Building on Success in Iraq
While we’ve been concentrating on the trivialities of politics, our troops have been doing the real work:
MOSUL — Piles of concrete rubble, rows of rusted vehicles, busted water lines and local snipers are just a few of the obstacles U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers are overcoming to build a combat outpost in one of Mosul’s most dangerous neighborhoods.
U.S. Army Soldiers from Killer Troop, 3rd Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, based out of Ft. Hood, Texas, and members of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army (IA) Division teamed up Jan. 19 with the U.S. Army’s 43rd Combat Engineer Company and 77th Engineer Company to build Combat Outpost Killer, also known as COP “Rabiya,” which means “springtime” in Arabic.“Security is the word,” said Capt. Peter Norris, commanding officer of Killer Troop. “Up until now this part of town has had little to no coverage. We’re looking to increase the Coalition presence here.”
As part of the ongoing counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq, the U.S. military has sought to partner with Iraqi security forces and move off the larger bases into smaller outposts in local neighborhoods. The close proximity not only decreases response time to emergency situations but allows the Coalition more opportunities to interact with the local population, Soldiers said.
“This intersection and this whole little neighborhood has been a hotbed of SIGACTS,” said Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Corella, using the military abbreviation for significant actions, a term given to all critical incidents which need to be reported. “What we’re trying to do is close the gap between some of our other COPs, put some Soldiers in here and catch the bad guys.”
Whatever you do, don’t forget about those magnificent men and women we’ve got over in Iraq - Hillary and Obama want to end this; the left thinks the war already lost…but a war is going on, and our best are over there winning it for us. As we go about our day to day, remember them in your prayers; and remember what is at stake in how we decide Campaign ‘08.
Meanwhile, all else aside, have you done anything for the troops lately? Perhaps a trip over to America Supports You is in order?
60 comments February 6th, 2008
