Cobra Strike! a Reality
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
By Spc. Jason Dangel, 4th BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div. of operations with their ISF counterparts. The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Cobra combat support and combat service support units, "Cobras," deployed in late November 2005 in support of the 4th Special Troops Battalion and 704th Support Operation Iraqi Freedom and officially assumed responsibil- Battalion were responsible for command and control for all ity of battle space in central and southern Baghdad from the the units of Task Force Cobra, while simultaneously provid- 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Jan. 14, ing logistical support for the brigade's Soldiers. 2006. The 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor was attached to the 4th After a successful transition with the 3rd Inf. Div.'s Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division and operat- "Vanguard" Brigade, the Cobra Brigade was ready for its ed from FOB Rustamiyah, located in the northern portion of first mission in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. the Iraqi capital. As the Ivy Division's newest brigade combat team, the The Cobra Brigade oversaw the security of many key events Cobra Brigade, comprised of approximately 5,000 combat- to include the first session of the Iraqi Council of ready Soldiers, was deployed to Forward Operating Base Representatives. Prosperity in Baghdad's International Zone and operated in The Iraqi Council of Representatives, the parliament some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Baghdad, to elected under the nation's new constitution, convened at the include Al-Doura, Al-Amerriyah, Abu T'schir, Al-Ademiyah Parliament Center in central Baghdad where 275 representa- and Gazaliyah. tives were sworn into Iraq's newly elected four-year govern- Led by Col. Michael F. Beech and Command Sgt. Maj. ment March 16, 2006. John E. Moody, Jr., the Cobra Brigade, working closely with This official swearing-in of the new Iraqi COR was a mile- Iraqi Security Forces, was responsible for providing securi- stone not only for Iraq, but also for the region as the parlia- ty for more than 3.5 million Iraqi citizens while simultane- ment was the first such democratically elected body in the ously improving the city's infrastructure. Middle East. The Cobra Brigade brought six of its own battalions to the During the Cobra Brigade's year-long tenure in the Iraqi fight, and employed a host of units as well to include the 2nd Capitol, Iraqi citizens also witnessed the 5th Brigade, 6th Battalion, 506th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division; the 2nd Iraqi Division assume responsibility of security in central Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division; and Baghdad. later the 1st Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 14th Cavalry. The battle space changeover marked the unrelenting The brigade's subordinate combat battalions: the 8th progress in the Iraqi Security Forces' capabilities in the city Squadron, 10th Calvary; 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry; and as they continued to fight to secure the country for the Iraqi 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery; were located throughout people. the brigade's battle space as they completed a full spectrum The 6th Iraqi Division became responsible for all the bat- tle space in Baghdad. The 5th Brigade's area of operations other terrorist attacks. covered approximately 73 square kilometers of the city. Operations Stallion Run, The Doura Clean-Up and numer- More than 70-percent of Baghdad was under the control of ous civic projects, helped rid the streets of garbage and the ISF when the Cobra Brigade redeployed to Fort Hood, showed the Iraqi citizens that their new government is work- Texas in November 2006, a remarkable achievement for a ing for the future. unit still considered "new" in the U.S. Army. The 4th BCT began deploying personnel to Camp Working 24 hours-a-day and seven days-a-week, Cobra Buehring, Kuwait, as its advance party left Fort Hood, Texas Soldiers and the ISF completed multiple large-scale opera- Nov. 29, 2005, marking the unit's first deployment in sup- tions to root out terrorists operating in the city limits. port of Operation Iraqi Freedom since activating on Dec. 16, Operations United Fist and Together Forward, among oth- 2004. ers, both resulted in capturing or killing terrorists, finding Upon redeployment to Fort Hood, the brigade will transi- roadside bombs, and developing intelligence used to prevent tion over into the 4th BCT, 1st Cavalry Division. By 1st Lt. W. Kyle Simon, 1st Bn., 12th licized efforts related to Iraq's national and Karadah through the deployment's Inf. government. The battalion also devot- duration. The 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th ed resources to developing local gov- These efforts led to many humanitar- Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry ernment institutions close to the people ian assistance missions at area schools, Division has successfully completed its in order to help serve the constituency hospitals and the most impoverished mission of securing Baghdad's of central Baghdad. neighborhoods of central-Baghdad. International Zone since its arrival in Karkh and Karadah are two Baghdad The Civil Affairs representatives also theater at Forward Operating Base Districts that border the International worked with civil military operations Prosperity. The battalion completed Zone, combined accounting for more to successfully coordinate completion this mission while detaching its than one million Iraqi citizens. of 350 projects, totaling approximately Company A and Company C, and To ensure ISF success in Karadah, the $40 million, to improve local services receiving Company C, 2nd Battalion, battalion worked with the local District and infrastructure projects. 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Advisory Council in a Security The battalion's engineer company Airborne Division. Committee initiative. In less than a conducted another critical mission: With this task organization, the 1st year, this effort has proven a successful route clearance for the 4th Brigade Bn., 12th Inf. prevented and deterred model of local citizens securing their Combat Team's area of operations. the enemy's attempted ground penetra- own neighborhoods. Eskimo Company used specialized tion of the IZ, and supported the estab- Their weekly meetings led to numer- equipment to clear various important lishment and growth of the Iraqi ous operational successes, including main supply routes throughout Government, allowing its newly the detention of several high value Baghdad, enabling freedom of move- formed democracy to shape and govern individuals and the discovery of a vehi- ment for the "Cobra" Brigade. its people. cle-borne improvised explosive device As of mid-October, the company has The "Warrior" Battalion's main effort factory. cleared more than 10,900 miles of focused on securing the International To augment the efforts of the ISF in Baghdad roadway and found or deto- Zone and controlling the daily traffic providing security in both Karkh and nated 71 IEDs. The heroic efforts of of nearly 10,000 people and 2,000 Karadah, the battalion's Headquarters the engineer company provided safe vehicles. and Headquarters Company, already main supply routes for Coalition In achieving this mission, the battal- responsible for the battalion staff and Forces and Iraqis alike. ion operated seven checkpoints in a the fielding of escorts for the brigade's These successes have not been joint mission with Iraqi Security Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, without cost. The Warrior Battalion Forces and coalition allies from provided most of the personnel to field has endured the loss of five of its Georgia, a nation formerly of the two Military Integration Training Soldiers; 18 wounded over the course Soviet Republic. Teams, and support four others. These of the deployment. Staff Sgt. Lance On March 16, working in conjunction MiTTs are essential in training and Chase; Cpl. Peter Wagler; Staff Sgt. with coalition partners, the Warriors coaching the new frontline defenders Christopher Schornak, Capt. James successfully secured the IZ for the of Iraq. Funkhouser and 1st Lt. James Lyons inauguration and first seating of Iraq's In addition to supporting the ISF in will not be forgotten as 1st Bn., 12th newly democratically elected govern- these areas, the battalion also played a Inf. strives to keep the IZ secure and ment. critical role in continuing to improve uphold the democratic values the Iraqi All 275 members of the Iraqi Council the lives of the Iraqis living in central people deserve. The Warriors will con- of Representative safely entered the IZ Baghdad through numerous Civil tinue doing their part to ensure success without incident for this historic event. Military Operations Projects. as it completes its mission in support of The 1st Bn., 12th Inf.'s efforts went The battalion maintained a strong Operation Iraqi Freedom 05-07. beyond the significant and highly pub- Civil Affairs campaign in both Karkh Written by 4th STB Staff Section Baghdad and the International Zone. replaced 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div.'s com- The "Griffons," 4th Special Troops A small element of the battalion pro- munications, establishing a brigade Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team is vided convoy security escorts for the network operations center, command comprised of Headquarters and common-user land transport assets, post and JNN Platoon. Outside FOB Headquarters Company, Company A, a which carried the 4th BCT's armored Prosperity, 4th STB pushed Soldiers military intelligence company, and vehicles and shipping containers. and Line of Sight assets to 2nd Company B, a signal company. The Crossing the berm into Iraq, the Battalion, 77th Field Artillery to sup- STB is also administratively responsi- Soldiers stayed highly motivated and port their network and task force from ble for Headquarters and Headquarters vigilant despite the concentration Forward Operating Base Union 3. On Company, 4th BCT. required for more than 200 miles of Forward Operating Base Falcon, 2nd During late November 2005, 4th travel along some of the most attacked Platoon established a communications STB's advanced party deployed to routes.