1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Update 7-15-06 Page 3

It is hard to believe that another month has gone by over here in Baghdad.
This past month, Soldiers from D Company have completed the relief in place process
with both B and D Companies of the 2^nd Battalion, 22^nd Infantry. These two companies full of outstanding Soldiers
have given us a great hand off to ensure the success of D Company and the battalion in the coming months.
I would like this opportunity to thank the commanders and Soldiers of Bushmaster and Destroyer Companies
for their hard work and outstanding job in this area.

The Soldiers from D Company took the information from our relief in place and have continued
to develop their knowledge of the new area. The platoons have worked tirelessly to learn the new routes and towns
and to meet the people of Aqurquf Nahia so that we can continue to develop our portion of Baghdad
into a self-governing area. The Soldiers of this company will not have it easy though.
Our area has seen some tensions among the two major sects of the Muslim faith and the platoons will have to work hard
to keep the people working together and to relieve the stresses. I am confident that we can bring our lessons learned
from South Baghdad into this area to continue the great successes this battalion has accomplished.

Our Soldiers have moved into PATROL BASE COURAGE and have established a battle rhythm in their operations.
We are lucky to be working with our sister company – A Company – so that we can still see our fellow brothers
of 2^nd Platoon on a regular basis. The Soldiers split their time between patrols, patrol base security,
and patrol base details while living here. PATROL BASE COURAGE has a morale phone and a few computers
to communicate with loved ones back home. We will continue to put the pressure on the enemy in the coming months
while we improve our living conditions at the patrol base. I continue to be amazed at all of the intensity and devotion
our Soldiers display in their duties. You should all be proud of what they have accomplished thus far.

This past month, Michele Ramon stepped down as our Family Readiness Group (FRG) leader.
She did so in order to take care of their new addition to the family. I would personally like to thank Michele
for all of her hard work and dedication over the past year. You have truly made my job a lot easier
by looking after all of our great families. Melissa Oberwegner and Jaime Sage are stepping up
to be the FRG co-leaders for the remainder of our deployment. I would like to thank them ahead of time
for coming forward to help our families through this tough time.
God Bless you all and you will all stay in our hearts and prayers until next month.

I hope this letter finds you all well and enjoying a wonderful start to the summer.
Please let me begin by saying how excited I am to have the opportunity to lead, work and fight alongside
some of the very best Soldiers in the Army. Even before I came to 1-22, the reputation of E Company
stretched far beyond the reaches of the battalion. The Killers are known as a dedicated and impressive group of Soldiers
who have proven, time and again, that they are capable of accomplishing any possible mission asked of them.
They clearly demonstrated their skills by successfully conducting a variety of missions for 1^st Squadron,
75^th Cavalry Regiment; from scout reconnaissance work to training Iraqi Soldiers,
the Killers came through in the clutch time and time again and left Southern Baghdad a much better place
than when they found it. I am extremely proud of all that they have accomplished so far.

Though I have been around the Killers for only a short time, it is evident that the reputation they have earned rings true.
The Soldiers executed a great many tasks in very little time, and now we are focused on the missions ahead.
We are working in a new sector in western Baghdad where we will be conducting route clearances –
a wonderful engineer mission. If the Killers prove to be half as successful in our current duties as they were in their old ones,
we will come home in less than six months with a great deal of pride in all that we have accomplished.

Please let me close by saying that I am extremely excited to undertake this command.
I realize the great trust and responsibility you have placed in me – knowing that your sons, husbands and fathers
are fighting a war under my charge. Please know that the safety and welfare of our Soldiers
is what chiefly occupies my thoughts, prayers, and decisions, and I will do everything I can to accomplish our missions
and take wonderful care of your loved ones. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you in person
when we are able, and in the meantime, please continue to show your love and support for our wonderful troopers.
God bless!

Friends and Family, June was quite a month for the Killers – all of the Soldiers in the company
performed very well through a very exhausting schedule. When we saw on the calendar that our reattachment to 1-22,
movement to CAMP LIBERTY, change of command inventories, and Relief in Place/Transfer of Authority (RIP/TOA)
with 1^st Brigade of the 10^th Mountain Division were all scheduled in a two week period,
we knew we had been handed one of the biggest challenges any company would undertake.
The Soldiers executed every task required to make all of these missions happen.

In the largest change to our company, we said goodbye to Captain Gomez on July 1^st and welcomed Captain Sam Olan –
who has proven to be a wonderful commander in just a few short weeks. Though we are busy, the hectic nature
of the operations makes the days go by fast…bringing us that much closer to coming home.

We continue to send Soldiers home on leave and I hope you all enjoy the time with your loved ones.
Please don’t forget to keep sending the letters and packages – they mean a great deal to the Soldiers.
Thank you for all of your love and support and have a wonderful time in the beautiful Texas summer.

As changes occur, the Eliminators continually impress me with their ability to overcome shortcomings
and adapt in an incredibly busy time. Throughout the last month, there have been several changes,
but the one thing that remains the same is the effort and dedication that our Soldiers have put into making Iraq a better place.
Saying goodbye to our home at FOB FALCON and establishing our new home at CAMP LIBERTY
marked our mid-way point in the deployment. In keeping with the 1-22 Infantry Battalion motto, “Deeds, Not Words”,
the Eliminators left our area much better than we found it.
I am confident that our counterparts in D Forward Support Company, 1^st Squadron, 10^th Cavalry
will continue to improve our old home.

Once again, the many talented Soldiers within our company have stepped up to make their mark on CAMP LIBERTY.
Prior to the company’s movement, an advanced party arrived at our new home led by First Lieutenant Joe Baumbach
and Sergeant First Class Richard Howell. They immediately began improving our area.
Upon the arrival of the entire company, it was amazing to watch the Soldiers continue their “Deeds”
in making things better than they found it. Led by Staff Sergeant Mark Overturf, with the help of many others,
an additional conference room was built from the ground up attached to the rear of our command post.
This has aided in our ability to conduct mission planning.

Soldiers now have the opportunity to live in trailers with a maximum of two Soldiers in each unit.
First Sergeant Del Robinson and I have noticed a peak in morale with this opportunity.
The Ivy Blizzard Dining Facility is now being run by one of our own – Sergeant First Class Damon Howard.
He has done an amazing job in making changes to benefit our Soldiers both here and at the patrol base in sector.
Like FOB FALCON, we have a gym, MWR facility, laundry facility, internet café,
and phone centers all within walking distance.

With many Soldiers living at PATROL BASE COURAGE in our area of operations,
our Soldiers have taken great pride in their necessity for providing support.
Specialist Jennifer Hartman was promoted to Corporal and is now running the Containerized Kitchen there.
Her team has been consistently complimented for their amazing effort in making life better at the patrol base.
We’ve had an addition to our company with a Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System (ROWPU)
and three additional Soldiers from A Company, 4^th Support Battalion. Sergeant Pedro Jauregui and his team
have been able to purify over 9000 gallons of water a day to allow Soldiers the opportunity
to shower in a field environment and have fit right into our efforts.
In addition, we rotate fuelers in and out of the patrol base along with mechanics.

Amongst the busy month, we had the opportunity to promote the following deserving Soldiers:

Private First Class Martin Ferrufinopatino to Specialist
Private First Class Robert Green to Specialist
Private First Class Aaron Holt to Specialist
Private First Class Brandon King to Specialist

Private First Class Joel Maldonado to Specialist
Private First Class Juan Pereira to Specialist
Private First Class William Rosser to Specialist
Private Second Class Zamora Beltau to Private First Class

Each and every Soldier in our company continues to contribute to the success of the battalion.
I am incredibly proud of their efforts and professionalism in making life better both for the Soldiers of the battalion
and our Iraqi counterparts.