Letters From The Combat Zone

From Commander 1st Squadron 16 October 2006 Family and Friends of TF Warhorse:  1.      I can hardly believe the middle of October has arrived.  We’ve had our first rainstorm of the season and our high temperatures no longer exceed 100 degrees.  TF Warhorse has experienced some very positive events in our area of operations and had a few long nights when things haven’t gone so well.  Through it all, the soldiers continue to do their job with a high degree of professionalism that no longer surprises me, but still inspires me. 2.      The worst news of the last few weeks is the return home of three wounded Warhorse Warriors.  SPC Starkie and SSG Lashley are two members of our Task Force attached to us from 296 BSB and 18th Engineer Company.  Both were injured in an accident involving the emplacement of obstacles for our security plan in our area of operations.  SPC Starkie suffered internal injuries and is currently at Walter Reed Medical Center where his wife has joined him during recovery.  He is improving every day, but still has some serious healing ahead of him.  SSG Lashely injured his hand and has returned to Ft. Lewis.  We also sent home SFC Richardson of A Troop for surgery on his hand.  SFC Richardson was wounded during a suicide bomber attack against one of the Strykers in his platoon.  While I miss them and our unit is not the same without their presence, I am also thankful their injuries were not more severe and all are expected to recover.  Their wounds are a constant reminder of the price of freedom and the seriousness of our mission.  Every member of TF Warhorse wishes them well on their road to recovery.  3.      You probably heard about the ammunition supply point that caught fire and burned up in Baghdad.  That event happened right here at FOB Falcon and we had a ring side seat to an amazing event.  Miraculously, not a single soldier was wounded during a long night of fire and explosions.  We sought cover immediately and were able to ride out the fire with little more than some broken windows, frazzled nerves, and dropped ceiling tiles.  The next day we remained in the barracks until the area was cleared of explosives.  That day has been declared our “snow day” when we had a chance to relax and catch up on some tasks that suffered neglect during our hectic operational pace.  It wasn’t long before we were back in action, no worse for the wear.   4.      One extremely good turn of events is A Troop’s return to TF Warhorse.  After conducting operations attached to a different battalion, A Troop is finally coming home and we are glad to get them back.  They have done amazing work in the town of Doura, just north of our sector.  Doura has been the Brigade’s main effort and is an example of great success in the fight for Baghdad.  The sectarian violence was greatly reduced in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Baghdad.  They did great work with the National Police to clear buildings, to conduct patrols, to operate checkpoints, and to complete strike operations.  They discovered many cache’s and captured several terrorists.  The Iraqi’s of this neighborhood will be sorry to see them go because the troopers of Apocalypse were extremely professional and treated them well.  Apocalypse Warriors are rightfully proud of their accomplishments.  5.      Bronco Troop continues to operate in Northern Iraq as part of Arrowhead Brigade.  The troop recently completed a two week expeditionary mission across the deserts of Western Iraq.  It was a true old school cavalry mission—covering hundreds of kilometers of wide open spaces away from any higher headquarters.  After completing their mission, they returned to Mosul only to be redirected back to Tal Afar where they are working for another cavalry Squadron.  Bronco continues to represent the Squadron and themselves well with their ability to handle any mission with very little guidance.   6.      The Squadron has completed several successful missions because of the hard work put forth every day in the streets of Baghdad.  Through excellent police work, there are several murderers off the streets.  Continuous patrolling has resulted in a significant reduction in murders in our area of operations.  Businesses continue to open and more kids are playing outside each day.  A new wall is being built around the town health clinic for security against terrorists and criminals.  Trash contractors now feel safe enough to routinely collect trash off the streets—no small task in this city.  School supplies have been delivered to brighten the day for young students.  The work is difficult and sometimes the payoffs take a while to materialize.  But the persistent effort of America’s men and women is making a difference for many Iraqi people.  7.      There is a very difficult battle for us to fight here in Baghdad.  The real conflict in our area is not entirely between coalition forces and insurgents—it’s also between Shia and Sunni.  The conflict takes the form of assassination, drive by shootings, threats in the middle of the night, and physical intimidation.  We find ourselves trying to keep these two groups from killing each other and taking this country to down a path of civil war.  The work is incredibly difficult.  We cannot be everywhere at once, so despite our best efforts some level of killing continues.  The Iraqi people are too scared to defend themselves or provide information about the killers.  These murderers are ruthless and their intimidation is having an effect on the population.  We will not, however, give up trying to bring peace to these neighborhoods that make up AO Warhorse.  We continue to make progress in bringing peace and our soldiers have been hard to attack.  I am convinced that your trooper’s professionalism and proficiency is a primary reason why the enemy has not been successful in attacking our formations.  This fight takes every bit of creativity, imagination, and patience we possess—and we will be successful in helping to make a better life for the Iraqi people.  8.      Our quality of life took a turn for the worse with the ammunition fire, but things are slowly getting back to normal.  We are getting good chow again, the showers are working, and the internet/phone cafés are operational.  The mail system continues to work well and our electricity keeps all the air conditioners and TV’s running.   All in all, life is pretty good for being in a combat zone.   9.      We have received many contributions of school supplies, beanie babies, snacks, and phone cards from a number of people.  I am so grateful for those who take the time to box up some items that will help our mission or make our soldiers more comfortable.  Words of encouragement to our soldiers are especially appreciated by all who receive them.  If you have a desire to support the unit through any of these methods, please contact me at Jeffrey.d.peterson@us.army.mil for more information.  10.  I have rambled on long enough for one letter and I hope this letter finds you all well.  Your troopers are the best.  Your husbands, sons, brothers, and friends are representing your country in a way that doesn’t come easy and can’t be replicated.  The Iraqi people know it.  You and I know it.  And the rest of the world knows it also.  Thanks for your continued support, thoughts, and prayers. JEFFREY D. PETERSON LTC, AR Commanding

From 4th Squadron Command Sergeant Major 18 August 2006  All,  Well I have been in Baghdad for about two weeks now. It is roughly the size of Chicago and has about 7 million people in it. I finally have a Command Post built, and the troops are housed and our Strykers refitted for combat. We began Operations here about a week ago and are going house to house searching for weapons and such. Not a lot of fun in the 120 degree heat with all your body armor on , but that is what we do. Contact in our sector has been light and we seem to have been able to keep them from killing each other as much. Don't know what will happen when we move across town to start another area, hopefully the Iraqi's can hang on to the areas this time.  The Camp we are on is better then we had out in the Desert. It is on the perimeter of what use to be Baghdad International Airport, I guess it is still their airport but there doesn't seem to be a lot of TWA or United pilots using it. Ha Ha. We still live in tents and sleep on cots but the AC works most of the time. My guys are pretty happy though as we now have a real PX, Barber, some fast food, a Recreation Center and some small but well equipped gyms. There is also a Post Office, Laundry, Computer, and phone centers so better then we have ever had it since we got here. Ironically we are gone so much that we do not use it all very much, that is good too as it makes the time go by faster.  There has been a lot of press and people looking for some dramatic story over our extension. The real deal is it sucked, it disrupted a lot of plans, and we were mad for a couple days. Now we are back to work, doing what the Nation asked us to do and it is over, anymore it is just something that happened and we are not dwelling on it. So consider what the press likes to put on the t.v or in the papers to make us watch with a grain of salt. There are a lot of places we would rather be, but there are a lot worse places to be then here also.  So anyway we are settled in and back at it. We all bought new calendars and renumbered them to correspond with our new return home date and are showing these guys how the "Boy's from Alaska" roll.  Take Care  David W. Dunham CSM, USA Thunderhorse 7 4th Squadron Command Sergeant Major