1-22 Update 01-06 Page 1

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

Unit Updates
2006

1-22 BN CO, CSM, HHC, Chaplain

January 15, 2006

FROM THE COMMANDER

Happy New Year to all of you from Iraq! We hope that the coming days bring much happiness to each of you,
safety to all of our Soldiers, and quick passage until we can all be reunited with our loved ones.

We are now fully deployed in Iraq and have begun conducting a relief in place with the 3rd Squadron
of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment as they prepare to return home to Fort Carson, Colorado after a year in Iraq.
Our living arrangements are a little tight right now because both of our units are here at the same time,
but we will have more than enough space once the cavalry returns to the states.

The battalion began deployment into theater in early December. We arrived in Kuwait, received our equipment
off of the ship in Al Shubayb and conducted certification, selected training, and maintenance
to ensure we were completely prepared for combat. We subsequently began the trek north with personnel, vehicles,
and containers on the 29th of December. We met the standard in every task and I am incredibly proud
of how the Regulars have performed.

The majority of our battalion is now attached to 2nd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—
the 502nd Regiment. They are routinely called the “Strike Brigade.” We will be responsible for a very tough area of Iraq
this year. Fortunately, we are better led, better equipped, and better trained than the enemy and we will undoubtedly prevail.
COL Ebel is our new Brigade Commander and we are fortunate to have him lead us in combat.
Ironically, he began his Army career many years ago assigned to B/1-22 Infantry.

A Company (Gator) is temporarily attached to the Division Headquarters and is conducting two very important missions
that involve detainees and protecting the Division’s leadership. I personally cannot wait for them to return to the battalion
upon completion of their tasks. Also, both C Company (Chaos) and E Company (Killer) will soon be attached
to other battalions within the Strike Brigade. Although they will be with other units at least for a little while,
we still consider them to be ours and will still meet their needs as best we can –
including maintaining contact with and taking care of the Chaos and Killer families.

Based on what you hear from others at Fort Hood, you may think that the rest of 1^st Brigade living in Taji has better facilities
and more access to both phones and internet than we do – all true. Our amenities are not quite as nice as they are up north,
but we clearly have what we need to sustain us in the coming months and we will make improvements
in our quality of life every day. We have attached several pictures of FOB FALCON in this newsletter
to give you an image of where we are living.

You have every right to be proud of your loved ones and I am humbled to be associated with them—
I consider it a privilege to lead them each day. Our unit is composed of proud professionals
who routinely make the seemingly impossible look easy.

If you have any concerns or need assistance, do not hesitate to contact the Rear Detachment Commander—
CPT Warren Litherland. His duty is to assist our loved ones in the states while we conduct our mission here
and I have complete confidence in his abilities to do so. In the coming months, we will send a battalion newsletter to you
on the 15^th of each month as well as more frequent company updates.

Keep all of the Regulars in your thoughts and prayers and thanks for your support each day.
We are off to a great start, we will make you proud, and we will make a difference!

Regulars, by God! Deeds, Not Words.

Lieutenant Colonel Craig A. Osborne (Regular 6)

**********************

FROM THE COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR

Let me just take a few moments to tell you about the patriots that I work with everyday – the Soldiers of this great unit;
the men and women who share ownership of the 1^st “Regulars By God” Battalion, 22^nd Infantry, 4^th Infantry Division.
As a relative newcomer to this unit, I am still impressed daily by the incredible dedication I see displayed
by our Soldiers as they perform their missions and daily tasks.

Each Soldier has his or her own lives and concerns, but unselfishly come together as a cohesive and well-trained team here.
It’s been a long road preparing for this mission from Fort Hood, movement to and training in Kuwait,
and again moving to FOB FALCON and preparing to assume our wartime mission.
The great Soldiers of this unit have met each and every challenge magnificently up to this point
and I have no doubt that this level of excellence will continue in the months to come.

We are fortunate to see regular newscasts in the dining facility and receive the Stars and Stripes newspaper daily.
We understand that there is much discussion about this war back home
and depending on which side you politically butter your bread, there are different opinions as to whether we (the US)
should be here or not. How fortunate it is that we live in a country where we are free to believe and express our opinions
because those of us in uniform know that the majority of the world does not have that luxury.

Regardless of our personal beliefs, the Soldiers of this unit are true patriots – they come together from all walks of life,
from all backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, and political belief, and give of themselves for their fellow Soldiers and the mission.
I am truly blessed and privileged to be in the company of such fine citizens.

From the leadership perspective of this unit, we are charged with immense responsibilities of caring for these great patriots
while balancing the needs of the mission – a responsibility that we don’t take lightly or make shortcuts on.
The best deserve the best and we are working daily to improve our fighting and survival capabilities,
and to improve quality of life for all of our Soldiers.

All of the basic amenities are in place now – a warm, dry place to call home, excellent hot food served four times each day,
hot showers and running water, and laundry facilities to keep our clothes clean. But, we are working each day
to improve each of these basics and to expand when we can. I commend all of our Soldiers
as they have shown remarkable patience understanding that some improvements are slow in coming.

To all of the families of our Soldiers, friends, and veterans of the regiment – keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Soldiers ask for so very little. Don’t forget us and don’t let our Nation forget us
as we accomplish impossible feats for our country daily. Until next time…

Command Sergeant Major Richard Beal (Regular 7)

**********************

HEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS COMPANY – HAMMER

Greetings from the men of Hammer Company. We hope you all are doing well
and that you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

After a long plane ride from Fort Hood to Kuwait, our Soldiers conducted in theater training
designed to refine our knowledge of Iraq and to enhance our skills learned in home station training.
Upon receiving our equipment, we conducted preventive maintenance checks and services,
test-fired all of our weapons, and moved north.

Most of our Soldiers flew into Iraq while a few drove on a convoy from Kuwait.
God was watching over us as all Soldiers arrived safely to FOB FALCON without incident.

Our living conditions are generally good. Though we are a little cramped (living three or four to a room)
we are making good use of the barracks formerly occupied by the Republican Guard.
They are dry, warm, and offer protection from the enemy and the elements.

Several of our fine Soldiers have reenlisted already, including SSG Millard and SSG Oliva from the S4 shop
and SGT Herbel from the mortar platoon. Congratulations and thanks to these men and their families.

Congratulations also to the recently promoted Hammer Soldiers. SGT Evans (mortars) was promoted from specialist to sergeant
on January 1, 2006 at Camp Buehring, Kuwait. Additionally, SPC Etter and SPC Newkirk of the Recon Platoon
and Sniper Section, both made the E-5 list this month. We look forward to pinning our new sergeants in a few days.

Happy Birthday to both SGT Evans (Mortars) and SPC England (Recon) who celebrated in luxurious FOB FALCON.

Special thanks go to SPC Gutierrez’s family and LCK Insurance Agency for the goodies for the snipers and the Recon Platoon.

The battalion starts the environmental leave program in mid-February.
This program allows Soldiers to take 15 days leave sometime between their 60^th and 270^th day in country.
Although all Soldiers should be able to take 15 days leave, not everyone will be able to get leave exactly when they want it.
Only a certain percentage of the battalion will be on leave at any given time spread out between February and September 2006.
Talk to your Soldier and submit your preference dates early. We will do our best to accommodate our Soldiers’ wishes.

It is truly one of the greatest honors of my life to command these men as we write another chapter
in the long and distinguished history of the Regulars. You should be very proud of all that they have accomplished
to prepare for this deployment, and I am certain that you will be proud
when you hear of our success against the enemy in the months to come.

—Captain Craig Childs (Hammer 6)

**********************

FROM THE CHAPLAIN

As I read through the Bible I see some spiritual truths we can apply to our lives during this time.
One of the great promises God makes us is that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Immanuel is always with us.
God not only promises to be with us, but he also tells us in Psalm 144 of the Bible that he “trains our hands for war.”

What this means is that the God who is with us and our loved ones now also provides us with the exact thing
we need to win this war. The same God who delivered Daniel from the Lion’s Den is the same God who delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace in ancient Iraq and gave them victory.
He is also the same God who will deliver and give us victory today!
God is fully capable “to do much more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…”
That thought is found in Ephesians 3:20.

The question is do we recognize these spiritual realities and trust that our God will do what he has promised?
As we prepare for war you can be confident your loved ones are hearing and relying on the same promises.
Blessings until we meet again…

—Chaplain (Captain) John Hill

**********************

BACK