For More Information and photos about the 1st Battalion, 77th
Artillery (Falcons First) during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation
Enduring Freedom (OEF) (2008 - 2012) and other events prior to 2009, visit the
Falcons First on Face Book
Facebook
February 28, 2012
"Welcome
home" to the early redeploying Soldiers of 1-77 Field Artillery Battalion,
Falcons First. These Soldiers were deployed in East Patika
Provience, Afghanistan in support of Operation
Enduring Freedom (OEF) 2011-2012. They played an intricate role to support not
only timely, accurate, and precision artillery fires, but the 172nd Seperate Infantry Brigade in its ongoing mission to fight
the war on terrorism and to build as well as promote a strong partnership with
the Afghanistan National Army.
Redeployment
Ceremony FEB 2012 (Early Redeployers) Visit Face Book for HHB, 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment for all the photos.
"Smoke" (SFC) Kevin McKeithan,
Platoon Sergeant of 1-77 FA BN, Alpha Battery, 2nd Platoon, led the formation
of Soldiers comprised of dedicated Artillery and Support Soldiers who served
during OEF 2011-2012.
Task Force Shield Soldiers Return Home
Schweinfurt
Community Weekly Update
Newly returning Soldiers of 172nd
Separate Infantry Brigade await the command, “Dismissed!” in order that they
may go and greet there family and friends. Photo by Staff Sgt. Tyneka René, USAG Schweinfurt Public Affairs
172nd SIB Soldiers Deploy (2011)
Schweinfurt, Germany – Soldiers of the 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade
received a warm welcome as they returned home from being deployed to
Afghanistan for the past several months. The proud formation included Soldiers
from the 9th Engineer Battalion, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery as
well as 72nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion.
Although the majority of the 172nd SIB still remains in Afghanistan,
the return of these fifty-some Soldiers is a pleasant surprise for family
members and friends. There were banners hung, balloons flying and even t-shirts
made to show and prove that these Soldiers were truly missed.
In addition to being welcomed home by family and friends, Garrison Commander
Lt. Col. Michael Runey and Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Joanne
Martindale were also in attendance at the welcome home ceremony to proudly
receive the returning Soldiers.
This ceremony is just one of many that will take place in the future to
show support for the returning Soldiers of 172nd SIB who are scheduled to
remain in Afghanistan to complete the 12-month deployment.
January 13, 2012
Task Force Shield Soldiers Return Home
Bavarian
News, February 1, 2012.
October 10, 2011
Blackhawks Storm into, out of Waza Khwa
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The
brisk air blew across the pitch-black desert, whispering over dark hulking
mounds in the distance. Faint twinkling lights near the horizon line estimated
the distance of the long serpent of a convoy drawing near.
Soldiers of 172nd Infantry Brigade, Task Force Blackhawk, had been driving for
hours; navigating through difficult terrain to reach Combat Outpost Waza Khwa in support of Operation
Blackstorm.
The first of its size and type to be conducted in Afghanistan, Operation Blackstorm undertook the herculean challenge of packing,
then airlifting and line-hauling all the U.S. Army’s equipment and supplies out
of Waza Khwa to prepare the
COP for hand over to Afghan control.
“From what I understand, this is one of the largest locations that has been turned over to the Afghans,” said U.S. Army Lt.
Col. Brad Eungard, commander of the 172nd Support
Battalion.
“[Waza Khwa] used to be a
battalion forward operating base, but we had a company sized element there for
TF Blackhawk - lots of buildings, lots of containers that have been left over
from a battalion size formation so the task of closing that down was much more
than just a company COP,” said Eungard.
The operation began at Forward Operating Base Sharana,
and at COP Waza Khwa,
simultaneously. Equipment and supplies were designated for shipping out of Waza Khwa while the gigantic
convoy was being assembled and readied at Sharana.
“Once we got the word that it's official and we were going to be transferring
this place to the [Afghan National Security Forces], we started prepping
equipment, packing what we could and identifying what needed to go and where it
needed to go,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Peavy, a
Tallahassee, Fla., native, executive officer for Battery C, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery. “We started
originally by moving a lot of elements by air - equipment that could go back to
Sharana or could go to other locations.”
Soldiers from all over the brigade supported the operation; from driving trucks
in the convoy to assisting ground support efforts at the helicopter landing
zone or fuel point.
Of the many challenges for these soldiers to overcome, from the dozens of hours
on the road in the convoy to on the ground at Waza Khwa itself, seemingly minor details became burdensome
tasks.
“We fell into about 5,000 empty 55-gallon barrels,” said Peavy.
“We can't just give them away, we can't just throw them away, because they have
the potential to [be] IEDs.”
To deal with the empty barrels, the battalion brought in local workers to cut
the tops and bottoms off, and the soldiers would then flatten them down. The
barrels can then be sold as scrap metal with the profits going to the local
district and the people who need it the most.
The convoy’s journey from FOB Sharana to COP Waza Khwa wound through
mountainous terrain. Initially planned on taking many days, with a FOB along
the route as a rest stop, the convoy managed to make it in much less time and
with less incidents than expected.
“Everybody had talked about how bad the route was,” said Cpt. Grant Thimsen, from Sioux Falls, S.D., commander of Company A,
172nd Support Battalion. “Expectations were that is was going to be a pretty
rough ride. Everything went smoothly.”
Thimsen went on to explain that he and his team were
one “piece of the cog” of a much larger machine.
“It was a brigade effort,” Thimsen clarified.
“Without support of the brigade commander, the engineers, the
[brigade recovery team] and without the support of Task Force 3-66, it really would
have been a difficult mission to accomplish.”
The work to hand over the COP to Afghan forces is nearly complete - a few minor
details and the COP will essentially be operated by them.
This operation set the bar high for similar operations in the future. In the
long term these types of missions will put Afghans in positions to secure and
maintain their own areas with only minimal, if any, guidance from coalition
forces.
“The great victory for us, I think, [is to have] these competent Afghan Forces
securing people - the people have faith in them, faith in their government, and
will continue to support their government and not allow any Taliban influence
in the area,” said Eungard.
|
|
U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Anthony Johnson,
first sergeant of Battery C, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery, Task Force
Blackhawk, uses a flashlight to check the status of night-time fueling
procedures, after a convoy of equipment-moving vehicles arrived Oct. 10 at
Combat Outpost Waza Khwa.
The vehicles were quickly fueled up after driving many hours in support of
Operation Blackstorm. The operation is removing all
U.S. military owned property from COP Waza Khwa prior to the COP being handed over to Afghan forces'
control.
|
|
Long lines of
equipment-moving vehicles are staged for quick access Oct. 10 at Combat Outpost
Waza Khwa. The vehicles
were part of a convoy that began at Forward Operating Base Sharana
and ended at COP Waza Khwa
after driving for many hours. Staging the vehicles in this manner increases
efficiency and mitigates accident risks during Operation Blackstorm.
Soldiers are using these vehicles to haul military equipment out of Waza Khwa prior to the COP being
handed over to Afghan forces.
U.S. Army Spc. Jordan Tulkki, a cannon crewmember, a Tempe, Ariz., native assigned to Battery C, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Task Force Blackhawk, slides a hook into place on top of a shipping container Oct. 8 at Combat Outpost Waza Khwa. The container was getting ready to be shipped to another location in support of Operation Blackstorm. The operation is removing all U.S. military-owned property from COP Waza Khwa prior to the COP being handed over to Afghan forces' control.
September 23, 2011
M777 155mm Howitzer – 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery
|
Private first class Erik Park from San Mateo, California,
fires his M-777 155mm howitzer, Sep. 3, 2011. Park is in 3rd Platoon, Alpha
Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Infantry
Brigade. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ken Scar, 7th MPAD) |
|
Members work at dislodging their
M-777A2 155mm howitzer from the three-foot deep hole it dug its spades into
after firing several rocket assisted projectiles Sep. 3. The huge weapon
weighs 9,000 pounds and can launch projectiles over 30 kilometers. (U.S. Army
photo by Spc. Ken Scar, 7th MPAD) |
PAKTIKA
PROVINCE, Afghanistan--Members of 3rd Platoon, Alpha Battery, 1st battalion,
77th field artillery regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade
Above Photo Commentary by Spc. Ken Scar
I was out on my very
first mission in Afghanistan.
While waiting for a
flight to get to Forward Operating Base Tillman, I was hanging out with Adam
Ferguson, photographer for TIME magazine, when we heard the howitzers going off
again and again on the other side of the FOB.
We decided we might
as well run over there to see if we could get a couple of pictures.
If you never heard a
howitzer going off, it's just incredibly loud. It feels like it's going off
right next to your ear even though it was way on the other side of the FOB. So,
we ran over there.
They were firing
enemy positions somewhere over the mountains but by the time we got there, they
stopped firing.
So, I went ahead and
asked one of the NCOs if he had a Soldier in his unit who had a unique story or
might benefit morale wise from having a profile piece written about him and
they sent me over to this Pfc. Eric Park so I just followed him around for the
next couple of days while he and his gun crew were doing what they do.
The platoon is 3rd
Platoon, they call themselves the 'Dirty Third.' They're with Alpha Battery,
1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment.
The next day, they
started calibrating their weapon to get it to aim correctly. After so many
rounds going off, the cannons dig themselves into the ground, they back
themselves up into the earth with their spades.
They try to keep
them from doing that by stacking sandbags on them, putting stakes on them.
There's really not much you can do, there's so much force coming out of the
barrels of these weapons.
This weapon dug
itself into the ground, like 3 or 4 feet so they had to get around with shovels
and by hand to try to dig these spades out of the ground. Then, they put this
rod into the barrel of the gun and they jump up and hang from the rod and try
to rock it back and forth until they can get the spades come loose and that's
what you see in this photo.
These three Soldiers
are jumping up on the rod trying to get the spades on the other side of the
cannon come up out of the ground. It's backbreaking work. It was exhausting as
I tried to help in between taking photographs.
We were all just
tired by the end of it. They're balanced so well, you can actually roll the
cannon by hand with like five people, one gun crew.
They rolled it back
into position and started firing again. It's an amazing weapon, even though
it's so heavy, I was amazed that four or five guys could move this thing around
because it's balanced so well.
August 5, 2011
Lt. Col. Christopher Cardoni, left, and Command
Sgt. Maj. Jerome Sligh, with the U.S. Army's 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade out of Grafenwoehr, Germany, unveil their battalion flag Friday as
they assume authority of the combat area from the 4th Brigade Combat Team,
101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky., during a ceremony at Forward
Operating Base Sharana in Paktika
province, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Unit: 
172nd Infantry Brigade Combat
Team
(Task Force Blackhawk)
Sub-units:
2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment
3rd Squadron, 66th Armor Regiment
1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery
Regiment
9th Engineer Battalion
Headquarters: FOB Sharana
Tasking :
Responsible for Paktika Province.
PAKTIKA PROVINCE,
Afghanistan- Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment
“Falcons”, 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, Task Force Blackhawk watched as
their colors were uncased Aug 5. The ceremony signified, that after months of
training for this mission, there time has come; the Falcons are now responsible
for delivering lethal and non-lethal fire support in Paktika
province. The Falcons replaced 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment,
4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Task
Force Currahee.
July 30, 2011
Bavarian
News, US Army Garrison, Grafenwoehr August 13, 2011
July 11, 2011
Bavarian
News, US Army Garrison, Grafenwoehr July 20, 2011
July 6, 2011
Bavarian
News, US Army Garrison, Grafenwoehr
March 26, 2011
172nd Soldiers conduct Mission Rehearsal Exercise
By U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs
|
|
HOHENFELS, Germany – Soldiers with U.S. Army Europe's 1st Battalion,
77th Field Artillery, 172nd Infantry Brigade, fire an M777 howitzer during a
defensive fire exercise at Grafenwoehr Training Area
March 26.
The Soldiers of the 172nd Infantry Brigade are participating in a
Mission Rehearsal Exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, here
March 23 through April 8.
|
|
GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany –
Soldiers with U.S. Army Europe’s 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery, 172nd
Infantry Brigade, fire an M777 howitzer during a defensive fire exercise here,
March 26. The brigade is participating in a two-week Mission Rehearsal
Exercise. (Photo by Sgt. Joel Salgado)
|
1-2 Infantry partners up with 1-77 Field Artillery to conduct Combat
Out Post Defense Training in the Grafenwoehr
Training Area. |
|
|
|
|
GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany – Soldiers with U.S. Army Europe’s
1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery, 172nd Infantry Brigade, fire an M777
howitzer during a defensive fire exercise here, March 26. The brigade is
participating in a two-week Mission Rehearsal Exercise. (Photo by Spc. Joshua Leonard)
March 26, 2011
Bavarian News, US Army Garrison, Grafenwoehr 04-13-2011 - Mission Rehearsal Exercise
February 20, 2011
Bavarian News, 03-15-2011
December 4, 2009
Welcome home 172nd Infantry Brigade: 1-77 brought the
big guns, but rarely fired them.
Stars and
Stripes
|
Staff Sgt.
Kristopher Golden, attached to Red Platoon, Battery A, 1st Battalion, 77th
Field Artillery Regiment, provides security for members of the Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team on the way to a
meeting with the director-general of the Wasit
Ministry of Youth and Sports in Kut, Iraq, in
September. The sides met to discuss future youth programs for the province.
Golden is from Detroit. Brien Vorhees/Courtesy
of the U.S. Army |
GRAFENWÖHR,
Germany — Task Force 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment took its big
guns to Iraq but rarely used them.
The 1-77’s
commander, Lt. Col. Steven Hite, said his unit took 12 Paladin howitzers in
support of its yearlong deployment to Wasit province,
a sprawling rural area east of Baghdad that is home to 1.2 million people and
borders Iran.
The guns
were based at Forward Operating Base Kalsu in Babil province and FOB Delta in Wasit.
However, the guns were rarely fired, and when they were, it was only to provide
illumination for ground troops, Hite said.
“The last
time we fired them was in July,” he said.
The
artillerymen more often found themselves patrolling in heavily armored Mine
Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and Humvees out
of bases such as Combat Outpost Summers, Patrol Base Zulu and Joint Security
Station Kimel Watt as they worked to build up the
Iraqi army, police and local government in Wasit.
During
their first months in the country, they were under the 41st Fires Brigade,
which was responsible for all of Wasit. But after the
brigade left in July, 1-77 moved to FOB Delta and took responsibility for the
entire province in early August, Hite said.
“We were
trying to connect the people to the government and build civil capacity to
provide things like drinking and irrigation water,” he said.
Insurgent
activity in Wasit was limited to some indirect fire
at COP Summers and FOB Delta and about six roadside bombs encountered by 1-77
patrols. In June, three soldiers were wounded by a roadside bomb, but every
soldier from the unit made it home alive, Hite said.
|
Task Force 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment brought its Paladin artillery pieces to Iraq, but rarely fired them. Courtesy of Task Force 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment |
The most
interesting parts of the mission were meetings with Iraqi officials, which
often involved lengthy meals and cups of chai tea, he
said.
Iraqi
security forces rapidly took responsibility for security after the June 30
pullout of U.S. combat troops from cities, he said.
“We were
out and about on multiple patrols every day coordinating with the Iraqi army
and police, but after June 30 the Iraqis said, ‘We have got this and if we need
your help, we will ask you,’ ” he said.
One member
of Task Force 1-77, Staff Sgt. Anthony Williams, 34, of Ocala, Fla., said the
U.S. presence in Iraq is changing things for the better.
“Furthermore,
we will have gained … new allies for future operations,” he said.
Another
member of the task force, Sgt. 1st Class Ruiz Perez, 33, of Miami, a veteran of
several deployments to Iraq, said he noticed improved Iraqi attitudes to U.S.
forces on his latest deployment.
“It seems
that the Iraqi government has taken a more active role in securing the local
communities and rural areas,” he said. “The Iraqi government can secure the
region with the U.S. forces having a minimal role.”
“The more
active role of the Iraqi security forces put 1-77 out of a job, but that was a
good thing. As we get closer to finishing our mission in Iraq, we have to take
our hands off at some point,” he said.
The 1-77
has been replaced by an “Advisory and Assistance Brigade” that will be tasked
with partnering Iraqi units operating in Wasit, he
said.
November 10, 2009
Dog tags hang from a rifle during
a U.S. Army
Lt. Col. Steven Hite, commander of memorial ceremony for U.S. Army Spc. 1st Battalion, 77th
Field Artillery Regiment, pays Jonathan Sylvestre,
of the 1st Battalion, his respects to
fallen Soldier, Spc. Jonathan Sylvestre, 10th Field Artillery Regiment, at
Forward at
Forward Operating Base Delta, in southern Operating Base Delta, in southern
Iraq. Iraq,
November 10, 2009. Monday, 26 October 2009 Iraqi Army improves its foreign defense Written by Pfc. Bethany L. Little KARBALA, Iraq – Stretching across the desert lay a newly created training area for the 8th Iraqi Army
Division, where two platoons of the 32nd and 33rd IA Brigades participated in the Razazah
Sands defensive live-fire range to become better prepared to conduct future
combat operations. The 3-kilometer by 10-kilometer
range was built by the 33rd IA Bde. Military Transition Team, 9th Engineer
Battalion and 2nd Bn., 28th Infantry Regiment. Four months of planning made the
Monowara range a reality. A platoon of Iraqi soldiers travel
to the first phase line to participate in tasks such as executing basic
troop-leading procedures, transmitting proper contact reports and maneuvering
a squad during a life-fire exercise at the Razazah
Sands defensive live-fire range near Karbala, Oct. 15 “The purpose of this range is to
assist the Iraqi Army with tactics and maneuvers, as well as showing them the
different air assets they can use to defeat the enemy,” said Maj. Jon K. Thiessen, maneuvers, fires and effects advisor, 33rd IA
Bde., MiTT. The exercise began with 120mm
mortars providing indirect fire support to suppress the simulated enemy as each
platoon negotiated the course. Soldiers navigated through the range, performed
weapon checks and conducted mounted and dismounted target engagements. Each platoon performed key tasks
at six different areas of the range. Starting at the assembly area all the way
to the trenches at the limit of advance, tasks such as executing basic
troop-leading procedures, transmitting proper contact reports and maneuvering a
squad tested the Iraqi Soldiers’ abilities. Loading and correcting weapon
systems malfunctions, performing simulated first aid while under direct fire
also challenged the Iraqi platoons. “We provided the IA with kinetic
effects, such as air weapons teams and a fixed wing aircraft to show them how
kinetic assets will aid them to kill or warn their enemies,” said Air Force
Staff Sgt. Jonathan W. Bishop, joint tactical air controller, attached to 2nd
Air Support Operations Squadron. “During the exercise, the IA had to request
air assets with specific locations for the fighter plane to drop a 500 pound
bomb to help defeat their enemy.” The IA withdrew from the range
and after the bomb was dropped, they went back out to clear the area. The
platoon-sized element went over their experience in a review following the
exercise, which helped to identify ways to improve. “I believe we handled the exercise
very well,” said 2nd Lt. Sadiq Kittab
Muhsen, platoon commander, 33rd IA Bde. “The exercise
helped us to train and increased our ability to attack and defend against our
enemies.” Throughout the duration of the
exercise, Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment
helped to provide security and safety to Soldiers performing the exercise. “We made sure the trails were
properly identified and the Iraqi Soldiers stayed within the boundaries of the
range,” said Pfc. Eli Foose, cannon crewmember,
of 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment and native of Trenton,
N.J. The range now belongs to the 8th
IA Div.for training of all IA Soldiers, which will
facilitate their professionalization as a combat force. “Many of these Soldiers haven’t
had tactical hands-on training since the Iran and Iraq war,” said Thiessen, a Yakima, Wash., native.
“This range will help them to utilize their assets and improve their maneuvers,
tactics and their overall defense against enemies, which makes them a stronger,
more independent army.” Thursday, October 1, 2009 Mark Heeter
(USAG Schweinfurt) Lt. Col. Greg Gadson,
who lost both legs in an IED attack in Iraq in 2007, shares a moment with
fellow artilleryman, Capt. David Evetts, commander of
Battery D, 1st Battalion,77th Field Artillery Regiment, at the Ledward Theater, Sept. 29. SCHWEINFURT, Germany -- One hundred
twenty-nine pints of blood poured into Lt. Col. Greg Gadson's
body in the single night that Soldiers, doctors and a vast team of others
brought together by a roadside bomb fought together to save his life. "I am here today because my team saved my
life. And I like to say it twice. I am here today, sitting here on the stage,
or walking through the room, because my team saved my life," said Gadson, joined on the Ledward
Theater stage by his wife, Kim, for a talk with the Schweinfurt community
Tuesday. Gadson, a
four-year letterman as a football player at West Point, talked at length about
teams, especially the one comprised of his Soldiers that night. "They were, and are, exactly like you all
in the crowd," he said, made of Soldiers from all walks of life.
"That team worked together every day and, on one special night, they made
a difference in saving my life." "It was medical personnel. It was
Soldiers, people doing what they were trained to do, putting all their effort
into me being here. I'm living proof of the nation's commitment of people in
uniform's commitment that we're behind you," he said. Gadson was
headed back to his headquarters in Iraq, May 7, 2007, after having attended a
memorial service for two fallen Soldiers earlier in the day, when his vehicle
was struck by an improvised exploding device. "In a moment (my life) changed. And so I
recognize how fragile life is. So, like I said, tomorrow's not promised. So
let's make the most of every day," said Gadson,
who lost both legs above the knee. Kim Gadson talked
about the challenges they have faced along with their two children, and urged
the audience to build, maintain and improve a network of friends to help in
that time of need. "I know that each of you has a very similar Army family,
whether you are a service member or a civilian in the community," she
said, adding that professional help has
been an important part of their physical and emotional recovery. "I would encourage you to
get other assistance if you need it," she said. "Your own trauma is
very personal to you, and you don't need to compare it with anybody else's
trauma. But sometimes you do need some help." The Gadsons
followed their presentation by taking questions from audience members, several
of whom were fellow wounded warriors seeking some advice and guidance from
someone who has faced the challenge of getting better. "Just remember it's your
mission to get better. That's your aim point," Lt. Col. Gadson said. "A lot of times, getting better is not
getting back to where you were before ... that may be impossible. You've got to
understand what the new better is going to be, the new normal is going to
be." A critical junction during Gadson's physical recovery came with overcoming a fear of
falling. "A lot of times we're
afraid to try things because we're afraid to fail," he said, explaining
what he had to tell himself to overcome his fear. "I'm not going to be
afraid to fall. I am going to fall. That is part of my existence." Tuesday, 22 September 2009 Written by PFC.
Bethany L. Little FORWARD OPERATING BASE
DELTA, Iraq – Television sets,
gaming systems, comfortable furniture and music equipment are all items found
within the Morale, Welfare and Recreation centers throughout 1st Battalion,
77th Field Artillery Regiment area of operations in Wasit
Province. The equipment was originally set
up for the battalion while located on Contingency Operating Base Summers. “At Summers we had nothing for
the Soldiers,” said Master Sgt. Todd S. Biggins,
operations sergeant major, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment “So I
researched on the internet and found the USO2GO kit, filled out the necessary
paperwork and got the items sent to COB Summers.” The program, driven by the
United Service Organizations, is a way to bring the comforts of home to
deployed Soldiers. There are eight programs to
boost morale of deployed service members within the USO2GO kit. The programs have
different comforts of home included, such as furniture, snacks, games, athletic
equipment, phone cards, music equipment, gaming systems and movies. Pfc. Damien L.
Robinson, supply clerk, 1st Bn., 77th Field Artillery Regt. and Sgt. Philip
W. Coffelt, mechanic, 1st Bn., 77th Field Artillery Regt. play music together
in the music room of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation center here. The
music equipment is a part of the USO2GO kit, a program driven by the United
Service Organizations as a way to bring the comforts of home to deployed
Soldiers. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little) “We haven’t received all of the
programs yet, but we’re expecting them soon,” said Biggins,
a Columbia, S.C. native. “Most of the programs are here, like the gaming systems,
the athletic kits, all of the furniture, games, snacks and music equipment.” The USO created the USO2GO kit
to meet the needs of the military in deployed areas where a facility could not
be created or maintained by the USO. Contents of the programs are mailed to the
point of contact for the requesting unit. “My favorite activity is playing
flag football,” said PFC. Damien L. Robinson, supply clerk, 1st Battalion, 77th
Field Artillery Regiment and native of Baltimore. “If Master Sgt. Biggins hadn’t put in the request for the equipment when we
were at COB Summers we wouldn’t have anything to do or be able to relieve
stress.” “Master Sgt. Biggens
always takes care of Soldiers,” said Sgt. Philip W. Coffelt, mechanic, 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment “He’s everything that a noncommissioned
officer should be, and this is a great example of how he looks out for the
Soldiers in his formation.” Pfc. Damien L.
Robinson, supply clerk, and Sgt. Philip W. Coffelt, mechanic, 1st Battalion,
77th Field Artillery Regiment, play video games from the USO2GO kit after a
long day of work at Forward Operating Base Delta. There are eight programs to
boost morale of deployed service members within the USO2GO kit. The equipment from the programs
moved with the unit when they arrived at Forward Operating Base Delta earlier
this year. With the move to FOB Delta, the unit’s main mission is to conduct
Iraqi support and sustainment missions. “My hope is to leave the
equipment here so the Soldiers replacing us have the opportunity to relax as my
Soldiers did,” said Biggins. “This project shows he really
cares about us,” said Sgt. Yvonne S. Mayberry, human resource clerk, 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment and native of El Paso, Texas. “I’m
really happy that he took the time out of his busy schedule to make sure that we
have some of the comforts of home to help us relax.” Skills land Soldiers new positions By: Pfc Bethany L.
Little Sgt. Mark O. Harris,
agriculture advisor team noncommissioned officer, 1st Battalion, 77th Field
Artillery Regiment and a Waynesboro, Va., native, shakes hands with Iraqi
children during a visit to the Al-Hay Youth Center in Wasit
Province Sept. 7. The visit was to meet with members of the youth center to
view the improvements needed. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little). FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq. The 1st Battalion, 77th Field
Artillery Regiment, is working to improve the lives of Iraqis by working to
facilitate improvements in the area of economics and agriculture in Wasit province. Soldiers with experience and
education in these areas have stepped out of their usual duties to help the
Iraqi people help themselves. "We're not firing cannons anymore," said Maj. Jimmy L.
Anderson, battalion operations officer, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery
Regiment "We picked these Soldiers out of the formation because of their
educational background and previous life experiences." Two noncommissioned officers, originally field artillery automated
tactical data systems specialists, with backgrounds in biology and economics
were chosen to help the Wasit Provincial
Reconstruction Team. "This job is completely different from the one I was originally
trained to do," said Staff Sgt. Brett A. Castellanos,
PRT member, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment Castellanos
was chosen for his economics experience. "I'm no longer working in a
combat job. Instead I"m organizing data with
businesses within Wasit." To assist with agriculture in the province, Sgt. Mark O. Harris,
agriculture advisor team noncommissioned officer, 1st Bn., 77th FA Regt., draws
upon his education in biology from Virginia Tech. "This job presents a different challenge for me," the
Waynesboro, Va., native said. "I'm no longer looking at things in a
day-by-day perspective. Instead, I have to look at the bigger picture for
projects I work on by looking at the cause and effect
those projects have on the land or citizens here." Harris is in charge of three agriculture projects using his
knowledge to help the PRT and improve the lives of citizens in the province. "These Soldiers have done an excellent job so far," said
Anderson, a native of Fairview, Calif. "I expect exceptional results from
the projects they work on." Tuesday, 15 September 2009 Iraqi Police Academy: Wasit IPs in the lead Written by Pfc. Bethany L. Little FORWARD OPERATING BASE
DELTA, Iraq – Many of the
training centers for Iraqi counterparts are found just outside U.S. forces
gates. However, things here are a little different. Located just a half mile away
from 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment headquarters building,
is the Iraqi Police Academy. The complex opened in 2003 to
train Iraqi Security Forces and sustain operations. “In 2006, U.S. Soldiers began to
train Iraqi Police,” said Adeem Muter, Dean of the
Iraqi Police Academy, Professional Headquarters for Wasit Police Department. “Now, almost all of the classes
are taught by Iraqi Police.” Monday, 14 September 2009 Youth Center Offers Hope for Future Written by Pfc. Bethany L. Little AL-HAYY, Iraq
–. The 1st Battalion, 77th Field
Artillery Regiment and the Wasit Provincial
Reconstruction Team visited the Al-Hayy Youth Center
at Al-Hayy Sept. 7 to discuss improvements to the
facility. The youth center was an area in
the city for teenagers to socialize and interact when it originally opened in
the 1970s. Currently, basketball and soccer are the main activities keeping the
center in use. “Right now we have the champion
basketball team in all of Iraq,” said Yaserh Al-Yasrriha, Wasit Provincial
Council member. “We are very proud of our team, but the facilities here are
poor and have not been updated since the center first opened.” Yaserh Al-Yasrriha,
Wasit Provincial Council member, points out where
he would like to see bleachers for the Al-Hayy
Youth Center during a visit from the Wasit
Provincial Reconstruction Team ay Al-Hayy Sept. 7.
Other improvements to the youth center include new pavement for the
basketball court and updated gym equipment. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Bethany
L. Little) The PRT was escorted through the
youth center by Al-Yasrriha as he pointed out the
obvious repairs and improvements needed, such as a repaved basketball court,
bleachers for the improved soccer field and new gym equipment. The PRT has
scheduled improvements for completion within the next three months. “We want the youth to come here
and to be able to train and practice without worrying about getting hurt,” said
Al-Yasrriha. “We also want the families to have a
place to sit and watch their teenagers play.” During the visit, two Soldiers
from the 1411th Civil Affairs Company passed out soccer jerseys to some of the
teenagers who are active members with the youth center. “We gave out the jerseys so the
teams have something to help identify each other while they’re practicing,”
said Sgt. Yerry Arcamone,
civil affairs noncommissioned officer, 1411th CA Company, native of New
Brunswick, N.J. Assistance from the Wasit Provincial Council and the PRT will provide the
updates necessary to create a better youth center. “Helping the youth is the way to
go,” said Oghale Oddo,
United States Agency for International Development representative, PRT member
and a native of Lexington, Ky. Monday,
August 31, 2009 U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers aid Bedouin camp near Karbala By: Pfc. Bethany L. Little on: Mon Aug.
31, 2009 04:08 pm CDT A
33rd Iraqi Army Brigade Soldier helps a Bedouin child try on a shirt during a
visit to a Bedouin camp outside of Karbala, Aug. 22. Soldiers of 1st Platoon,
Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery and the 33rd IA Bde.
worked together to pass out 20 boxes of toys, clothes, shoes, coloring books
and crayons. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little) KARBALA, Iraq. Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Bravo Battery, 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery helped Soldiers of the 33rd Iraqi Army Brigade
hand out 20 boxes filled with toys, clothes, shoes, coloring books and crayons
to a Bedouin camp just outside of Karbala, Aug. 22. Bedouin people are nomadic
shepherds that choose to live in the desert and are able to sustain themselves
by bartering their livestock and things they produce. There are three Bedouin camps in the area surrounding Karbala that
constantly change locations in search of the best conditions for their
livestock. "We only visited one of the camps today, because we knew the
exact location," said Staff Sgt. Joseph W. Rippey,
squad leader, 1st plt., Bravo Btry., 1st Bn., 77th FA
Regt.. "This is our second time here; last time there were approximately
12 tents, but now there are only three tents and one permanent dwelling." The clothing, shoes and toys were a combined donation from the 172nd
Infantry Brigade Public Affairs Office, Tactical Psychological Operations
Detachment 303-1, Thompson Toyota car dealership and Sherah
Oberman from Doylestown, Pa. Staff
Sgt. Joseph W. Rippey, squad leader, 1st Platoon,
Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, and native of
Baghdad, Ariz., sorted through shoes to give to Bedouin children in Karbala,
Aug. 22. He is having the child try on the shoes. The clothing, shoes and
toys were a combined donation from the 172nd Infantry Brigade Public Affairs
Office, Tactical Psychological Operations Detachment 303-1, Thompson Toyota
car dealership and Sherah Oberman
from Doylestown, Pa. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little) The Bedouin children cheered and shrieked with excitement as
Soldiers passed out the donated items. "We are very grateful," said Ali Shallal,
a young male camp resident. "These are all things that everyone here can
use, especially the clothes and shoes for the smaller children." "The first time I came out here, it opened my point of view
toward people who choose to live like they do," said Rippey,
a native of Baghdad, Ariz. "They survive off of what livestock they have and they don't
ask for much." Bedouin camps are spread throughout the Middle East. The Bedouins'
main mode of travel is by camel or on foot and they have few possessions, which
makes traveling easier. "We have everything we need here," said Shallal.
"But we appreciate and are thankful for everything that we're given." Staff Sgt. Joseph W. Rippey, squad leader, 1st Platoon, Bravo Battery, 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, and native of Baghdad, Ariz., sorts
through shoes to give to Bedouin children in Karbala, Aug. 22. The clothing,
shoes and toys were a combined donation from the 172nd Infantry Brigade
Public Affairs Office, Tactical Psychological Operations Detachment 303-1,
Thompson Toyota car dealership and Sherah Oberman from Doylestown, Pa. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc.
Bethany L. Little) 1st Lt. William K. Lechance, executive officer, 1st Platoon, Bravo Battery,
1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, a Wamego, Kan., native, gives a
Bedouin child a soccer jersey during a visit to a Bedouin camp outside of
Karbala, Aug. 22. The Bedouins are nomadic shepherds who choose to live in
the desert and are able to sustain themselves by bartering their livestock
and things they produce. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little) Monday August 31, 2009 Musical talent boosts Soldiers morale By:
Pfc. Bethany L. Little Pfc.
Andrew S. Wells, field data tactical system specialist, Bravo Battery, 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, tunes his guitar here, August 22.
Wells has to tune his guitar three times every time he plays. (U.S. Army
Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little) PATROL BASE HUSAYNIYAH, Iraq. Music fills the air of the small
patrol base as Soldiers gather around a multi-talented musician. Lost within the song, a fellow
Soldier, Pfc. Andrew S. Wells, field data tactical system specialist, Bravo
Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, strums on his guitar for
the gathered Soldiers. Music has always been a part of Wells' life. The second oldest in a
family of six brothers and one sister, Wells first immersed himself in the
world of music with the drums. "I started with the drums and then each year in school I
started to learn a new instrument from scratch," said Wells, a native of Dimwidde, Va. Wells also learned how to play the trombone, trumpet, guitar and
bass guitar. The driving influence in his life to play is his stepfather. "He pushed me into playing the drums when I was younger,"
said Wells. "But the more I played, the more I wanted to play other
instruments." Pfc. Andrew S. Wells, field data
tactical system specialist, Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field
Artillery Regiment, plays on his guitar during some spare time here, August
22. Wells plays a song he wrote, "Makes Me Stronger," while
Soldiers take a break. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little) Although Wells doesn't play with his family as much anymore, he
continues to play his guitar, even while deployed to Iraq. "I love to play and being in Iraq is not going to stop me from
playing," said Wells. The desert heat and unique environmental conditions in Iraq have the
potential to create problems for some components of musical instruments. "I have to be careful, especially with the heat. The neck of
the guitar could warp or bend and my strings can rust and break," he
added. Wells continues to strum and tune his guitar as the melody floats
from his fingertips. "He's always playing and singing to his girlfriend," said
Pfc. Robert M. Hable, radio and telephone operator,
1st Platoon, Bravo Battery, 1st Bn., 77th Field
Artillery Regiment, as Wells' cheeks flush with color. Smiling, Wells begins to sing "My Angel," a song he wrote
for his girlfriend, Michelle. "I've written at least five or six songs for her. She loves to
hear me play and sing. Every time I come home she begs me to play for
her," said Wells thoughtfully. Wells finishes playing "My Angel" and starts to play
another song he wrote called "Makes Me Stronger" as more Soldiers
gather around to listen. Residents here enjoy having their own entertainer. In addition to
his music, he brings a little bit of morale to the Soldiers. "I don't mind him playing; in fact, there have been a lot of
times when I have come back from work in a very bad mood and he was in here
just playing on his guitar," said Hable, a
native of Wichita Falls, Texas. "Listening to him play calms me down and
really brightens my spirit." "What he doesn't tell you is that I sing him to sleep every
night," said Wells jokingly. Pfc. Andrew S. Wells, field data
tactical system specialist, Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field
Artillery Regiment, plays his guitar while Soldiers jokingly donate money for
his performance. Wells also plays bass guitar, trombone, trumpet, drums,
sings and writes his own songs. (U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little) While Wells doesn't really sing people to sleep at night, he does
what he can to lighten the mood through his love of music. Tuesday, 04 August 2009 41st Fires Brigade Hands Baton to 1st Battalion, 77th
Field Artillery Regiment After 15 months Deployed Written by Pfc.
J. Princeville Lawrence FORWARD OPERATING BASE
DELTA, Iraq – The 41st Fires
Brigade transferred responsibility of Coalition operations in Wasit province, to 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery
Regiment, 172nd infantry brigade in a ceremony at
Forward Operating Base Delta Aug. 3. For the Soldiers of the 41st FB,
the ceremony marked the end of a 15-month deployment that has spanned the
transition from counterinsurgency to nation building. “It has been an interesting
journey,” said Col. Richard Francey, Jr., 41st FB
commander. “Fifteen months ago, we arrived here on the heels of a volatile time
for this province with an insurgency that was trying to hold on.” During their deployment, the
41st FB formed partnerships with Iraqi Security Forces and had success cleaning
the Hahwar canal system, bringing water from the
Tigris River to more than 2,000 farmers in southwest Wasit.
In addition, 41st FB made strides in educating farmers and restoring medical
capacity to Wasit, said Maj. Gen. Rick Nash,
Multi-National Division-South commanding general, in a speech to 41st FB,
members of 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment and several prominent
Iraqi officials, including Wasit Governor Abd al-Latif Hamad
Taraf. “The successful efforts of the
41st Fires Brigade, working with our Iraqi allies and our Georgian,
Salvadorian, Lithuanian, Kazakhstani, Polish and Romanian partners, have set
the stage for the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment to advance the
work that has been accomplished over the last 15 months,” Nash said. “Fourteen months ago, we had a
perception of what needed to get done but we really didn’t know how to do it. “Fourteen months ago, we spread
out over the 10,000 km of Wasit province as some of
the first Americans to live there.
“Fourteen months ago, we met some people who were warm but tentative
towards us. “Fourteen months ago, we
didn’t know what to expect. “Fourteen months later, security
is not words we speak in an attempt to create a perception of normalcy to the
people,” said Francey. “Today, we have true security,
implemented in full by the Iraqi Security Forces.” The ceremony also marked the
transfer of authority from a brigade to a smaller battalion unit, resulting in
an overall reduction of American troops in Wasit
province in accordance with the Security Agreement. “We’re making our footprint
smaller to give the Iraqi people the ability to make Iraq a sovereign country,”
said 1st Sgt. Edward Peterson, 772nd Military Police Company, of the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment. Like units all over Iraq,
Peterson and his troops are working with Iraqi police. “In my eyes, it’s a chance to give the Iraqi
people a police force that can sustain itself,” said Peterson, a Billerica,
Mass. native. By working in tandem with the
Iraqi Police for the benefit of the Iraqi people, Peterson and his troops
represent the crest of a new military paradigm, one that was advanced by the
41st FB during their time in Iraq. While 41st FB’s
time in Iraq is ending, they know their work will continued by the new
occupants of FOB Delta. “I am confident,” said Francey, “that the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery
Regiment will do great things to facilitate the path of success in Wasit.” Sunday, August 16, 2009 The Army has announced that the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery,
now based in Schweinfurt, Germany, will be moving to Grafenwoehr
upon their return from deployment in Iraq. Just over 11,000
troops are now assigned to the Grafenwoehr full time,
and post officials are scrambling to make housing arrangements for the addition
of the 1-77th troops and their families. August 3, 2009 . Col. Richard Francey,
Jr., 41st Fires Brigade commander, Lt. Col. Steven Hite, commander, 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery cases his unit's colors at a
transfer of authority ceremony Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, and his
troops accept authority of at Forward Operating Base Delta
Aug. 3. The ceremony Forward
Operating Base Delta in a transfer of authority ceremony Aug. 3. marked the end of a 15-month
deployment for the Soldiers The
ceremony marked the transfer of authority from a brigade to a smaller of 41st FB. Their tour spanned
the transition from battalion unit, resulting
in an overall reduction of American troops in counterinsurgency to nation
building. Wasit province in accordance with the Security Agreement. FORWARD OPERATING
BASE DELTA, Iraq — The 41st Fires Brigade transferred responsibility of
coalition operations in Wasit province, to 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade in a
ceremony at Forward Operating Base Delta Aug. 3, 2009. July 27, 2009 FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq — Members of the Wasit
intelligence community met July 20 at the Iraqi police Provincial Headquarters
for the Iraqi security forces Intelligence Conference and discussed innovations
in professional development available through their own intelligence community. Iraqi Air Force 1st Lt. Thamir Hamid briefed the group of intelligence professionals
including members of 41st Fires Brigade; 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment; 32nd Iraqi Army Brigade; Iraqi
police; Iraqi department of border enforcement; National Information and
Investigations Agency; Director General for Intelligence and Security and other
intelligence agencies that would benefit from the intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance capabilities the Iraqi air force can offer. The King Air aircraft is used by
the Iraqi air force for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support
of intelligence missions in Wasit province and
throughout Iraq. Sunday, July 26, 2009 TF 1-77 Soldiers are doing unbelievably great things here in Wasit Province. We spent the first 7 months in western Wasit province living pretty darn austerely. My Soldiers
actually made the water (pumping water from a well we had drilled and using a
ROWPU) we showered in and washed our clothes in up at COP Summers. No KBR
support for us! Living at joint security stations, and Patrol Bases. Life is
far better now that most of the TF has moved to FOB Delta for our remaining
time here in Iraq. I will assume responsibility for all of Wasit
Province after the Transition of Authority (TOA) ceremony on 3 August with 41st
Fires Brigade. Yes, my BN TF will be responsible for the entire province...this
is more and more the case these days as we continue to downsize in Iraq. Friday, July 17, 2009 By Seth
Robson, Stars and Stripes KARBALA, Iraq. The changes that have swept Iraq since
the 2003 U.S. invasion has had little impact on Iraqi Bedouins, nomadic
people who camp between the nation's dense cities and its seemingly limitless
Western desert. Soldiers from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 77th Field
Artillery Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade encountered the Bedouins during a
recent patrol on the fringes of Karbala, where palm trees and houses give way
to a sandy plain that stretches to the horizon. It's here that the Bedouins
camp in makeshift tents with a few possessions that can be packed onto the
back of a truck at a moment's notice if families decide to move their flocks
of sheep to a better location. In Western art and literature, Bedouins are
depicted as noble warriors, galloping across a picturesque desert on fine
Arab chargers or sheltering in comfortable tents near an oasis. But the desert in Iraq these days is littered
with plastic trash blown from the cities, and the Bedouins' tents, made of
dirty rags, look like portable versions of the shacks that can be seen in
slums in South America or Asia. They appear to be stuck in time and in
difficult circumstances. When soldiers from Battery B stopped near the
Karbala Bedouin camp during a patrol on Saturday, they quickly drew the
attention of youngsters eager to sample American candy. Camp resident Farhan Abd Ali, mother of seven children, said most of the male
Bedouins travel to Karbala, a city of a million people, each day to work as
laborers while their families look after the sheep. "We've been here five years," she said,
surveying the lunar landscape surrounding her ragged tent as cars droned past
on the highway nearby. The land where the Bedouins live belongs to the
government, she said. "We expect they will kick us out one day.
That's why we don't build houses. If they give us our own land, we will build
houses," she said. Another Bedouin, Sahd Abd Zued, spends his days
camped in the desert caring for another man's sheep. Zued
said the fall of Saddam changed nothing for his people. "It's the same almost. Nobody comes to visit
from the government," he said. The only doctors who have visited the Bedouins
were American soldiers who vaccinated the children, he said. "The Americans came here a couple of times.
They are good people. They never hurt me or messed up my life like the
government does," he said. Why would anyone want to live in such a barren
place? "Nobody likes sand and dirt but that's how
we are born and that's how we live. Life is hard but we don't have anywhere
else, just this place," he said. Jalel Abd Htet also stays in the camp
during the day. A few years ago his speech started to slur and now he's
confined to a wheelchair. The family survives on government food rations
and by making prayer beads out of mud. Htet's sons hitchhike
into Karbala to sell them. The family used to move around like traditional
Bedouins, but tough times meant they had to sell their vehicle. So they are
stuck. Only the youngest child in the family attends
school, at a village nearby. The others stay home, helping with chores and
playing among the tents with kids from other families. One of the Battery B soldiers, Sgt. 1st Class
William Armstrong, 42, of Evanston, Wyo., said he'd met other Bedouins in
Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. "When we'd drive through we'd see 'em camped out and sometimes they came right through out
perimeter chasing their goats," he recalled, adding that he feels bad
for Bedouin kids. "It's a shame they have to go through that.
Hopefully, they can pick themselves up and do something better," he
said. 2009 Stars and Stripes. All Rights Reserved. Tuesday,
July 14, 2009 By Seth Robson, Stars and
Stripes KARBALA, Iraq. Improved security means the U.S. may bring in
experts from other Middle Eastern countries to train Iraqi workers whose skills
have languished due to years of sanctions and violence. Eric Shutler, a former Navy pilot and
U.S. Agency for International Development representative on the Karbala
provincial reconstruction team, said there's a desperate need to train Iraqi
workers since many lack skills needed to run a modern economy. He was echoing a plea from Iraqi manager Diaa
Aftan Al-Mafraji, whose
family has owned the Al Elaf factory in Karbala since
1989. Shutler visited the
plant on Thursday with another PRT member and an escort of soldiers from Battery B, 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade. The Al Elaf factory employs 125
people making thousands of "Thermastones"
& blocks of sand and lime widely used in Iraqi construction. PRT members listened to Al-Mafraji's
concerns on the factory floor while soldiers stood watch in a hangerlike building filled with lime dust that burned their
nostrils. Poorly trained workers were the first problem brought up by Al-Mafraji. "These people are not qualified," he said in halting
English, gesturing to a group of blue overall-clad workers shoveling lime
powder nearby. "I bought them safety shoes but they refuse to wear them,"
Al-Mafraji complained. "I bought milk, which
they should drink to protect their lungs from the dust, but they took it home
to sell," he said. Labor problems have increased raw material costs since the
brickworks must buy its lime from the government-owned factory next door. Employees
there are released prisoners and people compensated for the loss of a family
member battle against terrorists, he said. "The factory produces lime at $110 to $120 per ton. The
international price is $60. The factory doesn't produce enough product to drop the price and the employees play a big role
in that," he said. In a country with sky-high unemployment, Walad
Kais, 16, was lucky to get a job at the factory last month with the help of
relatives. On Thursday he smiled broadly as he climbed a series of ladders to
monitor a conveyor transporting lime powder into a silo. "None of my friends has a job," he said, through an
interpreter. "We need to train these people and make them qualified to hold
some of these positions," Al-Mafraji said,
adding that the problem extends from the top floor up to management. "I'll be the first to admit that I need training as a
manager," he added. Shutler said the PRT can look at
bringing people to Iraq from nearby countries, such as Dubai, to provide safety
and technical training to workers in Karbala. The advantage of bringing in experts from other parts of the Middle
East, rather than the United States, included cost, safety and the ability of
people from nearby countries to speak the local language, he said. The PRT is helping set up a small business development center in
town that could offer those sorts of courses, not just to the brick factory
workers, but to workers from three other factories in the same industrial park,
he said. Al-Mafraji recited a litany of other
problems including red tape that Iraq's new government has rolled over from
Saddam's era. The factory has not received any government fuel this year due to
paperwork problems and it is buying it on the black market to stay in business,
he said. The bureaucracy means Iraqi products can't compete with imported
goods, made in countries with cheaper labor, he said. The difficulty getting credit from Iraqi banks is another
impediment. Banks charge 17 percent interest on business loans although that is
supposed to fall to 14 percent, he said. Despite the challenges, the Al Elaf
factory produces 100,000 tons of "Thermastone"
each day ' the same amount it made in a year during Saddam's time. Iraqis come to the factory from as far away as Mosul and Najaf to
buy the bricks, which they transport themselves to save costs, Al-Mafraji said. The factory manager outlined numerous plans for stimulating commerce
in Karbala, including building an oil refinery and power plant to take
advantage of a planned oil pipeline through the area, generating electricity
using the city's garbage, and recycling sewage to grow plants in a green belt
around Karbala. "These projects would stabilize our province by providing some
of these teenagers a chance for employment," he said. 2009 Stars and Stripes. All Rights
Reserved. Tuesday
June 30, 2009 Last outpost in Wasit back in Iraqi hands
Capt. Bradford Brannon, commander, Service Battery, 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Brigade Combat Team, and
Sameer Al-Haddad, receivership secretariat and
representative of the prime minister, sign documents giving Iraqi Security
Forces authority of Combat Outpost Summers during a ceremony June 29. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Allison
Churchill) FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq ' The Service Battery of 1st
Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Brigade Combat Team, handed
control of Combat Outpost Summers, near Suwayrah,
over to the 32nd Iraqi Army Brigade during a ceremony June 29. COP Summers is the fifth and final security station to be
returned to Iraqi control before the June 30 deadline for U.S. Soldiers to
withdraw from major Iraqi cities. "Tomorrow you should be standing very tall," Col.
Dick Francey, 41st Fires Brigade commander and
commander of U.S. troops in Wasit province, told the
Iraqi Soldiers at the ceremony. "Iraqi Security Forces are capable of protecting their
people," Francey continued. "We stand by
you as friends and realize you are in the lead." Capt. Bradford Brannon, commander,
Service Battery, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Brigade
Combat Team, hands the key to Combat Outpost Summers to Sameer
Al-Haddad, receivership secretariat and representative of the prime minister,
during a ceremony celebrating the return of the COP to Iraqi authority June
29. (U.S.
Army photo by Sgt. Allison Churchill) "We have all worked together," said Brig. Gen.
Abed Gabr Mazloum, 32nd IA
Bde. commander. "Everyone is part of the safety and security of the
area." Capt. Bradford Brannon, commander, SVC Btry., and Sameer Al-Haddad, receivership secretariat and a
representative of the prime minister, signed the papers making the handover of
COP Summers official. In compliance with the June 30 deadline, 1st Battalion, 77th
Field Artillery Regiment Soldiers moved to FOB Delta after the ceremony. The
battalion will take authority of the FOB and U.S. troops in Wasit
when the 41st FB redeploys to Fort Hood, Texas in early August. Iraqi Soldiers from 4th Company,
1st Battalion, 32nd Iraqi Army Brigade, raise their flag after Combat Outpost
Summers is signed over to Iraqi Forces during a ceremony June 29. COP Summers
is the last outpost in Wasit province to be
returned to Iraqi control. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Allison Churchill) The soldiers of Service Battery lived and worked with
their Iraqi partners on COP Summers since January 2009. Although the U.S.
troops will no longer live among their Iraqi partners, both leaders assured
security in the area will continue. "I promise you and I promise your people to work for
security in the area," said Mazloum. "I am very proud of you," Francey
told the troops. Thursday June 25, 2009 1-77th in Iraq: Iraqi Army takes reigns of JSS Aziziyah Sameer Al-Haddad, receivership
secretariat and representative to the prime minister, signs for JSS Aziziyah as Capt. Timothy Stephenson, commander, Btry. C,
1-77 FA, 172nd BCT, signs it away during a transfer ceremony June 23 at the
JSS. FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq. Joint Security Station Aziziyah is now under Iraqi Army control after a ceremony
June 23. "This ceremony symbolizes the progress made over the past
month," said Col. Dick Francey, 41st Fires
Brigade commander and commander of American troops in Wasit
province. "This ceremony symbolizes the progress made over the past
month," said Col. Dick Francey, 41st Fires
Brigade commander and commander of American troops in Wasit
province. Francey said he had
confidence the Iraqis would continue the security in the area. "I know you will do wonderful things," said Francey. "Insurgencies in the area have gone to the
ground and they better stay down or the Iraqi Army will take them down
again." Sameer Al-Haddad, receivership
secretariat and representative to the prime minister, and Capt. Timothy
Stephenson, commander, Btry. C, 1-77 FA, 172nd BCT, commemorate the signing
of JSS Aziziyah from the U.S. Army to the Iraqi
Army June 23. "We are very happy to receive this station," said
Brig. Gen. Abed Gabr Mazloum,
32nd IA Brigade commander. The Cobra Battery Soldiers moved onto the JSS in March and
improved the living conditions along side rotating Iraqi Army units. Capt. Timothy Stephenson, Btry. C commander, signed the JSS
over to Receivership Secretariat Sameer Al-Haddad, a
representative of the prime minister. This is the fourth JSS in Wasit
province to be returned to Iraqi control. The other three were manned by 2nd
Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment after the departure of the Georgian
Army in August 2008. Combat Outpost Summers, currently manned by 1st Battalion, 77th
Field Artillery Regiment Soldiers, is scheduled to be given back to the Iraqis
later this month. August 15, 2008 By Kimberly Gearhart,
USAG Schweinfurt Public Affairs SCHWEINFURT,
Germany - It's a familiar sight in Schweinfurt: buses line up in front of the
battalions then Soldiers lugging duffle bags and body armor pour out and load
up for a trip to Grafenwoehr or Hohenfels
training areas. The 172nd Separate Infantry Brigade, the Blackhawk Brigade, is
preparing to deploy. HEIDELBERG,
Germany (May, 19, 2008) - The Department of Defense announced today that the
172nd (Blackhawk) Infantry Brigade , headquartered in Schweinfurt, and based in
Schweinfurt and Grafenwoehr, will deploy in support
of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The deployments will take place this fall. Return to 77th Field Artillery Lineage, Honors, &
History Menu Last Update – March 22, 2012
“We’ve been assisting the MiTT in working with the IA
to teach them tactics and maneuvers,” said Pfc.
Vincent Sanders, cannon crewmember, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery
Regiment.
Wounded warrior, wife, share experiences with Schweinfurt
community
Non-commissioned officer orders USO2GO
“Fourteen months ago, we talked repeatedly about the great security and the
improving governance and economy. We talked (about) this as daily (improvised
explosive devices) exploded and regular indirect fire landed on the FOB,” said Francey.
41st Fires Brigade hands baton to 1st Battalion,
77th Field Artillery Regiment after 15 months deployed
For the Soldiers of the 41st FB, the ceremony marked the end of a 15-month
deployment that has spanned the transition from counterinsurgency to nation
building.
"It has been an interesting journey," said Col. Richard Francey, Jr., 41st FB commander. "Fifteen months ago,
we arrived here on the heels of a volatile time for this province with an
insurgency that was trying to hold on."
During their deployment, the 41st FB formed partnerships with Iraqi security
forces and had success cleaning the Hahwar canal
system, bringing water from the Tigris River to more than 2,000 farmers in
southwest Wasit. In addition, 41st FB made strides in
educating farmers and restoring medical capacity to Wasit,
said Maj. Gen. Rick Nash, Multi-National Division-South commanding general, in
a speech to 41st FB, members of 1st Bn., 77th FA Regt., and several prominent
Iraqi officials, including Wasit Governor Abd al-Latif Hamad
Taraf.
"The successful efforts of the 41st Fires Brigade, working with our Iraqi
allies and our Georgian, Salvadorian, Lithuanian, Kazakhstani, Polish and
Romanian partners, have set the stage for the 1st Battalion, 77th Field
Artillery Regiment to advance the work that has been accomplished over the last
15 months," Nash said.
"Fourteen months ago, we talked repeatedly about the great security and
the improving governance and economy. We talked [about] this as daily
[improvised explosive devices] exploded and regular indirect fire landed on the
FOB," said Francey.
"Fourteen months ago, we had a perception of what needed to get done but
we really didn't know how to do it. Fourteen months ago, we spread out over the
10,000 km of Wasit province as some of the first
Americans to live there. Fourteen months ago, we met some people who were warm
but tentative towards us. Fourteen months ago, we didn't know what to expect.
Fourteen months later, security is not words we speak in an attempt to create a
perception of normalcy to the people," said Francey.
"Today, we have true security, implemented in full by the Iraqi security
forces."
The ceremony also marked the transfer of authority from a brigade to a smaller
battalion unit, resulting in an overall reduction of American troops in Wasit province in accordance with the Security Agreement.
"We're making our footprint smaller to give the Iraqi people the ability
to make Iraq a sovereign country," said 1st Sgt. Edward Peterson, 772nd
Military Police Company, 1st Bn., 77th FA Regt.
Like units all over Iraq, Peterson and his troops are working with Iraqi
police.
"In my eyes, it's a chance to give the Iraqi people a police force that
can sustain itself," said Peterson, a Billerica, Mass.,
native.
By working in tandem with the Iraqi police for the benefit of the Iraqi people,
Peterson and his troops represent the crest of a new military paradigm, one
that was advanced by the 41st FB during their time in Iraq.
While 41st FB's time in Iraq is ending, they know
their work will continued by the new occupants of FOB Delta.
"I am confident," said Francey, "that
the 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment will do great things to
facilitate the path of success in Wasit."
Wasit Intel
Conference discusses new capabilities
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Joe
Thompson
Respectfully,
Steve
LTC Steven L. Hite
CDR, TF 1-77 FA
"Falcons First!"
Iraqi Bedouin life continues as always
Mideast edition,
Seth Robson / S&S
Curious Bedouin girls peer out of a tent at American soldiers who visited
their camp near Karbala, Iraq on Saturday.
Seth Robson / S&S
Battery B, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd
Infantry Brigade commander Capt. Chris Munar and
Sgt. 1st Class William Armstrong approach a Bedouin family near Karbala on
Saturday.
Seth Robson / S&S
Bedouin Sahd Abd
Zued (with red and white head scarf) is one of
the few adult males who stays in this Bedouin
camp, near Karbala, during the day. The others travel into town to work as
laborers while the women and children look after their sheep.
Seth Robson / S&S
A group of Bedouin children play with an old tire full of water.
Seth Robson / S&S
When soldiers from Battery B, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery
Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade stopped near a Bedouin camp on the fringes
of Karbala during a patrol on Saturday they quickly drew the attention of
youngsters eager to sample American candy.
Rebuilding Iraq's economy, brick by brick
Provincial
reconstruction team considers ways to train workers in Karbala after factory
manager lists problems and solutions for area job market
Mideast edition
Seth Robson / S&S
Spc. Matthew Anderson, 23,
of Houston, stands guard during a provincial reconstruction team visit to the
Al Elaf factory near Karbala, Iraq on Thursday.
By: Sgt. Allison Churchill
By: Sgt. Allison Churchill
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Allison
Churchill)
Battery C, 1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 172nd Brigade
Combat Team handed over the JSS to 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Iraqi Army
Brigade.
(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Allison
Churchill)
Rear detachment training in full swing in
Schweinfurt
No
less important to Blackhawk battle readiness is the training and preparation of
a robust rear-detachment command.
Enter Lt. Col. Eric Stetson and Task Force Shield.
"We will officially activate on the fourth and fifth of September,"
Stetson said, noting the need for two separate rear-detachment
"teams," necessitated by the brigade's split footprint in Grafenwoehr and Schweinfurt.
Shield's overall command falls to Stetson, who will also oversee the day-to-day
operations of Team Grafenwoehr.
"A deputy commander-yet to be named-will maintain a small staff here to
assist the battalion delta companies and assist in command and control for Task
Force Shield," Stetson said. Nominations for the deputy commander are
underway, but other Shield cadre have been identified,
and are in training now.
"Our first official training function was all the way back in April. We've
been putting the cadre through specific training courses ever since,"
Stetson said. He went on to note that the task of training the rear-detachment
is complicated by the fact that the remainder of the brigade is currently away
for training.
"While they are down in Grafenwoehr, or on block
leave, the rear-d is back here taking care of family and Soldier issues, in
addition to going through training to prepare them for the upcoming
deployment," Stetson added.
Luckily for the Soldiers on Rear-D, there are several helping agencies
throughout the two garrisons which have experience with deployed communities.
As part of their training, TF Shield cadre are taken around to the various
agencies in their area and introduced to the key players in the community. U.S.
Army Garrison Schweinfurt Army Community Service and the American Red Cross are
two agencies heavily involved with supporting rear-detachment commands.
"We have the experience, because we've been there before," said
Cheryl Dean, Schweinfurt Red Cross station manager. Dean and her counterpart in
Grafenwoehr, Jason Marshall, have both served
deployed communities before and in fact have both been deployed in their jobs.
"For the last deployment, I was in Baghdad and he was in Balad," Dean said.
TF Shield will not hurt for experience within its ranks, either. Cadre
selection is exclusive, and every assigned Soldier has been hand-selected for
the task.
"We try to select a person who has been to combat, is familiar with (their
community), demonstrates maturity of judgment, and is a 'can-do' kind of
person," Stetson said, acknowledging that rear-detachment operations often
have a reputation for being a place to stick people who cannot deploy.
"Sometimes they are non-deployable, but if they cannot fulfill the role,
they are not in a cadre position. It is painful for the command to leave these
people behind, because they would have otherwise been a great asset
downrange," he said.
This week, TF Shield cadre are participating in
rehearsals to prepare for deployment-related emergencies such as injury and
casualty notifications.
"We will continue to train and prepare up until the brigade deploys, and
beyond," Stetson said.
Units deploying with the 172nd include:
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 172nd Infantry Brigade
1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment
2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment
3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment
E Troop, 5th Cavalry Regiment
1st Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment
9th Engineer Battalion
57th Signal Company
C Company, 504th Military Intelligence Battalion
172nd Forward Support Battalion
The leadership of the mentioned units will train and prepare its Soldiers for
any mission that they may be given. This announcement provides the unit with a
timeline for a future deployment and a focus for training. Future decisions
about this deployment will be based on requirements as directed by the Combatant
Commander.
As part of its non-negotiable commitment to take care of Families, the U.S.
Army in Europe will ensure that the military community infrastructure will
continue to support the needs of all members of the community while the unit is
deployed.
Copyright 2012 by 77th Artillery
Association. All rights reserved.
