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Published for the Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and Task Force LibertyVol. 1, Issue 12 Oct. 01, 2005
II NSIDENSIDE ::Medic FindsMedic FindsChallengeChallenge
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CSM LaudsCSM LaudsExperienceExperience
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PrepPreparing Foraring ForThe DayThe Day
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‘Good Morning‘Good MorningOrange City’Orange City’
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Back OnBack OnPointPointPg. 8Pg. 8
InterpreterInterpreterProvesProves
InvaluableInvaluablePg. 9Pg. 9
Upcoming elections show Iraqdevoted to democratic plan
The union that will join a new democraticIraq with a constitution that is by and for thepeople is approaching its final stage of perma-nence.
October 15, citizens of Iraq will say “I do” or“I don’t” in a nation wide popular vote that willratify or reject the new Iraqi constitution.
Although it was the Soldiers of the 3rdBrigade Combat Team, Task Force Liberty whowalked with them through the transition toself-reliance, it is Iraq who will walk on its owndown the election isle.
The Independent Election Commission of
Iraq has been devoted to the planning, the bal-loting and it is they who will process and tallythe votes at the elections end.
Coalition Forces will advise, and providewhere the Iraqi Government may need assis-tance.
“We are doing everything we can to set theIraqis up for success in what will be an Iraqiled operation,” said a confident Maj. MarkBorowski, 3rd Brigade Operations Officer.
A major factor in making the upcoming elec-tions a success is security. During the pastnine months the Sledgehammer Brigade hasbeen operating in the Diyala Province, theyhave been working with the Iraqi Army and the
Story and photo by Spc. Natalie Loucks3rd BCT PAO
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3rd BCT commander, Col. Steven Salazar, along with members of the Independent Election Commission of Iraq,listen during an Oct. 1 rehearsal at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in preparation for the Oct. 15 elections.
Iraq Police to ensure competency forevents such as this.
Security for the polling sites locat-ed in and around Baquba has been aconcern for both the Iraqi citizens andthe Iraqi Security Forces but Maj.Richard Sele, commander ofCompany C, 445th Civil AffairsBattalion, is confident security is upto par.
“From where I stand, it looks asthough the IA and the IP are eager totake the lead on security,” he said.
Borowski explained the ISF inDiyala are creating their own plan ofprotection for their citizens.
To assist, Coalition Forces will pro-vide security measures in areas theISF may lack, such as air supportand precision fire.
One resolution the election com-mittee came up with to facilitate
security issue was to move and con-solidate polling sites, Borowski said.This would allow the ISF more man-power in less of an area making themeasier to secure.
It is the job of the Coalition Forcesto offer perspective on decisions suchas this.
“We play the honest broker and say‘maybe you should look at the percep-tion that could be created if you startclosing polling sites,’” Borowski said.“Movement like this could create con-ditions where not everyone will begetting an opportunity to vote.”
In the end, the election commiteedecided not to close or consolidateany polling sites.
According to Sele, the ProvincialJoint Coordination Center, in down-town Baquba, will take control ofpublic transportation to polling sitesduring the elections ensuring people
will have the means to make it out tothe polling sites.
“There are certain areas that needto have bus transportation to get tothe polling sites,” Sele said.
He believes the referendum will runsmoother than the elections lastFebruary, saying he feels the con-cepts of the voting process and les-sons learned have provided helpfulinsight.
If the constitution is ratified, citi-zens will move out to the polling sitesonce again in December to cast theirvote for a new permanent governmentas set forth by the new Iraqi constitu-tion.
Even if the constitution is rejectedin October’s elections, the Decemberelections will still be held, however,the Iraqi voters will take part in a bal-lot for a second National Assembly.
2
The Hammer Times is published in theinterest of the servicemembers of the 3rdBrigade Combat Team, 3rd InfantryDivision and Task Force Liberty. TheHammer Times is an Army-funded newslet-ter authorized for members of the U.S.Army, under the provision of AR 360-1.Contents of the Hammer Times are not nec-essarily the official views of, nor endorsedby, the U.S. Government, Department ofDefense or Department of the Army.
3rd BCT PAO Editor, Hammer TimesSgt. Sean Riley
3rd BCT PAO Staff WriterSpc. Natalie Loucks
3rd BCT PAO Staff BroadcasterSpc. Samantha Spurlock
3rd BCT CommanderCol. Steven Salazar
3rd BCT PAOMaj. Steve Warren
3rd BCT PAO NCOICSgt. 1st Class Victor Fermin
Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
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Deputy Commander Promoted to ColonelPhoto by Sgt. Sean Riley
Sledgehammer’s Deputy Commander,Col. Daniel Kessler, was promoted tocolonel during a ceremony at the 3rdBrigade’s operations center on ForwardOperating Base Warhorse Sept. 30. Maj.Gen. William G. Webster Jr., Task ForceBaghdad commanding general, pinnedthe new rank on the colonel’s collar whileKessler’s family watched via video/tele-conference. During the emontionalycharged ceremony, Kessler thanked hiswife, children and his many friends andcollegues, stating he could not have got-ten there without them.
3Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
Spc. Tiffany Catron isofficially a 91 Whiskey,Army lingo for medic.
But when travelingthrough Diyala Provincewith the brigade comman-der’s party, she’s often cast
in a different role, that ofHumvee driver.
Until, that is, there’s anincident, usually sparkedby the detonation of a road-side bomb.
Then she does what sheknows best — patching upfolks until they can receivemore thorough medicalcare.
Such was the caserecently when 3rd BrigadeCombat Team commanderCol. Steve Salazar and histeam of 12, including inter-preters, were on an earlymorning operation nearBaquba.
“We could hear an explo-sion up ahead and we wentto check it out,” saidCatron, a 23-year-oldnative of Monroe, N.C. “Amortar round had gone offand an Iraqi civilian was inthe road, bleeding from ahead wound where he’dbeen hit by shrapnel. Itreated him the best Icould, then saw him off tothe nearest hospital.
“Fifteen minutes later,we found another civilianwho’d been shot in a cross-fire. I was able to patch himup and get him evacuated,too. I wish there was someway I could follow up onthem and see how they’redoing.”
After caring for thewounded civilian, Catrontook on another mission.
“She was passing outcandy and stickers to agroup of Iraqi children,”said Capt. Scott Mangum,Catron’s boss and a fellowmember of Salazar’s team.“She’s a great Soldier, bothmedically speaking and theway she works with thelocal children. I’m lucky tobe able to work with aSoldier like that.”
Catron’s main job, whenshe’s not behind the wheel, isto provide medical care forteam members when needed.
“But we do care for civil-ians when we have theopportunity,” she said.
Actually, she likes to talkabout her driving as muchas her life-saving skills.
“It’s nothing like drivingback home,” she laughed.“Here, we drive right downthe middle of the road. Ifanyone’s coming in theopposite direction, theyhave to pull to the side of
the road.”The fear of an improvised
explosive device attack isalways with her. In April,the gunner on her truckwas injured by flyingshrapnel. Luckily, he was-n’t injured seriously.
Shrapnel, of course, cankill or maim, or leave thevictim with just a scratch.
“It depends on how bigthe shrapnel is and where ithits you,” she said fromForward Operating BaseWarhorse, home of thebrigade.
It was on one of her earlymissions with Salazar thatTiffany met civilian securityguard Mick Catron.
“His boss and my bosswould often have meetingstogether and Mick and Iwould wait for them in thehall,” she said. “It beganwith casual conversa-tions... “
And ended in marriagetwo months later.
“He’d already gone backto the states and I tookR&R and we got married.Then I came back here,”she said.
And Catron is countingthe days until she is reunit-ed with her husband.
“One hundred and twen-ty,” she said.
Until then, she’s sharingquarters with Staff Sgt.Layla Elbel, Salazar’s mili-tary interpreter.
“We’re probably exposedmore to combat than any ofthe other women here,”Catron acknowledged. “Butwe’re certainly not the onlywomen that are. We have alot of female truck drivers inthe transportation units.”
Mick Catron, who now isworking for an executiveprotection agency inWashington state, knowsthat his wife is in harm’sway almost every day.
His advice?“He tells me never to
get out of the truck,”she said.
Medic finds challenge — and husband — in IraqBy Mick WalshColumbus Ledger/Enquirer
File photo by Spc. Natalie Loucks
4 Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
IA, CF Joint Raid in KhalisPhoto by Sgt. Sean Riley
Members of the 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade pass through an IA and 3rd Brigade CombatTeam, Task Force Liberty checkpoint in Khalis, Iraq. 3rd BCT supported the 2nd IABduring a raid searching for insurgent leaders in the early morning hours of Sept. 23.
Hope for hard timesChristians believe that sooner or
later all sorrows, pains, disappoint-ments, losses, tragedies, and horrorwill somehow and someway work outfor good. Christians are free to seethrough hard times, because theyknow that nothing will happen with-out a divine purpose. This confidenceis not some weird karma or fate, noris it a false hope that all things havetheir own way of working out.Moreover, it is not optimism that allthings work out forall people.
The lovers ofGod can look intothis promise andsee all events intheir lives are uti-lized by God for hisglory and theirultimate good.They can live within that promise andknow that God has a planned endstate. This promise can guide them
through pain andpleasure and providethem with an incom-parable, indestructi-ble refuge. If God isfor [them], who canbe against [them]?(Romans 8:31)
As hard as it is tobelieve, long deploy-ments, troubles backhome, heartache, andpain can be used byGod for His glory and your good.When God says that He uses “allthings” to accomplish His purposes,
He means that Heuses “all things”,which includesboth the evil andthe good. Can yougrasp that prom-ise and call it yourown?
Trust Godrather than blame
Him. Pain is not always a punish-ment; oftentimes pain is God’s pas-sionate plan to develop your faith.
“And we know that in all things, Godworks for the good for those who loveHim who have been called accordingto his purpose.”
-- Romans, Ch. 8 Verse 28
By Chaplain (Capt.) Derek Murray1-10 Field Artillery
MURRAY1-10 FA Chaplain
Fob Warhorse Presents:The National Hispanic Heritage Month
Celebration
3rd Brigade Combat TEAMHosted by: HHC BRIGADE
Requests the pleasure of your company as we celebrate:
Friday21 October 2005
1130-1300Faulkenburg Theater
Guest Speaker: CW2 Serrano
POC: SFC Lawrence Jordan584-3011
Food , Latin Dancing, & Music
5Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
3rd Brigade’s top NCO says ‘seasoned vets’ crucialJesse Lee Andrews thinks the
Army needs a few more Soldierslike, uh, well, Jesse Lee Andrews.
It’s not that he envisions hismug on recruiting posters.
But as a battle-tested veteran of25 years, Andrews knows thatsuccess in combat can often bemeasured by the experience ofthose involved.
“Seasoned vets make a strongbrigade combat team,” said theLincolnton, Ga., native, who is theFort Benning-based 3rd Brigade’scommand sergeant major. “Andabout 60 percent of our team overhere is seasoned, most fromOperation Iraqi Freedom I.”
So how does Andrews, 43, con-vince young men half his age, whohave spent the past eight monthsdodging bullets and roadsidebombs while living with few oflife’s luxuries, to re-enlist?
“I tell them how much the Armyneeds them and challenge them toanswer a higher calling. The Armyneeds experienced Soldiers likethemselves to lead the youngtroops of the future.”
And?“Well, of course, there’s the tax-
free re-enlistment bonuses, whichso far have run into the millions ofdollars,” he said, speaking by tele-phone from thebrigade’s head-quarters nearBaquba, Iraq.“That could be afactor.”
And, yes, hedid laugh at thatlast remark.
As the brigade’s top NCO,Andrews serves as a liaisonbetween the enlisted force, whichnumbers more than 4,000, andCommander Col. Steve Salazar.He’s Hammer 7 to Salazar’sHammer 6.
He takes his job seriously, justas he did in 2003 when he was Lt.Col. Jeffrey Sanderson’s sergeantmajor with the 2nd Battalion,69th Armor Regiment.
“He taught me how to visualizethe battlefield,” said Andrews ofSanderson. “To be a tactician. It’ssomething I hope I can pass on to
the guys in the brigade.”The 2-69 was at the front of the
invasion of Iraq in 2003 andAndrews would have been morethan content to remain with thegroup after its return.
“I’m an armor guy,” he insisted.But when
Command Sgt.Maj. Mark Bakerretired, Andrewswas tapped bySalazar as hissuccessor. “Thisjob wasn’t even
on my radar screen back then,” hesaid.
But his relationship withSalazar has strengthened over thepast two years, reaching the pointwhere “we’re singing off the samesheet of music.”
While Andrews insists theSoldiers of the brigade are amongthe best trained and bestequipped in the Army, the factremains that a dozen Soldiershave been killed since the unitarrived in January.
“Certainly it hurts — one casu-alty is too many,” he said. “But asmuch as it hurts me, I have to
remind myself that it’s the natureof the business I’m in. After welose a Soldier, I make it a point tovisit our guys and tell them thatthe Soldier didn’t die in vain andremind them that we’re in a dan-gerous environment.”
Is revenge a motivating factor?“We tend to fight even harder
after a death,” he explained.“Sometimes it takes a while, butwe will find the bad guys respon-sible for it.”
Andrews doesn’t see an immedi-ate solution to the problems fac-ing Iraq. In fact, he’s convincedhe’ll serve at least another tour inthe war-torn country before heretires in August 2010.
“I knew in 2003 that we wouldbe coming back some day,” hesaid. “And I know now that we’llbe back again. It’s not a matter of‘if,’ it’s just a matter of ‘when.’ “
Though he never played sportsat football-rich Lincoln CountyHigh School — he was a drummerin the school band — Andrewslikens himself to a coach nowa-days. “And I’m coaching an all-star team of Soldiers. They’re thebest.”
By Mick WalshColumbus Ledger/Enquirer
“...I’m coaching an all-star team ofSoldiers. They’re the best.”
-- Command Sgt. Maj. Jesse Andrews3rd BCT Command Sergeant Major
Photo by Spc. Natalie LoucksCommand Sgt. Maj. Jesse Andrews, left, recognizes achievement by Spc. Juan Velazquezduring a visit by 3rd Infantry Division command sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj.William Grant at the Forward Operating Base Warhorse Dining Facility Sept. 20.
6 Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
MUQDADIYAH, Iraq - U.S. forces view Iraq’s constitu-tional referendum in less than two weeks as a dressrehearsal for the day when America’s presence fades andIraqis take charge of protecting their fragile democracy.
To help prepare for that day, Staff Sgt. HilarioDominguez taught a platoon of young Iraqi soldiers howto control an angry crowd without casualties.
“The best thing to do is just detain them,” Sgt.Dominguez of Okeechobee, Fla., explained as hisAmerican platoon demonstrated what is known as a“graduated response.”
The goal: to bring an excited crowd under control withno one getting hurt.
“Show the crowd your weapons. If they don’t disperse,shout. Tell them to stop, go away, whatever. Physicallypush them away, if necessary. Use the least amount offorce,” Sgt. Dominguez explained as long shadows fromthe eucalyptus trees of Forward Operating BaseNormandy slowly disappeared with the setting sun.
“If that doesn’t work, arrest the instigator. We don’twant everyone to be so scared that they don’t want tovote. If you’re shooting up in the air or beating people upfor no reason, they’re going to be scared to vote,” Sgt.Dominguez said.
An interpreter repeated his words in Arabic, and theIraqi soldiers began to talk among themselves until onespoke up.
“There are no demonstrations in Iraq like this. They’djust use a bomb,” one said.
At dusk, when the temperatures have begun fallingfrom their daytime highs of more than 100 degrees in thelush Diyala River valley 54 miles northeast of Baghdad.
The river runs along the base and the adjacent region-al hub of Muqdadiyah, a small city that serves a sparselypopulated region of about 300,000.
The Diyala gives the region its nickname, “breadbas-ket,” for the abundance of grapes, pomegranates, datesand livestock that its waters support.
Bombings were not part of today’s lesson plan. But Sgt.Dominguez, 27, seized the moment to drive home theimportance of his instruction.
“If a bomb goes off, there’s going to be a big crowd ofpeople trying to get in,” he said. “You’re going to have tokeep order. If you start shooting, then no one will comeout and vote.”
For emphasis, Sgt. Dominguez added that he has a per-sonal stake in the success of Iraq’s transition: If no onevotes, he said, “then I can’t go home.”
For many members of Task Force 1-30, the unit of theU.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade that isassigned to Normandy base, this is their second tour ofduty in Iraq.
The division led the charge from Kuwait to Baghdad inthe spring of 2003. It is back in Iraq with a new mission,to help build a professional Iraqi army capable of fightingan escalating guerrilla war with terrorists and insurgents.
Here and elsewhere, Iraq’s army and a separate Iraqipolice force are in training to take over from the 140,000U.S. troops.
Men such as Col. James H. Coffman Jr., senior adviserto an Iraqi special police commando brigade, are in chargeof making the plan work.
Col. Coffman received the Distinguished Service Crossfor leading a team of Iraqi commandos sent to rescue apolice station that was under siege during the Novemberbattle of Mosul.
Though the battle is remembered for the Iraqi policewho ran away, Iraqis under Col. Coffman’s commandstood their ground.
Rocket, mortar and machine-gun fire killed 12 Iraqicommandos and seriously wounded all but one of thosewho survived, including Col. Coffman. He continued tofight with one hand badly wounded and useless — attimes the only one able to return fire — until reinforce-ments arrived four hours later.
The colonel, a West Point graduate, kept fighting untilthe battle ended and made sure he was the last Soldierevacuated for medical treatment.
“He was treating the fallen, he was fighting and he lift-ed the spirits of our soldiers,” Iraqi Police Maj. Gen.Adnon Thabit told guests at Col. Coffman’s medal ceremo-ny in August. “The blood that you shed will never be for-gotten. It will be written in the history of Iraq with shiningletters.”
Tiger BattalionThe U.S. task force at Normandy base lives and works
with the 2nd Iraqi Army’s “Tiger Battalion.”One week earlier, Iraqi and American soldiers came
under fire while patrolling Himbus, a village of mud hutsand concrete houses about five miles away.
The operation began with a tip about weapons buriedin an orchard, which sent Iraqi and American troops tosearch the area.
They found nothing. But as the trucks rolled out, arocket-propelled grenade screeched from a nearby palmgrove, followed by a barrage of rifle fire.
That began a cat-and-mouse battle, with American andIraqi forces returning fire at an unseen enemy that wouldshoot, move and shoot again.
The joint force arrested four suspects in a house-to-house search before returning to base. There were nocasualties, but on the way home, a bomb placed in theirpath blew out four tires of a Humvee, which had to betowed back to base.
The attack will not go unanswered.Two weeks later, Lt. Col. Roger Cloutier of Lewiston,
Maine, and Col. Theya Abed Ismail al-Tammimi, a formerofficer in ousted dictator Saddam Hussein’s army, huddletogether to plan a large raid into Himbus to kill or captureinsurgents.
Col. al-Tammimi’s intelligence officers have developedseveral leads on where to look.
By Maya AlleruzzoThe Washington Times
Preparing for the day: Oct. 15 elections loom
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7Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team along with IraqiSoldiers of the 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade welcomed a “GoodMorning Orange City” to citizens in the Baquba area Oct. 2, dur-ing an operation by the same name. The purpose of the missionwas to prevent future attackts to the city and also to set condi-tions for the upcoming referendum by putting a stop to all anti-Iraqi force activity. The operation started by setting a cordonaround Baquba. Drivers who were out before curfew end werestopped and searched. After combat operations were complete,Soldiers of both the 3rd BCT and the 2nd IA Brigade handed outfliers and comic books to the citizens of Orange City to encour-age them to vote in the upcoming elections on Oct. 15.
Story and photos by Spc. Natalie Loucks3rd BCT PAO
3rd BCT ushers in a ‘Good Morning’to the Orange City
G e t t i n g t h e m e s s a g e o u tG e t t i n g t h e m e s s a g e o u t
8 Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
The toughest part of Lt. Col. ScottSpellmon’s rehab after a severe leg wound wasn’t the physical thera-py, as painful as it was, but the fact that most of it was done awayfrom his Soldiers.
“I hated leaving the guys,” said theBrigade Troops Battalion commander, who is now back in Iraqwith Fort Benning’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team after seven surgerieson his left leg, several skin grafts and 90 days of recovery timeback home.
If Spellmon’s lament sounds a bitlike an injured football player, forced to watch from the sideline ashis teammates block and tackle . . . there’s good reason for it.
He was a three-year letterman atWest Point from 1983-85; played in two winning bowl games, scoring atouchdown in the ‘85 Peach Bowl vs. Illinois; and his 157 receivingyards in a 1983 game against Lehigh has not been topped in 22years.
But nothing on the gridiron was asdevastating as his injury on the battlefield.
“I’m still not 100 percent. I can’treally do much running, except for a slow jog on the treadmill,” he said viatelephone from Forward Operating Base Warhorse. “It may bea couple of years before I’m back to where I was before April 14.”
That was the day the armoredHumvee in which Spellmon was rid-ing in downtown Baquba hit a road-side bomb. Shrapnel from the blast tore a fist-sized chunk of calf musclefrom his leg and shattered his fibula. But none of the major arteriesin the leg were severed.
“Twenty years ago I would haveprobably lost the leg,” Spellmon said. “But the doctors of today wereable to save it.”
He shrugs off his injury. “It’s thebusiness I’ve chosen to be in.”
That Spellmon would want to
speed up his rehab and return to his battalion doesn’t surprise a formerArmy teammate, Lt. Col. Rob Roggeman, the commander of the2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment.
“He epitomizes the selfless leader,”he said of Spellmon, who served in Desert Storm in 1991.
Spellmon, 41, a native ofBloomingdale, N.J. —- a town lessthan an hour away from his belovedWest Point —- has been in charge ofthe Brigade Troops Battalion sinceJune 2004, when it evolved out of the old 317th Engineers outfit. It com-prises of a signal company, a military police platoon, an engineerplatoon, a civil affairs company and several other detachments, withthe primary responsibility of Iraqi reconstruction and providinggovernance training.
While bridge builders in both theliteral and figurative senses, the brigade under Spellmon is nonethe-less combat savvy.
The Support Platoon’s ExplosiveOrdnance Disposal team has neutralized more than 80 improvisedexplosive devices and three tons of explosives, making the roadsin Diyala Province much safer to travel.
But there’s been a cost. “While we are having significant
success in our mission,” he said, “our area of operation remains complicat-ed and challenging. To date, 16 have qualified for the Purple Heart,and over 75 Soldiers have met the criteria for the Combat ActionBadge, Combat Medical Badge, or the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.Our BTB Soldiers are more than doing their part in maintaining thesecurity throughout this province.”
In a recent note to the families ofhis Soldiers, Spellmon skipped over his own wounds to focus onthose of three BTB members —- Sgt. Rebecca Payne, Staff Sgt. AntwanAustin and Sgt. Kareena Lechner, who recently returned toduty at the Provincial Police Station.
Also, within the past two weeks,Spellmon has been able to send 12 of his Soldiers back to their homes inareas flattened or flooded by Hurricane Katrina. “It’s important tothem to go home and help their families,” he said.
Over the first seven months of thebattalion’s deployment to Diyala Province, its Civil Military OperationsCenter in Baquba has initiated over 273 reconstruction anddevelopment projects with a total investment of more than $213
Injuries no barrier for commander’s missionAfter recovering, Lt. Col.Spellmon returns to workof rebuilding nationBy Mick WalshColumbus Ledger/Enquirer
Photo by Spc. Natalie LoucksLt. Col. Scott Spellmon, center, the 3rd Brigade Troops Battalion Commander, stands withfellow Pruple Heart awardees after a ceremony in thier honor Aug. 12 at the 3rd BCT oper-ations center on Forward Operating Base Warhorse.
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9Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
Layla Elbel, then 22, wanted to be part of the Coalitionof the Willing when U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003.
“I spoke Arabic better than anyone at Fort Huachucaand I wanted to go,” recalls Elbel, now a 24-year-old Armystaff sergeant. But she was bypassed in favor of severalSoldiers with weaker linguistic skills.
So she stayed in Arizona while the Army, led bySoldiers of Fort Benning’s 3rd Brigade, overpoweredSaddam Hussein’s Republican Guard en route to over-throwing Iraq’s tyrannical government.
Now let’s jump ahead to 2005.The brigade is back in Iraq, stationed near Baquba, a
center of insurgency with the reputation of Dodge City.And this time Elbel is front and center.
Literally.She’s the military interpreter for brigade commander
Col. Steve Salazar.“Wherever he goes,” she said via telephone this week
from Forward Operating Base Warhorse, “I go.”And if that means occasionally getting into harm’s way,
so be it.“We’ve had a few close calls,” she said. “We’ve been hit
by two IEDs, but thank God neither was a direct hit. We’rewell protected, so I’m not scared of going with the colonel,no matter where we might go. It’s a great adventure.”
The Arabic language comes easily for Elbel, who wasborn in Amman, Jordan, of American missionaries, andwho was educated in Jerusalem.
“Most of my life has been in the Middle East,” sheexplained. Long before she was enrolled in the DefenseLanguage Institute in Monterey, Calif., Elbel had learnedArabic in a private girls school in Israel. And she attend-ed Arabic church services almost every weekend.
“It still took me a while after we got to Iraq to under-stand some of the local dialects,” she said. “It’s like mov-ing to Georgia from New York. The written language is thesame but the spoken form is a lot different.”
Salazar, who has studied Arabic, nonetheless reliesalmost entirely on Elbel’s translations.
“She’s invaluable to the brigade and to the Army,” saidSalazar, who has commanded the 3rd since July 2004.“She is a young NCO with intelligence, courage and matu-rity who has a unique skill.”
Elbel also possesses the people skills that Salazar looksfor in an interpreter.
“She’s made a huge impact, particularly when weengage Iraqi women,” he said. “They are comfortablearound her and they open up to her. Her cultural insightshave been particularly valuable to me, and her compas-sion has made a difference with the Iraqi people.”
The Iraqi people are worth fighting for, she says.“Freedom is new to them, they’re just now being allowedto think for themselves. Most of these people are buildingnew lives from scratch.”
After graduating from high school in 1999, Elbel beganbuilding a new life for herself. She moved to the U.S. andenrolled in a small New York college. But she quicklybecame disillusioned, left school, visited friends in Ohioand later returned to Israel.
During a return trip to the U.S., she saw an Army com-mercial on television. “The Army seemed to provide meanother option for my life,” she explained. And she took it,with the provision she could go into military intelligenceas a signal analyst.
Three years later she is at Salazar’s side. “There reallyisn’t a normal day, or a daily schedule,” she contends.“There might be a firefight somewhere at 4 a.m. and thecolonel may have to go. Then we’ll come back for a seriesof meetings. Before you know it, it’s 6 o’clock at night andyou’ve put in a full day.”
Salazar says he uses Elbel as a gatekeeper. “She carriesmy cell phone and answers dozens of calls a day fromIraqis. She deals with 90 percent of those calls personal-ly. She solves problems for Iraqis every day and thatleaves me free to focus on larger issues.”
Another strength of Elbel is her ability to distinguishbetween fact and fiction.
Can she detect when someone is lying to the colonel?“Absolutely! She picks up on all the atmospherics in a
room,” he said. “She hears side conversations and can putissues into context. Her observation and analytical skillsare extraordinary.”
Though she’s loved the 4 1/2 years she’s spent in theArmy, she fully intends to separate later this year and givecollege another try. “I want to study Hebrew and maybelater work for a company that does international develop-ment work,” she said. “I’ve experienced a lot in my first 24years and want to experience a whole lot more.”
Interpreter’s Arabic skills ‘invaluable’By Mick WalshColumbus Ledger/Enquirer
Photo by Spc. Natalie LoucksStaff Sgt. Layla Elbel readies to hand out stickers and informationpackets to Iraqis during a bridge construction site review.
10 Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
Missions move on despite frequent attacksOver a swimming pool-size model
of the village sculpted in sand,Cloutier gives instructions toAmerican and Iraqi officers, who willlead their men into battle.
“Once we have the city set,”Cloutier said, “that area belongs tothe Iraqi army. No American forceswill move into the town without talk-ing to me first. Once they’ve clearedthe city, do not shoot into the city.”
Directing his attention to the Iraqiofficers, Cloutier offered words ofreassurance. “I know the Tigers arestrong. If you need combat power, Ihave a platoon ready to support you.”
Moving outShortly after 2 the next morning,
the American-Iraqi convoy moved out,Americans in armored Humvees andIraqis in the beds of open pickuptrucks.
The moon sank low on the horizonunder a canopy of stars when thedeafening blast of a roadside explo-sion sent shrapnel and debris flyingat Iraqi soldiers in one Toyota pickup.
The front window was shattered.Tracer fire lit up the night sky andbullets ricocheted off trucks.
Gunners from the 1-30 firedmachine-gun rounds into palmgroves that provide ready cover forthe enemy.
After about an hour, Cloutier calledinto headquarters to report two insur-gents killed, possibly the same menwho detonated the roadside bomb asthe convoy drove past, plus one deaddonkey.
“Today was the first time I shotsomething that hit the ground,” saidSgt. Luke Buccholz, 24, of Paonia,Colo. “It was a donkey. I don’t want togo down as an ass killer.”
Luckily, no one was hurt except forminor cuts and bruises suffered bythe Iraqis who had been blown out oftheir truck. They climbed back in,and the convoy proceeded.
They entered Himbus, a village ofabout 3,500, under cover of darknessand began moving door to door.
They knocked at the front gates ofthe courtyards that typically sur-round an Iraqi house. If no oneanswered, they climbed over the gate,unlatching it and let their fellow sol-diers in.
They wait long enough to let thewomen cover themselves before mov-
ing inside, looking for young and mid-dle-age men whom they suspect arepart of the insurgency. The raid net-ted one prisoner and one rocket-pro-pelled grenade with its launcher.
As dawn broke and roosterscrowed, Col. al-Tammimi announcesin Arabic over a loudspeaker for theentire town to hear:
“We have arrested some of the ter-rorists who kill people in your area.Our aim is to arrest these bad guyswho fight the Iraqi army and [whofight against] justice, freedom anddemocracy in Iraq. We’re sorry if wehave caused you trouble, andHimbus is still a good place in ourhearts.”
Securing a futureWith the sun up and the town
secured, Cloutier and his men walkedthrough town with Capt. Wahab ofthe Tiger Battalion. Humvees withSoldiers manning mounted machineguns drove slowly, offering cover tothe Soldiers on foot.
Like most Iraqi soldiers interviewedfor this article, Capt. Wahab preferedthat only his rank and first name beused.
He and others like him have cho-sen a career with the new Iraqi armyand have cast their future on the suc-cess of America’s “nation-building”effort.
They will be here in Iraq long afterthe Americans leave and, most likely,they and their families will be targetsfor terrorists and insurgents for yearsto come.
Cloutier appreciated the missionjust performed by his Iraqi col-leagues, and his growing confidencein the ability of Iraqi forces to takecharge is evident as he turned toCapt. Wahab.
“The people know that the IraqiArmy is strong. Now they will thinktwice before they attack us,” Cloutiersaid.
Exit strategyThe American exit strategy from
Iraq depends on the ability of Iraqisoldiers such as those under thecommand of men like Col. al-Tammimi and Capt. Wahab to gradu-ally assume the duties now performedby 140,000 U.S.-led coalition forces.
Initial disappointment over the per-formance of Iraqi troops going to thefirst battle of Fallujah in the spring of2004 have given way to a beliefamong American forces and their
Iraqi understudies that the plan isworking.
During a month spent with Iraqiand American soldiers at theNormandy base, this reporter wasable to witness the training, day-to-day interactions with local leaders,the tension that follows each ambushand lighter moments of friendshipbetween Iraqis and Americans.
Bonding prevails in a shared life.When the danger of battle passes,shared laughter readily fills the void.
“We are their friends, first and fore-most,” said Capt. Michael Whitney,29, of North Bend, Ore. “Once youbuild that personal relationship, andsomething happens, it would be apersonal offense to them.”
Building trust begins on the base,said Capt. Whitney, commander ofTask Force 1-30’s Alpha Company.“Here I have the luxury of spendingtime with them. It’s not limited.Personal relationships always comefirst.”
One evening, the Soldiers of AlphaCompany and their Iraqi army siblingMuqdadiyah Company broke bread ata feast of grilled fish that they hadcaught that morning in the DiyalaRiver, which snakes along one edge ofthe 2.5-square-mile base.
“A meal like this is a blessing fromGod,” said Lt. John Newton, 31, ofHague, Va. “I get e-mails from myfriends back home. They watch thenews every day, and they worry forme. I wish they could see me rightnow.”
His colleague, Lt. Talib, agreedwhile reaching with a piece of fresh-baked bread for a scoop of catfish,tomatoes and onions from a sharedplatter.
“We get the same thing. Our fami-lies see things on TV, but they wouldnever guess that we are eating andswimming and fishing,” he said.
‘Build, not fight’Two days after the raid into
Himbus, Cloutier and al-Tammimisat down with a group of sheiks fromthe region in a building just outsidethe base. The sheiks asked for helpwith local problems. Security woesand high unemployment go hand inhand.
“I came here to build, not to fight,”said Cloutier. “But the more time Ispend fighting, the less time I canspend on schools and roads. Attacks
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Hammer Times will accept your stories and photos! Send your submissions digitally by e-mailing the Editor [email protected], or bring them to the Public Affairs Office next to the 3rd BCT TOC on FOB Warhorse.Submissions should be single spaced, non-tab format and are subject to editing of content by the Hammer Times staff.Ensure all identification used in stories includes rank, first name, last name, duty position, hometown and unit. Whensubmitting photos, please include information on all people in the shot. DO NOT embed photographs into the story!Please include author’s point of contact information with all submissions.
“I think it's goodthat everyone hasthe right to votebecause nowthey have thechance to be incontrol of theirown country.”
-- Sgt. Will NievaartHHC, 3rd BCT
"It's groundbreaking, it's his-tory in the mak-ing, it's our goal,it's why we'rehere and I justhope itworks."
-- 2nd Lt. Sarah MillsapsC Co., 117th Signal Bn.
"It's good that wecan hand overtheir country tothem and letthem do whatthey have to doso we can gohome." -- Spc. Tyrone France
B Co., 203rd FSB
"It's going to bean opportunityfor them to havethe right to voteand in their rightto democracy it'sa big step."
-- Capt. Patrick CaukinHHC, 3rd BTB
"I think it's agood step towardIraqi democracyby their people,for their people."
-- Spc. Conrad LaRocque 445th Civil Affairs Bn.
"It's about timethey have a con-stitution. It'sabout timedemocracy comesin and the Iraqipeople havesome kind oflaws they cango by."
-- Private 1st Class Milena Krawczynski
HHC, 203rd FSB
"I think the elec-tions are a goodthing but it’sgoing to be hardto get it started.This country isn'tused to a demo-cratic govern-ment."
"I think the elec-tions are going tobe good for thiscountry. It'll givethem a fresh start.If everything goeswell, thenthe soonerwe get togo home.”
"The referendumis needed in astep towards theirconstitution andhopefully we getthat approved."
-- Sgt. Eric BryantA Co., 203rd FSB
-- Staff Sgt. Wayne AyresA Co., 203rd FSB
-- 2nd Lt. Justin Below HHC, 1st Bn., 30th Infantry
Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
12 Hammer Times Oct. 01, 2005
million. That includes the renovation or construction of 96schools, 46 water projects, 17 electricity projects and 15 health carefacilities.
“I recently visited a neighborhoodthat was receiving electrical power for the first time ever and thepositive response of the Iraqi
people in the village was simply over-whelming,” he said.
The battalion began making animpression on the Diyala people almost from its arrival by repairing abridge across the Tigris river in the small town of As Sindiyah.
“It costs us about $20,000,”Spellmon recalls. “It took us about a month to repair what had been afloating bridge and make it a key
crossing point across the river again.It required divers and welders, but we were able to bring it back upand make it serviceable. On the day it was reopened, the people cameup and thanked us.”
He’s been hooked on rebuilding theprovince ever since, be it a new women’s center in Muqdadiyah or anelectrical upgrade project in Baquba.
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BTB commander ‘hooked’ on making mission a success
Getting voters to the polls the keyhere were going way down until about a month ago. Theterrorists are afraid of what is happening in Muqdadiyah.”
The sheik from Himbus took the opportunity to ask thetwo colonels: “Why are you raiding my village? These aremy uncles and cousins.”
Col. al-Tammimi’s reply begins with a handful of pho-tographs:
“Here are pictures of your uncles and cousins in Syria,”he said, showing pictures of foreign fighters who hadjoined with locals in the village.
“Here are pictures of your uncles and cousins with theweapons we found in their homes.”
The sheik’s long robe ruffles ever so slightly as he stepsforward to examine the photos. “OK, now you’ve got me,”the sheik said, throwing up his hands.
His words still hung in the air when gunfire eruptsdown by the river several hundred yards away. Iraqi andAmerican soldiers, joined by Iraqi police, scramble to takeup positions.
Cloutier wounded one man who is shooting from theriver bank. Then, he gives instructions: “Let’s let the IraqiArmy fight this fight,” he said.
“Let these guys know we are supporting them. They arenot alone. Remember, these guys are in unarmored pick-up trucks.”
EndgameAt some point, the entire base will be turned over to the
Tiger Battalion, and many of the American Soldiers herewill move on to the next mission, elsewhere in Iraq andthen back to their families in the States.
Capt. David Smith, 30, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and theMilitary Transition Team he leads will remain behind, toserve as both a liaison to the Americans and to continuementoring Iraqi units.
During missions, Smith will serve as an observer, andwhen the Iraqis need backup or bigger firepower, he willbe able to call in the Americans.
“I’m here for one thing, and that’s to make these guysbetter. Everything else is gravy after that,” he said.
In the days before the Oct. 15 referendum on the pro-posed constitution, soldiers in the Tiger Battalion willhelp distribute election material, including printed copiesof the constitution that voters will be asked to ratify.
“We all know the elections are coming,” Smith told Iraqiofficers. “These are very important for the future of your
country. Once we get copies of the constitution, it will beprinted in newspapers and broadcast on television.
“I need you to encourage your soldiers and the Iraqipeople to vote. Tell them that it doesn’t matter how youvote but that you vote. But you must read [the constitu-tion].”
He then repeated a warning that one often hears inWashington from President Bush and others — anupsurge in attacks is likely in the days ahead.
“We are looking for the bad people who want to disruptthe election. Be listening for those people and be ready foryour missions. You must be ready to fight,” Smith said.
“Make sure your soldiers wear their equipment andthey are ready to shoot, because [the terrorists and insur-gents] are going to shoot at us.
“It is very important that we show that the Iraqi armyand Iraqi police are working together to provide securityso they are not afraid to vote.
“Our job is to help you and to watch your soldiers. It ismerely a tool to see what you may need help with. It’snothing bad, so please don’t be offended. It is good to haveother eyes.”
Lt. Newton, the executive officer of Alpha Company, hasbeen tapped to observe one pre-election mission in theKhalis, a town near Baquba, about an hour’s drive frombase.
The Tiger Battalion fanned out into the neighborhood,and Newton watched as teams of Iraqi soldiers knockedon each door.
An Iraqi lieutenant holds a list of names of wanted peo-ple. They hand out fliers with phone numbers to call if theresidents witness any trouble.
As a former Army Ranger instructor, Newton is com-fortable with his role as both an observer and an evalua-tor.
“Almost as important as checking the names on the listis getting the flier out and showing the people here thatthey are capable of securing the area,” he said.
As the mission concluded, Newton and 1st Sgt. ThomasHitch, 30, of Columbus, Ohio, paused to chat with theirIraqi comrades.
Newton turned to his Iraqi counterpart, Lt. Haydar toask if he is tired.
“We are never tired. No sleep,” Haydar replied in English.“I guess that’s how Iraqis express their hooah,”
Hitch said.
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