Sgt Stryker

Sgt. Stryker here. You have probably seen this all over by now, but I want to share a quote from ISAF about this horrible act.

“The continuing use of Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl as a means of propaganda is a deplorable act and only fuels our efforts to find him and bring him home. The insurgents who hold Bowe are obviously using him as a means to ultimately cause pain to his family and friends. It continues to reflect the cruel tactics designed to deceive the Afghan people and the international community of their true intentions. We will continue our search for Bowe as well as our efforts to ensure the security of the Afghan people and our coalition partners,” said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, director of communication, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force – Afghanistan.

This is a good statement, I think, but I’m going to take it a little further. I wouldn’t want to be those bad guys when the good guys do come to rescue their own. There’s no telling what will happen. I’m sure the troops will follow all the rules, but this is getting personal when a prisoner is paraded around and used to further the cause of the terrorists. I don’t know about you, but this has really got me upset. If you agree with me, you should write the media and tell them to start running more about the military. You should also write your congressman and let them know that they should be supporting the troops no matter where they stand on the way or any other issue.

Health care may be on the mind of most Americans – as well as the recession – but we cannot forget our troops, our soldiers, especially the ones who are being held hostage by the bad guys and need our help. The time to stand up and support the troops is now. If you’ve held this feeling in your heart a while and haven’t done anything, it’s time to shake out of that and do something to support the troops. If you need ideas on how to support the troops, let me know and I’ll give you some.

But for now … Sgt. Stryker out.

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Knowst Province Activity

U.S. Army Spc. Kevin Grimes, Delta Company 3-187 Infantry Regiment, sets up a mortar at Outpost Sabari. Grimes ensures the mortars are operational in the event of an attack Khowst Province, Afghanistan, April 4. Photo by Staff Sgt. Billie J. Nelson Jr

An Afghan-international security force searched a series of buildings in the Terayzai District. During the search the security force captured a Haqqani IED cell leader, who confirmed his identity, Khowst province, Afghanistan, Jan. 1. (Army photo/Staff Sgt. David Bertles)

A member of an Afghan-international security force secures the entrance of a compound during a mission in the Sabari District, Khowst province, Afghanistan, Feb. 19. (Army photo/Staff Sgt. David Bertles)

U.S. Army Spc. Kevin Grimes, Delta Company 3-187 Infantry Regiment, explains the fundamentals of setting up a mortars to members of the Afghan national army, Khowst Province, Afghanistan, April 4. Photo by Staff Sgt. Billie J. Nelson Jr

You may not hear it on the nightly news or read it in the daily papers that much anymore, but rest assured that the terrorist crackdown in Iraq is continuing. Iraqi forces, with U.S. advisers, continued their assault on al-Qaida in Iraq this month, arresting one terrorism suspect near Baghdad and two others in Mosul according to military press releases.

On April 7, 2010, In the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Iraqi forces arrested two suspected associates of an al-Qaida in Iraq leader for eastern Mosul during a combined operation with U.S. forces. The combined force searched multiple buildings with a court warrant for the suspected al-Qaida in Iraq leader, who is believed to have played a key role in acquiring vehicles and weapons used to carry out assassinations in Mosul. After a preliminary investigation at the scene, Iraqi forces identified and arrested two suspected criminal associates of the wanted man.

On April 9, 2010, Iraqi security forces arrested a man suspected in vehicle-borne bombings in the Baghdad area after a combined patrol searched a building just west of the capital city for another man believed to be his associate in the bombings.

And these are just two “small” events that have occurred as the US troops continue their mop=up operation, keeping Iraq safe so that it can heal and grow. It has been a long, hard road, but the end is coming. We’re not going to scurry away until the job is done – you can count on that. Which is why “little” events like this that put the terrorists in their place are so important for the “big picture” war and winning it.

Until next time – Sgt. Stryker out…

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Peshmerga soldiers “Pass in Review”

Peshmerga soldiers “Pass in Review” during graduation ceremonies April 8, in Dohuk province, Iraq. The ceremony was held in honor of the Peshmerga soldiers completing their military training. Photo by Spc. Darwin Seehusen

Soldiers from 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division render honors to wounded soldiers arriving at Forward Operating Base Diamondback during a visit on April 7. The Soldiers participating in the Wounded Warrior’s “Proper Exit” program get the send off home they missed when they were evacuated from Iraq due to injuries.

Soldiers from 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division render honors to wounded soldiers arriving at Forward Operating Base Diamondback during a visit on April 7. The Soldiers participating in the Wounded Warrior’s “Proper Exit” program get the send off home they missed when they were evacuated from Iraq due to injuries.

While the media’s coverage of the problem with pirates around Africa comes and goes, the problem is always there. The good news is that the military isn’t run like the media. In fact, they’re over there now keeping the waters safe for people from all over the world.

April 10, the USS Ashland was fired upon by a skiff manned by suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, approximately 330 nautical miles off the coast of Djibouti.

During the attack, the Ashland received small arms fire on the port side from the six-man crew of suspected pirates aboard the skiff. The Ashland, in accordance with her rules of engagement, returned fire.

USS Ashland fired two rounds at the skiff from her MK-38 Mod 2, 25-mm gun.

The skiff caught fire and the suspected pirates abandoned the skiff. The Ashland deployed her rigid-hull inflatable boats to assist the pirates who were in the water near their skiff.

I don’t know – seems like they picked a fight with the wrong ship, eh?

Capt. John Bruening, commanding officer, Nassau Amphibious Ready Group, expressed the commitment of the ships in the Nassau ARG to ensuring the success of creating a stable and secure maritime environment.

“This is why we are here,” said Bruening. “It is so much more than just putting a stop to the illegal activities of only one pirate skiff. It is about fostering an environment that will give every nation the freedom to navigate the seas without fear of attack.”

The U.S. Navy has been able to capture a total of 21 suspected pirates in early April 2010. Two of these events were precipitated by attacks on the U.S. vessels, while the third was in response to a fellow mariner’s call for help.

However you look at it, they’re doing a good job.

Sgt. Stryker out.

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USS Ashland Captures Pirates

Visit, board, search and seizure team members arrive on the scene in a rigid hull inflatable boat to pull suspected pirates from the sea to be brought to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland. Ashland is part of the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently supporting Maritime Security Operations and Theater Security Cooperation Operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo/Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky)

Suspected pirates skiff burns after being burnt near the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland. Ashland is part of the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently supporting Maritime Security Operationsand Theater Security Cooperation Operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo/Chief Petty Officer Harry J. Storms)

Suspected pirates skiff burns after being destroyed near the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland. Ashland is part of the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently supporting Maritime Security Operationsand Theater Security Cooperation Operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo/Chief Petty Officer Harry J. Storms)

Visit, board, search and seizure team members pull suspected pirates from the sea to be brought to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland. Ashland is part of the Nassau Amphibious Ready Group and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, currently supporting Maritime Security Operations and Theater Security Cooperation Operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo/Petty Officer 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky)

Service members ran a race, played golf blindfolded and choked down the “nastiest” food the chow hall had to offer last December 5 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. They did all this to raise money for the Combined Federal Campaign – Overseas.

Senior Master Sgt. Bryan Shipman, a superintendant of protocol with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing and a Norfolk, Va., native, served as the Air Force CFC representative.

“We noticed there were no combined events with the Army or anyone else,” he said. “We teamed with the 13th (Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)) and the 194th Engineer Brigade and we came together with this alternate Amazing Race event.”

What’s really amazing to me is that these brave men and women are in harm’s way and yet they’re still able to think about others and help with a charity. Wow. That’s something, you know. If you agree, leave a comment!

Master Sgt. Kimberly D. Bergman, a 13th ESC career counselor and a Chicago native, said no other CFC-O event has had all the major commands from their base organized together.

Instead of commanders doing their own events for CFC-O, they came together as a whole – Army and Air Force, said Bergman.

“It was an awesome time,” she said. “Everyone brought their own strengths … which [were]reflected in the different challenges that we had.”

Spc. Martha A. Bolt, a paralegal specialist with the 13th ESC and a Sussex, N.J., native, said the event was fun and helped the service members get a good workout.

Bolt, who was on the Urban Logistickers team, said the hardest part of the event was the eating competition at the Mirage dining facility. She drew a number and had to eat banana pudding with raisins. Other numbered items included sardines, refried beans and tuna.

Her teammate, Maj. Erik A. Enyart, a brigade aviation officer with the 13th ESC and a Radcliff, Ky., native, said blind golfing and chow-hall eating were the hardest parts of the event.

I don’t know – it all seems like a lot to me. Thanks to the participating troops, though! (Even if it is a few months late.) To make up for it, here’s a more recent Amazing Race Afghanistan video. Enjoy!

Sgt. Stryker out.

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13th ESC Wins Amazing Race Charity Run

Capt. Amber M. Marks, a Task Force Leader logistics officer with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Artillery Regiment out of Fort Sill, Okla., and Staff Sgt. Brandon E. Thomas, a communication and electronics noncommissioned officer with the 602nd Forward Support Company out of Fort Lewis, Wash., read the directions for the next event during the Combined Federal Campaign – Overseas Amazing Race Dec. 5 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Marks, a Parkersburg, W.Va., native, and Thomas, a Freeport, Ill., native, were part of team Born Ready. Photo by Sgt. Ryan Twist

Sgt. Austin A. Nightingale, operation executive administrative assistant with the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) out of Fort Hood, Texas, and Maj. Erik A. Enyart, a brigade aviation officer with the 13th ESC, eat bread pudding and raisins at the Mirage dining facility during the Combined Federal Campaign – Overseas Amazing Race Dec. 5 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Nightingale, a Missoula, Mont., native, and Enyart, a Radcliff, Ky., native, were part of the winning team, the Urban Logistickers, which won a $300 dollar check donated to the CFC in their name. Photo by Sgt. Ryan Twist

Spc. Kimberly N. Dover, a medic at the Troop Medical Center with the 248th Area Support Medical Company out of Marietta, Ga., tries to eat bread pudding and raisins at the Mirage dining facility during the Combined Federal Campaign – Overseas Amazing Race Dec. 5 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. Dover, a Cartersville, Ga., native, was part of team Sickcall Rangers, which placed third in the event. Photo by Sgt. Ryan Twist

Team Urban Logistickers, with the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) out of Fort Hood, Texas, accept a $300 check from Col. Knowles Y. Atchison, deputy commander with the 13th ESC, for winning the Combined Federal Campaign – Overseas Amazing Race Dec. 5 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The check will be donated to the CFC in recognition of the winners. Photo by Sgt. Ryan Twist

A web-based project, called “30 Days Through Afghanistan,” concluded, March 15, 2010. The words, pictures and video were presented at a “DoD Live” bloggers roundtable on March 25, 2010. It was all the brainchild of Air Force Tech. Sgts. Ken Raimondi, whose background is in broadcasting, and Nathan Gallahan, a photojournalist. Both soldiers are based at ISAF’s Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan. The idea was to traverse Afghanistan in one month and file daily reports in words, photos and video

“The whole 35 days through, we saw almost endless opportunity and good spirits out there, and it was really a morale booster for us about the whole mission,” Raimondi said. “There was no approval chain. What we saw, we talked about.”

Gallahan said the greatest challenge to keeping up the pace of daily reports was finding Internet access with enough bandwidth to upload video material to their Web site. The easy part, he said, was finding stories to tell.

“There are so many people in this country who have so much to say, and there’s so much to talk about, that I could have spent 10 years blogging every day and could have found something new to talk about,” he said.

When you think about it, this really is some groundbreaking Military Journalism. Kinda reminds you of World War II reporter Ernie Pyle, doesn’t it?

Gallahan said his two regrets about the project are a lack of time to plan out logistics and having to wrap up after just skimming the surface of the country.

“I would like to continue to try to tell the entire story of Afghanistan so people can make their own judgments,” he said.

That’s about the truth with any assignment these days. Leave a comment if you would like to see the military keep up with projects like this one.

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U.S. Airmen Train First Afghan C-27 Loadmaster

A C-27A Spartan parked next to a C-17A Globemaster III March 28, at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. Training loadmasters is important as the Afghanistan national army air corps expects to expand its C-27 fleet to 20 aircraft by the end of the program and expects the delivery of two more C-27s in early April. Photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel Martinez

Master Sgt. Chris Ringland, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group standards and evaluation loadmaster, and Afghanistan national army air corps Master Sgt. Sheer Aqa Karimi, a C-27A Spartan loadmaster, congratulate each other after successfully unloading the missions cargo to its detestation, March 28, at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. During an almost two-hour International Security Assistance Force operational mission to deliver more than 2,400 pounds of weapons and supplies for Afghanistan national police at Camp Bastion. ANAAC C-27 loadmaster, Afghan Master Sgt. Sheer Aqa Karimi, was evaluated by Master Sgt. Chris Ringland, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group standards and evaluation loadmaster. Photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel Martinez

Afghanistan national army air corps Master Sgt. Sheer Aqa Karimi, a C-27A Spartan loadmaster, and Master Sgt. Chris Ringland, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group standards and evaluation loadmaster, socialize prior to take-off for a check ride for Karimi, March 28, at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan. \”Sheer Aqa is one of the brightest and energetic students we have, said Ringland, who is deployed from the 6th SOSS at Hurlburt Field. \”He did a great job today and I would be proud to fly with him anywhere in the world.” Admitting he was a bit nervous, Karimi, was pleased at the success of the mission and is happy to be his country\’s first qualified C-27 loadmaster Photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel Martinez

Afghanistan national army air corps Master Sgt. Sheer Aqa Karimi, a C-27A Spartan loadmaster, performs pre-flight checks prior to engine start up for an operational mission and his check ride on a ANAAC C-27, March 28, at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan. Photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel Martinez

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In the southern province of Dhi Qar in Iraq, the US military is continuing the mission of peace in Iraq by helping the small scale local government there. The Army’s civil affairs teams and the United States Agency for International Development have got together to create a District Government Support Team. That team has solved a host of governing issues, helping to strengthen the democratic process at the city and village levels in Iraq.

This is important on so many levels I don’t know where to begin. While it’s important to work from the top down on the government in Iraq, it is also vital that we don’t forget the “small towns” along the way. By putting something together to help these small villages in Iraq, we are cementing the success we’ve seen in that country over the last few years.

Soldiers assigned to Company C, 401st Civil Affairs Battalion, Task Force Pathfinder, are leading the DGST to reinforce local political effectiveness as part of the Army’s first advise and assist brigade. They are a specialized group, trained to act as liaisons with host nation governmental, tribal and business leaders.

Army 1st Lt. Adam Thomas, of Niagara Falls, N.Y., is the team leader of Civil Affairs Team 111, which operates in Dhi Qar province.

“District councils throughout the province jumped at the opportunity to work with us,” Thomas said. “They were extremely interested in learning how to forecast for future budgets and improve the delivery of services to their citizens.”

Since provincial council support of U.S. reconstruction projects is a requirement in order to guarantee Iraqi government support and sustainment, the DGST leveraged their knowledge to recommend various courses of action, also offering their services for any future obstacles.

This is why, in my opinion, Iraq is and will continue to be a resounding success. Do you disagree? Leave a comment below if you dare.

Sgt. Stryker out.

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Supporting Small Government in Iraq

Army 1st Lt. Adam Marquis, from Buffalo, N.Y., Task Force Pathfinder, talks with locals during a project site assessment in Dhi Qar province.

Army 1st Lt. Adam Thomas, of Niagara Falls, N.Y., and the District Government Support Team meet with the Al Fajir District Council to discuss ways to improve their chances of getting reconstruction projects approved.

Iraqi Soldiers Hand Out School Supplies to Iraqi Children

Iraqi soldiers with the 4th Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Division of the Iraqi army, hand out school supplies to Iraqi children during a joint patrol with Company C, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment May 19, near Balad, Iraq. Company C, distributed more than 60 boxes of clothes, shoes and school supplies they had recieved from people back in the United States.

Sgt. Edward Johnson Hands Out New Shoes and Clothes

Sgt. Edward Johnson, Company C, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, hands out new shoes and clothes to Iraqi children during a patrol May 19, near Balad, Iraq. Company C distributed more than 60 boxes of clothes, shoes and school supplies they had recieved from people back in the United States.

If you know anything about the history of Afghanistan, you know that women have been oppressed in that country for quite a few years. With the changes taking place since the fall of the Taliban in that country, things are looking brighter and brighter for women all the time. Case in point – a new business center in Herat – for women.

On March 7, 2010, Afghan and ISAF officials attended a foundation stone-laying ceremony for a new $270,000 women’s business center. The new center will have four levels with a total area of around 5,500 square feet. The centre will have room for 36 stores, a conference room, and space for recreational activities and gymnastics on the top floor.

The centre was donated by the Italian Ministry of Defence and is in cooperation with the Department for Women Affairs, which supports the establishment of a business area dedicated to female entrepreneurship. This will further the role of women as entrepreneurs in the Herat province. The Italian Cooperation for Development of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will supply all furniture and necessary equipment for the centre as well as launch a microcredit project, which is an economic tool for development that will provide affected families access to financial services and, in particular, to women.

“Through this project we will provide financial support for the initiation of individual businesses and boost their natural development,” said Brig. Gen. Alessandro Veltri, Regional Command-West commander. “It will also promote the presence of female personnel into the local entrepreneurial system promoting a role of women as a central element and factor of progress in Afghan society.”

Yeah, it’s the Italians helping, but it’s good to see other countries kicking in, I think. More on this later, I think.

Sgt. Stryker out.

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International Women’s Day Greeting

Gen. Khatol Mohammadzai, the first female parachutist and general in the Afghan national army, greets the Task Force Bayonet command group on International Women’s Day, March 8. Photo by Spc. Daniel D. Haun

Lt. Col. Kyle Lear, the deputy commanding officer of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, presents Gen. Khatol Mohammadzai, the first female parachutist and general in the Afghan national army, with the title of honorary Sky Soldier. Mohammadzai spoke to the Task Force Bayonet command group and women of the Logar province on International Women’s International Day, March 8.

Lt. Col. Kyle Lear, the deputy commanding officer of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, presents Gen. Khatol Mohammadzai, the first female parachutist and general in the Afghan national army, with the title of honorary Sky Soldier. Mohammadzai spoke to the Task Force Bayonet command group and women of the Logar province on International Women’s International Day, March 8.

Patrolling and Delivering Supplies in Afghanistan

Paktika Reconstruction Team members Sgt. 1st Class Jermaine Jones (left), Chief Petty Officer Rhonda Harms (middle), and Sgt. Robby Owens (right), patrol the streets of Sharana while delivering supplies of women and children’s clothes, shoes, and toys March 7 in preparation for International Women’s Day events to be held the following day at the Director of Women’s Affairs compound in Sharana. Harms is the communications department head for the PRT and is deployed from the Naval Operations Support Center in Austin, Texas, Navy Central MAST A, where she is the Operations/Information Technology department chief. Jones and Owens are both deployed from Bravo battery 1/178 Field Artillery, South Carolina Army National Guard.

The US Military – specifically the engineers – are helping rebuild in Haiti after the devastating earthquakes in Haiti on January 12, 2010.

The Naval Facilities Engineering Command partnered with U.S. Navy Seebees, Air Force and Army engineers, Feb. 26, here to train Haitian engineers on building assessment ensuring Haitian citizens are living in structurally sound buildings.

“The work we are doing today is to systematically walk through neighborhoods assessing damage,” said Vince Sobach, Joint Task Force Engineers, NAVFAC. “The primary goal is to get people back in their homes. The second part of the mission is training the local Haitian engineers. Basically we are doing a technology transfer. We are trying to both things at the same time since time is of the essence.”

“A lot of the residents of Tourgeau are in one of the local internally displaced persons’ camp that is very much overcrowded,” said Sobach. “So we are going to sweep this neighborhood and try to decompress that camp.”

“The goal today is to evaluate all the houses and structures in the neighborhood of Tourgeau for earthquake damage and get people back to safe houses or tell them is they are living in a dangerous one,” said Bryan Haelsig, NAVFAC engineer.

The group of engineers walked from house to house knocking on doors, looking in and around buildings and talking to residents. All of the Haitian citizens opened their doors with no protests and confidently showed the cracks on the walls of their homes.

“We are here to do the assessments for two reasons,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Scott A. Shaulis. “According to a United Nations poll, it is estimated that the people living in the large displaced persons’ camp near the palace, about 85 percent of them are from Tourgeau.”

“If we find that their homes have little to no damage from the earthquake,” Shaulis said, “it is hoped that they will come home and alleviate the strain on that camp.”

The long term goal, said Shaulis, “is to compile all the information that we are gathering, give it to the Haitian government and they will decide what to do from there.”

That sounds good to me. Sgt Stryker out.

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American Engineers Unite to Train Haitian Engineers to Assess Building Damage

Bryan Haelsig (left) and Bobby Grissett (right), two engineers from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, speak with a Haitian home owner about the structural damage of his house. NAVFAC partnered with U.S. Navy Seebees, Air Force and Army engineers to train Haitian engineers on building assessment ensuring Haitian citizens are living in structurally sound buildings, Feb. 26. (U.S. Army Photo/Sgt. Richard Andrade)

Vince Sobach, from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, talks to a group of engineers who are about to walk through neighborhoods assessing damaged buildings. NAVFAC partnered with U.S. Navy Seebees, Air Force and Army engineers to train Haitian engineers on building assessment ensuring Haitian citizens are living in structurally sound buildings, Feb. 26. (U.S. Army Photo/Sgt. Richard Andrade)

Bobby Grissett (left) and Bryan Haelsig (right), two engineers from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, evaluate the structural damage of a building from the outside before getting permission to go inside. NAVFAC partnered with U.S. Navy Seebees, Air Force and Army engineers here to train Haitian engineers on building assessment ensuring Haitian citizens are living in structurally sound buildings, Feb. 26. (U.S. Army Photo/Sgt. Richard Andrade)

Vince Sobach, from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, talks to a group of engineers who are about to walk through neighborhoods assessing damaged buildings. NAVFAC partnered with U.S. Navy Seebees, Air Force and Army engineers to train Haitian engineers on building assessment ensuring Haitian citizens are living in structurally sound buildings, Feb. 26. (U.S. Army Photo/Sgt. Richard Andrade)

If you follow the Iraq field of operations like I do, you know we have seen success after success in that country. The media (newspapers and cable news) usually just talk about the bad things that happen in Iraq, however. Whatever the reason for this, there are good things that are happening in the country. That said, there are still some bad guys committing terrible acts against the population.

For example, back on February 25th, Iraqi security forces arrested a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq member believed to be responsible for numerous assassinations during a joint security operation conducted southwest of the Iraqi capital. Initial intelligence reports indicate terrorists increasingly are staging politically motivated assassinations and violent attacks in an attempt to undermine the Iraqi government and create a sense of chaos as national elections near, officials said.

Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home for the suspected assassin, who belongs to the terrorist cell believed to have conducted nearly 50 assassinations. Evidence and information collected during the operation led forces to identify and arrest the wanted man and two suspected criminal accomplices. And this is just one capture, one of the good things being done to help FURTHER stabilize the country of Iraq. It’s still rough there, perhaps, but things are getting better. Taking the bad guys like this out is a good thing. When you look at how we’ve totally dismantles the power structure over there, it’s marvelous.

I’ll be looking at Iraq more in the weeks to come so you can see the positive role the US military is playing over there.

Sgt. Stryker Out.

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Civil Affairs Patrol

An Iraqi soldier from the 14th Iraqi Army Division, pull security during a joint patrol with U.S. Soldiers attached to 17th Fires Brigade, in Al Ashar, Iraq, Dec. 9, 2009. The patrol was conducted to promote stability, and to assess the needs of the local populace. Photo by Spc. Samantha Ciaramitaro

CLS Course

Iraqi soldiers with the 14th Iraqi Army Division Commandos react to a hostile situation during a mass casualty exercise at the Shiaba Training Center in Shiaba, Iraq, Feb. 25. The Iraqis where being evaluated by U.S. Marines from the 14th Iraqi Army Division Military Transition Team. Photo by Spc. Samantha Ciaramitaro

Joint Forces

U.S. Army Pfc. Travis Nibbs, of Boston, Mass., puts on his protective gear before entering the turret of his humvee as his convoy prepares to depart Forward Operating Base Wessam, Iraq, Feb. 25. Nibbs is assigned to the Guardians Maneuver Detachment, 17th Fires Brigade, 1st Armored Division in Contingency Operating Base Basra. Photo by Staff Sgt. Adelita Mead

Police Training in Mosul

U.S. Army Sgt. John Wallace,114 Military Police Company, 3-17 Military Police Battalion, 49 Infantry Brigade, teaches the Iraqi police the importance of your body facing the crowd in a riot situation in Mosul, Iraq, Feb. 25, 2010. Iraqi police are learning riot control in order to provide and safe and secure environment for their country. Photo by Spc. Jillian Munyon

Sorry for my little break. You know how real life can interfere with the blogging sometimes. In any case, I want to catch up on some happenings in Afghanistan for you. The coalition forces are still fighting the good fight, helping protect the fragile Afghanistan government from the thugs and terrorists trying to take it down. Back in late February, on the 25th to be exact, Afghan and international patrols found three weapons caches in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

One cache, found in the Reg-e Khan Neshin district, contained eight rifle rounds, eight assault rifles, ammunition and an ammunition-filled vest. Two caches were found in the Nad-e Ali district, containing seven illumination rounds, six high-explosive rounds, 80 pounds of ammonium nitrate, 51 pounds of homemade explosives, 100 pounds of shrapnel, and four large home-made bombs. One bomb contained 75 pounds of homemade explosives, the second contained five mortar rounds, and two others contained 10 mortar rounds each.

In other Afghanistan operations, Feb. 25:

– A combined force found several caches of weapons and drugs in Daykundi province. The caches contained 1,100 pounds of ammonium nitrate, more than 100 pounds of opium, 2 pounds of pure heroin, a small bag of opium seeds, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a shotgun, two assault rifles, a bolt-action rifle and a substantial amount of ammunition. The security force arrested one suspected insurgent in the operation.

– In Helmand province, a patrol found a substantial amount of ammonium nitrate in a compound. The patrol was involved in clearing the city in support of Operation Moshtarak when they found 5,500 pounds of the material along with bomb-making components.

As you can see, drugs, guns, and money are still a problem in Afghanistan, but every month that goes by the US military and the coalition of the willing are doing their part to make Afghanistan (and the entire region) more stable.

Sgt. Stryker out.

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New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team Destroys Weapons Cache in Bamyan

An insurgent weapons cache found in Bamyan province, Afghanistan, Feb. 28, contained 26 rocket-propelled-grenade expelling carts, 25 RPG-7 rockets, 200 12.7 mm rounds, 400 9 mm rounds, and 1,400 7.62 mm short rounds, all of which were destroyed by International Security Assistance Forces. Those who reported the weapons to ISAF may receive a reward for their help in turning in the weaponry. (Photo courtesy New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team)