1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Updates January 2009 Page 3

Dealer 6

Dealer 7

Friends and Family of Team Dealer, another month is in the history books and we’re that much closer
to returning home to you. Your Soldiers have continued to work hard and are staying extremely busy
but they never lose sight of all the love and support they get from home.

With the new year, we are witnessing an historic event for Iraq in the form of provincial elections.
This is a monumental effort and achievement for Iraq. The Government of Iraq (GOI) has made tremendous strides
in furthering democracy in this country and the Iraqi people see this as an important part of Iraq moving forward,
bringing a provincial, democratic election to the people and their communities. None of this would have been possible
without the hard work and dedication our Soldiers have put into this mission.

We had several promotions this month to some very deserving Soldiers on 1 January 09:

SGT Barraza – 2nd Platoon
SPC Cimino – 2nd Platoon, B Co
SPC Harmony – 1st Platoon
PV2 Alayon – 3rd Platoon
PV2 Maranan – 3rd Platoon
PV2 Ziegenfuss – 3rd Platoon

As we continue to march toward the finish line, I want to thank you for all of your continued support and prayers.
We couldn’t do it with you. God bless you and our fine Soldiers,
CPT Brandon Chapman (Dealer 6)

Killer 6

Killer 7

CPT Chychota here, filling in for CPT Garling this month while he makes his return trip
from a few well deserved weeks in the States. In the commander’s absence, I have not only had the privilege
of filling in for him, but of continuing to support the company as the XO. It has been a busy time
preparing equipment and paperwork for our departure, but I managed to keep from burning any of our buildings down.
I’ll mark that down as a success.

On the 12th, 13th and 14th of this month, our senior medic, SGT Strahan created and instructed
a Combat Lifesaver Class for three members of the Iraqi National Police route clearance platoon
that we often conduct operations with. The CLS students were taught techniques that could very well
save the lives of their fellow officers in the future. This class served to further strengthen the relationship
between our company and the National Policemen that will continue to keep their routes clear
after we return home.

Lately, instead of emplacing obstacles, our Soldiers have been busy removing and making the landscape appear
less like that of a war zone. The difference is quite apparent and our replacements will undoubtedly notice.
We do have another potential challenge coming up with the provincial elections. I have high hopes
for the success of these elections. Successful elections will provide an important step forward
in the confidence of the populace in their government. Every Soldier has played and will continue to play
their role in the success of this deployment. The success of the company is theirs.

Greetings Engineer Families,
As I looked back on the past five weeks, I realized there have been a lot of significant transformations
in our operations. First, the way we support the Iraqi Forces have changed. Instead of being the point of the spear,
we are now serving primarily as support. Second, we focused a lot of our time and effort removing obstacles
in our area, instead of emplacing them. Lastly, we are taking actions to ensure we have a successful transition
to FT Hood then on to FT Carson in the near future.

In order to facilitate all of the changes and maintain our edge, we significantly increased our joint patrols
with the Iraqi National Police, removed several obstacles in the area with our heavy equipment,
conducted two weapons qualification ranges, assisted Explosive Ordinance Disposal by destroying
some confiscated munitions, conducted several leader refresher training classes, conducted recertification training
on medical skills which included classes for a few Iraqi National Police Officers, and we have started
preparing equipment and briefs for our replacements. We also met our reenlistment goals for the year
and we have been conducting Physical Fitness testing, which has produced a lot of very good scores.
In our spare time, we have tried to catch a few college bowl games, the NFL playoffs,
and now the Presidential Inauguration.

In closing, I would like to mention that we are about to witness the next Iraqi general election.
Without you and your Soldiers’ commitment and professionalism, Iraq would not be in this historical situation.

Eliminator 6

Eliminator 7

As we ushered in the New Year and a new Commander-in-Chief, I just wanted to summarize
some of the many accomplishments the Eliminators have achieved over the past 10 plus months.
The Eliminators have conducted over 200 Combat Logistics Patrols delivering more than 3,600 pallets of food,
water, petroleum and lubricants, repair parts, ammunition, and other critical supplies. These Logistic Patrols
formed the lifeline that successfully sustained four Joint Security Stations (JSS) within the Regulars’ Area of Operations.
More importantly, the Eliminators have provided maintenance training to the mechanics of the Iraqi Army
and a host of other services that improved the Iraqi Security Forces quality of life. This is the truest display
of a professional Soldier and the essence of all of my ELIMINATORS!

I know I do this every issue, but again I want to thank you for your time, patience, and your Soldier.
I hope that this issue finds everyone in the best of health and spirits. Please have your Family and friends
continue to pray for all of the soldiers here in Iraq. Happy New Year!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING SOLDIERS WHO WERE RECENTLY PROMOTED:
SPC Thomason
SPC Schmidt
SPC Nelson
SPC Collins
SPC Steele
SPC Lowry

Hey everyone back home! We here at E/FSC Maintenance Platoon are looking forward to one thing…
coming home. That’s right, it’s right around the corner. With that in mind we stay motivated to finish strong
until that day comes. We have been busy as usual with missions around the clock. Add on regular maintenance work
in the motor pool and the fact that we are doing pre-movement planning and execution. You family members
and friends can imagine how your Soldiers are faring. Well believe it or not these extremely busy days help us
pass the time.

The Iraqi elections are coming up at the end of the month. It’s a huge deal here in Iraq. Just think about it.
Your Soldiers will be doing various jobs during this time to ensure the Iraqi people get to exercise their right to vote.
Ten years ago in this country, that process was a sham under Saddam Hussein’s evil regime.
Your Soldiers are helping create a special moment in world history. They are individually moving this country forward,
which in the future will be greatly appreciated by generations of people in this region and around the world.
Remind your Soldier that he or she is brave, appreciated, and loved by all those residing back in the states.

ELIMINATOR 17 sends:
Greetings from FOB Falcon to our family and friends of Headquarters Platoon.
We hope that everyone had a good holiday season. During this past Christmas, several Soldiers received gifts
from not only family, but from corporate sponsors such as CB&I in Dallas. We thank the company
and the people who gave their time and money to give some gifts to soldiers. We also want to thank all the families
for supporting their Soldiers during this time of year. As we ring in the New Year, we are starting to end
our time in Iraq. Our soldiers have been very busy getting the equipment ready to leave. The Supply Section
has been making sure that all the property is accounted for, SGT Caldwell has been inventorying the NBC equipment,
and the Orderly Room has started getting the paper work ready for our soldiers to come home.

During the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, CPT Franklin was the Master of Ceremonies for the celebration
held at the FOB Falcon Dining Facility. Our soldiers still are top notch and ready for any challenge that awaits them.
All of the Headquarters’ Soldiers have returned from leave and are ready to finish strong and come back home
safe and sound. Our soldiers are staying focused on the tasks ahead and are highly motivated to complete their missions.
Be it ensuring that the Battalion has the food it needs, the supplies the company needs, or just some help
with anything our Soldiers are ready to answer the call. When it is our turn to leave, we have no doubt
that we will be leaving a strong and more secure Iraq.

ELIMINATOR 26 sends:
January flew by for Distro platoon! We’ve been so busy recently that the weeks are adding up
and before you know it, we’ll be back in the States. Our time has been consumed by delivering supplies
to the four JSSs, numerous barrier missions, or loading our trucks in preparation for mission.
For the barrier missions, we have been working closely with the Iraqi Army Soldiers to help provide them
with better force protection. The Iraqi Army leadership sends their requests up through their training team advisors,
refine their plan, and then we deliver the barriers as soon as possible. Although time consuming,
these missions give our Soldiers a chance to get out on the ground and see this beautiful country up close.
It is a nice change of pace to get out and walk around the Regulars Area of Operations.

There was one promotion in Distro this month. We would like to congratulate SPC Brandon Thomason
for his promotion from Private First Class to Specialist.

I know that many of you have a countdown that is starting to get pretty low! Whether our Soldiers
are getting out of the army, moving to Fort Carson, or heading elsewhere, the wheels will be turning
in a few short months. I hope everyone is as excited as I am for the next step!

Riddle of the Month:
What goes around the world, but stays in a corner?
Answer in next month’s issue
Last month’s riddle:
What is greater than God, hotter than the sun, and if you eat it, you’ll die?
Answer: Nothing

Leadership Quote of the Month:
"You have a future that is in the best of hands, plan accordingly." – Douglas Pagels

As always, please continue to pray for us and show your support and we will do the same.