1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Newsletter April 2008 Page 2

CPT Drew Conover (Gator 6)

1SG Bandy (Gator 7)

Greetings from Baghdad, I hope this letter finds everyone doing well back at home.
We have been busy over here to say the least as I am sure the adjustments back home
have had the same affect for the families back home. I would like to take a moment to recap the events
of the last six weeks for us here in Iraq. First, we received our equipment in Kuwait
and completed small level training requirements prior to crossing the border.
This consisted of re-zeroing our weapons for accuracy during both daylight and hours of limited visibility,
executing small unit live fire exercises, and final equipment inspections. We then moved from Kuwait
to FOB FALCON at the end of March and almost immediately transitioned
to our forward deployed Company Outpost (COP 803). The 803 stands for the "Muhalla" number that we live in.
The COP is about the best we could have hoped for a company operating on its own in the middle of Baghdad.
1SG Bandy and SSG Getz have made tremendous strides in getting this place clean and livable
and continue to improve the quality of life for our Soldiers on a daily basis.
We currently have five email stations, four phones with unlimited minutes, a weight room,
a small movie theatre, showers, and American style toilets that work most of the time.
Also, we received 3rd Platoon, B Company, 4-64 Armor who became attached to us
upon Transfer of Authority with the outgoing unit, A Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment.
The platoon has great leadership and will continue to be an invaluable asset to this company
in the year to come. Since assumption of battlespace in AO REGULARS, our Soldiers have performed
in a superb manner and each platoon has contributed greatly to disrupting enemy efforts
in our Area of Operations (AO GATORS). Each platoon has focused their efforts not only on developing the area
but also on offensive operations designed to hurt the enemy on a daily basis.
2nd Platoon has found 2 separate EFP caches, and a rocket cache.
These EFPs are the weapon of choice for the insurgents against our heavily traveled Main Supply Routes (MSRs).
1st Platoon has found three separate caches of small arms weapon systems
consisting of a .50 Caliber machine guns and 8 RPG launchers. These weapons have been used against us
on numerous occasions inside our Muhallas. Lastly, 3rd Platoon has provided valuable insight
into the enemy's tactics and procedures as well as providing more effective ways to operate against the enemy
in our specific sector. They, too, have uncovered three separate caches consisting of small arms weapon systems
used in direct attacks against us. These finds pull resources from the enemy unexpectedly
and force him to react in a way not anticipated, giving us more time to set the conditions for offensive operations
and bring the fight to them on our terms. Again, I would like to extend my deepest thanks
for your patience and understanding during the very busy transition from Fort Hood
to combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq. Our Soldiers have put in an exceptional amount of hard work
up to this point and have done tremendously well in all endeavors. I truly could not be prouder of these men.
They have not only met my very high expectations but have exceeded them day in and day out.
Their resilience and commitment to this fight is, and will remain, unparalleled by any unit in Baghdad.

CPT Ed Kennedy (Bear 6)

1SG Cameron (Bear 7)

Hello from Camp Liberty. I hope this letter finds you well as we complete our first month of our deployment.
As we work out all the kinks of our mission set and logistics I appreciate all your support and understanding.
Again, please accept my apologies for any mail you may have sent that you may have received returned,
that problem with the post office was immediately corrected and since then
I know the men have really enjoyed getting letters and boxes from home. Once again, just like last time,
Bravo company is attached to 2nd }Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
Our current mission is a little flexible at this point, but I am really excited about our prospects
as we have the potential to do some great things over the next few months.
For now Soldiers are living in tents with air conditioning, wall lockers, and beds
while we conduct reconnaissance patrols to get familiar with the area we will operate in and around.
Eventually we will move our stuff into the nicer trailers but as we do that we will also transition out to the JSS
and operate from there. While here at Camp Liberty we have access to the best PX in the country,
and enjoy an outstanding meal at the dining facility with a vast selection of food and drinks.
The Soldiers should have time to make it to the phones occasionally, however,
their chain of command keeps them busy training and preparing for the mission so we all come home safe.
Although we are still in the process of transitioning into the AO as we moved from FOB Falcon
to Camp Liberty, we have made great strides in setting up an extremely functional CP.
PVT William Wuenche and PFC Matthew Kukiela earned the first of two Bear Certificates of Achievement
and both 1SG's and my sincere appreciation as they demonstrated outstanding craftsmanship.
They truly built the company CP from the ground up, an RTO desk with all the accessories,
a desk for SSG Curtis Perry to chain himself to when he is not out on patrol as 1SG's gunner,
and even did some metal work in order to construct a secure arms room
for SGT Aaron Cosper to maintain all our sensitive items. I don't know what we would have done without them!
I want to congratulate the following Soldiers who were recently promoted:
Sergeant Robert Harden to Staff Sergeant
Corporal Austin Fabacher to Sergeant
Specialist Max Gideon to Sergeant
I would also like to congratulate Specialist Joshua Hester and Staff Sergeant Joshua Florio
on their decisions to continue their enlistment in the Army. We thank them and their families
for their continued commitment and sacrifice. A final congratulation goes to SSG Richard Sayers
and his wife Angela for on 4 April they welcomed the newest member to the Bear family, Benjamin Sayers.
I know this proud father is looking forward to EML to get to hold his boy and kiss his wife.
I'd like to extend a special thanks to Melissa Marler, the Bear FRG Leader.
She has been putting out a lot of information from various sources
and I know she has handled a lot of the smaller problems that I don't even get visibility on.
If you haven't been getting emails from her please send her a note and she will include you on the Bear distro.
Occasionally I send her notes as our mission set changes, as we move around Iraq
and when we have the problems such as the mail at first and I know she sends those notes,
as well as all the information she gets from the BN FRG meetings, Fort Hood distros, etc.
If there is anything that I can do to help out from here please let her or I know and we will do what we can to help.
The Bears continue to set the standard in Iraq and I am extremely proud of each one of our Soldiers.
I am excited to see what we will accomplish over the next 14 months
and all I ask for is your continued support through letters, phone calls and emails from home.
Please keep all of the Bears in your thoughts and prayers.

CPT Gavin (Copperhead 6)

1SG Navarro (Copperhead 7)

Family and Friends of Copperhead Company, C Co 1-22IN extends its greatest appreciation.
Copperhead Company has been in country for nearly two months now and is working extremely hard,
from our training in Kuwait to patrolling our new area of operations in Baghdad, Iraq.
The amount of support that you have already provided us is amazing. We have only recently arrived
and already our resupply vehicles have difficulty fitting all of the packages and letters
that our Soldiers receive on a daily basis. More than anything else, those small tokens of home
are the things that keep up our spirits and remind us of those who care for us. After departing from Fort Hood,
the Company spent a few weeks in Kuwait receiving equipment and conducting maintenance on the vehicles,
as well as going to firing ranges to refine Soldiers' proficiency on their personal weapons.
After a smooth ride in the Air Force's best cargo aircraft they have to offer, the C-17,
we arrived on FOB Falcon and again received training specific to the area where we would operate.
As many of you know, we are currently living in a COP (Combat Outpost). We live away from FOB Falcon,
but in close enough to several bases for Soldiers to stock up at the PX or enjoy Burger King once in a while.
Although the COP is not the nicest living, it has all of our necessities, including internet and phone,
and allows us to do our job much more effectively. Construction is currently underway to expand the COP
to nearly twice its current size. This will allow us to have a Mobile Kitchen Trailer,
where our cooks will be hard at work making us a couple of hot meals each day.
Soldiers will also have more livable space with the expansion.
The platoons are already becoming very proficient in combat operations.
They are learning the area and meeting local nationals on a day-to-day basis.
We've already found several weapon caches and detained several people responsible
for hurting and killing innocent people. On just the second night of operations,
we discovered over 100 artillery rounds and several weapons.
We've had several Soldiers recognized for their hard work, including SPC Joseph Crissinger
by the Brigade Commander and SFC BarryTumey by the Division Sergeant Major.
We've also had several Soldiers reenlist and extend their commitment to the Army in this important time.
Over the course of our de-ployment, we will publish a newsletter similar to this each month.
It will give you, the families back home, the chance to get a glimpse of our lives in Baghdad.
For the most part, we have already fallen into a daily routine filled with a demanding patrol schedule.
The pictures we will be sending you will be from a combination of the guys out on patrol and life back on the COP.
Hopefully they will bring a smile to all of you. We miss you all and thank you for your support.