1st Battalion 22nd Infantry After Transition Regulars Mission Remains the Same

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

After Transition Regulars Mission Remains the Same

Mission, operations remain same for ‘Regulars’ Soldiers in Baghdad’s Rashid

Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams
1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – When the patrol leader arrived at the Iraqi Army command post to link up
with his Iraqi Security Forces counterparts, he found only one junior officer awaiting his arrival; there would be no security patrol
this particular morning he was informed.

There were no IA soldiers available for the daily patrol because unbeknownst to the Soldiers assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, the ISF were conducting a battalion-level cordon and search operation
at the order of the Baghdad Operations Center – without Coalition Forces.

1st Lt. Robert Ganim, a platoon leader assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.,
said the predicament was the first time since the implementation of Iraq’s Security Forces Agreement that he did not know what to do.
“What would be the mission without the ISF in tow?” asked Ganim, a native of Cleveland, calling his company commander for guidance.
Eventually, the IA soldiers did both, providing a truck to accompany the Soldiers of “Bear” Company to assess security needs
for potential polling sites to be used in the upcoming provincial elections.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq — 1st Lt. Robert Ganim, a platoon leader from Cleveland,
assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, discusses the plan of action for early morning
combined cordon and search operations Jan. 8 with 2nd Lt. Hamed, 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division,
in the Saydiyah community of the Rashid district in southern Baghdad. The Soldiers of Co. B, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Regt.,
part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, searched abandoned houses
looking for hidden weapons caches in the community once populated by Ba'ath Party officials and Saddam's Regime.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

The ISF still need the help of the Americans with the critical things, the “extreme” things, said Capt. Monqaith, 4th Co., 1st Bn., 24th Bde.,
6th IA Div., but for the Iraqi units that have taken increasingly more control for Baghdad’s security operations, there is very little change.
“We have more control of our country now,” he said, “and we have our friends, the Americans; they cannot go out on patrol without us.”
The Iraqi Army soldiers in his unit feel that they are independent and in control, he said, in comparison to last year,
when the ISF could not do anything without the support of Coalition Forces. The passing of the SFA is an important step
in building the Iraqi people’s confidence in the ISF and the Government of Iraq, he explained, because it shows the Iraqi people
that Iraqis are in charge of the security.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq — Capt. Monqaith, 4th Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade,
6th Iraqi Army Division, leads a combined patrol Jan. 9 with Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion,
22nd Infantry Regiment, in the Saydiyah community of the Rashid district. The Iraqi Security Forces partnered
with their Coalition Forces counterparts to conduct inspections on potential polling sites in southern Baghdad
for the upcoming provincial elections Jan. 31. The Soldiers of Co. B are assisting the ISF to identify security risks
and develop force protection measures for the milestone event.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

Mission priorities have changed many times for the mechanized infantry company assigned to the “Regulars” Bn., which was assigned
to six different battalions and part of two brigades since the 1st “Raider” Brigade deployed to the Rashid district in southern Baghdad,
said Capt. Ed Kennedy, commander of Co. B, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div. However, the mission remains the same
for the Soldiers, who, after Jan. 1, officially transitioned into a supporting role for the ISF’s ongoing mission to provide security
and stability for the people of Baghdad and Iraq, explained Kennedy. “It’s not really how we accomplish the mission that has changed;
I am still getting rid of insurgents, building the economy and building on the local governance,” said Kennedy, a native of Danbury, Conn.
“We are still detaining insurgents; we’re still doing the projects; we’re still working with the Neighborhood Advisory Council and support councils.”
The unit is accustomed to operating in a position of providing over watch for ISF operations, conducting combined patrols
and warrant-based targeting from its previous missions in northwestern Baghdad and around Sadr City. The biggest difference now
is that Coalition Forces will not operate independently of ISF, explained Kennedy. All patrols and operations will be 100 percent
partnered with the Iraqi Army, National Police or Iraqi Police. Co. B was recently co-located at a joint security station
in the Saydiyah community with NP from the 5th Bde., 2nd NP Div., and the “Regulars” Battalion’s NP Transition Team.
Their new location enhances the unit’s mission of not only providing support but also to teaching and training the ISF,
said Kennedy, who is serving his second tour in support of OIF.

The NPTT training is a critical mission in support of the ISF as Iraqi forces strive to provide security for their nation,
said Spc. Francisco Medina-Cardona, a combat medic assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Regt.
“The change has not been too big because we have always been working with the ISF,” he said. “They have really taken control of the situation,
taken the initiative and are working harder so that we can actually start to give them their jobs back.”
In accordance with the SFA, the implementation of probably the biggest change for combined operations in the Rashid district,
warrant-based targeting requires that U.S. Forces work with the Iraqi Judicial System and the BOC to acquire a warrant before detaining
suspected criminals and terrorists, a system resembling the American law enforcement model, said 1st Lt. Sean Supon,
an infantry scout platoon leader, assigned to HHC, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Regt.
Warrant-based targeting is a more efficient model for conducting security operations and pushing suspects and criminals
through the Iraqi Judicial System, added Supon, who recently completed a five-day training exercise with the Iraqi NP
on sensitive site exploitation, crime scene investigations and time-sensitive raids.
“I think it is a drastic change,” said Supon, a native of Kauai, Hawaii. “Look at the reports at the end of the week … it is not just the CF
who are catching bad guys or finding weapons caches anymore. Almost the majority of the missions that are successful now
are combined or exclusively run by the Iraqis.”

The Iraqi Army worked hard to earn the trust of the Iraqi people by getting the terrorists and criminals out of the communities
and neighborhoods, said Pfc. Lucas Haefele, a fire support specialist attached to Co. B, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Regt.
“Iraqi informants working with the ISF are a lot more reliable than our informants, and in my opinion, trust the Iraqi Army
a little more than they do us,” said Haefele, who hails from Argyle, Texas.
The ISF already took the lead in operations, said Haefele, and will be ready when the enemy tries to test Baghdad’s gains in security.
“We’re still kind of like their big brothers,” he added. “They look up to us still and we kind of guide them. They are good people;
they come out to talk to us, everybody, and if they don’t speak a lick of English they still try to talk to us.”

The implementation of the Security Agreement may fundamentally change the way that the line units operate,
but it doesn’t make the mission more difficult, said Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Monds, platoon sergeant, Co. B, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Regt.
“We’re basically used to the way we are running now,” said Monds, who calls Hazel, Texas home. “The most major change,
warrant-based targeting – witnesses and evidence — makes us get a little more involved in our aspect of it.”
The work just began for the Iraqis, and the ISF are the “brunt of the workforce,” but the Security Agreement is the next step
in helping the nation grow and become more independent, starting with the laws and the rulings, said Monds.
The Soldiers of Co. B are currently assisting the ISF inspect polling sites, helping the Iraqis to assess the buildings,
develop force protection, and identify any potential threats for the provincial elections scheduled for the end of January.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq — Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Monds, an infantry platoon sergeant
from Hazel, Texas, assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, snaps photos of a primary school Jan. 9 in the
Saydiyah community of the Rashid district during a security patrol to inspect potential polling sites for the
upcoming provincial elections. The Soldiers of "Bear" Co. partnered with Iraqi Army soldiers from 4th Company,
1st Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, to identify necessary force protection measures
to secure upcoming provincial elections scheduled for Jan. 31.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq — Iraqi Army soldiers from 4th Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade,
6th IA Division, operate a traffic control point in the Saydiyah community of the Rashid district in southern Baghdad, Jan. 9.
Soldiers of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, partnered with their
Iraqi Security Forces counterparts to assess polling sites and identify force protection needs for the upcoming provincial elections Jan. 31.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq — Staff Sgt. David Bishop, an infantry squad leader from Fort Hood, Texas,
assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, patrols with his Soldiers and Iraqi Army soldiers
from 4th Company, 1st Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, during combined security operations Jan. 9
in the Saydiyah community of the Rashid district in southern Baghdad. The Soldiers of "Bear" Co. partnered with
their Iraqi Security Forces counterparts to assess potential polling sites for the upcoming provincial elections Jan. 31.

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq — Iraqi National Policemen from 1st Company, 1st Battalion,
5th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, search an Iraqi residence for weapons during combined cordon and knock operations
Jan. 8 with Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad,
in the Saydiyah community of southern Baghdad's Rashid district. Soldiers of Company B, "Bear," 1st Battalion,
22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., partnered with the Iraqi Security Forces
to assist in the operation to enforce Baghdad's "Weapons-Free Policy."

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)

BACK