Multi-National Division – Baghdad “First Team.....Team First” Friday, October 9, 2009 Incoming Soldiers learn features of MRAP By Spc. Howard Alperin “I’m pretty excited about get- how you do your egress from the rors and utilize them. You’ve got MND-B PAO ting on the road. I want to get vehicle in case of emergency. “It’s to make sure you can see around BAGHDAD — Soldiers re- my license so I can go outside practice for when you’re outside your vehicle.” ceived hands-on training on an the wire and support everybody doing the real thing. That way, “You have to watch for the MRAP vehicle. During the 40 through re-supply missions,” said when something happens, we’re edges of the shoulder and look for hours of instructional time, they James. able to perform better and possi- potholes or anything that might learn how to perform preventative In order to learn how to oper- bly save lives.” cause the vehicle to rock because maintenance checks and services, ate these vehicles, Soldiers must Soldiers take what they are this multiplies the possibility of a recognize warnings, cautions and get to know their characteristics. taught about the vehicle’s physi- rollover. The vehicle is top-heavy. controls of the vehicle, egress and “We went over all the controls cal features and capabilities, and In making turns, you have to be roll-over drills, operate the gun- and control panel,” said Spc. apply it to daytime and night-time cautious.” ner’s point kit, ground-guide pro- Josh Overton, a personal security drives. During the two days of driving, cedures, and day and night-time detachment team member, from “For someone who is used to Soldiers learn to drive safely on a driving. West Liberty, Ohio. “Also, we humvees, it’s a step up regarding variety of surfaces and grades. “The vehicle will take care of went over switches for the AC, space, equipment and gadgets,” “They take you through dif- you, but respect the vehicle,” de- heat, power doors, and how to said Spc. Mike Demma, an elec- ferent terrain features to become clared Frank Davis, the civilian properly open and close the doors trician from Traverse City, Mich., familiarized and comfortable with instructor at the Regional Support without making them malfunc- who recently completed the driv- the vehicles,” said Demma. After Area on Camp Liberty, to Sol- tion.” ing portion and test for the class. graduating the class, Soldiers are diers attending the Operators New The Soldiers learned how to “There are quite a few blind spots. able to use their knowledge in the Equipment Training class. properly control the MRAPs and It’s important to readjust your mir- role of train the trainer. These knowledgeable instruc- tors don’t hold back when guiding their students. It’s their job to train Soldiers to standard so when they are out on mission they know how to use their MRAP vehicle safely. “We learned that the seatbelts are a five-point harness, that the windows are able to withstand a .50 cal [round], how to get in and out of the hatches, the driver’s control, how to turn the vehicle on and off, releasing and apply- ing the brakes, and making sure things are locked up when we’re done,” said Spc. Chase James, from Newark, Del. As supply and logistics spe- cialists, these Soldiers of the 702nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division will travel often to forward operating bases in the Baghdad area. Many of the Sol- Photo by Spc. Howard Alperin diers taking the class have recently Soldiers gather under the belly of a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle, here, arrived in country and most have Oct. 6, as Frank Davis, from Killeen, Texas, points out different parts and how the never driven an MRAP vehicle. vehicle is protected with armor against improvised explosive devices. PAGE 2 October 9, 2009

Knock, talk mission with Iraqi Army Photos by Sgt. Jon Soles, MND-B PAO

TAJI, Iraq – Spc. Marcus Jeter, of Atlanta, walks through a sunflower field near Taji, Oct. 5, during a joint patrol with the Iraqi Army.

Sgt. Jhonny Beldor, an artilleryman from Fredericksburg, Pa., searches for weapons during a joint patrol with the Iraqi Army in the Taji area.

Staff Sgt. William Cannon (left), of Taylor, Mich., and Sgt. Jhonny Beldor, of Fredericksburg, Pa., confer about directions during a patrol near Taji Oct. 5. Both non-commissioned officers are artillerymen assigned Staff Sgt. Shad Fowler, of Amarillo, Texas, looks in- to Company A, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Reg- side a barrel while searching through a garbage pile iment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Divi- on a joint patrol with the Iraqi Army . sion PAGE 3 October 9, 2009 Maintaining SoI security north of Baghdad By Spc. Kelly LeCompte Rossa, from Pueblo, Colo. “It’s 30th HBCT PAO great because it keeps you flying CAMP TAJI, Iraq — Un- all the time. It ensures all the bri- manned aerial systems opera- gades can have more coverage.” tions are keeping Soldiers in the “We service the birds, and we Baghdad area safe thanks to co- launch them,” said Sgt. Conrad operation between four different Jahn, a maintenance shift lead brigades that have centered opera- with B Co. “We launch them and tions, here, north of Baghdad. then we’ll hand them off to a con- “The launch and recovery site trol site that’s forward, so that the for all of [Multi-National Divi- actual mission flying is done from sion] Baghdad is at Camp Taji,” the forward sites.” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Dar- “I think it works really well,” ryl Della Rossa, the UAS officer said Jahn. “We have a really good Photo by Spc. Kelly LeCompte with the 86th Military Intelligence team here and we’re able to sup- Sgt. David Gomez, from Brooklyn, N.Y., prepares an un- Company B. “By consolidating, port each other… and we pool manned aerial system for launch at Camp Taji, north of they can support four brigades in a lot more experience this way. Baghdad, Oct 5. one place.” Our standard of maintenance is The four U.S. brigades have a lot higher and our production is serving in Iraq since April and has there would be days at the time pooled their UAVs at Camp Taji’s a lot better because we have such logged 2,500 flight hours so far; when operations would have to airfield, along with the main- a large pool of materials and tal- all accident free. stop for maintenance on the vehi- tenance personnel who launch ent and experience. It’s a really “That’s more than some com- cles or for crew rest, and it would and recovery the vehicles; while good team. We’re like a big fam- panies fly in a whole year deploy- be unlikely to fly so many hours the vehicle operators are located ily here.” ment,” Della Rossa said. have they have so far, especially wherever their respective units Della Rossa, who works from The Soldiers in B Co., whether without incident. work from. Forward Operating Base Falcon, serving at Camp Taji or FOB Fal- “It’s a great system,” Della “The units share the birds, where Company B’s operators con, work 12 hour days, seven Rossa said. “Since a bird is al- hanger space, personnel; it can all are, said he agreed the system days a week. Della Rossa said ways in the air, we can be always be shared at one place,” said Della works. The MI company has been without the system at Camp Taji, ready.” Sheikh council meeting brings resolve By Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth it is now. He pointed out that “That’s ultimately part of our violence still existed in their ar- 4th SBCT PAO, things are safer and more stable strategy of irreversible momen- eas was because people would BAGHDAD — U.S. and all over Baghdad, largely due tum: to be able to ensure that not come forward with tips. Iraqi commanders, along with to actions such as patrols and the people trust the Iraqi Army Overall, the meeting broke prominent members of the Abu warrant-issued arrests made by and the Iraqi Army support the new ground for all members Ghraib community, met Oct. 3 the IA and Iraqi police. people.” involved by repairing the part- to discuss security gains as well “Every day is getting bet- Security was not the only is- nership between the IA and the as rebuilding dialogue in this ter,” Yaser said. sue brought up at the meeting. council member and allowing western community of Bagh- Yaser’s presence at the Internally displaced persons them to work together to try to dad. meeting opened ways of com- are a growing concern for the make the area a safer place for Col. John Norris, command- munication between the IA and Abu Ghraib council members. the citizens. er of 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry the council members by allow- Yaser reassured the council “Just (Yaser’s) presence and Division, suggested a represen- ing the two groups to share members the Iraqi forces look his willingness to receive the tative from 24th Bde., 6th IA thoughts and opinions on issues to help the IDPs and want those information and the concern to Div. attend the council meeting in the area with little input from people to live in peace with the discuss security-related issues to help bridge the communica- Norris. rest of the populace. and the issues within the com- tion gap between Abu Ghraib “The Iraqi Army could re- One of the final topics dis- munities with the sheikhs was sheikhs and the Iraqi Army ceive their concerns about cussed in the meeting was the a big victory for us in terms of since a recent rift. security and could, in fact, re- need for people to go to the improved security and immedi- At the meeting, Iraqi Lt. Col. spond and resolve the issues authorities if they had informa- ate change in perception that Yaser assured council mem- and the concerns they had tion about crimes committed. the Iraqi army is, in fact, there bers that security in the past with security instead of me be- He explained to the council that for the people and supporting could not be compared to how ing the interface,” said Norris. one of the biggest reasons why the people.” PAGE 4 October 9, 2009

On This Day In History The Gashouse Gang wins the MND-B Pic of the day! On October 9, 1934, the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Tigers in the seventh game of the World Series. No one seems to know exactly who was the first to call that year’s Cards the “Gash- ouse Gang,” but everyone agrees that the nickname had to do with the team’s close resemblance to the rowdy, dirt-streaked assemblage of thugs who hung around the Gashouse District on Manhattan’s East Side. In any case, the matchup between St. Louis’ disheveled, brawl-prone Gang and the ace Tigers remains, as legendary sports- writer Grantland Rice predicted it would, “one of the most interest- ing post-season championships ever played.” In 1919, St. Louis’ general (a teeto- Photo by Spc. Johnjames Miller talling Methodist who refused to watch his own team play on the Baghdad — Staff Sgt. John Snyder (left), Sabbath) decided to build a team on the cheap. Instead of paying of Swanton, Ohio, receives his baptism in $100,000 or more for already-established players, he decided to the Tigris River along the outskirts of south- train them himself, building an elaborate farm system that would eastern Baghdad from Chaplain (Capt.) send top-notch kids to the big leagues once he’d gotten them good Mike Smith, of Tampa, Fla., Oct. 6. Four and ready to play there. Paratroopers assigned to the 1st Battalion, By 1934, Rickey’s system had begun to pay off. His team had 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd flashes of brilliance: Pitcher won 30 games that year, Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Divi- the last time any pitcher won 30 in a season until Denny McLain sion, were baptized during the ceremony. won 31 in 1968. Dean’s brother Paul (“Daffy”) won 19. (The rest They chose the location because the Tigris of the team’s pitchers, combined, won 46. As a result, the brothers River is believed to be a spiritual location Dean went on an unsuccessful weeklong strike at the end of the according to the Bible. summer to protest their inadequate paychecks.) Rickey’s scrappy, short-tempered bunch of country boys won 20 of their last 25 regu- lar-season games, and they took the league pennant from the Giants- -who’d squandered a seven-game lead going into September--at the last minute. And so it was that Rickey’s Gashouse Gang faced the Tigers in a riveting seven-game Series. They won the game 11-0, and with it the World Series.

Famous Feats of Chuck Norris Did you know?

Newton’s Third Law is wrong: Although it states that for each action, there is an equal and opposite reac- tion, there is no force equal in reaction to a Chuck Nor- ris roundhouse kick. PAGE 5 October 9, 2009

Quote For Today Iraq 3-Day Weather “If you can’t control the wind, adjust Today Tomorrow Sunday Report 98° F | 69° F 98° F | 68° F 95° F | 68° F your sail.”” TRIVIA TIME!! These animals reach lengths of up to 7 feet, have about 100 teeth, emit sounds when moving to help them navigate, and reach travelling speeds of — Unknown — about 35 miles per hour. What kind of animals are they? Last Issue’s Answer: LINCOLN, nebraska / MADISON, wisconsin / JEFFERSON CITY, mo. / JACKSON, mississippi Cav Round-Up radio newscast available MND-B PAO 1. SGT Christopher Baine talks in their community and their local BAGHDAD — The Cav Round- about the difference in Iraq since economy Up is a three-minute radio newscast 2004 when he was last here. SGT The money can be used for hir- from Baghdad covering military Nathan Jones, 1st Brigade Combat ing new employees, renovations, units and events across Multi-Na- Team, 1st Cavalry Division PAO. purchasing equipment, and new tional Division — Baghdad. The Iraqi Army are now taking merchandise. Today’s Cav Round-Up # 172 more control of situations, with NIPR LINK: Cav Round-Up was produced by SGT Lisa Heise, American Soldiers support. SIPR LINK: Cav Round-Up MND-B Public Affairs Office. 2. Micro-grants get give Iraqi Check out more news at the 1st This newscast includes the fol- business men a way to improve Cavalry Division’s homepage: lowing stories: their lives, the lives of the people www.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/ Trigger’s Teasers The objective of the game is to fill all the blank squares in a Yesterday’s Answers game with the correct numbers. There are three very simple constraints to follow: Every row of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Every column of 9 numbers must include all digits 1 through 9 in any order. Every 3 by 3 subsection of the 9 by 9 square must include all digits 1 through 9. Every Sudoku game begins with a number of squares already filled in, and the difficulty of each game is largely a function of how many squares are filled in. The more squares that are known, the easier it is to figure out which numbers go in the open squares. As you fill in squares correctly, options for the remaining squares are narrowed and it becomes easier to fill them in.

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