial move from their home station. User ID deployment cards are available at the Continental U.S. Replacement Center and in the theaters of operations for employees who are already deployed. The information printed on the cards can also be accessed at the Army Knowledge Online web site. The information is also posted in the AKO Collaboration Center, under the "Civilian Personnel" Community.
DARPA Grand Challenge. In March 2004, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is sponsoring a race to spur American ingenuity to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicle technologies that can be applied to military requirements. DARPA will give $1 million to the robotics team that creates an autonomous vehicle that can traverse 300 miles of rugged terrain from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. For more information, and to apply, see the DARPA web site at www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge, or call 1-866-327-7242.
Vietnam Vet Receives Award. Retired Lt. Col. Albert (Clark) Welch received the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions in a 1967 Vietnam battle. The April 25 ceremony was held in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.
Welch was serving as a company commander with the 1st Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, when his company and another were attacked by three Viet Cong battalions. As Welch organized his men and kept them steady, he was hit in both arms, his right leg and in the chest by enemy fire. Welch and another soldier were later found against a tree surrounded by 60 dead enemy soldiers. Because of transfers in-country and the deaths of commanders above him, Welch was never credited for his bravery. When enough evidence was put together, he was recommended for the Medal of Honor, but his award was downgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross. Another review for the Medal of Honor is pending.
Reserve, National Guard Update. Members of the Army Reserve and National Guard continue to serve as part of the partial mobilization authorized by President George W. Bush in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. As we went to press the total number of Army reserve component soldiers called up was 145,106.
West Point on DVD. National Geographic's 14-episode documentary on DVD, "Surviving West Point," arrived in retail stores on May 20. The series focuses on a year in the life of the cadets from their indoctrination into West Point to graduation. To order the compilation on DVD or VHS directly, call 1-800-627-5162.
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