News Call Army Medic Earns Silver Star a 19-Year-Old Medic from Lake Some 500 Yards to Safety
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News Call Army Medic Earns Silver Star A 19-year-old medic from Lake some 500 yards to safety. She treated Jackson, Texas, Spc. Monica Lin them on-site before a medevac heli- Brown, 4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry copter arrived. Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, Although Pentagon policy prohibits is the first woman in Afghanistan— women from serving in frontline and only the second female soldier combat positions, female soldiers since World War II—to earn the Silver in Afghanistan and Iraq, where the Star. In April 2007, Spc. Brown was counterinsurgencies lack real front part of a four-vehicle convoy pa- lines, participate in close-quarters trolling in eastern Afghanistan’s Pak- combat more than women did in pre- tia Province when a roadside bomb vious wars. Spc. Brown joined the struck one of the Humvees, wounding Army in November 2006 and is ex- five soldiers in her unit. She ran pected to leave Afghanistan in April. through insurgent gunfire to reach the “I did not really have time to be casualties, shielded them with her scared,” she told an Associated Press own body from mortars falling less reporter. “I was in a kind of a robot- ovided by the family than 100 yards away as she adminis- Pr mode, did not think about much but tered first aid, and helped drag them Spc. Monica Lin Brown getting the guys taken care of.” Army Trains Afghan Police. The Com- development (FDD)—to train and re- cause they are local and know the land bined Security Transition Command- form the Afghan National Police. U.S. and people. Afghanistan (CSTC-A), headed by counterinsurgency doctrine advises Commanders in Afghanistan do not Maj. Gen. Robert W. Cone and tasked that an indigenous security force is have enough trainers to work with the with training, mentoring and equip- generally the best force to use in a country’s security forces; FDD is de- ping Afghan security forces, has be- counterinsurgency environment, and signed to concentrate trainers to make gun a new program—focused district often that best force is the police be- the best and most efficient use of Col. James Klingaman, commander of Afghan Regional Security Integration Command- West, salutes an Afghan national policeman from the Bala-Beluk district during a graduation ceremony. More than 140 officers made up oubek, USN the first graduating class otr of the focused district development police training program. DoD/Petty Officer 1st Class David M. V DoD/Petty Officer April 2008 I ARMY 85 Army Casualties in Iraq Army Casualties The following U.S. Army personnel were reported killed in Operation in Afghanistan Iraqi Freedom from February 1 to February 29, 2008. All names have been The following U.S. Army soldier released through the Department of Defense; families have been notified. was reported killed in Operation Enduring Freedom from Febru- Sgt. Rafael Alicearivera, 30 Spc. Orlando A. Perez, 23 ary 1 to February 29, 2008. His Sgt. Conrad Alvarez, 22 Spc. Micheal E. Phillips, 19 name has been released through Spc. Miguel A. Baez, 32 Capt. Nathan R. Raudenbush, 25 the Department of Defense; his SSgt. Chad A. Barrett, 35 Spc. Luke S. Runyan, 21 family has been notified. Cpl. Albert Bitton, 20 1st Lt. David E. Schultz, 25 Spc. Chad D. Groepper, 21 Sgt. Bradley J. Skelton, 40 SSgt. Donald T. Tabb, 29 SSgt. Bryant W. Mackey, 30 Sgt. Corey E. Spates, 21 Spc. Michael T. Manibog, 31 Spc. Matthew F. Straughter, 27 troops President Bush sent nearly a Sgt. Timothy P. Martin, 27 PFC Jack T. Sweet, 19 year ago redeploy. Gen. Petraeus told Spc. Micheal B. Matlock Jr., 21 Sgt. Timothy R. Van Orman, 24 Military.com in an exclusive interview Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25 SSgt. Javares J. Washington, 27 that he will report that violence in Iraq Spc. Kevin S. Mowl, 22 Spc. Christopher J. West, 26 has dropped 60 percent since the surge Capt. Michael A. Norman, 36 SSgt. Jerald A. Whisenhunt, 32 began. Sgt. John C. Osmolski, 23 Sgt. Gary D. Willett, 34 In March, Gen. Petraeus told re- porters he wants time to assess the sit- them. In addition, Army and Coali- tion Command-West, one of five com- uation and review conditions before tion commanders have come to recog- mands that support the mission of the drawing down more troops. nize inadequate training, poor equip- CSTC-A, explained the pros and cons According to Gen. Petraeus, neigh- ment and corruption in the Afghan of the strategy in a Pentagon news borhood militias, recently renamed police force. CSTC-A developed the briefing in February. The retrained po- Sons of Iraq, have become vital to FDD plan to address those issues. It is lice “know the terrain and the peo- the improved security situation. The a reform by the Afghan Ministry of ple,” he said. “And of course, [one] of 90,000 Sons of Iraq, he told reporters, the Interior to improve the national the cons [is] that … if they were cor- are “substantially thickening our police force district by district. rupt, they may tend to go back to their forces.” In addition, he said the Iraqi FDD withdraws the police of one old ways, which is one of the reasons, army and police force have grown by district at a time, replacing them tem- in addition to the training, they get more than 100,000 people. porarily with Afghan National Civil some very close mentorship as well as As brigade combat teams redeploy, Order Police, who are generally not nationally vetted leadership as part of Gen. Petraeus emphasized that the from the same region. The district po- this program.” U.S. would not simply hand over an lice are all retrained together as a cohe- Police in seven of Afghanistan’s 365 area completely to Iraqi security forces. sive unit for eight weeks at one of eight districts have begun training; complet- “We will maintain a sufficient footprint regional training centers throughout ing it in all districts will take about four with an adequate, generally substantial the country. Exercises include mounted years. The United States spent $2.5 bil- Iraqi force of police and soldiers,” he and dismounted patrols, station secu- lion on the police in Afghanistan in fis- said. rity tasks, and urban and village opera- cal year (FY) 2007 and will spend at He noted that much work remains tions. The first classes graduated in late least $800 million in FY 2008. in the Diyala and Tigris River Valleys February—259 Afghan National Police and in Ninevah Province and its capital, from Zabul Province graduated in Gen. Petraeus on Iraq. On April 8 and Mosul. Kandahar; 143 from the Bala-Beluk dis- 9, Gen. David H. Petraeus, comman- U.S. commanders recognize Mosul trict graduated in Herat, in western der of Multi-National Force-Iraq, is as the last urban stronghold for al Afghanistan. scheduled to testify before Congress Qaeda and other insurgent groups in In the next phase of FDD, the grad- on security conditions there. He and Iraq, and they are relying on Iraqi secu- uates will be reinstated into their U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. rity forces there more than they have home districts, which takes about a Crocker will update lawmakers on anywhere else in the country. About week. Police mentoring teams, com- progress since their last report in Sep- 2,000 U.S. troops—3rd Squadron, 3rd posed of American and Coalition sol- tember 2007. Armored Cavalry Regiment, and 1st diers, will then accompany and work Gen. Petraeus has said that he favors Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment—are with them in the field for two to four a “condition-based” drawdown rather operating in Mosul and are establish- months. than a rapid reduction of troop num- ing combat outposts around the city Col. James Klingaman, commander bers and advocates a pause in mid- with Iraqi army and police troops. of Afghan Regional Security Integra- July, when the last of the additional Gen. Petraeus pointed to progress 86 ARMY I April 2008 made but warned that the way ahead 102 active duty soldiers committed suicides are related to the failure of inti- will not be easy. “Al Qaeda is trying to suicide in 2006, a rate of 17.5 per mate relationships,” Col. Ritchie said in come back,” he told reporters. “We 100,000. That is the highest suicide a news release. Legal, financial or occu- can feel it and see it. … At the end of rate since the Army began keeping pational problems rank next in order. the day, it’s about feel.” Most com- such records in 1980, and it appears Col. Ritchie was part of a team that manders in Iraq are on their second that the rate for 2007 will be at least as interviewed deployed soldiers to try tours, some on their third, he said. high. Thus far, the Army has con- to find ways to prevent suicides and “Over time, you can start to feel firmed that 89 active duty soldiers drew up 55 recommendations to im- where you can take a bit more risk committed suicide during 2007; it is prove the suicide-prevention program. and also where you cannot.” investigating another 32 deaths. Suicide attempts have also spiked— Money for New Recruits. In Febru- ‘Growing the Army.’ The Army has from about 1,400 in 2006 to more than ary, the Army began a pilot recruiting awarded Northrop Grumman a three- 2,000 in 2007. Col. Ritchie acknowl- program called the Army Advantage year $30 million instructional con- edged these numbers but noted that Fund that awards enlistees who com- tract.