Active Unit News

What Our Families Are Hearing From their Soldiers:
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


What Family Members are Hearing from Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) Wanted to write to let you know for your updates that I received my first letter from my son since he entered Iraq. He is a tank driver with Alpha Company, 3-67 Armor. So, for all you families of 3-67 they have arrived safely and are doing well. He sounded great. It was such a relief to hear from him. He told me that he got to drive his tank through downtown Baghdad during rush hour traffic. He did say he took out about 50 feel of guardrail on the highway into Baghdad. Thank goodness he didn’t get a ticket for reckless driving. Anyway, he didn’t date his letter but I think it was the first week in May or so because he said “this may not arrive in time but Happy Mother’s Day just in case.” He asked for nabs and snacks because the Iraqi children come up to them and ask for snacks. He said sometimes they give them the candy in their MRE’s but they really need those MRE’s. For all the families of 3-67 Armor - - if you haven’t received mail yet you should be getting it soon. I got a letter and so did 2 other people yesterday so it does seem to be moving now.
2) My husband is with the 401st MP company and is attached to the 1-22 4th ID. They are in Tikrit. I got a phone call last Saturday night. He said they are all doing well. They stay busy doing missions and have not received much mail. He's been there since March and has received 5 letters and 2 packages out of more than 50 letters and 10 packages. I have received 6 letters and 4 phone calls. They are living in a palace and have been asking for cds and tapes. Would love for anyone else with the 720th mp battalion to write and let us know what you know.
3) My daughter is a 1LT in the HHC 4th Engineering Battalion of the 4th Infantry Division out of Ft. Carson. She left on April 7th. It seems like an eternity. These email exchanges are wonderful for keeping us all up-to-date. In the past week, we have received 2 letters, 2 postcards and 3 phone calls! We consider ourselves very lucky. The most frequent things she asks for are: powdered gatorade, kool aid, word search puzzles, mystery books, 1% cortisone itch cream, calamine lotion and bug repellant.
4) I received a phone call this morning from my husband who's in 4ID 1/10 cav C trp. He says he is doing fine that they're still at the Iran border. I've gotten at least 13 letters, 5 phone calls and one e-mail. He said they don't have access to internet he only got to e-mail me because he had to go to kuwait where there is internet. He says he is also hearing rumors that they'll be back in Sept time frame. But only rumors. He said he got a few of my letters but no packages and I sent the first one out over a month ago.
5) Got a letter from our son dated 5/25! He is with Alpha Battery/2-20 FA. He said they were finally settling into their new position in a small town called Daquq...per the map, it's south and a little west of Kirkuk in At Tamim province. He said they would be there 2-3 months supposedly. After that, they're supposed to return to Kuwait for about a month and then, MAYBE, home, which would make it about September. He also said the rumor is that the Army is supposed to lift the "stop-loss" in a couple of weeks. Has anyone else heard this great bit of news? His tone was fairly upbeat for which we're very thankful. He didn't say much about their living conditions but I take it they're not too terrible. Since there was such a gap between his last letter and this one, we're assuming there were some in between that just haven't arrived yet.
6) I can't tell you how much your reports mean to me, it's nearly impossible to get information out of smaller support units assigned to the 4ID. Our son is with the 14th Engineering Battalion 555th Engineer Group out of Fort Lewis, Washington, and you had mentioned them recently in an update from The News Tribune. We had a short call from him last week for the first time in 5 weeks and it was wonderful to hear his voice. He has gone on missions daily and has experienced things he never dreamed of, is anxious to get more letters and pictures from home, longs for "normal food" and asked for new socks. He's gotten the first of our packages and was delighted and proud that a story about him had made the front page of his hometown paper in Pocatello, ID. It did his Mom's heart good to hear that his voice was more confident and less stressed than the first phone calls from Kuwait in early April. And as you say almost daily, no news is good news, so we hang in there and display more flags and shiny yellow ribbons. His letters have not reached home yet, but we run for the mail box in hopes everyday. These Americans are so brave and committed it makes us feel extremely proud of our home land and the fact that our only son along with so many other dedicated men and women represent the greatest Army in the world.
7) I just wanted to let you know that I received my first email from my husband today (4ID,B Co, 404th DASB, DS--Fort Hood). It's his Birthday and they all ganged up on him, (birthday spanking). Other than that, he says it's pretty much the same thing, day in and day out. They are all doing pretty good, missing everyone very bad and can't wait to come home! I have received 5 letters from him, to date, and I'm still eagerly waiting on my first phone call. ( I keep my cell phone on 24/7 )
8) We received a phone call from our son with the 1-10 Cav, 4th ID, June 3rd. He is somewhere near the Iran/Iraq border, guarding the border. He said there is very little action (thank God) and that the main thing they battle is boredom. He drives all over Iraq to repair things. He said they have some water for bathing. He requested razors, reading material and baby wipes. The main message he had for us at home was THANK YOU for the letters and packages. This is very important to our soldiers. He is getting all of his mail but knows we aren't getting ours as quickly. He said to be patient because he has written many letters which should start arriving soon. I'm sure this is the case with most of the soldiers.
9) I received a phone call from my son, 1-66th AR, C Company, 1st Platoon, yesterday at 4:00am CST. They are the only company in the 1-66th still in Mosul, attached to the 101st Airborne. He does not call often because there is a 2 hour wait to use the phone and they are only allowed 3 minutes. He said they are now getting mail every 4-5 days. One lone satellite TV has been set up, but he never gets to watch it because C Company is responsible for security around the perimeter 24 hours a day. So he wants any news we can send him. He said it is hot (they have very small amounts of ice) and the mosquitoes are so bad they inhale them at night. Said he could use some of those mosquito face nets. (They have them at Wal-Mart) They also want batteries and more baby wipes.
10) Our son is assigned to D Co, 104th MI, but is now attached to B Co, 104th MI, supporting 2nd BCT. As a Spec 4 he's running the Brigade's interrogation facility in Ba'qubah. We got our first phone call today at 03:30 (PST), still haven't received any mail. He's in great spirits. As he spoke he was looking at the Brigade's impound yard where they have Uday Hussein's Lamborghini and other limousine's. He's working long hours, about 09:00 - 02:00. Showers are available, but it's so hot there that by the time he walks back from the shower point he's sweating again, so he figures "Why bother?" The Ba'qubah area was bypassed during the initial combat phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 4ID troopers are the only US forces the Iraqi's have seen. Consequently, the Fedayeen and other Iraqi Forces were not attritted the way they were in other areas. The rumors he's getting regarding rotating home are that they will be out of Iraq by the end of July, lay-over in Kuwait to do gunnery exercises to burn up excess ammunition, then head home for arrival NLT 30 September (rear detachment to be home by Thanksgiving). He says he's been nominated for a Bronze Star, so he's done SOMETHING right.
11) We received a letter from my daughter-in-law yesterday, which she wrote on May 11 and mailed May 12. She is with the HHT 4-3rd ACR and states that they are at an air base in northwestern Iraq. The towns around there are still giving our guys trouble, she states and says that the place they are located is huge and that one of the palaces is there, pretty badly bombed, but with some of the regimental people staying there. It is hard to make phone calls, but that should improve as they are to be getting an AT&T phone center along with a field Px and some fast food restaurants. Her spirits were great and she realizes that her situation is much better than many. She hears from my son, her husband very sparcely. He is with the 1/12 Inf., 4 ID. Both are out of Ft. Carson. She is able to email about twice a week, but cannot include much detail, except that she is okay. Hope this is helpful to someone. Thanks to you and all who share. (Ed Note: 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is not part of 4ID or Task Force Ironhorse but works in the same general area of northern Iraq).
12) Hi , I was reading some of the emails sent to you from Iraq and a woman asked where to buy DCU's (Desert Camouflage Uniforms). My son asked for them and I found a place online www.hdesert.com . I received them in 2 days and they are the real thing. (Another Ed Note: I haven't heard that this is a major problem, think most of the soldiers have all the uniforms they need so don't panic on that one).
13) My son is with A Co, 104th MI. We just received word from rear detatchment through our FRG person that they have been receiving lots of calls from family members because word had it that our soldiers were still having to ration water and food. The Lt. says that they are now getting 2 bottles of water (1.5 liters each) a day and they have tanks of purified water available. The purified water is OK to drink but has a funny processed taste and the guys prefer the bottled stuff. (OF COURSE!!!) She said that bottled water is a luxury on the battlefield. She further stated that our soldiers are getting 3 MREs a day and some have the capacity to have one hot meal each day. She encouraged us to keep sending goodies to supplement the MRE's. I wanted to write and let those folks who have also been worried about the water situation that it seems to be under control now. (One more Ed Note: The US Army has been in business for 228 years as of June 14. They understand soldiers need water to drink, can't live without it, and provide what is required. Quit worrying about that - all veterans can tell you stories about sources of drinking water and taste of the water purifying pills. You've got lots more to worry about than whether your soldier is getting enough water).
14) My sister received a letter from my nephew on Saturday (TF 1-68 Armor, HHC, Scouts) and he wanted to thank Grandma for the comics she has been sending. She rips out the comics from the daily paper and sends to him along with goodies. Between his mother, my mother and his aunts and uncles - we send letters and packages almost daily. We put a note in the boxes of goodies for him to share and I'm sure there are some soldiers that don't receive anything - which again is very sad!
15) I've heard from my son who says his unit, the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 324th Military Police Battalion, is attached to the 4th ID. I take it they are part of the Task Force Ironhorse. As far as I know, they were in the Baqubah area where some of your reports have noted activity.
16) Our son is with 4Th ID, 1-22 IN BN and has been in Turkit for about 3 weeks. We received mail, 2 letters two weeks ago and a phone call two Friday’s ago. He sounded in good mood. All the people in his group were fine. Said the bugs and sand were bad.He only received one package so far and we know a total of 6 have been sent. New mail seems to be getting through, old mail is still coming. His group, in maintenance, is very busy. They have water and ok place’s to stay. Keep sending mail and especially pictures.

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