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MG Ray Odierno on Fox & Friends This Morning
Since reporting this in Friday's update, I had a note that he will most likely be in the 7:00 to 7:15 EDT segment rather than the 8:00 to 8:15 EDT segment. If you're interested, I would suggest you switch on Fox News now just to be sure not to miss it.
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President Celebrates Easter With Families at Fort Hood
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 11, 2004 – President and Mrs. Bush visited Fort Hood, Texas, today to observe Easter with the families of deployed soldiers.
"It's our honor to have celebrated this holy day with family members whose loved one is in Iraq," the president said in a brief meeting with reporters. "Fort Hood has made a mighty contribution to freedom in Iraq and to security for the country. I value my time with the family members and those who sacrifice on behalf of the country."
The president acknowledged that the spike in violence over the last week in Iraq has been difficult, but he said a free Iraq will make for a safer world. "It was a tough week last week, and my prayers and thoughts are with those who paid the ultimate price for our security," the president said. "A free Iraq will make the world more peaceful. A free Iraq is going to change the world."
Bush said he has spoken with Army Gen. John Abizaid twice in recent days, and that the U.S. Central Command chief knows he can ask for more manpower if he needs it.
"He believes, like I believe, that this violence we've seen is part of a few people trying to stop progress toward democracy," Bush said.
The United States is tough, but open-minded in its approach in Iraq, the president said. "Members of the (Iraqi) Governing Council wanted a chance to move into Fallujah and see if they could bring some order to the gangs and violence," he said. "And as you can tell, our military is giving them a chance to do so."
Coalition forces suspended offensive operations in Fallujah April 9 to allow Iraqi leaders to seek a political solution that would restore legitimate Iraqi authority in the city.
"I know what we're doing in Iraq is right," Bush said. "It's right for long- term peace. It's right for the security of our country. And it's hard work."
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>From Killeen Daily Herald 4-10-04:
Iraq violence delays transfer
By Debbie Stevenson
Killeen Daily Herald
In the wake of this week's upsurge in violence, Army leaders in Baghdad announced that all or parts of the 1st Armored Division will remain in Iraq for as long as needed as more casualties for the Fort Hood-based commands were reported.
The 25,000 1st Armored troops had been scheduled to return to Germany after handing over the military mission in the Iraqi capital on Thursday to the Fort Hood's 1st Cavalry Division, which is bringing in 17,000 soldiers.
Gen. John Abizaid, the top commander in Iraq, and Maj. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who is heading Task Force 1st Armored Division during its transition with the 1st Cavalry, made the announcement Thursday in Baghdad during a hastily arranged news conference, the Army News Service reported.
The week's violence in the Iraqi capital began Sunday when a fierce firefight erupted in Sadr City, a Baghdad neighborhood named after the father of Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shiite cleric whose militia is believed behind the unrest.
The 1st Cavalry lost seven soldiers in Sunday's battle and another 49 were wounded. The 1st Armored also suffered one casualty. An eighth 1st Cavalry soldier died Tuesday while on patrol in Ashula.
"We have some of the most experienced and battle-ready troops currently on the ground. If the troops' stay here has to be extended to get the job done, so be it," Abizaid said. "We will use U.S. and coalition troops as needed to get the job done."
In an interview last week, Maj. Gen. Pete Chiarelli, 1st Cavalry Division commander, emphasized that his division's losses last week were not due to their inexperience.
The dynamics would have been the same had the fight been against 1st Armored troops who have been there 11 months, Chiarelli told the Herald.
"It was a real, real tough fight," Chiarelli said. "The soldiers have handled themselves absolutely magnificently."
Chiarelli said order quickly was restored to the neighborhood, and police stations were retaken.
In other developments for the Fort Hood-based units in Iraq, the U.S. Central Command reported new casualties Friday.
One 1st Cavalry soldier was killed and another wounded by a roadside bomb and small arms fire while participating in a quick reaction force.
"The (force) was responding to an earlier mortar attack in the vicinity of Camp Cooke," a news release stated.
A 13th Corps Support Command soldier was killed and 12 were wounded in a separate attack on a convoy near Baghdad International Airport, the release stated.
"The injured were evacuated to Logistics Base Seitz, and some were further evacuated by air to combat support hospitals," the release stated.
The wounded 1st Cavalry soldier was treated and returned to duty. The names of the casualties are being withheld until their families are notified.
Contact Debbie Stevenson at deborah@kdhnews.com
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Army Tries New Moves With Iraqi Populace
By DENIS D. GRAY
Associated Press Writer
BAQOUBA, Iraq (AP)--Col. Dana J.H. Pittard kneels by the hospital bed of 7-year-old Ali Fakhri, who sobs from the pain of shrapnel wounds that pepper his bloodied face and body. Reaching out to touch the frail boy, the U.S. Army officer tells him about his own young son, promises to send a toy and decries as cowards the anti-coalition insurgents who set explosives to kill and maim Iraqi civilians.
The visit with the wounded at Children's Hospital in Baqouba is one gesture in a new campaign to stabilize Diyala, a province almost on Baghdad's doorstep and one of the deadliest for American troops.
``The support of the population is key to everything we do. From the commander down to the squad leader, we must touch, engage the Iraqis,'' says Pittard, who commands the 1st Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade, which arrived in the country less than a month ago.
The unit's predecessor in the province, the 4th Infantry Division, focused on fighting, which has claimed the lives of 34 U.S. soldiers and left nearly 200 others wounded. There have been a few accidental killings of Iraqis and frequent detentions of civilians. Now, while still trying to kill or capture as many insurgents as possible, the brigade is getting involved with everything from attempting dialogue with Islamic college radicals to combating an insect plague ruining date palm plantations.
While fighting has escalated to the most intense level since the end of the war in other areas of Iraq, Baqouba has remained relatively free of violence and anti-coalition demonstrations have to date been small and peaceful.
Much hope is pinned on the nearly half a billion dollars due to begin flowing into the province in coming weeks from Washington's Iraq reconstruction fund. The money will be funneled into 171 projects in education, water and electricity supply, health and security.
In a farming province long ignored by Saddam Hussein's government, poverty and unemployment are only some of the problems. Its 1.5 million people are mostly Arab but a volatile mix -- half Shiite, 30 percent Sunni, the rest Kurds, Turkoman and Iranians. Sheiks head each of its 22 major tribes.
``Everyone has his own agenda,'' Pittard says. His intelligence officer, Maj. Kreg Schnell, adds that even if the insurgency is quelled, ``we will still have underlying ethnic and religious tensions.'' Pittard sees eastern Diyala becoming a ``future battleground between Arabs and Kurds'' as the Kurds try to regain land and homes snatched away by the former regime during its campaign of Arabization.
The region harbors 53,000 displaced people, and serves as a corridor for illegal movements out of neighboring Iran. ``We call Diyala a small Iraq because it's a mix of everything,'' says its governor, Abdullah Hassan Rasheed.
To root out ex-regime insurgents of various stripes, possibly some foreign infiltrators and many criminal gangs, Pittard has 6,000 troops and is pushing to increase the provincial police force from 3,300 to 7,000. Some are known to be corrupt if not linked to terrorism, but ``the police chief is so good we were afraid he would get assassinated before he got here,'' Pittard says.
A typical week in Diyala sees daily attacks against Iraqi civilians and U.S. forces, often with remotely detonated roadside bombs. The 3rd Brigade, headquartered near Baqouba, the provincial capital, conducts an average of 250 combat patrols, 15 raids and eight ambushes a week.
But identifying and capturing the assailants remains difficult, and Pittard says that even after a terrorist cell has its ``head cut off,'' new leaders may emerge in a month or less. Schnell says it's hard to trust informants. ``You have to always ask yourself: `What is the motivation for someone giving you information?' They all want something in return. There's no free lunch in Iraq,'' he says. ``But we're chipping away at the bad guys with a multifaceted approach. I think we're on the right track.''
Schnell said the brigade has stricter rules governing the arrest of civilians, a serious cause of anti-American feeling. Pittard meets with the sheiks every week, and plans hitherto nonexistent dialogues with provincial religious leaders, anti-American news organizations and students at Baqouba's University of Diyala, a major seat of Wahabism, the ascetic Muslim movement suspected of having links with insurgents.
At a recent meeting of the Diyala Provincial Council, Richard H. Jones, deputy director of the Coalition Provisional Authority, outlined a future in which councils will wield far greater autonomy, while ``Over the next few years, many new development projects and investments will flow into your province.'' The remarks were greeted with enthusiasm by the governor, who returned to Iraq after years as a dentist in Manchester, England.
But not all the 30 American-appointed council members seemed convinced. ``We will not be ready to rule ourselves for a long time,'' said councilman Fuad Al-Sheikhly, a college professor-turned-businessman. ``You will begin to see facts on the ground that will show you our sincerity,'' Jones countered.
AP-NY-04-10-04 0513EDT
Copyright 2004, The Associated Press.
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Fort Hood Sentinel Needs Your Help
For the April 22 edition of the Fort Hood Sentinel, we want to run welcome home messages from Task Force Ironhorse friends and family members to their Soldiers. To inspire people to send us messages, the paper is running a Welcome Home Giveaway. Basically, the Welcome Home Wishes giveaway asks family members and friends to submit their welcome home wish to their Soldier via e-mail.
Once we receive the wish, the name of their Soldier is entered in a drawing for a $250 gift certificate to a local merchant (i.e. car dealerships, restaurants, etc…)
We really just want to make that paper special and we think that the welcome home wishes will help us do that. People can e-mail their welcome home wishes to welcomehomewishes@forthoodsentinel.com.
They need to include the wish (20 words or less), contact information and the name and phone number of the Soldier they would like to receive the $250 gift certificate. The Soldier must be based at Fort Hood to win.
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59 Years Ago Today - 4ID in Germany:
10 April 1945 - D+309
No aggressive action from the enemy was reported. Laudenbach and Haagen were cleared late in the period. CT 22 advanced without contact until 1515 when an unknown number of enemy dug in positions were encountered. Artillery fire was light until near the end of the period. At 2230 enemy planes dropped flares on the high ground south of Elpersheim and later strafed and dropped two bombs in that vicinity.
The 4th Infantry Division attacked to the southeast with the 12th and 22nd Infantry Regiments abreast and secured the general line Bartenstein-Rottingen prior to the close of the period.
The 8th Infantry continued mopping up operations, apprehending small disorganized groups of the enemy.
The 12th Infantry assisted the 22nd Infantry by attacking at 1000 to seize Hill 401 and the town of Lauderbach. Enemy opposition was light and by 1900, the 3rd Battalion had secured the regimental objective.
The 22nd Infantry attacked at 0900 with the 2nd Battalion on the left and the 3rd on the right to seize the line Berkenstein-Niederstetten. By late afternoon both battalions had established themselves upon the regimental objective.
The 324th Infantry Regiment with other elements was attached to the 4th Infantry Division at 1500.
11 April 1945 - D+310
In CT 22 and CT 324 sectors, strong points were at Wermisthausen, Queckbrown, Schrezberg and Oberstetten. Troops of CT 12 while being relieved by CT 22 were pinned down by small arms, automatic weapons and 20 mm antiaircraft artillery fire in the vicinity of Hill 401. Other elements of CT 12 received small arms and automatic weapons in the woods. At 1910 our troops in Laudenbach received small arms fire from enemy dug in southeast of the town. The advance of CT 22 was stubbornly resisted by enemy employing small arms, automatic and direct fire weapons in dug in strong points. Two serious counterattacks were also repulsed, one of them in the vicinity of Malberbach. An unknown number of enemy planes dropped various demolition and antipersonnel bombs in the vicinity of Erlach and Marktbreit.
The 4th Infantry Division met stubborn resistance from artillery, small arms and antiaircraft guns within the center zone of action from a determined enemy.
The 8th Infantry attacked at approximately 1000 with the 1st Battalion on the left and the 2nd Battalion on the right. The 1st Battalion moved to the towns of Willanzheim, Toefenstockheim and Stadt Schwarzach. The 2nd Battalion was at the close of the period in the vicinity of Obernbreit. The 3rd Battalion was in division reserve in the vicinity of Ochsenfurt.
The 12th Infantry initiated an attack with the 1st Battalion at 0800 to clear the enemy from the woods and after hard fighting had cleared the enemy. The 2nd Battalion's main effort was initiated by Company E and at the close of the period, they were in the vicinity of Baldersheim. The 3rd Battalion in reserve closed in the town of Riedenheim.
The 22nd Infantry initiated an attack at approximately 0930 with the 3rd Battalion on the left and the 1st Battalion on the right. At the close of the period, the 3rd Battalion after a slow advance under heavy small arms fire, was holding the high ground. Throughout the day the 1st Battalion was under continuous artillery and some self-propelled fire from the vicinity of Hill 400. Not until during the late afternoon did the companies of the 1st Battalion reach the high ground after employing a combination of infantry and tanks.
12 April 1945 - D+311
At the close of the period, CT 12 was clearing the town of Waldmannshofen. Bieberehren and Klingen were cleared during the period. CT 22's advance was stubbornly resisted by enemy in well prepared positions utilizing small arms, supported by artillery and direct fire weapons. At about 2205 the enemy counterattacked with an estimated rifle company in the vicinity of Blaufelden. It was considered possible that a reinforcement of enemy strength on the right flank was in progress. Artillery fire in CT 22's sector showed an increase during the period. During the hours of darkness, enemy planes bombed and strafed in the vicinity of Obernberit, Oschenfurt and Willanzheim.
The 8th Infantry continued minor mopping up operations with the 1st and 2nd Battalions.
The 12th Infantry resumed the attack to the southeast at an early hour. The 1st Battalion cleared the woods and continued the advance across the Tauber river with supporting tanks.
The 22nd Infantry continued the attack at 0600 with the 1st and 3rd Battalions abreast. Throughout the period, progress of both battalions was held to a minimum by the enemy who employed small arms, antiaircraft and self-propelled guns. The 1st Battalion occupied the town of Wermutshausen and the high ground to the northeast.
Thanks to Philippe Cornil at www.revive-it.com.
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What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) My soldier has been home nearly a month now, but I am still very grateful for your insightful updates. One of our best friends is with 1st Cav, a CW3, and deployed shortly before my soldier returned. Your updates help us feel closer to our buddy and the 1st Cav families, as well, just as they brought me comfort during my CW4's tour.
2) My son has been back at Ft. Hood since the 13th of March and we are going to Ft. Hood for the big 4th ID celebration..... Anyway, yesterday I was busy cleaning the house in preparation for our Easter here, my husband was golfing and my other two kids were shopping. My son popped his head in and said, "Mom, you gotta come outside and see what Heather and I got". I thought it strange, I knew they didn't buy a new car, but I went anyway. Standing in our driveway was MY SOLDIER BOY!!!!!! Bob, it was the most exhilarating experience of my life! I jumped into my son's arms for what seemed an eternity and just held him and kissed him (and he allowed it)!!!! Needless to say, we spent the rest of the afternoon listening to him tell stories and boy does he have the stories. He is home on pass till Monday. And we are keeping it from the rest of the family and will surprise his Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins on Sunday! We will have a beautiful Easter....looking forward to meeting you at Ft. Hood.
3) Thank you so much for all the efforts you have put forth this past year on behalf of our soldiers and families. There were days when your updates kept our family going. Hopefully, we may be able to meet you at Fort Hood in a few days. We are going there to see our son, he's with 1-10 Cav. We couldn't be any prouder of him, not just for what he has done this past year, but for the person that he is. He has always been our family's ray of sunshine, even on the darkest of days. I thank God every day that he is back and safe.
4) Bob - we chatted a week or so ago about my husband being stuck in Kuwait and about the welcome home ceremony that they may or may not get. I got a call from his brigade commander's wife and she said that, as far as she knows, the military flights will get a ceremony, but the civilian flights will not. I don't know which kind of flight my husband will be on. Also, he's still scheduled to come in on the 15th, but there is still a very real possibility of that flight getting delayed until the 19th! We have a party scheduled for him on the 17th with about 50 people coming from all over Texas to celebrate, so we're still praying he arrives on time!!! Thanks for your continued updates about the current situation in Iraq. My husband said a few days ago that he wishes he could head back up to Iraq and participate in the fighting, so your note about our soldiers being anxious about that hit home for me! All the soldiers and their families continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. Happy Easter Sunday!
5) From a March 30 note that I overlooked: At approximately 1530 yesterday, as promised, our son's rear detachment commander called to let us know our son would be arriving at Ft. Hood at 0555 today. At midnight, our son called from Bangor, ME, to let us know he was finally on US soil! He sounded tired (he'd stayed up the night before trying to get ready for the jet lag he knew was coming) but was willing to talk for as long as we wanted. My darling 15 year old daughter wanted to know if he kissed the ground when he got off the plane at which he chuckled and said, "Naw". ":>) When I heard his deep voice, the first thing I had to say was, "Praise God!" I asked where he was (the airport), did he have much time to talk (Yes; he'd been given a phone card), when they landed in Germany, did it feel like the last time he was there w/high school German class (not a bit) and I said we were trying to get down to see him. I told him about an Army Mom finding a wonderful deal on flight and hotel rates that we'd be working on. Then, his dad arrived home and got to speak with him and said "Good night" for the rest of us after talking Army together. At 0420, this morning, his rear detachment CO called again to tell us our son's plane would arrive an hour earlier than he previously told us (0455 instead of 0555) which still didn't help us out as we can't get down there at the moment. I almost got on the computer to let everyone know because I didn't think I could get back to sleep after that but, I must have managed as it's four hours later (0820 at time of writing)! At 0700, those returning soldiers should have rec'd a "WELCOME HOME!" at Fort Hood. Wish we could've been part of it!. We're trying to find a way to, at least, get his Dad down there for the 4/22 reunion. .....Thank you ALL for your good wishes and notes of happiness. I understand the feeling, like those of you whose soldiers have returned, of wanting this sense of relief and joy to be shared. At the same time, I'm experiencing the sadness and concern for those whose children are still in harm's way or are on their way to dangerous situations. I continue to think of and pray for all of you.
6) I wanted to send you a little note and let you know how much I appreciate your daily updates, sometime they were the only life line I had left. I would urge the families now who are out celebrating to keep in consideration the people who aren't out celebrating the return of their soldier. It's so easy to get caught up in how wonderful it is to have them home and forget about the wives and families that are still struggling and waiting. If you are in the lucky group, as I am, I beseech you to continue to pray and be available for the soldiers and families that are still separated. Bob thanks again for everything that you do.
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Redeployment Tips
Temporarily, when I get them, I'll reinstate this column of tips. If any of you have some good words of wisdom after your Soldier has returned, please send them to me to share with others.
1) The last few weeks have been filled with yardwork, movie rentals, and LOTS of yummy food. It hasn't all been completely blissful, though, as we both have been tasked with the readjustment phase of his return. I feel part of the problem was I spent the last few months of his tour romanticizing how things would be when he got home -- BIG mistake! Because then, when things weren't as "romantic" or "fabulous" as I'd dreamed they'd be at every moment, I was let down -- sort of like that feeling you get right after all the presents have been opened on Christmas Day. You know, when you think to yourself, "Okay, I've been preparing for this for the last few months. Now it's here, the big moment over. Where do I go from here?".... My husband is a wonderful man, loving father, compassionate partner... the whole nine yards. But once the "honeymoon" of his first few days at home had ended, I began to see the emotional toll this whole experience has had on him. He was less patient, had a hard time relaxing or just sitting still, and wasn't as good a listener as he had always been with me. Knowing our reintegration counseling wouldn't begin for several weeks, I did the only thing I knew to do: TALK. I sat him down, told him how much I love him, and asked him to please listen to everything I had to say. After much discussion I was able to determine that he had been accustomed to being with "the guys" for so long and needed to remember that I'm not one of his buddies in the field. He told me to please keep him in check and not let things go that bother me or hurt my feelings.... I urge all your readers to recognize the importance of communication during the initial reintegration period. Don't rely solely on the reunion counseling services to get you through the hard times. Chances are you'll experience some before the classes even start. Suppressing your emotions will only add to the stresses that are already upon you.
2) Personal SPACE, patience, and a sense of humor are essential at this time.
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