Bob Babcock - "Deeds not Words"
President, Americans Remembered, Inc. - http://www.americansremembered.org
President, 22nd Inf Regt Society - http://www.22ndinfantry.org
Past President/Historian - Nat'l 4th Inf Div Assn - http://www.4thinfantry.org
babcock224@aol.com
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The American Soldier - Time Magazine's "Person of the Year"
By Nancy Gibbs, Time Magazine
"They swept across Iraq and conquered it in 21 days. They stand guard on streets pot-holed with skepticism and rancor. They caught Saddam Hussein. They are the face of America, its might and good will, in a region unused to democracy. The U.S. G.I. is TIME's Person of the Year"
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Twenty five or fifty years from now, our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines can sit their grandchildren on their knee and say "I was Time Magazine's Person of the Year in 2003." And it is a richly deserved award and one that our military can all be proud of - and we as supporters of those soldiers can share in that pride. And I'm sure the honor covers all our military - those in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and in all other places around the world, including the United States. It includes all active, National Guard, and reserve military - all who are protecting our American way of life.
Congratulations to our nation's military men and women - we are proud of you!
Let me recommend that each of you go buy a copy of Time magazine and add it to your soldier's scrap book that you are keeping. It will be a prized item in the future. The magazine hits the newstands on Monday, today.
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U.S. military alerted to surge in attacks in Iraq
By Eric Schmitt
The New York Times
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. military officials warned on Sunday that fresh intelligence indicates Iraqi insurgents might be planning a new wave of violence timed to the Christmas holiday, in part to avenge the capture of Saddam Hussein.
U.S. intelligence has detected what one senior military officer called "a growing chatter" from electronic intercepts about possible attacks against U.S. and allied Iraqi forces in the next several days. But officials said they did not know of any specific plans from informants or from interrogations of guerrillas seized in recent raids.
"There's a great deal of concern about this, although we haven't seen any movement of people or weapons yet," the senior military officer said.
There has been a relative lull in guerrilla attacks on U.S. troops in the past month, especially since Saddam was seized Dec. 13.
Army commanders and intelligence officials said they were unsure whether that was because several recent raids had killed or captured scores of suspected insurgents, crippling their operations, or because the remaining guerrillas were lying low and planning their next spate of strikes.
Maj. Josslyn Aberle, a spokeswoman for the Army's 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit, whose soldiers led the raid that captured Saddam, said commanders were bracing for insurgents to wage "one last-ditch effort to inflict damage on coalition forces -- we expect that."Military officials said U.S. troops were taking note of the warnings but not significantly altering their operations.......
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AP Story Excerpts:
An excerpt from an AP story on December 20:
.......In a pre-dawn raid Saturday, U.S. troops arrested a shopkeeper believed to be connected with a Tuesday bomb explosion that injured three American soldiers, a U.S. commander said.
The raid on the man's home in Tikrit came after troops on a routine patrol in the suburb of Qadisiyah discovered bombmaking material in his grocery shop Friday, said Lt. Col. Steve Russell, commander of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Division.......
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And an excerpt from an AP Story from 12-21-03:
....And the military reported that U.S. troops killed one person, wounded one and arrested 36 people during an airborne raid in Jalulah.
Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division traded gunfire with about 20 guerrillas in the raid Saturday on the house of a sheik suspected of directing resistance in Jalulah, division spokeswoman Maj. Josslyn Aberle said.
Saturday night, the U.S. military said it detained 111 people in 48 hours in Samarra, including 15 suspected of directing attacks on Americans. In past raids, many detainees were released after questioning. ......
AP-NY-12-21-03 1347EST Copyright 2003, The Associated Press.
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This is a great R&R story....
Isanti soldier's homecoming fulfills daughter's Christmas wish
by Matt McKinney, Minneapolis Star Tribune
The adults in young Absey Wilhelmy's life had a secret.
They knew that her dad -- gone for a year -- had come home from the war in Iraq to spend the holidays with her. It was her Christmas wish.
The waiting had been hard, Absey's grandmother said. "The other kids were pretty rough on her," she said. "The other day one boy said, 'Your Daddy's never coming home.' "
But he did.
Absey, a second-grader at Isanti Elementary School in Isanti, Minn., was at her desk in school Thursday when her dad stepped into the classroom wearing his desert fatigues.
A student at the back of the room gasped. "Saddam Hussein!"
Young Absey stared in disbelief at her father, and he smiled back at her.
Sgt. 1st Class Richard A. Wilhelmy, formerly of Stillwater, now with the Fourth Infantry Division out of Ft. Hood, Texas, had left for Iraq just over a year ago as soldiers began massing in Europe for the invasion of Iraq.
At the time, Absey had entered the second grade. Her dad commanded a company of 49 soldiers. She dreamed about tap dancing.
Anyone who knew Absey heard about her father. For the past year, she has had the single-minded drive of a Wall Street CEO when it came to getting him home.
She talked about him in school, said her teacher, Heather Englund. She carried a photo album to show to her classmates, said her mother, Teri. She even took her case to a discount store Santa two weeks ago.
"She said, 'Do you think you could fly down to Iraq and bring my Daddy home?' " recounted her grandmother, Kelly Schirmer.
"The poor Santa said he would see what he could do. Then she said, 'Now I don't know if his boss will let him come home, but do you think you could let him use your phone so he could talk for longer than 10 minutes?' "
It's all there in her letter to Santa, before the tap shoes and the Barbie Swan Lake house: "Would you please go down to Iraq to tell my Daddy to please give me a short call? I know he cannot be on the phone for a long time," she wrote.
When Wilhelmy got approved for a home leave, he took a string of flights to get to his parents' house in Indiana. Then he jumped in a borrowed truck for the drive to Minnesota to get to his wife and daughter, who have been staying with his wife's mother in Isanti during his deployment.
The reunion finally came Thursday afternoon.
Using the pretense that she was there to videotape Absey's class for Christmas, Teri and her mother, Kelly, stood at the front of the class. The door opened and Richard Wilhelmy appeared.
Absey at first couldn't believe her eyes.
"Her eyes were huge and her mouth was wide open. She just couldn't believe that he was there," Schirmer said.
She got up and ran to her dad. Encircled in her father's arms a few minutes later, Absey said she thought he wasn't coming back.
"I was kind of thinking it would be kind of impossible for him to come home because of Saddam's friends," Absey said.
Wilhelmy has two weeks to see his family. Then he has to report back to Iraq and the Fourth Infantry Division, where he is a platoon sergeant.
Shortly after Wilhelmy left Iraq this month, his unit stormed a nondescript farmhouse where they found fugitive Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The discovery had Wilhelmy second-guessing his decision to come home for the holidays.
He told his wife, " 'I almost wish I was there,' " she said Thursday. "And I said, 'No, you have no idea what this is going to do for your little missy.' "
Matt McKinney is at mckinney@startribune.com. Copyright Minneapolis Star-Tribune 2003.
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59 Years Ago Today - 4ID in Luxembourg - Battle of Bulge:
21 December 1944 - D+199
Every effort was made to obtain much needed reinforcements to bring combat teams up to fighting strength.
In front of the CT 8 and CT 22 the enemy continued to remain on the defensive. In the CT 12's sector, the enemy made several attacks in strength. At 1545 an estimated 350 enemy attacked in the vicinity of Scheidgen. This attack was contained and the enemy appeared to fan out north of the town..
The enemy again became more aggressive, especially in the vicinity of Consdorf and Scheidgen. It attacked with limited armor support and employed heavy artillery fire during the afternoon.
At 0800, the 2nd Battalion of the 22nd Infantry continued its attack west of Osweiler against very heavy resistance. At 0830, this enemy force launched a counterattack which was beaten back by our battalion, and by 1030 we had advanced about 400 yards. Numerous counterattacks with enemy infantry supported by small groups of tanks were hurled against this battalion throughout the afternoon, but no ground was yielded. In the interim, Companies I and L had received extremely heavy artillery fire for two hours in Osweiler and Dickweiler and Company L had been attacked at 1330 from the north and northwest. Strong enemy pressure was still prevailing at the end of the day.
Companies A and G were withdrawn from their positions in the vicinity of Lauterborn during the hours of darkness to an assembly area in the vicinity of Scheidgen with the view of establishing a new main line of resistance.
The 2nd Battalion of the 12th Infantry began early in the day making local attacks on its left flank and gained some desirable terrain, although any sizable advance was halted when at 1530 the enemy launched an attack to take the town of Consdorf with at least two companies. Our tanks and the few infantrymen left waited until they were well up the hill and out into the open before they commenced fire. At least sixty enemy were claimed to have been killed. By 1700, the situation was well in hand and the enemy had withdrawn into a wooded area.
The 159th Engineer Combat Battalion remained in its positions on the high ground and in the town of Scheidgen. This force was attacked several times during the day and two tanks of the 70th Tank Battailon were sent to support the engineers. The enemy was driven out just as darkness fell. During the action, the artillery and mortar fire on our troops was especially heavy.
Task Force Luckett continued to deny the road net in the vicinity of Mullerthal and to prevent any enemy penetration. The slight readjustment of positions due to the capture of Waldbillig was continued. The enemy was unable to make the maximum use of this area due to our strong left flank positions.
The 8th Infantry continued maintenance of the defensive positions within its sector and, at 1430 responsability assumed the former zone of combat of CT 22.
The 22nd Infantry maintained defensive positions and continued to conduct active patrolling. At 1430, the 22nd turned over control of its sector to the CT 8 and prepared to move and relieve elements of the 3rd Battalion 12th Infantry in the Osweiler-Dickweiler area. At 1515, the 3rd Battalion of the 22nd Infantry had initiated its movement and closed in the vicinity of Bech by 1730. The remainder of the Combat Team moved to the vicinity of Rodenbourg.
At the close of the period, the 22nd was in reserve positions prepared to relieve elements of the 12th Infantry and to counterattack in conjunction with the 10th Infantry of the 5th Infantry Division.
22 December 1944 - D+200
During this period, we were able not only to inflict severe casualties on the enemy while frustrating several of its attacks, but also started a coordinated attack to regain the terrain previously lost and clear the enemy from its bridgehead.
The 12th Infantry continued to defend until 1330 at which time and in conjunction with the 10th Infantry Regiment (5th Infantry Division) attacked to the north with the mission of destroying the enemy. Just prior to H-Hour, at approximately 1300, two battalions of the enemy (about 400 troops) launched an attack against the 1st Battalion in the vicinity of Scheidgen. Furious fighting continued all afternoon in the vicinity of the line of departure,making it impossible for any advance. At 1430, approximately 150 enemy infantrymen, in wedge formation, advanced to attack the 1st Battalion. All our fire, including supporting tanks and heavy weapons, were withheld until the enemy had closed to within 75 yards at which time the command "commence fire" was given. This force was virtually annihilated and thereafter 154 enemy dead were counted on the field.
The 10th Combat Team became attached to the 4th Infantry Division . Movement was initiated at 0800 to the vicinity of Hemstall and the CT prepared to attack to the northeast.
At 1330, the attack was begun with the 2nd Battalion on the right and the 1st on the left, and they passed through the 1st Battalion 12th Infantry . Heavy resistance of artillery and small arms fire was met almost immediately and the 2nd Battalion was unable to advance beyond the line of departure where fierce fighting took place throughout the remainder of the day. In the interim, the 1st Battalion meeting very little resistance was able to advance but had to wait for the 2nd Battalion.
The 3rd Battalion of the 22nd Infantry with the 3rd Battalion of the 12th Infantry attached, started movement at 1015 and was assigned the mission of establishing contact with the 2nd Battalion near Osweiler (reverted to control of the 22nd Infantry), clearing the woods to the soutwest of Dickweiler, and securing a line running from Osweiler to Dickweiler. By 1545, the 3rd Battalion had completed its mission. Meanwhile the 2nd Battalion defended from positions generally around the town of Osweiler with the mission to hold present positions and to support the attack of the 10th Infantry Regiment. Heavy artillery and mortar fire was received on the positions and in Osweiler. Numerous attempts were made by the enemy to infiltrate small patrols into the town.
Task Force Luckett on the left of the division sector remained on its mission of denying the road net to the enemy in the vicinity of Mullerthal and the protection of the Division's left boundary. Having noticed no aggressive action nor any activity of the enemy, patrols were sent out at 1145 and they located various groups in positions. When our patrols had withdrawn, all enemt positions were taken under fire by our artillery and mortars.
For the first time in a week, the weather which was greatly improving by mid-afternoon, permitted maximum use of air support.
The 8th Infantry with the 1st Battalion of the 22nd Infantry, the 4th Reconnaissance Troop and other elements, maintained its positions fronting the rivers. Active patrolling was continued and no aggressive action by the enemy was reported except a few rounds of artillery.
Thanks to Philippe Cornil at www.revive-it.com.
(Note - the 4ID has now gone 200 consecutive days in combat since they landed on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944 - we will still have 99 more to go before we get our first relief. If you see a WWII vet over the holidays, be sure to thank them for the sacrifices they made).
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What Our Families Are Hearing From Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) I just wanted to say that my husband and I just celebrated our 4th anniversary on the 18th! (Yay for us!! lol) It was so wonderful and romantic! It began just after midnight our time. He called and it was so nice to hear his voice! He was telling me how happy he was that I was his wife and mother of his children, and how he'd do it all over again (he's the greatest man on the planet by the way - and I'll fight ya for it!), when we got cut off. The next morning he tried to call again and got through, but again got cut off pretty quickly. Go figure. So anyway, I celebrated our anniversary by baking cookies for him and ignoring everyone. And he celebrated by driving everywhere in the cold fixing all of his broken "whatchamacallits." See! I told you it was romantic! It wasn't nearly as depressing as I thought it would be, but a day that I was glad to get done with none-the- less. But I would give up every anniversary of ours knowing that he made a positive difference in the life of another. And his being over there has made a huge impact on the Iraqi people, it was worth it. He's given up so much already, there aren't word to describe how proud I am of him! Great Job 4ID!!
2) Heard from our son (1-67 HHC) by email today. "Things have been a lot quieter since they caught Saddam. Not one IED or mortar attack since it happened. (Knock on wood.) Everyone is more cooperative now that they know he isn't coming back....
3) We received an e-mail from our son who is with the 4th ID. He said by now you know we have captured Saddam. It was a morale booster. Yes, we finally captured him. We have all the Christmas decorations up that you sent us. The bunker looks great. You just don't know what it means to me and the platoon. Thanks so much! The guys have pretty high spirits considering it is the holidays and all. You have made this so much easier on us. I can't tell you how much we appreciate all your support. We received the New Years packages you sent us. You never cease to amaze. Thanks mom for everything. Tell everyone hello, thanks for everything and Happy Holidays. We're hanging in there and will be home before you know it....Take care and God Bless. (No unit given).
4) I AM THE MOTHER OF A 2/8 INF 4TH ID SOLDIER. MY SON DIDN'T GET TO COME HOME FOR THE 2 WEEKS R & R. BUT HE DID GET TO GO TO QATAR FOR 4 DAYS. I THINK THAT LITTLE BREAK DID HIM A LOT OF GOOD. HE CALLED A LOT WHILE HE WAS THERE. HE GOT TO EAT AT A CHILI'S AND OTHER THINGS. HE BOUGHT A FEW CHRISTMAS GIFTS AND SENT THEM HOME. THEY ARE HERE ALREADY. I STILL WOULD HAVE LOVED FOR HIM TO COME HOME, BUT I AM DOING THE COUNTDOWN WITH YOU AND ALL THE OTHER MOM'S ,DAD'S ,HUSBAND'S AND WIFE'S. WE SURE ARE ON THE DOWNHILL SIDE NOW. MAY GOD BLESS EACH AND EVERYONE.
5) My grandbaby got to come home on his leave. He goes back on the 21st, just short of Christmas. He says he ain't complainin'. He's a tanker in the 4th ID. He got to watch a Cowboys game with his paw paw...somethin' we both were lookin' farward to and th' pokes obliged us by winnin'. He said he felt kinda guilty for bein' here when he was th' only one from his crew could come home. He said they made him come home. He said he would rather stayed with his guys...I understand how he feels, he is a soldier with duty and to a soldier, duty comes first. I am so proud of him. I am proud of all our sons and daughters ...grandsons and grand daughters..God bless'em everyone. Keep 'em safe. Merry Christmas Bob and thank you for all your efforts on our behalf. Paw Paw.
6) Bob, I just received this email from my husband, B CO 1/67 AR, who's in Qatar for 4 days of R&R........ It's so nice to hear his voice and not have to worry about him for 4 days. Hhey babe, it is really nice being here in Qatar but I wish I could catch you online sometime. I can't use my Segovia calling card here (NOTE to others going to Qatar) but a LT friend gave me one of his today, so I will call you tonight. I am having a lot of fun hanging out with friends, we are having a blast! I just got done with a full body massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure and it was awesome - only cost 48 bucks.... (I just laughed when I heard this, My husband has always said manicures & pedicures were for girls). We have a pretty cool bar here, too, and we've been partying hard at night, even though there is a three beer limit. We just get other people to buy us beer.lol ..... I am not looking forward to going back to iraq, this place is great.
7) To the lady wondering about Bayji's phone and internet setup: My hubby is in B Co 3-66 in Bayji. He has just called again. He said that phones and internet were down for a while, but are now mostly working. Of course, now EVERYbody wants to catch up with everyone they know
8) Hi Bob..Not sure if you want to hear from a mother in law or not but figured I would send my two cents worth to you and see what happens. I heard from my son in law today , B Co 2/8 out of Ft Hood. He called to see if I had heard from my daughter (A Co, 21 CSH), She left on Wednesday to go over to Iraq and he was out on a mission and didn't get back in time to call her before she left. He also wanted to check on their 3 month old son who is staying with us until they return. (I thought my baby days were over! Ha) The phone connection was fantastic and there was very little delay. He said things have been a little quiet, (knock on wood) All in all he sounded good, just worried about his family. We are so proud of my daughter and son in law and all the others that are protecting this country and all our freedoms. And let no one forget that they are ALL in our thoughts and prayers! God Bless all of them. (Editor's Note: I am happy to hear from all who support our soldiers - including mother in law's. My mother in law is one of my favorite people. And God bless you for taking on the care of your grandson, as hard as it is, you'll cherish the time with him).
9) I have a loved one serving with the 1-17FA from Ft. Sill, Ok. We have known all the time the soldiers are very important and should be given the credit they so rightly deserve. So many people get busy with their daily lives, they forget we are in a war. Last Sunday morning the world was reminded our soldiers continue to place their lives in harm's way to give us the freedom we so enjoy and they are accomplishing more than we can ever know. Another great thing has happened this morning, Fox News announced Time Magazine has named the Soldiers the Men of the Year!
10) Yes, you were right the Grandmother's story did bring out the Kleenex box. Her story hit home with the ironing of the uniform. I did the same when my son was home for R&R. Being the wife of a 22 year military man, I have ironed many uniforms in my day. The night before my son was to return to Iraq, I sewed up his BDU's and ironed them. He insisted that ironing was not necessary. I told him I have ironed many types of uniforms and that he would be returning to Iraq looking his best, if only for a few days. He did look great - an American soldier at his best.
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Families Share R&R Moments:
1) Well, Bob, my soldier (B CO 299 ENG BN) left for Iraq this morning. Yes, there were tears, but more importantly, pride in the strength of character, integrity, and honor our soldiers possess. As he said, "There is work left to be done." My favorite memory of his visit happened on this past Sunday as he, my husband, and I had the chance to watch a NE Patriots football game together. The first one we have seen together in a couple of years. Seeing him sprawled on the couch (just like the old days) completely relaxed and exchanging commentary with his dad and I brought tears to my eyes. Of course, there were many other wonderful moments with him the past couple of weeks, but I want to keep this relatively short. We will miss him, and continue to count down the days, write letters, and send care packages. By the way, he was very impressed that I knew how many days until 1 April (Thanks, Bob).
2) I just had to say good bye again to my boyfriend. (A Co. 2-8 In (M) 4ID) He surprised us all by deciding, on a whim, to take the leave offered to the troops. He planned the surprise with the help of his dad and his grandparents and pulled up in front of his house to the GREAT pleasure and suprise of his mother. He continued the surprises by calling me, and asking what I was doing for the weekend. (I thought he just had extra time to talk) and then asking me if he could join me. This is the best Christmas his family could have gotten. Not only was he here, I got to see how he reacted to his DIVISION capturing Sadaam! I was never so proud as I was watching his reaction to everything. I'm writing this through tears of good-bye. He left to go back to Iraq about a half hour ago. It was great to have the time with him but saying good-bye is something we will hopefully not have to do again anytime soon. God Bless all the troops and keep them safe and bring them home soon!
3) On Dec. 2, my husband, who is with A/1-44 ADA - stationed in Tikrit, came home to me. Though it was only for 15 days, it was the best 15 days I've had in a very long time. When he deployed from Ft. Hood in March, little did we know that I was pregnant. I found out 5 weeks after he had gone, and he found out 2 weeks after that. He was so happy, and yet very sad because he didn't think that he would be here for the birth. The baby was due on Christmas Eve of this year - so it looked like he would miss it anyway because his 15 days would be over. But despite all the odds, we received the best Christmas present of all when 5lb 7oz. Micah-Lee made his grand appearance just 6 days after his daddy returned home. Even though the proud daddy departed on the 19th, he had to be the happiest and the saddest person on the flight. But he said, ''This is what I have to do - to protect you and Micah and our country." I'm so very proud of him and eagerly await his return. Proud Army Wife and new Mom
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