1/23 scouts ahead using eye in the sky

[thedrifter]

1/23 scouts ahead using eye in the sky
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 200410205151
Story by Cpl. Randy Bernard



FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq (Oct. 17, 2004) -- Knowledge of the enemy is key to getting the upper-hand in combat. Marines with Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, are employing aerial technology called the dragon eye to get a better picture on the situation.

The dragon eye is a small, lightweight, fiberglass aircraft mounted with cameras. It is guided by a remote control, allowing for operators to observe dangerous city streets from the sky.

"We use the dragon eye to track enemy positions and locate civilians," said Cpl. Jimmy L. Parker, intelligence analyst with Company C. By having an eye in the sky, Marines can concentrate firepower on the enemy and minimize collateral damage by avoiding civilians.

Remote controlled aircraft have evolved over the years, no longer requiring an operator to physically control the craft.

"You program a set of instructions for the dragon eye and program the route you want," said Lance Cpl. Enrique Linan, dragon eye operator for the company. "After you perform a few pre-flight checks, you launch it and it automatically flies the route."

According to Linan, the aircraft is tracked using a global positioning system. The operator on the ground transmits signals to the dragon eye, guiding it along a pre-programmed route. The operator can also make changes to the aircraft's course during flight.

The dragon eye is mounted with two separate cameras in the nose, one pointing down and another angled to the side of the aircraft. The aircraft can also be fitted with color, black and white and infrared cameras for night operations.

The dragon eye flies with two small battery-powered propellers for distances of more than 40 kilometers at heights of more than 1,000 feet.

"At 1,500 feet I can take a picture and give you a map that will show you all of the streets in the city," said Linan, 27, a native of Harlington, Texas.

With conditions on the battlefield constantly changing, having up-to-date reconnaissance is vital to success.

"It's important to us because it allows us to plan for future ground operations using current imagery," said Parker, 23, from Columbus, Mo. "Satellite imagery taken a month ago is good, but pictures taken this morning are better."

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004102052040/$file/Dragoneye1lr.jpg

Cpl. Jummy L. Parker, intelligence analyst for Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, performs a series of pre-flight checks before the dragon eye takes to the skies. Photo by: Cpl. Randy Bernard

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004102052731/$file/Dragoneye2lr.jpg

Cpl. Jimmy L. Parker, intelligence analyst with Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, launches the dragon eye into the air. Once airborne, the aircraft can remain in flight for up to an hour, traveling 44 kilometers at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Photo by: Cpl. Randy Bernard

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004102053359/$file/Dragoneye3lr.jpg

Lance Cpl. Enrique Linan, the dragon eye operator for Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, makes corrections to the dragon eye's flight from a rooftop station. Cpl. Jimmy L. Parker, intelligence analyst with the company, watches the dragon eye's flight several kilometers away through a headset. Photo by: Cpl. Randy Bernard

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/888DEBA98AEDA15785256F330032D06D?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Mechanic's hobby keeps vehicles in the fight
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division
Story Identification #: 2004102053848
Story by Cpl. Randy Bernard



AL QAIM, Iraq (Oct. 17, 2004) -- The hulking vehicles of 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion endure extreme wear and tear in the deserts of Iraq.

Sergeant Mitchell L. Hopkins, the maintenance chief for 1st platoon, Company C, 2nd AAB, works at keeping these armored brutes roaring and ready to go.

Second AAB rotated into Iraq, taking the responsibility for the vehicles from the hands of 3rd AAB. Some of the amphibious assault vehicles have 2,000 to 2,500 miles on them. In the states, the vehicles normally travel approximately 30 miles a month. Here, they travel approximately 300 miles in that time.

"We had a two week turnover with hand-me-down tracks," said Hopkins, 25, a native of Watkinsville, Ga. "I had to get to work on them as soon as we stepped on deck."

The amphibious assault vehicle crewmen perform regular preventative maintenance, remove rust and handle basic repairs. When something serious goes wrong, Hopkins is the man for the job.

"My job is like being the guy at the auto shop, if there is something you can't handle, you bring it to me," said Hopkins.

Hopkins enlisted in the Marine Corps with an open contract, meaning his job would be selected for him based on the needs of the service.

"I took automotive mechanics in high school. When I came into the Marine Corps, I was thrown into being a mechanic," said Hopkins. "It is lucky for the Marine Corps, I guess, because I got something that I actually enjoy doing."

Going from working on a car to a tracked vehicle was a bit of a change for Hopkins.

"At first I said 'what is an amtrack?' But I was excited when I found out I'd be working on them because I knew a little bit about mechanics," said Hopkins.

What was once a hobby for Hopkins is now a full-time job that he has been working at for more than eight years.

"I enjoy cars and motorcycles, and it is always neat to be able to have a hobby that is your job," said Hopkins. "I've always thought that if I didn't ever have to work for anyone ever again, I'd start my own automotive business and sell parts."

During his time in Iraq, Hopkins has learned there is more to being a mechanic than turning wrenches.

"You learn how to get out of a vehicle with all of your gear on and jump from one vehicle to another while you are getting shot at," said Hopkins. "We aren't just mechanics. I could be manning the vehicle's turrets. I've also been known to drive a few times."

Even though he sees his job as a hobby, and a good experience for him, Hopkins is a vital part of combat-readiness.

"The maintenance chief will make or break a platoon while deployed," said 1stLt. Brian T. Colby, the platoon commander. "If he doesn't fix it, we don't go anywhere."

Hopkins has deployed to Iraq twice but doesn't plan on ending his mechanic career just yet. He reenlisted this earlier this month and upon returning from Iraq he will work at the AAV crewman school at Camp Pendleton, Calif., maintaining the vehicles that crewmen train on.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004102055236/$file/Mech1lr.jpg

Sgt. Mitchell L. Hopkins, maintenance chief for 1st platoon, Company C, 2nd Amphibious Assault Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 7, performs maintenance checks on the engine compartment of an amphibious assault vehicle. Photo by: Cpl. Randy Bernard

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/372D0F1E56ED240B85256F330034FDEB?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

1/12 guarantees mission goes on <br />
Submitted by: MCB Hawaii <br />
Story Identification #: 2004101834438 <br />
Story by Sgt. Jereme L. Edwards <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (Oct. 15, 2004)...

[thedrifter]

Iraqi Children take the 24th MEU
Back to School
Submitted by: 24th MEU
Story Identification #: 2004101855951
Story by Lance Cpl. Sarah A. Beavers



FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq (Oct. 16, 2004) -- Laughter and smiles filled a local school playground as Marines and sailors of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit presented children with various educational provisions during a visit to an elementary school in south-central Iraq. The visit was the latest in the MEU's ongoing Back to School Campaign.

The event provided the children with water, stickers, balloons, sports equipment, and backpacks filled with school supplies, such as notebooks and crayons.

The 24th MEU is working with some 40 schools in Northern Babil Province. The MEU's Marines and sailors are making basic repairs and providing thousands of students with equipment and supplies that will facilitate a prosperous new year of learning.

While major reconstruction efforts in Iraq are planned, the MEU is looking to make a more immediate impact within the community and the lives of the Iraqi children.

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2004101861723/$file/041016-M-1250B-001low.jpg

1st Lt. Vanessa Engel of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit plays pat-a-cake with an Iraqi schoolgirl during an Oct. 16th visit to an elementary school in south-central Iraq. The visit was the latest in the MEU’s ongoing Back to School campaign, a key feature of which provides local Iraqi schoolchildren with water, stickers, balloons, sports equipment, and backpacks full of educational supplies.
Engel, 27, is a Mount Prospect, Ill., native and adjutant with the headquarters detachment of MEU Service Support Group 24.
The 24th MEU is currently conducting security and stability operations in the Northern Babil province.
(Official USMC photo by Lance Cpl. Sarah A. Beavers. This photo is cleared for release.)
Photo by: Lance Cpl. Sarah A. Beavers

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/2E444D952F546BA585256F310036EB57?opendocument

Ellie

[thedrifter]

National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of October 20, 2004

NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense

No. 1046-04
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct 20, 2004
Media Contact: (703)697-5131
Public/Industry Contact: (703)428-0711

National Guard and Reserve Mobilized as of October 20, 2004

This week, the Army announced an increase in the number of reservists
on active duty in support of the partial mobilization, while the Navy, Air Force,
and Marines had a decrease. The Coast Guard reported 1,170. The net collective
result is 563 fewer reservists mobilized than last week.

At any given time, services may mobilize some units and individuals while
demobilizing others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or
decrease. Total number currently on active duty in support of the partial
mobilization for the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 147,003: Naval
Reserve, 3,609; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 9,902; Marine Corps
Reserve, 11,488; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 1,170. This brings the total National
Guard and Reserve personnel, who have been mobilized, to 173,172 including both
units and individual augmentees.

A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel, who are currently
mobilized can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2004/d20041020ngr.pdf.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Disabled Soldier Support System Helping Wounded Troops
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2004 — Six months after introducing its program to help severely disabled soldiers and their families tap into services available to them through the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the officer who oversees the program said it's sending a strong message that the military is standing by them at their time of need.

"(Disabled) soldiers and their families have made a great sacrifice," said Army Col. Jacqueline Cumbo, chief of the Disabled Soldier Support System — DS3 for short -- task force, during an interview today with the Pentagon Channel and the American Forces Press Service. "We want to make sure they know we recognize their sacrifice and have an organization in place to assist them … and that we stand ready to take care of our own."

Since the program was launched in April, DS3 has been helping disabled soldiers cut through red tape to seek out the help or information they need until they can return to active duty or receive a medical retirement from the military.

Cumbo said the intent is eventually to make the program a joint operation, "because we realize that we have soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors that are being injured" worldwide, particularly in support of the war on terror.

Of an estimated 6,000 soldiers who have been wounded during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, Cumbo said 880 are potentially eligible for the DS3 program. To qualify, a medical board must determine that they have a 30 percent or greater disability, such as those involving loss of a limb or eye or paralysis.

DS3 is not a new service, but rather serves as a clearinghouse for a host of services already available through the Defense Department and VA, Army officials explained during the program's launch. This gives disabled soldiers a single starting point for help with their financial, administrative, medical, vocational and other needs. It also helps them sort out the medical and vocational entitlements and other benefits for which they quality.

Six months into the program, Cumbo said disabled soldiers share some common questions and concerns.

"The first thing on their minds is how to remain on active duty," she said. "The soldiers are very patriotic. And their only desire is to continue to serve."

But for soldiers who can't or don't choose to remain in the military, Cumbo said they're concerned about how much pay they will receive if they're medically retired, what educational benefits they quality for and how they can land a civilian job.

Soldiers who've been involved in the program call DS3 a success. Army Staff Sgt. Jerry Cortinas, a Special Forces soldier who lost his left hand and has limited use of his right arm after being attached by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan, said DS3 helped him sort out the services available to him. "I was basically lost," he said. "I didn't know what direction to start walking to get the help I needed."

DS3 "supports the soldier 100 percent," Cortinas said. "This program is a really positive thing to help our past, present and future soldiers," as well as their families.

Cumbo said the Department of Veterans Affairs has proven to be "a great partner" in the program, helping ease disabled soldiers' transition from active duty into the next stage of their lives and careers. Similarly, a wide range of veterans' service organizations and the Department of Labor have been active players in the DS3 program.

For more information about the contact, visit the DS3 Web site or call the program staff toll-free at (800) 833-6622.


Ellie

[thedrifter]

Poor Intelligence Misled Troops About Risk of Drawn-Out War
By MICHAEL R. GORDON

Published: October 20, 2004

In early 2003, as the clock ticked down toward the war with Iraq, C.I.A. officials met with senior military commanders at Camp Doha, Kuwait, to discuss their latest ideas for upending Saddam Hussein's government.

Intelligence officials were convinced that American soldiers would be greeted warmly when they pushed into southern Iraq, so a C.I.A. operative suggested sneaking hundreds of small American flags into the country for grateful Iraqis to wave at their liberators. The agency would capture the spectacle on film and beam it throughout the Arab world. It would be the ultimate information operation.

Lt. Gen. David McKiernan, the commander of allied ground forces, quickly objected. To avoid being perceived as an occupying army, American forces had been instructed not to brandish the flag.

The idea was dropped, but the C.I.A.'s optimism remained.

The agency believed that many of the towns were "ours," said one former staff officer who attended the session. "At first, it was going to be U.S. flags," he said, "and then it was going to be Iraqi flags. The flags are probably still sitting in a bag somewhere. One of the towns where they said we would be welcomed was Nasiriya, where Marines faced some of the toughest fighting in the war."

Just as the intelligence about Iraq's presumed stockpiles of unconventional weapons proved wrong, so did much of the information provided to those prosecuting the war and planning the occupation.

In a major misreading of Iraq's strategy, the C.I.A. failed to predict the role played by Saddam Hussein's paramilitary forces, which mounted the main attacks on American troops in southern Iraq and surprised them in bloody battles.

The agency was aware that Iraq was awash in arms but failed to identify the huge caches of weapons that were hidden in mosques and schools to supply enemy fighters.

On postwar Iraq, American intelligence agencies underestimated the decrepit state of Iraq's infrastructure, which became a major challenge in reconstructing the nation, and concluded erroneously that Iraq's police had had extensive professional training.

And while intelligence experts noted an insurgency in its catalog of possible dangers, it did not highlight that threat.

The National Intelligence Council, senior experts from the intelligence community, prepared an analysis in January 2003 on postwar Iraq that discussed the risk of an insurgency in the last paragraph of its 38-page assessment. "There was never a buildup of intelligence that says: 'It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. This is the end you should prepare for,' " said Gen. Tommy R. Franks, the former head of the United States Central Command and now retired, referring to the insurgency. "It did not happen. Never saw it. It was never offered."

The Central Intelligence Agency has come under harsh criticism for its failings on Iraq's weapons and the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and critics have urged that it be overhauled as part of a broad reform of the nation's intelligence community.

The agency declined requests for interviews for this article and declined to respond to written questions submitted to its chief spokesman.

Richard J. Kerr, a former deputy director who was asked by the agency to review its intelligence analysis on the Iraq war, said in an interview that much American intelligence on postwar Iraq was on the mark, particularly the assessment predicting the resentment of Iraqis if the United States did not transfer power quickly to a new Iraqi government. Still, he acknowledged some deficiencies.

"Intelligence assessments on the likely Iraqi impatience with an extended U.S. presence and the role of the army in Iraqi society were particularly prescient," Mr. Kerr said.

"The intelligence accurately forecast the reactions of the ethnic and tribal factions in Iraq," he said. "These positive comments, however, cannot gloss over the fact that Iraq revealed some serious systemic problems in the intelligence community. Collection was poor. Too much emphasis was placed on current intelligence and there was too little research on important social, political and cultural issues."

Trying to Catch Up

Despite more than a decade of antagonism between Saddam Hussein's government and the United States, the Bush administration was operating with limited information when it began to consider the invasion of Iraq. After the 1991 Persian Gulf war, collecting intelligence on Iraq was not always the top priority for American spy agencies, which were burdened by a multitude of potential crises and threats.

Iraq was considered a Tier 2 country. North Korea, in contrast, was Tier 1. As the agencies saw it, North Korea possessed an active nuclear weapons program and a large conventional army in striking range of South Korea and the American forces there. Iraq was seen more as a gathering threat.

The months before the war were a scramble for more intelligence. The American military did its best to fill the gaps, using Predator drones, U-2 spy planes and other surveillance systems. The land forces command printed 100,000 maps of the southern Iraq oilfields, which the Marines were to secure. Detailed block by block analyses were prepared for downtown Baghdad.

Iraq, in intelligence parlance, was a "glass ball environment," meaning the weather was often conducive to collecting images from above.

Much of the intelligence was derived from reconnaissance systems, not from operatives on the ground. With few spies inside Iraq, the agency relied on defectors, detainees, opposition groups and foreign government services, according to a Senate report.

"Some critics have claimed during the prewar period, we did not have many Iraqi sources, " James L. Pavitt, former deputy director for operations for the agency, said in June in a speech to the Foreign Policy Association.

continued.........

[thedrifter]

"We certainly did not have enough," he said. "Until we put people on the ground in northern Iraq, we had less than a handful. As I mentioned before, the operating environment was tremendously prohibitive, and developing the necessary trust with those Iraqis who had access was extraordinarily difficult in light of the risks they faced. Once on the ground, however, our officers recruited literally dozens of agents - some of whom paid the ultimate price for their allegiance to us."

The C.I.A. inserted agents in the southern oil fields shortly before the war. American intelligence officers obtained the telephone numbers of Iraqi generals and called to encourage them not to fight. Fearful that the calls were a loyalty test by Saddam Hussein, some changed their numbers, which hindered their efforts to talk to each other when the war was under way.

The United States gained a detailed understanding of Iraq's oil infrastructure and obtained a secret map of Iraq's Baghdad defense plan. The C.I.A. also helped debunk one threat that the military had worried about: the possibility that Mr. Hussein's government would flood the country to thwart an allied advance.

The agency, though, turned out to have a less clear understanding of what the United States would face once it invaded Iraq, or of Mr. Hussein's military strategy. In January 2003, the National Intelligence Council issued its assessment of what might happen after the dictator was ousted. The report cautioned that building democracy in Iraq would be difficult because of its authoritarian history. And it warned of the risk that the American forces would be seen as occupiers.

"Attitudes toward a foreign military force would depend largely on the progress made in transferring power, as well as on the degree to which that force were perceived as providing necessary security and fostering reconstruction and a return to prosperity," it said. The report also noted that quick restoration of services would be important to maintain the support of the Iraqi public.

Broader Picture Was Missing

But the analysis was less prescient on other points.

The study underestimated the fragile state of Iraq's infrastructure, suggesting it could be fixed quickly if it were not extensively damaged in the fighting. "Iraqis have restored their physical infrastructure quickly in previous wars," it stated. The United States chose not to attack the electrical grid, knowing that it would soon need to administer and reconstruct Iraq. But the electrical system collapsed from long neglect, and difficulties in restoring the service left much of the capital in darkness and aggravated residents' fears about crime.

In assessing potential threats, the intelligence report also gave far more weight to the possibility of score-settling among Iraqi ethnic groups than to an insurgency. The discussion of that prospect was remarkably brief.

"The ability of Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups to maintain a presence in northern Iraq (or more clandestinely elsewhere) would depend largely on whether a new regime were able to exert effective security and control over the entire country," it noted. "In addition, rogue ex-regime elements could forge an alliance with existing terrorist organizations or act independently to wage guerrilla warfare against a new government or coalition forces."

Mr. Kerr, the former C.I.A. official, said the agency's regional experts were more concerned than the assessment by the National Intelligence Council about the potential threat of guerrilla attacks by paramilitary forces after Mr. Hussein's government was toppled, particularly if American troops stayed in Iraq for a significant period of time. But he acknowledged that the assessments did not anticipate the sort of virulent insurgency that Americans forces now face in Iraq.

"They did believe there would be a fairly significant stay-behind group of Saddam loyalists and fedayeen that would attract outside support," he said. "But it would be stretching it to reach too far down this line. I could not justify saying that they predicted the war as it has developed."

Gaps Become Apparent

From the start of the war, it was clear that some of the intelligence was off.

On March 19, 2003, for example, George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence, told the White House that he had firm evidence that Mr. Hussein and his family were in a suburb near Baghdad known as Dora Farms. The Iraqi leader and his two sons were thought to be hiding in a concrete bunker; the C.I.A. provided exact coordinates.

Lt. Gen. Michael (Buzz) Moseley, the air war commander, who was at an air base in Saudi Arabia, quickly developed a plan for stealth fighters to drop satellite-guided bombs, followed by cruise missiles. The planes hit their targets. But when American forces got to Dora Farms after the fall of Baghdad, they discovered there was no underground bunker at that site, General Moseley said in an interview last year.

The Iraqis responded to the attack by firing missiles at American forces in Kuwait. American intelligence learned that a small number of oil wells had been set on fire, so the land war was accelerated.

Senior military officers and intelligence analysts had expected that the Iraqi leader would center his defense in Baghdad, and planned for a decisive battle against his Republican Guard divisions and special military and paramilitary units in the capital. The American forces discovered in the first days of the war that the Iraqis had a different strategy. The Marines learned this the hard way.

Task Force Tarawa, a Marine unit assigned to secure the bridges in eastern Nasiriya, was told that a C.I.A. source had reported that Iraq's 11th Infantry Division, which was to guard the bridges, would probably surrender. Convinced that Nasiriya would be a relatively easy fight, senior Marine commanders did not make any reconnaissance drones available.

The fight in Nasiriya turned out to be one of the toughest of the war. Thousands of paramilitary fighters, the Saddam Fedayeen, had taken up positions there and in the other southern cities, including Samawa and Najaf, determined to put down any Shiite rebellion and to draw the Americans into bloody bouts of urban warfare. In Nasiriya, the Marines' mission was complicated when the Army 507th Maintenance Battalion - made famous when Pfc. Jessica Lynch was taken prisoner - stumbled into the city. The Marines suffered 18 dead the first day, some by American fire, after it ran into hordes of Iraqi fighters.

"All indications were that it would not be much of a fight, that the Iraqis were probably going to capitulate," recalled Joseph Apodaca, a retired lieutenant colonel who served as the intelligence officer for the task force that fought in Nasiriya. "After that contact in Nasiriya, I lost quite a bit of faith in national-level reporting."

Flawed intelligence led to other units' being caught by surprise, too. In Samawa, the Army's Third Squadron, Seventh Cavalry Regiment had been told, based on intelligence reports, to be prepared to conduct a parade to show solidarity with the inhabitants.

Sgt. First Class Anthony Broadhead, who led a group of Bradley fighting vehicles and M-1 tanks into the city, was standing in the hatch of his tank and waving when the Iraqis responded by shooting. A fierce firefight between the soldiers and the paramilitary forces broke out.

"The fighting that occurred in Samawa was not with conventional Iraqi forces but with Saddam Fedayeen and Baath Party members," noted Lt. Col. Terry Ferrell, the unit's commander. "In the intelligence summaries, we had heard about this type of enemy, but they had not been given any credit for being as tenacious and capable of fighting as they demonstrated not only in this battle, but in every other fight the squadron encountered."

The flawed information provided to the units in Nasiriya and Samawa were not the only lapses. American intelligence knew Iraq had huge quantities of conventional weapons, but did not realize that arms caches has been established in schools, hospitals and mosques as part of the strategy to turn the southern cities into bastions for the Saddam Fedayeen.

"What intelligence did not reveal was the magnitude of the regime's weapons holdings," the First Marine Division noted in its after-action report. "Huge caches were hidden in every area of the country, but it was only after the division closed on those facilities that the full magnitude of the distribution of tons of weapons and ammunition throughout the country came to light."

The failure of the American intelligence agencies to detect the paramilitary forces in the south made it harder to anticipate the potential for an insurgency, Colonel Apodaca said. "They are good at reaching into the higher levels of organizations, but those guys don't see clearly what is going on at the bottom," he said.

An American general who asked not be identified because of the sensitivity of his position said: "I think it is safe to say we had an accurate picture of their forces in terms of their general capability and size. But we did not have a good sense of how they were intended to be used. We started out with a deficit of human intelligence, of sources inside."

Misreading the Consequences

Even in the last days of Mr. Hussein's government, some preliminary reports suggested that a guerrilla campaign could emerge once he was toppled.

On April 5, 2003, a Defense Intelligence Agency task force said the Baathists had made plans to wage a protracted guerrilla war and would form a tactical alliance with Islamic jihadists. Their goal, the task force said, was to produce casualties so that the American public would push for United States forces to quit Iraq.

On April 9, American intelligence agencies issued a "sense of the community" memo - their collective judgment - which concluded that Baath Party cadres, Iraqi security forces and paramilitary fighters were operating independently under longstanding orders. They could be expected to fight on until they were neutralized, Saddam Hussein was killed or senior Iraqi leaders whom they respected ordered them to stop fighting. Even then, the memo said, some would fight on.

continued..........

[thedrifter]

Later, after the fall of Baghdad, American intelligence would learn more about preparations that had been made for a guerrilla campaign. The Iraq Survey Group, which was sent to Iraq primarily to search for evidence of unconventional weapons, uncovered some documents. The papers concerning Falluja, Iraq's most volatile city, identified storage areas for weapons caches and provided the names of 75 Saddam Fedayeen and 12 suicide volunteers who were expected to join in the fight.

The battle for the future of Iraq has only intensified as the insurgency has become entrenched. It has now taken thousands of lives, crippled reconstruction, threatened election of a new Iraqi government and forced American troops to engage in a grueling guerrilla conflict. The C.I.A. and other intelligence services are deeply involved in gathering information to help subdue the rebels controlling some of Iraq's cities, trying to fill in the gaps that existed when the Americans invaded Iraq.

"We understood their conventional force, their missiles programs, their air force," recalled Maj. Gen. James M. (Spider) Marks, now retired, who served as the chief intelligence officer for the land war command. "The elements of power which we could assess from a distance we assessed quite well. What we missed was the fine granularity that you get from a physical presence on the ground, by interacting with the Iraqi people over the years. Since 1991, we lost our finger on the pulse of the Iraqi people and built intelligence assessments from a distance. We did not appreciate the 'fear factor' and the grip that the regime had on the people."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/20/international/20war.html?pagewanted=4


Ellie

[thedrifter]

10-18-2004

A Marine Officer In Iraq Sounds Off



1 – Tactical AO MAPS

“There is an extreme shortage of maps of the local area where we have been patrolling. Despite the billions of dollars being spent here, our infantry boys are still without some absolute essentials. Our platoon has one good map which a Lance Corporal from the old unit gave me.”

2 – Advanced Combat Optical Gunsites (ACOG)

“One young Marine from our Company spent $1045.00 to purchase his own scope (ACOG) for his M-16, because the ‘Corps did not provide him with one. He is a Lance Corporal and that is probably as much money as he makes in a month…what inspired and inspiring boys. About half our men have been issued these “ACOG” scopes, but they are old models; my Lance Corporal, hopefully, will have a world class scope that will truly protect life.”

3 – Radios, Translators and Men on-the-ground (following based on phoncon):

“There are not enough infantry RADIOS for the foot-patrolling Marines to ensure good comms and coord; There are not enough Arab speakers and translators to do the job right, and there are not enough Marines—certainly not enough to effectively try and accomplish the counter-insurgency missions being assigned.”

4 – Body Armor

“The patrol left the front gate at about midnight, and we walked the first 3 ½ hours without stopping. The collective weight of the flack-jacket, water, ammunition, helmet, and rifle is easily 60-pounds, so after 210 minutes of hiking, most of us were staggering like drunks. My quadriceps were so fatigued that the slightest change in the footing (small hills or small depressions) would send me reeling. I was literally tripping over pebbles and the ache in my shoulders (the trapezius muscles especially) did little to improve my coordination and concentration. Though I found much comic relief through the duration of the mission (like every mission), I definitely led the column in the statistic, “Obscenities Whispered Per Kilometer.” I am untouchable in that department at times.”

5 – Mission Accomplishment and Troop Welfare

“Regarding my two conflicting, platoon leader duties: (1) succeeding in the combat mission, and (2) ensuring the safety of my Marines, I have run into a concept that is probably new to the Marine Corps. In our Officer Schools, it was emphatically taught that the “mission” takes priority over the “welfare of the Marines” – you could not win on the battlefield if the priorities were reversed. Yet now there is a perception (or understanding) within the intelligence community that the political fallout (at the national level) is so severe, when anyone is killed, that losing Marines is tantamount to failing at the mission or undermining the war effort. Consequently, we are habitually sending 20 Marines out on tasks that only require 4, in the name of being “careful,” and we are wearing so much armor that we can hardly walk. This approach, I believe, is not helping to win the war (we are moving too slow and cautious) but the decision-makers are certainly trying to keep the men alive (which will please you all, I know).”


http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Special%20Reports.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=336&rnd=658.880304600357


Ellie

[thedrifter]

USA Today <br />
October 20, 2004 <br />
Pg. 9 <br />
<br />
Army Wary About Loose Lips <br />
<br />
<br />
They sunk ships in WWII and are a risk in Iraq from troops' e-mail, cellphones

[thedrifter]

October 25, 2004

New scopes make devil dogs deadlier

By Laura Bailey
Times staff writer


If you’ve fought in Iraq or are there now, chances are you’ve already seen it, used it, fallen in love with it. Now, Marines back home are going to get one, too.
It’s the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight, the rifle scope Marines have been putting to the combat test in limited numbers in Iraq, and the same one the Corps has decided to field across the fleet.

Between this new rifle combat optic and the Corps’ new focus on advanced combat shooting courses, the deadliest marksmen in the world are about to get deadlier.

“The guys that can tell you the most about the ACOG are the terrorists we kill daily in combat,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Terry Walker, 2nd Marine Division gunner. “The first thing they say is, ‘Call off your snipers.’ But they aren’t snipers. They’re just Marines.

“It is the biggest leap forward in combat-shooting assistance in years,” Walker said. “It takes Marines that were good shooters and makes them better. It takes marginal shooters and makes them good.”

The four-power scopes, manufactured by Trijicon of Wixom, Mich., magnify targets and allow Marines to shoot at extended ranges with greater accuracy out to 800 meters. Mounted to the M16A4 rifle, the scope allows the Marine to keep both eyes open while shooting, increasing his situational awareness.

About 3,000 ACOGs are currently in Iraq with the I Marine Expeditionary Force, and II MEF will fall in on those sights when the commands turn over in-country this spring.

The ACOGs were first purchased for Marines in Iraq as an interim fix once the call went out for optically enhanced gun sights.

Now, after testing a number of optics at Camp Lejeune, N.C., the Marine Corps has decided Trijicon’s TA31 will be its rifle combat optic of choice. It’s the same model as those now used in Iraq, albeit with a red “donut” reticle pattern instead of a chevron pattern.

A total of 4,200 will go out throughout the Corps in December; the aim is to field 53,000 scopes by 2010.

Those fielded so far have been received with almost universal enthusiasm.

“The one thing that every Marine agrees [on] and wants is an ACOG scope,” said CWO2 Fred Bourne, gunner for 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. Bourne returned in August from Iraq, where his battalion had use of 200 ACOGs.

“This scope alone has saved Marines’ lives and has struck fear into the enemy. It would be a crime not to field every Marine with a magnified four-power optic,” he said, adding that with the optic, Marines in the battalion logged kills at distances as far away as 722 meters.

It’s not just a tool for long- distance shooting, though. Marines also took advantage of their ACOGs in close engagements under 50 meters and as observation devices, like binoculars, while on watch.

“In the city, it was much more valuable than the [M249 Squad Automatic Weapon] or [M240G machine gun] because, for once, we had the ability to look out into windows and down the alleys,” he said.

The ACOG is said to be extremely sturdy and its illuminated reticle functions without batteries, using a fiber-optic light collector by day and tritium by night. Tritium is a low-level radioactive isotope used in self-illuminating devices such as exit signs in buildings.

And with a clear picture of their target instead of the blurry sight picture found with iron sights, Marines using ACOGs are better able to tell whether their intended target is armed, said CWO3 Jeffery L. Eby, senior gunner for Regimental Combat Team 7 in Iraq.

“It is an absolute necessity in this guerrilla war where we have to identify our opponent from the civilian-dressed masses,” he said.

Training time

But with new gear comes new training requirements, and it’s up to Weapons Training Battalion and Training and Education Command at Quantico, Va., to figure out how to fit the new optics into marksmanship training.

The 53,000 ACOGs will be distributed throughout the three Marine Expeditionary Forces, the 4th Marine Division, the two Schools of Infantry at Lejeune and Camp Pendleton, Calif., and Weapons Training Battalion at Quantico, according to Col. Mark Brilakis, who commands the Quantico weapons training battalion.

As part of the initial buy, every infantry battalion will receive the scopes.

The infantry schools will get ACOGs in January and will begin training Marines with them soon afterward, in the infantry squad leader’s course, infantry unit leader’s course and the scout sniper basic course, Brilakis said.

At the same time, Weapons Training Battalion will incorporate similar training in the small-arms weapons instructor course and the basic and advanced sniper courses at Quantico.

Troops in Iraq generally undergo a three-day training package, Eby said. But fitting the training into an already packed training schedule back home won’t be quite so straightforward.

While those who have used ACOGs say they’re easy to use, there’s still a need for training.

“You need to practice,” said Sgt. Jeremy Boulware, 28, a marksmanship instructor with 2nd Marine Division. “You have to get used to it. You can’t just pick it up and go to combat with it.”

Marines will continue to train on the fundamentals of marksmanship, including the use of iron sights, but it is unclear how much training time will be devoted to the optics.

The Corps is in the midst of working on a training package, which will go to Training and Education Command for approval.

“We’ll talk to the School of Infantry to see how they’re doing this to make sure we’re on the right road to make sure everyone who’s getting training is getting it correctly,” Brilakis said.

The larger question is how optics will be incorporated in annual rifle requalification, Brilakis said.

“That will be an interesting discussion across the board of the Marine Corps,” he said.

The Corps could develop an adjunct requalification test to go along with the standard requal now in place, but Brilakis stressed that it is just one of many options being considered.

C. Mark Brinkley contributed to this report from Jacksonville, N.C.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-MARINEPAPER-320721.php

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Britain Agrees to U.S. Troops Request

By ED JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

LONDON - Britain agreed Thursday to meet a U.S. request to move British troops into volatile central Iraq (news - web sites) to free up American forces for a stepped-up assault on insurgents, a proposal that has met strong opposition within the governing Labour Party.


Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon told lawmakers that military chiefs had concluded the level of risk to British soldiers was acceptable. The soldiers are moving from the relatively peaceful south to a zone where Sunni insurgents have been carrying out daily attacks on U.S. troops and Iraqis.


An armored battlegroup of 850 soldiers from the First Battalion Black Watch — complete with medics, signalers and engineers — will be redeployed for a "limited and specific period of time, lasting weeks rather than months" to relieve U.S. troops, Hoon said.


He did not say when the redeployment would begin and refused to give further details of the "location, duration or specifics of the mission" for security reasons. He said only that they would "deploy to an area within MNF (West)" — the western sector of the multinational force.


"After careful evaluation, the chiefs of staff have advised me that U.K. forces are able to undertake the proposed operation, that there is a compelling military operational justification for doing so, and that it entails a militarily acceptable level of risk for U.K. forces," Hoon said in a statement to the House of Commons.


"Based on this military advice, the government has decided that we should accept the U.S. request for assistance," Hoon added. "This deployment is a vital part of the process of creating the right conditions for the Iraqi elections to take place in January."


He said there were no plans to raise British troop numbers within Iraq.


The senior British commander in Iraq, however, said more British troops could be sent to the country to boost security ahead of the Iraqi elections.


"There may be a request to surge additional forces into Iraq in the run-up to the elections — that has been discussed," Gen. John McColl was quoted as saying by The Times newspaper. "But it is no more than prudent planning at this stage."


U.S. military commanders asked on Oct. 10 whether Britain would send a unit currently stationed in southern Iraq to the U.S.-controlled sector farther north.


British ministers said the move would free up American forces to intensify their attacks on insurgents as the coalition tries to stabilize Iraq ahead of elections in January.


But some lawmakers are deeply suspicious it is a political gesture to provide cover for President Bush (news - web sites) in the closing days of the U.S. presidential race. Bush has faced repeated accusations from Democratic nominee John Kerry (news - web sites) that America is going it alone in Iraq. Some suggest the redeployment would him to reassure voters that U.S. troops were not alone in Iraq's most volatile areas.


Britain has some 9,000 troops in Iraq, operating in the relatively peaceful area around the southern port city of Basra. Sending British soldiers into the U.S.-controlled sector, where there are more attacks by insurgents, carries a risk of higher casualties and would be politically sensitive for Blair. Sixty-eight British soldiers have been killed in Iraq, compared with more than 1,000 U.S. troops.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041021/ap_on_re_mi_ea/britain_iraq_14

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines reach out to local community <br />
Submitted by: 1st Marine Division <br />
Story Identification #: 2004101954339 <br />
Story by Lance Cpl. Miguel A. Carrasco Jr. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
AL SITCHER, Iraq (Oct.13, 2004) --...

[thedrifter]

Charges Vs. Marine In Iraq Abuse Tossed <br />
Associated Press <br />
October 21, 2004 <br />
<br />
SAN DIEGO - Charges have been dismissed against the former commander of a detention facility where an Iraqi prisoner...

[thedrifter]

October 21, 2004

Widows plan to run marathon

By Gidget Fuentes
Times staff writer


OCEANSIDE, Calif. — Eleven women who have lost husbands, brothers or friends to the war in Iraq are taking their grief on the road. Called the “Band of Sisters,” the women plan to run in the Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 31 in Washington, D.C., and are raising money for scholarship funds in the names of two Marines who died in Iraq, Maj. Richard “Rick” Gannon and Capt. Brent Morel.
Both widows, Sally Gannon and Amy Morel, are among the Band of Sisters running the 26.2-mile race with some 20,000 other racers. It will be their first marathon.

Rick Gannon, a company commander with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, from Twentynine Palms, Calif., died April 17. He was a father of four children, Richard, 12, Patrick, 7, Conner, 5, and Maria, 2. A scholarship trust fund will provide money for the children.

The women are also running in memory of Brent Morel, 27, a platoon commander with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion from Camp Pendleton who died April 7. Amy Morel, who lives in Tennessee, hopes to raise money for a memorial scholarship fund in her husband’s name through the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. The Morels had no children.

Since they organized last spring, the Band of Sisters has been collecting money and soliciting donors. The 1st Marine Division Association donated money for the marathon registration and bibs, at $85 each. They have asked for donations of at least $1 for every mile run for the scholarship funds.

Tax-deductible donations for the “Richard J. Gannon Memorial Scholarship Fund” may be mailed to: Band of Sisters, c/o Karen, 404 Koelper St., Oceanside, CA 92054.

Donations for the “Brent Morel Scholarship” may be sent to: Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 3008, Princeton, NJ 08543-3008.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=0-292925-464585.php

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Marines vent frustration in lonely corner of Iraq
Casualties mount among troops patrolling far western borderThe Associated Press

QAIM, Iraq - The sound of the Black Hawk medical helicopter is an ominous sign for the Marines patrolling this forgotten western corner of Iraq that borders Syria. It means that one of them is seriously wounded or killed at the hands of their elusive enemy or the bombs he had laid in waiting.

The sound of roaring engine, shattering evening calm, gets immediately followed up with a quick whisper among the troops, trying to find out who was it, this time.

At this Marine base few miles away from the Syrian border to the far west of the restless Anbar province, the news spreads quickly.

“We are losing guys left and right,” says Cpl. Cody King, 20, of Phoenix, Ariz. “All we are doing around here is getting blown up,” he says, not hiding his anger.

Most of the incidents these days in this far flung corner of Iraq, enveloped by an endless desert, dried up river beds and winding dirt roads, include 155 mm artillery shells, mines and other sort of crude home made bombs, which are among the biggest killer of troops in this war. They make the Marine’s enemy faceless and only heighten the feeling of vulnerability, not assuaged by the limited armor at their disposal.

King and his fellow Marines from the weapons company of the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, spoke in between patrols, huddled together and sifting through their log book venting their anger and frustration, but never speaking of fear.

Chronicle of attacks
Among other things their green leather bound book lists are the number of times their company was hit by homemade bombs since they got to Iraqi two months ago. Written in fine careful print, the book contains names of those who were killed or wounded during those incidents.

On Sept. 3, during their first patrol since coming back to Iraq, a thunderous blast ripped through a group of Marines that King was with, as they were providing security for the engineers repairing a bridge over the Euphrates river, near the town of Ubayd.

Four Marines were killed and three were wounded when a home made bomb went off, sending shrapnel and debris flying. Some of the those killed were barely recognizable, said King, who escaped unscathed.

Marine deaths per month in Iraq, have in recent months exceeded those suffered by the Army, even though the Army have at least three times as many troops in Iraq. It is difficult to pinpoint the reasons for the unusually high death toll for the Marines because they limit details on the circumstances of battle deaths to either “enemy action” or “non-combat related.”

The Army specifies the type of weapon that caused the death as well as the city where it happened.

“After you lose so many Marines, you just keep fighting to stay alive,” King, a son of a Vietnam veteran, say.

But for some of the Marines lack of armor, few vehicles and too restrictive rules of engagement are partly to blame.

“We need more armor, more vehicles and more bodies,” says King.

Frustrated by rules of engagement
Gunnery Sgt. Jason Berold, says that rules, as they are now, are very frustrating. Unless they see insurgents shooting at them or have otherwise what they call positive identification, little they can do but watch as they leg it and melt among the people.

“It is very frustrating,” says Berold, 38, of Los Angeles.

“All we are doing is getting Americans killed and we cannot do much about it,” says King, as the other marines in the room nod in approval.

“None of us are scared of going out ... as long as you get one bad guy.”

But now because of the existing rules of the engagement, the only thing left after the incidents, is to “pick up your dead and wounded and get out of there as soon as possible,” King says.

Sgt. Ryan Hall, 27, says that a “50:50” chance of getting blown up on patrol, is a good bet among his troops. As he walks outside the compound, Hall, of Abilene, Texas, points to the damage that their company vehicles, have suffered in the recent patrols. There are cracks in the armored windshield of their Humvees from flying shrapnel. Holes on the back and damage to its side.

As they spoke, shortly after darkness fell in this distant base, another sound of the helicopter signaled what they all knew.

“You do not know whether he will survive,” King says.

That night alone, only one made it, after a suicide car bomber ram into their patrol near the town of Qaim. Two soldiers and one Marine died.

© 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6278816/

Ellie

[thedrifter]

Staff Sergeant Sentenced in Detainee Abuse Trial <br />
American Forces Press Service <br />
<br />
WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2004 – An Army staff sergeant who pleaded guilty to several charges Oct. 20 stemming from...

[thedrifter]

2 U.S. soldiers die in Baghdad helicopter crash

COLIN MCMAHON

Knight Ridder Tribune News Service


BAGHDAD - Two U.S. soldiers were killed and two wounded Saturday night as a pair of Army helicopters crashed in southwest Baghdad, the military said, bringing to at least six the number of American troops killed in Iraq since midday Friday.

The American losses came as the Iraqi people and U.S. officials braced for attacks to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Explosions rocked five Christian churches Saturday morning in Baghdad, and a mortar round landed in the garden of a Baghdad hospital, killing an Iraqi worker and wounding three others. There were no casualties in the church explosions.

Meanwhile, U.S. warplanes and heavy armor resumed their punishing bombing campaign of the insurgent-held city of Fallujah, Reuters reported. A witness said tanks were shelling suspected guerrilla positions from a highway outside the city.

Fallujah Hospital officials said U.S. artillery shells fell on a house in Halabsa village, 10 miles southwest of the city, killing a 3-year-old girl and injuring four family members.

Military officials said coalition forces destroyed an illegal insurgent checkpoint Saturday night in the Jolan neighborhood of Fallujah. The military said insurgents "were heavily armed and were using the blockade to disrupt traffic, intimidate and harass local citizens." They called it a key to militant movement in and out of the city.

Fallujah community leaders, who had broken off peace talks with the interim Iraqi government last week, offered Saturday to resume negotiations if U.S. forces stopped their assault and released their leading negotiator. The military confirmed Marines had arrested Sheik Khaled al-Jumeili on Friday, but officials declined to say why he was detained or where he was being held.

The United States says the strikes are aimed at disrupting guerrilla bands planning car bombings and other attacks and have damaged the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group. U.S. and Iraqi officials believe al-Zarqawi's group is taking refuge in Fallujah. Fallujah leaders deny that, even in the face of Iraqi government threats of a Marine-led assault on the city.

The stepped-up bombing of Fallujah does not mean a land assault on the city is imminent, U.S. officials said. But residents said the latest round of air attacks and artillery shelling was more intense than ever, and it was accompanied by land maneuvers, as Marines tightened checkpoints in hopes of containing or capturing guerrillas.

The cause of the Baghdad helicopter crashes, which occurred at 8:30 p.m. local time, had yet to be determined. The four other deaths came Friday as a result of car bombs, the military said.

Two soldiers, a Marine and a civilian Iraqi translator were killed Friday night around Qaim near the Syrian border, the military said. The other soldier died after a car bomber attacked his convoy near Mosul in the north.

The deaths brought to at least 1,088 the number of U.S. troops killed since the United States invaded Iraq in March 2003.


http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/9939984.htm

Ellie

[thedrifter]

C-23 Sherpa: 'The aircraft that can' in Iraq


By Juliana Gittler, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, October 20, 2004


BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Fourteen hours before takeoff, the operations center of the 171st Aviation Regiment, owner of the C-23 Sherpa, gets a call that absentee ballots must absolutely, positively get to an airfield southwest of Mosul.

Can it do it? Of course.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 James Jackson, operations officer, adds an extra stop on a planned flight to Mosul.

Throughout the evening, he’ll continue to change the cargo list: adding a needed box of blood for one stop and a crew of F-16 mechanics to another. Each time the phone rings, the mission can change.

“The Sherpa is the aircraft that can,” said Lt. Col. Steven Campfield, commander of the 6th Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, which includes the Sherpa company. “I would say the Sherpa has been the workhorse in this theater.”

It moves critical supplies such as blood, repair parts and ammunition to anywhere with an airstrip.

For safety, pilots fly low and fast, racing along at 200 miles per hour, 100 feet above ground or occasionally lower.

“We dodge power lines,” said pilot Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dave Smith. “We’re down there with the helicopters for the most part.”

Danger in a tin can

Back in the States, Sherpas have the same mission, moving small groups of people and medium-size cargo loads.

“All we really did was lift up, change the scenery and add the threat,” said Maj. John D. Boyer, company commander.

The threats, surface-to-air missiles, small-arms and indirect fire, force pilots to fly in a safety zone barely off the ground, a place many pilots have flown before.

“A lot of [flying] tactics are determined from reaching back in our brains to our helicopter days. Although you’re moving a lot faster than a helicopter, it’s not very different,” Boyer said.

At a low altitude, pilots use vision, not instruments, to navigate. Pilots and crew stand constant watch for wires, towers, hapless birds and anything suspicious on the ground.

“When we first got here, everything was out of the ordinary,” said Sgt. Eric Muse, flight engineer. “That was kind of unnerving.”

Very few Sherpas have been attacked and none have been hit. The speed and low flights mean that by the time the enemy sees the plane, it’s gone.

“You always worry about it, but you get used to it,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ken Long.

It’s often the more banal obstacles that are a concern.

“When you’re going 200 miles an hour, a 3-pound bird can have a huge impact,” Smith said.

“All of us have hit birds,” Jackson added. “I’ve seen some birds do some really bad things. Large flocks of small birds, they look just like a big cloud in front of you.”

It’s low enough to see rocks and shrubs, and smiles —or not — on people’s faces.

“You can see their expressions, it’s great,” Muse said.

Pilots say flying low isn’t necessarily difficult but requires intense concentration and can tire out a crew quickly.

“It’s demanding at low altitude,” Smith said. “It’s physically demanding.”

And unlike during higher-elevation flights, crews can never take a breather and rely on autopilot.

On hot days, the cockpit can reach 130 degrees and the heat causes greater turbulence.

Out of the sky

Sherpas belong to the Army National Guard. They’ve been in use in the States for more than a decade but are now proving their mettle.

The aircraft came to the Army unexpectedly, said Dale Chrisenberry, company maintenance officer.

In the 1980s, Congress bought 12 from a company in Northern Ireland. The Army tried using them, then handed them to the National Guard. Congress bought a total of 44 for the Guard after they proved effective in moving people and cargo in the United States.

They served a limited role in the Persian Gulf War, moving cargo in the rear. For Operation Iraqi Freedom, they were brought in to Kuwait to take some burden off other means of transportation, Chrisenberry said.

To cut flying time and distance, the unit moved this year to Balad, a more central city in the country. From the hub there, pilots circle out to local airstrips, from Mosul in the north to Kuwait in the south.

The C-23 can move quickly around the theater and provide similar supply capabilities as the CH-47 Chinook.

“They needed something in the theater that could do what the Chinook does but with less down time for maintenance,” Chrisenberry said. “There’s nothing in the middle but the C-23.”

Sherpas move about a half million tons of cargo a month and have ferried 9,000 people in six months, Campbell said.

“We can move 200 pounds of blood to Mosul in two hours,” he said.

In July, with a day’s notice, the company raced blood and ammunition to Fallujah to replenish Marines fighting there.

Not built for looks

Most people are surprised when they see the boxy prop.

“That’s one thing we’re actually kidded about,” Chrisenberry said. “It looks like an antique.”

The planes, all about 20 years old, are made of aluminum boxes welded together. Inside, the ceiling is 6 feet high. They’re made cheap and are perfect for cargo.

“It’s a very durable aircraft. It’s not built for looks,” Chrisenberry said.

For passengers, the ride can be uncomfortable, particularly in summer when turbulent air builds at low levels, giving it more of a roller coaster ride than a cruising plane.

“It’s a trickledown effect,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jerry Baker. “Once one person goes, several go.”

The ride might be exhilarating or dreadful, depending on your constitution, but the aircraft is certainly memorable. So, too, is its function.

And it’s likely to play a role in the Army’s future inner-theater, midsize transportation plan.

“What we’re doing here is proof of concept,” said Boyer. “This is definitely going to change Army aviation indefinitely.”

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=25008

Ellie