1st Battalion 22nd Infantry
1st Battalion 22nd Infantry
Operation Iraqi Freedom
The following is a report on
the activities of 1-22 Infantry,
written on June 20, 2003, by the Battalion Commander,
LTC Steven D. Russell
LTC Steven D. Russell
20 June 03
Dear Family and Friends,
Wanted to drop a note to let you all know how things are going
with the ‘Regulars’ of TF 1-22 Infantry.
As most of you know, our soldiers operate in the city and
surrounding villages of Tikrit, Iraq. Tikrit was the
birthplace and hometown of Saddam Hussein. Needless to say, this
has made it an interesting place to operate, as there are many
‘die-hard’ loyalists to the old regime. Most are
not and even some who are welcome our soldiers because they fear
the local population will kill them for living privileged lives
under Saddam.
Our operations target hostile forces trying to prevent the
efforts of US soldiers and the Iraqi local government and
police. The local government is making great progress
here. I cannot speak for the rest of Iraq, but if Tikrit is
any indication, these people are well on their way to
self-government. We have made great strides in working
together and they continue to provide us valuable information on
the activities of hostile elements within our sector.
This phase of the war in my mind seems to be an insurgency.
The Iraqi army had no formal surrender and the soldiers were not
formally processed anywhere. Instead the Iraqi soldiers simply
dissolved into a hundred cities, towns and villages. Most
want simply to get on with their lives. A small minority
appears to cling to the past. These are the ones that are
attacking our soldiers. In the last few weeks we have
engaged them and recently we have hurt their local command and
control structure in such a way as they cannot quickly recover.
The first week of June saw our soldiers attacked in a series of
small arms and RPG raids. The hostile elements were not
afraid to engage our forces. On the 4th of June, hostile
elements attacked a section of our B Company Bradleys attached to
3-66 AR. Our Infantry avoided the initial strike but as
they came around the village, they were ambushed from the rear.
An RPG penetrated the ramp door of the lead Bradley.
Providentially, the penetrator threaded the fire team of Infantry
in the vehicle—missing them all. The warhead hit some
electronic equipment near the turret wall and exploded.
Although the 5 men suffered flash burns and shrapnel wounds, the
body armor and Kevlar helmets saved their lives and all escaped
without severe life or limb injury. All are recovering well
and a couple have now returned to duty.
On the night of 5 June, a Bradley from this same company hit an
anti-tank mine on the front left side of the vehicle. The
blast ripped a hole through the driver’s compartment and
sent the front drive sprocket, a couple of road wheels and the
hull access covers flying. The resulting laceration in the hull
was almost big enough for me to climb through. The driver, a
young private, endured the shock of the blast, instantly
suffering two broken legs and a broken arm. His body armor
and equipment saved him from more severe injuries. This
brave young man kept his head and immediately hit the fuel
shut-off valve and dropped the ramp door, allowing his fellow
Infantrymen to escape from the vehicle. His comrades came
to his aid, as he was trapped in the vehicle. He is now
recovering well from his wounds.
That same night our C Company also had a Bradley hit by an
RPG. The cone of the warhead hit a case of water, causing
the warhead to malfunction. Miraculously, the warhead did not
explode and we are able to render the explosive safe. Our
men suffered no injuries. Our men also acted quickly on a
mortar that was fired on US forces, which we subsequently
captured with 15 rounds of ammunition. The soldiers
continue to behave with amazing discipline and our nation should
be very proud of them.
On the night of the 5th to 6th of June, hostile elements struck
our civil-military coordination building. This is where
local Iraqis come to work out issues with US forces in our
area. A volley of RPGs ripped the stale night air after
plunging into the walled compound. Soldiers reacted
immediately as hostile small arms fire peppered the
compound. Our men gained a position behind walls, Hesco
Bastions and windows as they returned fire. The initial
volley wounded 4 of our men but they continued to fight the
assailants who had positioned themselves on the rooftops of homes
across the main highway. An MP from our task force a few
buildings down at the Iraqi police station opened up with .50 cal
fire on the rooftops. His suppressive fire allowed the men
at the other building to employ a Bradley at the enemy
element. An enemy element from a different direction then
opened up on the MP with an RPG, severely wounding the young
soldier. Our Bradley opened up with machine gun and 25 mm
along the rooftops, effectively deciding the contest. All
firing at this point ceased. The brave MP had emptied a can
of .50 cal ammunition before falling unconscious from his
wounds. We were able to evacuate and stabilize him at our
aid station. He later died from his wounds and loss of
blood. Our other soldiers suffered mostly shrapnel
wounds. The enemy paid dearly. While we did not
realize it at the time, we wounded at least 4 and were later able
to capture 4 others involved in the attack along with 2 x RPG
launchers. Other enemy wounded or killed remains unknown
although reports from locals say we caused a great deal of damage
to him.
From this point we acted quickly. The curfew was strictly
enforced in Tikrit—a city of approximately 75,000.
Those caught out after curfew were rounded up in the local soccer
stadium where we employed them as a trash detail the next morning
to help keep Tikrit beautiful (an optimistic task at best).
The effect was immediate as the locals had no desire for such
work and the streets were eerily empty during subsequent
nights. We then focused our efforts to grab the initiative
like a stick and beat the enemy with it. For the last week
we have had great cooperation from the local government and
police. Our own efforts have focused on hostile
activities. Using multiple simultaneous raids, we have
captured a number of important individuals that led us to bigger
fish. By now you all have heard that #4 was captured here in
Tikrit on the night of 16 June. Our men performed superbly
and worked in cooperation with special operations forces.
We also spoiled an attack on our market and our flash checkpoints
from C Company captured 14 armed men with AK-47s in the space of
an hour and a half. Information from raids and pressure on
people we detained led us to the info for #4’s capture and
culminated this week with the raids on the Hadooshi farm on the
night of the 17th. The Hadooshi’s were believed to be
personal bodyguards of Saddam Hussein. It was here TF 1-22
IN seized AK-47s, night vision and surveillance equipment, sniper
weapons, global position equipment and large amounts of
ammunition—not your typical farm implements. But the
biggest catch of all at the farm was $8,303,000 in US cash and
another $1 million worth of Iraqi currency. We also found
an estimated $2 million worth of Jewelry that belonged to Sajida
Kerala Telfa, better known as the wife of Saddam Hussein.
I had never seen such cash or treasure in my life. It
simply boggles the mind. Our men preformed magnificently
and our recon platoon leader, 1LT Chris Morris, ensured our great
success with his quick actions at the farm. He decided to
take the farm with his scouts even though we intended to maneuver
additional force there. The activity at the farm called for
immediate action however and the element of surprise and the
discipline of our men carried the day. CPT Mark
Stouffer’s A Company also struck gold with a captured
top-ranking Republican Guard officer and also one of
Saddam’s bodyguards. The noose is tightening.
Now the enemy is scattered and on the run. The next morning
after these operations, our men captured a man at a checkpoint
attempting to flee with $800,000 US cash in a gym bag. C
Company, 3-66 AR has been a big help as well with our flash
checkpoints.
Local authorities report we have hurt the subversive elements
severely. Even the Muslim Imams have expressed an
appreciation for our efforts. But our work is far from
being over. The hostile elements remain and attempt to
strike back with indirect fire attacks or attacks on our
convoys. We remain vigilant. Keep us in your
prayers. Know your young men are taken care of and are
doing superb work.
The men have good morale and are flushed with the recent
successes. We are living well for the most part, billeted
as we are in former palace compounds. The weather remains
oppressive and all we generally do is soak our uniforms with our
own sweat in the 115-degree heat. But we are eating well
and have generally good hygiene. Our equipment is holding
up relatively well given the operations and environment. The
robust Bradleys and body armor have earned the absolute respect
of our men as they have repeatedly shown that they will save
lives.
I trust all is well back at home. Please keep our men in
your prayers. God has blessed our arms and continues to
protect us in many miraculous ways. We will continue to
uphold the traditions of the Infantry and the US Army and the
United States of America. Do not worry about us.
Psalm 91. SDR
LTC Steve Russell
Commander
TF 1-22 Infantry
Tikrit, Iraq