Active Unit News

What our families are hearing:
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 Our Families are Hearing from Our Soldiers in Iraq:
1) Heard from my son this morning at 6:00am. He is ACO, 1-22 4ID. Still in Mosul but may be moving to Tikrit........... Had electricity turned on and now has a fan where he sleeps. He sounded very well and wants to thank everyone for their support. .... His 20th birthday is Saturday, July 5 so I hope he gets his packages.
2) This is a summary of a July 1 e-mail from our son with C/1-44 ADA 3BCT at Camp Speicher in Tikrit. This was the first access that he had to e-mail since arriving in Iraq. "It is still really hot and dusty. We are supposed to have power here soon and with that follows air conditioning. We are improving our living conditions everyday. They are also bringing in Kellogg Brown and Root which is a contracted agency that does things like setup dining facilities and housing. It will be nice when I can sit down at a table and eat a hot meal. Square eggs just don't taste as good as they used to."
3) My son is in BCO 299 Engineers currently in Tikrit. On Sunday morning his wife gave birth to a beautiful 8 lb 13 oz boy...We contacted the Red Cross and they got to him and he called his wife at the hospital within 12 hours! She said he sounded great and so relieved that mother and baby were fine. He was still a little shaken as he was escorted from working on a tank by two guards with no explanation as to what was going on...They just told him to come with them. Hah, then they gave him the phone and congratulated him on his new son! How cruel, huh? He had a pretty good sense of humor about it. He is surviving the heat, being a Texas boy, but he said some other guys from milder climates were struggling a bit. That's to be expected, I guess. He's asking for his favorite CD's, Koolaid, high protein food & snacks, & fly strips..(All on the way)...
Having this new baby boy here is such a blessing as it's a piece of our son to hold onto...real tight..I wrote a letter to him yesterday and told him I would spoil the baby rotten for him...My cup runneth over.
4) My son, 3rd BCT, 1-68 Armor from Ft. Carson, called Sunday night (actually Monday morning) at 1:15 a.m. Amazingly enough, I had been up watching tv for 15 minutes and the phone rang. I couldn't believe it as I am NEVER up at that time of night. The first words from him after hello were, "I am sick of this place!" .Pretty reassuring for me! Once we got talking tho, he sounded ok. They had moved from the airfield they were at and are now in the town that is close by. The majority of the battallion had gone to Baghdad, presumably for the Operation Sidewinder. He said only C co. had stayed up north. He complained a little about the heat, but said they do have one air conditioned room to get a little relief part of the time. He said the people in the town have so far been very nice to them - they buy pop and cigarettes from them. The call was probably about 10 minutes - a very clear connection with no delay - and he said he was going to get back in line to call back, but never did. They had traveled to Kirkuk to use the phone and do "some other things" so guess they didn't want to wait around for round 2 of the phone calls. It was great to hear from him as it had been almost 3 weeks since his last call. He was also discouraged that he hadn't gotten any mail since he had been in his new "home" (about 2 weeks). Guess the mail goes to the battallion in Baghdad and then theirs has to be delivered up to them which apparently isn't going to happen too often. God bless all our soldiers and bring them all home safely!
5) Heard from my son this morning, about 5 a.m. Alaska Time. He is with 4th ID, B Co, 588th En Bn, Baqubah. He was in pretty high spirits. Says he should be able to make a 5 minute call every 5 days or so. Like everyone, complained a little about the heat, but actually not much else. There has been a few skirmishes there, the last one at a bank. He would not go into specifics with me. Says I worry to much. Will tell me when he comes home. Also said "no more personal hygiene items. He has received enough for everyone!" Has been enjoying the pillow I sent last month, but can't wait to get back to real beds. When asked what type of "goodies" etc. he wants now, said the gatorade (of course), and most any type of treats. In the background his buddies were shouting for some king crab (we have been sending some to his unit every summer and thru our winter season....guess they are starting to expect it) Our season opens today, so will be shipping some smoked salmon and crab over for him to share. The 5 minutes went fast considering we lost our connection once, but any amount of time is great. I reminded him to tell his buddies to write home often as we don't hear much on the news anymore. Said he would pass the word on!
6) Just wanted to let everyone know that I received a phone call at midnight last night from my husband. He is with 1-68 armor charlie company. He is a tank comander. He sounded like he was in good spirits. He requested cigs....said they are good tradeing value, because they can't get Marlboro Light where they are. I asked if he was being shot at...and his answer was short but said not to worry, most of the people don't want to mess with the tanks. Thank God for that.. I also got a letter from him yesterday dated june 18....the mail must be picking up...I hope all come home safe and sound.
7) I recieved word from my husband who is in Bravo CO. 64th FSB that they are no longer in Kirkuk they have moved south to just north of Samara and were leaving out to go to Balad where they would be able to make phone calls. They are unable to make phone calls where they were at when I chatted with him on the internet all there was was the internet. All this info was a week ago today, Tuesday the 1st of July. He did say everyone was well in his section and they were just wanting to come home. When I get more I will let you know.
8) My brother called yesterday and today. He is in the 4th ID 2nd Brigade Headquarters. They are also with the 588th. He said things are going OK. He takes a shower everyday. They built their own shower out of wood and things they got from the Iraqi's. He has everything he needs. Said some of the guys had diarrhea from eating things from the Iraqi market place. He said he warned them but they didn't listen and later he said told you and they told him to shut up. He said they have a name for it over there. They call it Saddam's Revenge. Ha! I thought that was funny. He said they are planning to have somewhat of a 4th of July celebration with the 4th ID band and talent shows. Also he said there is a contracting company called Brown and Root or something like that and they are building a dining facility so on the 4th they will be having a grill out too. Told me he drove his Humvee on a marble road and it made the tires squeak........Just glad to hear from him and it sounds like they are doing pretty good. I sent him one of those spay bottle fans and he said he leaves it on all night and it helps so I'm happy about that. He did call on the 19th of June and at that time he was in Tikrit at the river palace. I asked if anyone was with him and he said, "No they all went to the theater room to watch the Matrix 2." So it sounds like they are getting to do some things to get away from it all.
9) I received my second letter from my son today, I was as excited as you can get, he is with charlie1-22 out of Fort Hood, they are at the palace in Tikrit. says he is doing ok, and for me not to worry, says he should have a good tan when he gets home. Mail is coming in he said he got a couple letters and a package in one day. Told me to send more packages especially beef jerky! I guess that goes fast. They are seeing action he said. Told me he gives the Iraqi kids all his wrapped candy, I guess i had better send more. Keep praying for all the boys fighting in IRAQ!
10) We finally received a phone call from our son at 12:30 AM Monday morning. It was so good to hear his voice! He is a Calvary Scout with the HHC 1-22. He is located "in/around" Tikrit. He asked us if we had heard about the money and jewels being found during a raid a while back. He was there! It has been very rewarding for us to see and hear (from his letters and this phone conversation) him mature and grow more confident. He had written us a letter during his first "engagement" and actually wrote us a good-bye, in case he didn't make it back from the mission. It was very emotional. Although the danger is obviously still there, his confidence has certainly grown. A real testament to the quality of our soldiers, and the leadership there. I just harp on him in every letter, to remain constantly vigilant. (I'm sure the commanders do the same). We have received 4 letters in the last 5 days. The mail is certainly moving faster.
Our son had a very unique request in one of his letters. (Our son is a very good golfer, and wants to play college golf when he returns.) He asked us to send a 5 iron, and golf balls! I was surprised at first, but then knowing our son, I can see him pounding golf balls when he is not chasing "bad guys". We a large package the next day, which included a 5 iron (maybe we should have sent a sand wedge?) and golf balls. We also sent two cameras. I told him we want lots of pictures. Can you imagine the stories he will be able to tell his children and grandchildren?
Hooah for every one of our soldiers! May they all make the absolute best of this, and every situation, and stay safe!
11) We received a letter today from our son. He's with 3 BCT., B-CO, 1/8. He sounded good. All in all. Said that the heat is a killer. Said that he'd had his first Iraqi meal and likely his last for a while. Both times, the one a sheep, "slaughtered, gutted skinned and cooked" , then served--all in about a time frame of one and a half hours--It didn't set to well for him. The other dinner was some Iraqi fish. Same deal. Hard on the stomach. Said the tea is something they all enjoy.
He didn't allude to danger much, simply said he "ask God to keep his hand on us all the time." And in his closing, P. S.'d with "Thank you for your prayers." (Clearly, they are both dependers on those prayers and cognizant benefactors of them. Once more, I'm thankful for that.)
Just a sweet letter. One needed only hear the news and read through the lines. Said that for B-1/8 the phones simply were not available much. He had tried to call us, but got a message the phone was disconnected. It must have misdialed. Fortunately he has been able to reach his wife-to--be. That's most important.
Thankfully, the letter was a quick one here. Written on 6/23 and post marked 6/25; arriving here 7/1. Not too bad.
12) An extract from an update sent to the families of 1-17 FA out of Fort Sill, from the battalion commander in Iraq: .....1-17 FA crossed the Euphrates River at 1719 on 15 APR. The next day, we downloaded from the HETs (flat bed trucks hauling their Paladin artillery pieces), and traveled through Central Baghdad. Bivouacking that night just 2km NW of Baghdad, we linked up with 1-10CAV, which had just seen their first combat in taking a major Iraqi training facility. On 17 APR, the Copperheads moved north along Highway 8. On 18 APR, our first target was fired. 1st platoon, Bravo Battery fired at Target "Saddam", officially known as QQ5015, with 9 rounds of High-Explosive (HE). The Copperheads, after months of preparations, frustrations, and hard work, finally were combat proven.
We conducted several more major movements north, occupying wheat fields, rock fields, and even airfields. On 21 APR, K2, an airfield west of the industrial town of Bayji, was taken by 1-10 CAV, the furthest unit to travel north on the ground. K2 was to be our home for the next two weeks. On 5 MAY, the Battalion left K2 to travel across the Tigris River (at 1320 hrs) and help 1-10 CAV secure Diyala Province, and to safeguard the Iran-Iraq border. We are currently NE of Baghdad with 1-10CAV. After 6 months of hard work, 680 miles of Iraq, and many, many prayers from soldiers, families, and friends, we are succeeding in spreading the cause of freedom. The regime that ruled with an iron fist, killing many of its own citizens, fell without any fanfare. You can bet, the legacy of the 1st Battalion, 17th Field Artillery "Copperheads" will continue onward into this new century. "In Time of Peace, Prepare for War" - COPPERHEAD 6
13) I received a call at midnight (CST) from my husband who is in A Co. 3/67 Armor, 2nd Brigade, 4th ID. He stated it was extremely dangerous during the night at their location, and they expected to possibly move again soon. He drives 210 km twice a day to check on the guys, among other tasks. They are currently located around Baqubah, with my husband driving those distances I won't pinpoint location. Recently they had 2 soldiers wounded and they are now in route to return stateside. ( I was already aware of this due to yesterdays update) He has been able to cash 2 checks since being there, and they purchased 20 chickens, pita bread, and cucumber salad for a much needed "cookout". (which helped morale a lot). We were limited on time - 4 minutes, so he didn't really have any special mailing requests, but he was thrilled to find out my Mom has a battery operated fan going out in the mail tomorrow. God Bless our Troops! Home of the Free, Because of the Brave!!!
14) And I received the following announcement of a new addition to our 3rd platoon B/1-67 Armor 4ID family:
PFC (name withheld for privacy) and (name withheld for privacy)
are the Proud Parents
of daughter
(Name withheld)
Born on Tuesday, July 1, 2003
at 8:46 a.m.
9 pounds 2 ounces
21.5 inches long

Mother and baby are doing fine. Father wishes he was home to see the baby but continues to do his job in Iraq - Steadfast and Loyal - Ironhorse!

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