1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Unit Update Spetmeber 2008 Page 3

CPT Nathan Davis (Dealer 6)

1SG Hignight (Dealer 7)

Over the past month we have bid farewell to our infantry platoon from 10th Mountain Division,
and have welcomed the attachment of an engineer platoon from the 3rd Infantry Division stationed in Georgia.
Before their departure, the Creek Platoon detained a Special Group Criminal,
Extra-Judicial Killing/ IED Cell Leader, who was attempting to reconstitute a cell
that Team Dealer had previously neutralized in the Saha Apartment Complex. Additionally,
they discovered a cache of IED making materials based on a local national tip.

The Blue Platoon recently detained an al-Qaeda in Iraq Extra-Judicial Killing Cell Leader
in a combined raid with the Iraqi Police. The raid was the result of combined targeting
and information sharing that allowed both elements link pieces of information
into a coherent and actionable whole. Blue also detained a member of a previously neutralized
Special Group Criminals EFP cell. Additionally, a local national tip allowed Blue to seize
a cache consisting of Italian made anti-tank mines and artillery shells.

White Platoon spent much of the month focused on microgrant operations to stimulate
the local economy or transitioning “Sons of Iraq” security volunteers to civilian employment.
This extensive effort allowed Team Dealer to provide microgrants and ensure the transition
of 71% of “Sons of Iraq” security volunteers in our area of operations. Additionally,
White platoon found an IED placed inside the courtyard of a local home
based on a local national tip. The IED was targeting a resettling family.

The Beast Platoon, the engineer platoon from 3rd Infantry Division, conducted a barrier
removal mission and secured a detainee release event. Additionally, they secured the processing
of “Sons of Iraq” security volunteers from Coalition to Government of Iraq control.
Interestingly, the company leadership was invited to a Ramadan Dinner by a local Sheikh.
The Sheikh had called the dinner to honor the Coalition Forces, National Police, Iraqi Police,
and “Sons of Iraq” for their ability to achieve security and normalcy within Saha.
This dinner was a great indication of the positive changes in the area and the
relationships we have been able to develop with the Iraqi people.

In a recent survey of local citizens from our area of operations, a local man stated,
“the security situation has become stable. The constant Coalition Force patrols
have earned the respect of neighborhood residents. Residents suggest increasing
National Police patrols along with wanting more Iraqi Police and National Police at the checkpoints.
(Two organizations that the people did not trust prior to partnership and development with Team Dealer.)
The residents can go shopping in the markets because security is good. People see much improvement
in security in their neighborhood, and they feel free to go out and spend time with friends.”
I could not make a statement that would better illustrate the professionalism of our Soldiers
and the trust and confidence they have earned from the Iraqi people.

It is with a heavy heart that I will have to bid the Soldiers of Team Dealer and Dealer Company farewell.
I will be changing command in early October. Having taken command immediately following the last deployment,
I was granted the privilege of training the unit, bringing them over to Iraq, and bringing them all through
to this point. To command these men in combat has been the greatest honor of my life.
What these men have accomplished in a short period of time has been beyond my expectations.
The men of Dealer have performed and will continue to perform remarkably in every way.

Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and
God Bless.
DEALER 6, signing off the net.

Reapers Platoon is going strong past the 6-month mark of the deployment. Our mission schedule maintains
our high operational tempo. With little time between missions most Reapers catch as much sleep as they can.
This pace leaves little personal time, but also keeps us moving forward and time is flying by.
Current missions involve combined operations with Iraqi National Police,
area denial to prevent the enemy from firing rockets and mortars, and counter-IED missions
aimed to stop the emplacement of IEDs on major routes.

Recently on patrol with the Iraqi National Police, the platoon led efforts to instill trust in the INPs
by talking with locals about security in the area. The goal is for INPs to take over responsibility
for their assigned neighborhoods. Priority is to make sure the people have trust and confidence in the INPs,
otherwise the local citizens will not seek them out for help or with criminal information.
These operations are going well, and it is only a matter of time until the INPs are ready to take over in the Reapers area.

When not on mission mid-tour leave is always a popular discussion. Those who’ve been on leave
reminisce about the good times they had. Soldiers getting ready to go home are excited about seeing
their families, enjoying home, and just relaxing for a few weeks. Currently there are five Reapers home
on leave with another four on deck. Although good for those at home, the loss of soldiers puts an additional
stress on the platoon because there are less people to do the same tasks. Nonetheless soldiers are
excited about being home, and are even excited about the last two leaving in December because that
means the end is near.

Overall Reaper Platoon is doing well. We are maintaining the initiative, and keeping our area safe.
We are all looking forward to coming home, and when that happens we will know
that we made a difference and that our neighborhood is safe thanks to us.

Killer 6

Killer 7

September is the holy month of Ramadan in Iraq. Those who choose to participate fast from sun up
to sun down. As a sacrifice they give up food, water, and cigarettes during the day to prove their faith.
It makes them a little irritable at times during the day but as soon as the sun goes down they have a big feast
and play games such as hide the ring. The game involves one team hiding a ring
in one of their teammate’s hands and one person from the other team has to choose which hand it is in.
The game is played only during Ramadan and is even televised it is so popular.

After last month’s push to fill out micro grant forms to help boost the economy we finally received
money to pay our first 28 businesses. Most of the businesses were in Muhalla 877
so we set up a payment station at the Neighborhood Advisory Council hall. 1LT Staker, the company’s
pay agent, prepared and organized all the money for payment at the table. 1LT Behler was onsite
to present the oversized check; he’s a local hero in M877 after filling out all the micro grant forms
and stopping the government from tearing down the market several months back.
1SG had the great idea to make it like publishers clearing house and present them a big check.
It was great event and Killer hopes to get more money this month to do the next one.

The second big event was the concertina wire removal from all the Muhallas. It started out as just
the extra wire in the AO collecting trash and spread to all wire in Baghdad.
We initially tried to hire local nationals to help out but it was too much for them to handle during Ramadan
so I had no choice but to roll the platoons out to make short work of the wire.
I didn’t let the platoon leaders know I was secretly keeping count of who hauled in the most wire.
Sorry Sapper I think Green beat you by three wire balls of mess. My next challenge to them
is who can arrest the most legitimate bad guys in one month.

The final big event was registering the Sons of Iraq (SOI) into the Government of Iraq’s employment.
Coalition Forces have passed the torch to the GOI and will begin paying and monitoring the SOI
under our watchful eye. The JSS was the main processing station for the Jihad area.
Both Charlie and Echo Companies set up stations at our front gate to in process over a thousand men
and woman into the program. It was a company effort to get the job done but
I want to give a special thanks to 1LT Staker, SGT Ruck, SGT Johnson, SPC Fithian, and PV2 Ballard
for their hard work during the event and paper work cross referencing and filing two days after the event concluded.

We look forward to every LOGPAC receiving mail from back home so please keep it coming.

Greetings from the Jihadist,
Another busy month is coming to its end. This month has had a lot of themes, micro-grants,
concertina wire removal, Iraqi Security Force support, quality of life improvements and a lot more.
The one consistent theme in the company is how well your Soldiers execute their duties.
Their tenacity and professionalism continues to shine. Due to Killer Company’s many great deeds
the BN bestowed upon us a reporter from Stars and Stripes, Mr. James Warden.
He wandered around the JSS and went on patrol with Sapper to report what we do here in Jihad.
He was excited to report to the people the great job we did cleaning up wire.
He also got to experience a dismounted patrol around the JSS and walked through the Muhalla
going door to door mapping out abandoned houses.
So pick up your next copy of Stars and Stripes and read about the Killers.

Congratulations this month go to SPC Anderson, SPC Jones, SPC McFadden, and SGT Manley
for being promoted. I would also like to applaud the Soldiers and NCO’s that competed for the Soldier
and NCO of the month, it was a close contest, but SPC Jones and SGT Cabel prevailed.
The rumor mill is running rampant on all of the issues we consider important. With that being said,
I would like you to plan on us being gone the entire time, and then being happy if we return earlier.
As the saying goes, plan for the worst, hope for the best. As time passes, our timeline should solidify
and we will engage the associated challenges such as schools, ETS, PCS, and retirement
to ensure each Soldier’s success. Until then, we will continue to
march along on our previous orders, under the original plan.

We would like to wish SPC Bohanon good luck as he returns to HHC and welcome PFC Philpot,
Black Sheep’s new medic and PV2 Ballard a new Soldier in HQ PLT.

Please continue to provide outstanding support to your loved ones, they appreciate and need your devotion.
God bless.

CPT Franklin (Eliminator 6)

1SG Allen (Eliminator 7)

Greetings from Baghdad, Iraq.
To all the families and friends of Soldiers assigned to Eliminator Company,
thank you for all your support and prayers.

September has come and gone. The temperatures of 120 degrees and above
are past us now. The average temperature is now ranging from 80 to 100 degrees;
and yes, we can tell! Your husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters,
moms and dads are doing a fantastic job; you should all be very proud of them.

Many of the Eliminator family members have been promoted or have re-enlisted to go on
to bigger and better things. We continue to do all of our missions with safety first and foremost
in mind. Again we will highlight reflections from company leadership.
God bless you all and hope to see you soon.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING SOLDIERS
WHO WERE RECENTLY PROMOTED:
SFC McMahon
SSG Craig
SGT Gwosdz
SGT Tolbert
SPC Rincon

The weather is cooling down and we are well into this tour. Morale is high and the days are flying by.
Your Soldiers continue to remain vigilant and are working hard every day supporting the 1-22IN Task Force.
By now, the platoon is in a solid rhythm and is functioning like a well-oiled machine.
Some of their daily duties include preparing supplies for Soldiers staged at outposts,
maintaining their fleet of vehicles, and ensuring the Soldiers of E FSC have the required equipment
to accomplish their duties. They are the unsung heroes of the Task Force.

Continue to send packages and correspondence to your Soldiers as this helps tremendously
with the upkeep of morale. We are doing everything we can to ensure your Soldier comes home safe
and sound. Keep us in your prayers and thanks for all of your support!

This past month, the Distribution Platoon has continued their trend of excellence
in a multitude of missions. We try to provide the best support for the Soldiers at our COPs and JSS,
which has been by bringing them more creature comforts. We were recently able to give JSS JIHAD
a number of mirrors for their gym, allowing CPT Chychota and SGM Rizzo to see their muscles
as they’re tossing weights around. We still do several CLPs (Combat Logistics Patrols) a week,
but continue to focus on developing the younger Soldiers and NCOs whenever there is a free minute.

The days that we’re not preparing for missions, Distribution Platoon keeps our skills sharp
by rehearsing our battle drills. We have also been going to the range more often;
to make sure our marksmanship skills do not perish.
We have had a couple promotions recently in the platoon. Dustin Gwosdz was promoted to Sergeant
and has already been performing at an extremely high level. As the platoon leader’s gunner,
SGT Gwosdz is responsible for ensuring his MRAP is ready at all times, while still seeing to his duties as a Fueler.
Simon Rincon was also promoted to Specialist last month. His promotion is well-deserved, as he
has been an important member of the team so far. Whenever we need a tough task to be accomplished,
we usually ask SPC Rincon to take care of it. Robert Tolbert was also promoted to Sergeant recently.
As a Corporal, he performed well above his rank and position. His self-sufficiency and competence
is “rewarded” by attaching him to other units to oversee their fueling operations. While attached to D/4-64 AR
in Sadr City, SPC Rincon and SGT Tolbert earned their Combat Action Badges (CABs)
in a rocket attack. According to the D/4-64 leadership, both SPC Rincon and SGT Tolbert
performed admirably while under fire.

Fall is finally arriving here in Baghdad and the E/FSC Maintenance Eliminators are extremely
welcoming of the cooling weather. SGT Wiblishouser says, “It makes working outside in the motor pool
a heck of a lot better!” September has been a busy month for the Maintenance platoon.
SPC Jeans has joined us here at FOB Falcon since recovering from a broken arm.
SPC Poirier was just awarded his Combat Action Badge (CAB) and SPC Phillips has done outstanding work
on the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAPs) recently.

The ‘Super bowl’ of all training events is coming up in just a week or so for the Soldiers of Maintenance
Platoon. ‘Raider Bayonet’ will take place at the end of this month and your Soldiers have been
preparing for the big event. On this important day, the Soldiers participating will perform various essential
soldiering tasks. To name a few are reflexive fire with their deadly M4 rifles, rolling over in a HUMVEE
and exiting safely, and training in a room full of enormous screens that simulate real life scenarios
here in South Baghdad. (Just picture being surrounded by several movie screens that display combat
video game like situations that you interact with.) Well, that’s what we have been up to lately
and we will check in with ya’ll next month.

Riddle of the Month:
Think of words ending in -GRY. Angry and hungry are two of them. There are only three words in the
English language. What is the third word? The word is something that everyone uses every day.
If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.
Answer in next month’s issue

Leadership Quote of the Month:
“The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital.” -- Joe Paterno
As always, please continue to pray for us and show your support and we will do the same.