1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Unit Updates 2-15-06 Page 3

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

Unit Updates
2006

D Company, D Company (2-502 IN)

February 15, 2006

D COMPANY – DEATH DEALER

It’s hard to believe a month has gone by since the last update.
The Death Dealers have been very busy throughout the area since the first day we arrived in Southern Baghdad.
We completed the transition with Killer Troop, 3^rd Squadron, 3^rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
and have assumed responsibility for an area roughly 70 kilometers in size.
You may have already heard the guys speak about towns like Hawr Rajab, Adwaniyah, Jubachi and Arab Jabour.
These are the major population centers the Dealers will be operating in.

We have established a battle rhythm for the platoons to operate so that we can have a presence in our area at all times.
This gives the Soldiers time to prepare for missions, conduct maintenance, conduct patrols, sleep,
and have some personal time to unwind. There will always be some last minute operations that will be conducted,
but we will try to give the guys time to do the necessary things around our Forward Operating Base (FOB).

We conduct route clearance missions on the roads we travel to clear the areas of explosive devices
to protect our Soldiers and the people of the towns. We also conduct mounted and dismounted patrols
to meet with the important leaders and to develop intelligence on the enemy operating in our area.
Sometimes we stay the night in the town by establishing temporary patrol bases.
Every one of our Soldiers are infantryman first…and their MOS second.

We had a rough week when several vehicles became mired in the mud and rough terrain in our area.
Several Soldiers spent numerous nights on the roads trying to pull security and recover the vehicles.
The maintenance team did an outstanding job in freeing up the vehicles so that we could return them to the FOB
to be maintained. 1LT Michaels and SSG Huck led our team and the Dealers denied the enemy victory
while destroying an enemy safe house during the recovery mission.

Second Platoon responded to intelligence from a local source and discovered one of the largest caches
ever found in our AO. They slowed the enemy’s capabilities in our area by destroying the enemy’s weapons.
SPC Gray and SPC Garrison were a key minesweeping team in that operation.
This sent a clear message to the local populace and earned the platoon great honors
from Major General Thurman and Brigadier General Maffey.

We have had a few close calls so far – but your loved ones are safe.
Many Dealers have earned their Combat Action Badges and are awaiting approval for them to be awarded.
A few of the Dealers have earned Purple Hearts for their service to their country
and we are all in debt to them for their actions. The Dealers continue to set the standard in all that they do
and everyone should be proud of their loved ones. That is all for this month.
Keep our great Soldiers and this unit in your prayers.

—Captain Jared Rudacille (“Dealer 6”)

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D COMPANY/2-502 INFANTRY – DAWG

Delta Company continues its rock-star-like world tour with our recent attachment to Task Force 1-22.
After a brief stint operating in A/2-502’s sector, we moved from FOB STRIKER to FOB FALCON.
Although we are still a part of 2-502 IN, we now work as part of Task Force 1-22
from 1^st Brigade, 4^th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood.

Everyone in 1-22 has been incredibly helpful in receiving us. We even received a medic – SPC Venegas –
who is now the platoon medic with 3^rd Platoon. Across the board, everyone in 1-22 has bent over backwards
to make us feel like we are part of the Regulars family.

FOB FALCON has some amenities that we didn’t have at FOB STRIKER. Internet is more readily available,
but the majority of it is a pay as you go system. There are limited free internet cafés and they tend to get crowded quickly.
We still have the AT&T calling centers that charge “reasonable” rates to call home.
The PX here hasn’t burned down and has a relatively good selection. The gym is better and less crowded
than the one at STRIKER. The DFAC is nicer, aesthetically, and larger.

We relieved 3^rd Squadron of the 3^rd Armored Cavalry Regiment who are from Fort Carson, CO.
Our sector is slightly larger than our previous one. There are three villages in our sector,
but there are numerous business along the highway that runs north through our sector to Baghdad.
The majority of these businesses are factories and as the Iraqi economy has grown, so have business opportunities.
There are flour factories, mattress factories, a bottled oxygen factory, a Nissan dealership,
and even a frozen food factory along the highway.

We’ve begun working with a company from the Iraqi Army in our sector. CPT Nasser, the company commander,
is an experienced and professional officer. We’ve worked with this unit before in our old sector and they are quite proficient.
The fact that this unit can work independently is an excellent example of the hard work and perseverance
of both the Iraqi people and the 1^st Squadron, 75^th Cavalry Regiment’s military assistance team that has been training them.

We are continuing to send Soldiers home on R&R leave at the rate of about 6 per month.
We are trying to ensure that everyone gets R&R leave, but we also have to keep our platoons manned for operations.
About half of the company has taken leave so far. Our leave slots should continue through July.

Unfortunately, this letter finds us mourning another of our brothers – we recently lost SPC Sergio Mercedes.
SPC Mercedes was a phenomenal Soldier. He and his wife were expecting their first child in April of this year.
SPC Mercedes was an integral part of 4^th platoon and he will be sorely missed.

—Captain Jared Crain (“Dawg 6”)

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