1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Update 9-15-06 Page 3

Greetings once again from the still-hot Iraq. This month has gone by quickly
and we find ourselves moved to another area. Luckily we are familiar with this one and it was an easy adjustment.
Additionally, we have moved the company back from Patrol Base Courage to Camp Liberty to continue our operations.
I do not know if this will be a permanent or temporary change,
but be confident in knowing your loved ones are enjoying the little break.

Captain Michaels covered down as both the Company Commander and Executive Officer
while I was on R&R and he did an excellent job leading your loved ones while I was gone.
He did not do it all alone; he had the help of a wonderful team supporting his decisions.
I would like to thank Captain Michaels for a job well done.

This is a particularly hard month for our Soldiers on this deployment.
Some are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This can also make it dangerous
and know that they must remain focused in their actions. September 11^threminds us of why we are fighting
and that I would not want to fight like this in my backyard.
I know many of you have heard of future deployments down the road, but I am confident
that we remain focused on this mission and know that this fight is not a short one.
We need to exercise patience and endurance in what we do.

Your Soldiers continue to work hard in securing our area of Iraq
and preventing the sectarian violence from happening. I hear words of thanks and appreciation
from the local populace when I am on patrol and when I speak with the local leaders.
Many local nationals have begun returning to their homes in our area.
Just be assured in knowing that your loved ones are doing a great job.
I am proud of every one of the Soldiers of D Company and would not ask for anyone else to serve next to.

I hope this letter finds you all well and that you are all having a wonderful beginning of fall.
It seems too recently that we were congratulating all of the graduates, and now it is already time
to head back to school. The summer has passed quickly – a testament to the outstanding and successful effort
your loved ones have been putting forth here in Baghdad.

We have had another good month beginning with a large operation to clear an extremely important neighborhood
called Ameriyah, which is located near the Baghdad Airport. As part of a three battalion task force,
the troopers from E Company spearheaded the clearance of the Ameriyah neighborhood
which allowed infantrymen from the Striker Brigade to search and rid houses of weapons.
Additional assets from the 40^th Engineer Battalion cleared and cleaned the streets,
resulting in a revitalized area of Baghdad. After visits from Major General J.D. Thurman,
our Division Commander, and Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps-Iraq,
the top brass praised the efforts of all of the Soldiers involved and pointed to the operation
as a model of future efforts to secure Baghdad. Congratulations to all of the Killers on a job well done!

We recently sent a number of troopers to the promotion boards and all performed exceptionally well,
receiving outstanding scores and passing remarks from First Sergeants across the battalion.
The outstanding performances by our Soldiers are examples of the amazing efforts they put forth
to prepare themselves and secure future promotions. Look forward to new Sergeants and Staff Sergeants soon…

I am extremely proud of the successful performances from all of our Soldiers.
As we move slowly out of the hot months and into the welcome coming of fall,
we will continue to accomplish every assigned mission and take wonderful care of each other in the process.
Please continue to send your love and encouragement as we begin the final third of our deployment.
Thank you, and God bless.

Friends and family, the Killers have had a great month.
In addition to the many missions the Soldiers have been accomplishing,
many have also been working hard to study for the promotion boards.
We recently sent Specialist Willard Peterson to the board and he achieved an outstanding score
to secure a promotable status to Sergeant. Sergeant Benjamin Chamberlain, Sergeant Stephen Fischer
and Sergeant Omar Perez all performed exceptionally well at the Staff Sergeant promotion board
and they have all obtained promotable statuses to Staff Sergeant. Each and every Soldier who went to the board
worked hard in the little spare time he had to perform well. I am very proud of them.

Specialist Ryan Eddinger recently became the first Killer Soldier to receive the prestigious Iron Talon Award
for discovering the most Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the company in a single month.
Specialist Eddinger is leading the way in making the Soldiers of 1-22 and many other units
safer as they carry out their missions.

We recently had several Soldiers earn promotions. Congratulations go to the following:

· Private First Class Jeffrey McGorvin to Specialist

· Private First Class Adam Teske to Specialist

· Private First Class Bradlee Barstow to Specialist

· Private Second Class Lyle to Private First Class

We are nearly complete sending Soldiers home on R&R leave, and have been rotating several Soldiers
through four-day passes to Qatar and the Green Zone. Please continue to support your loved ones
and keep sending the letters and packages. The Soldiers light up for days after receiving support from home.
Please take care, and enjoy a wonderful September.

Every month our Soldiers impress me with their unbelievable will to make things better each day.
As battle space changes and new Soldiers and units enter our area, the Eliminators have used their creativity
to give forward Soldiers as many comforts as possible.

Currently, our Headquarters Platoon has a containerized kitchen in operation cooking three hot meals a day
at Patrol Base Courage. The Distribution Platoon has spent numerous hours on the roads
transporting classes of supplies to our forward-deployed forces. This platoon has used their creativity
to produce amazing results by making two bulk water trucks to provide potable water as well.

The longer we stay in theater, the harder we work our equipment.
Due to the untiring efforts of the Maintenance Platoon, Task Force 1-22 has continued
to be able to sustain combat operations with little thought on maintenance.
Each mechanic spends at least 12-15 hours a day in the motorpool
ensuring that all vehicles are prepared to execute their next mission.

Congratulations to the following Soldiers who have been promoted in the month of September:

Happy Birthday to the following Soldiers:

Staff Sergeant Frank Demont
Staff Sergeant Michael Eny
Sergeant Pedro Jauregui
Specialist Andrew Dickey
Specialist Helena Hernandez
Specialist Jack McCants
Specialist Ruben Nunez
Specialist Willie Rodgers
Specialist Kenneth Tucker
Specialist Kelly Weaver
Private First Class Juanita Aycock
Private Kenwaski Robinson