ALPHA CO. 1-152 INF. "AVENGERS"
LINTON/VINCENNES INDIANA

BRIEF HISTORY OF MOBILIZATION & DEPLOYMENT
02 JAN 2003 — 04 JAN 2004

On January 2nd 2003, Alpha Co. 1F-152 Infantry "Avengers" were mobilized in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (later, Operation Iraqi Freedom). We were initially alerted for this mobilization on 16 October 2003, but for various reasons the mobilization date was not until later, after the start of the year. Additionally, 20 soldiers in the company had recently come from a 6-month Bosnia rotation with SFOR-1 1, and after only 3 months at home were being deployed again.

We spent about a month and a half at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, training for our wartime tasks. This training lasted. from 2 January to 12 February. We were actually validated for deployment as early as 25 January, but we were unable to get transport to Kuwait. Our validation process was a rather long and stressful process, but we completed it in a much shorter timeframe than was initially anticipated. Validation meant that 100% of the men in Alpha Company had to complete various things such as: SRP (Soldier Readiness Processing) tasks, IRT, or Individual Readiness Tasks. IRT consisted of First Aid / NBC tasks (which every soldier regardless of rank was required to complete and pass prior to validation), and also the collective training for infantry units. Alpha Company (abbreviated Co A throughout most of this history) completed a module on Base Defense, qualified on individual and crew served weapons, and went through the gas chamber to ensure every man had completely functional equipment.

Alpha company was generally first in the barrel on all-of the taskings required for validation. To give an example, the most difficult and complex task of validation was the Company LFX (life fire exercise). Alpha company was the first company to go through. We did 4 practice runs before our final live-fire run. It had even been lengthened from the same lane that the 1-293`d infantry had went through a month earlier. Additionally, we were required to go through with our MOPP suits over our uniforms (MOPP 1). It consisted of 3 objectives (Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie) and in total was over a mile long from SP to the end. 1st platoon was the main effort and was second in order of movement, due to their superior performance in the squad/platoon live fires. 3`d platoon was the first element in movement and assaulted OBJ Alpha. They set up a base of fire for 1st platoon to maneuver and assault OBJ Bravo. After their assault, 1St platoon set up another base of fire for 2"d platoon (last in order of movement) to assault OBJ Charlie. 1st platoon then aided in the assault on OBJ Charlie and took the right hand side, while 2nd platoon took the left hand side. After consolidation/reorganization, the company formed a 360-degree perimeter and set up a defense for the evening. We repelled the probes and assaults from that location, reacted to a CS-gas attack, and called in live 81MM mortar fire only a few hundred meters from the company, in clear view of 3`d platoon's position. All of this was done in weather which never got above 25-degrees Fahrenheit. After our assault, which usually took about an hour, the troops were no longer cold; however after about 15 minutes the sweat from the IMT's would chill the soldiers. By the last time, the men were nearly chilled to the bone and had the beginnings of frostbite.

The Company LFX came at the end of a 7-day marathon of live fire exercises which were specifically designed to get the company ready for combat, from the youngest private to the company commander. We conducted 2 days of squad LFX's, followed by 2 days of platoon LFX's, and then 3 days of the Company LFX. All of this training was conducted in below-freezing temperatures. At the same time the company learned a lot on how to conduct their own training, including setting up a live fire range on their own.

Sometimes, the troops all had thought a mistake had been made, since they were training in the snow and freezing temperatures for a war that would be fought in the hot and dry deserts of the Middle East! It was a difficult experience because we were out in the cold and wet weather all day long, with little or no relief. A lot of soldiers only had summer weather or Jungle boots, which are notoriously terrible in cold and wet weather. By the time we came in at the end of the day, some soldiers were limping because their feet were numb, cold and wet. However, the troops did an excellent job and did whatever was asked of them. The men deserve a lot of praise, for enduring these hardships in the way that they did.

After validation, we received our DCU uniforms a short time later. Since Alpha Company was designated as the CFLCC reserve, and would be anticipating combat in the war, we were designated to be one of the first elements to move to Kuwait. 1 SG Rains, 1 LT Hall, and SPC Morrow were sent on advance in late January, two days after the company LFX was completed. During the next two weeks, we were extremely limited on the training we could conduct since we were on a 1-hour notice to load up to go to the airport. Eventually flights were found and we flew from Indianapolis to Reinmain AFB in Germany with Co B 1-15Z INF, and from there to the APOD in Kuwait. We arrived in Kuwait the evening of 12 February, and loaded buses to travel to Camp Doha. Alpha Company deployed with 126 total soldiers (4 officers, 122 enlisted men). We spent nearly all of our time in Kuwait at Camp Doha, northwest of Kuwait City. This was a very sharp and rather pleasant (in some ways) change from the icy conditions we had been experiencing. Some of the experiences during this time include the sandstorms (which permeated the warehouse we lived in, no matter how much we did to try and plug the holes to the outside), the hot and dry conditions, and most of all the waiting we had to endure. It wasn't all bad; we had an excellent dining facility that served 4 hot meals a day, phone and internet access, and a first class gym to work out in. We really didn't expect these amenities so they were a welcome surprise.

Our initial mission set was the CFLCC reserve. Initially the plan called for us to go in with the EECP (Early Entry Command Post) and act as an inner perimeter for them, with the 82nd ABN's 325t AIR which was supposed to parachute into Saddam Int'1 Airport and secure it in the early days of the war. As it turned out our mission for that was cancelled on 16 February (as was the 82"d ABN's at a later time) but we were still listed as "CFLCC Reserve" for the duration of our stay in Kuwait. This meant that we no longer had any specific mission to train for.

During our time in Kuwait (which we called "The `Wait' by deleting the first part of Kuwait, because of all the delays by the UN inspectors), we trained and prepared for any possible mission we might receive. We took over several missions from L Troop 2"d ACR, which had performed force protection missions in and around Camp Doha for several months. We did many RAM's (Random Anti-Terrorism Measures) including TCN (Third Country National) searches, Armed Guard tower manning, limited visibility foot patrols in North Camp Doha, QRF for the inside of the post, and also conducted PT 5-7 times per week on average. During this time the company commander, CPT Brad Compton, and the other officers and NCO's continued to train the company and to try to get visibility on what the wartime mission for Alpha company would be. We made friends with several of the officers in the CFLCC PMO office, and every few days would stop by to see what was on the "radar screen" as far as missions went.

On the day the war began, on 19 March, the company watched most of the aerial bombardment and initial ground campaign via television in the warehouse we lived in. We were initially supposed to assume MOPP 1 on 21 March to prepare for possible chemical / SCUD missile strikes, since we were instructed that our location was probably a target for SCUD and other surface-to-surface missiles. However on 20 March we had our first SCUD alarm, the first of more than 20 over the next week. Each time we donned our MOPP JSLIST overgarments and mask, and then assumed cover. Some of these alerts were extremely short, lasting only a few minutes, while others were very long and lasted over an hour. Several missiles landed within a few miles of our position, and another one on trajectory for CFLCC headquarters in the next building from us was destroyed by Patriot Missiles overhead. There were several' times when the Patriot missile battery outside of Doha fired their missiles and we heard them shreak over our heads.

On 23 March the company moved to the APOD to assume the task of Theater QRF; our zone was all of Kuwait up to the border of Iraq. We were assuming this mission from an 82"d Airborne rifle company. With this change, we wondered if we would ever be going into Iraq and into a combat zone. The company was there for one full day, and then the company leadership was summoned back to Camp Doha in the middle of the night, for another change in our mission. Our doubts of being utilized in the war-effort were totally put to rest when after only a few days of ground combat, we were given a mission to go into Iraq on 28 March. The 1-293`d Infantry from Fort Wayne had part of their HHC and their Delta company securing LSA Adder, near the city of An Nasiriya. This was along MSR Tampa on Highway 8 to Baghdad. Our mission was to help that battalion with force protection.

On 27 March Alpha Company convoyed up to the border of Iraq and Kuwait and spent the evening at CSC (Convoy Service Center) Navistar, less than a mile from the Iraq/Kuwait border. On the morning prior to our departure, we acquired 2 HMMWV's and 10 5-ton trucks from the Camp Doha TMP to move the troops and equipment for the new mission. We took most of our company supply, as well as 10 days of CL I. On that evening we passed thousands of vehicles in a near-continuous convoy reaching from central Kuwait to the border. Alpha Company headed off a convoy from the 82"d ABN.

The 82nd ABN convoy was also moving north, and was supposed to go non-stop but had tried to refuel at Navistar. We put our vehicles in front of theirs, and after talking with the MP's in charge of the CSC, forced them to leave. Alpha Company subsequently refueled all our vehicles. The next morning, we formed a convoy with some refuelers from the Nebraska National Guard, L troop 2 ACR escort, and COL Brown from ARCENT Kuwait, and then crossed into Iraq. CPT Compton was in the command vehicle leading the Alpha Company segment, followed by 3rd platoon, 2nd platoon, and 1St platoon. 1 SG Rains and 1 LT Mohr brought up the rear in the other HMMWV.

We were sent to guard Tallil airfield in southern Iraq, which is also the center piece of LSA (Logistical Support Area) Adder. The first few days were extremely hectic; the area was still not considered secure, and we never moved between positions with fewer than 2 vehicles and a machine gun mounted and ready. The airfield itself and the surrounding wire account for most of the logistical assets at the base. LTC Denton's (TF 1-293 commander) primary intent was to keep a 3-mile radius from the center of the airfield completely clear of all non-coalition personnel. There is also an ASP (Ammo Supply Point) to the north-east of the airbase, which itself is approx. 4 kilometers by 3 kilometers square. The ASP is in between the airfield and the city of An Nasiriya, along the banks of the Euphrates River. Alpha Company was situated less than 5 miles from the river. The company arrived on 28 March and reported to the S-3 of the 1-293`d Inf, MAJ Eric Bray. In the afternoon and early evening hours of that day, MAJ Bray took us around and showed us the positions that we would be defending. Initially, 3rd platoon was guarding the ASP with SGT Eckerty's mortar tube, and 1st and 2°a platoons were guarding the east side of the airfield against the MANPAD (Man-portable Air Defense) threat, along with SGT Candler's mortar tube. The supply train was left in this last location. This is also where the MANPAD footprint and threat was the greatest. These two platoons were at first put into platoon battle positions but after 2 days were moved into observation positions. The company was still in MOPP 1 at this time. Additionally, there was an impassable irrigation ditch in between the ASP and the east side of the airfield, and the best, quickest and safest way to travel was the main road between Nasiriya and the airfield. This ditch effectively cut the company into two. As the road turned toward the airfield, the ruins of the ancient city of Ur (birthplace of Abraham), and the Ziggurat temple, loomed in the distance. The temple, in fact, was a major archaelogical site from the ruins of the Bablyonian empire, and could be seen from most parts of the company AO. All told there was approx. 12 kilometers between the farthest points in our company zone. In fact, the zone that Alpha company covered was in many ways the most important in the entire taskforce, since we had the MANPAD footprint in our sector, and the main road from An Nasiriya was in our sector first and foremost. The enemy would have to move through us in order to get to the airfield. Gradually we moved the positions of the 1st and 2nd platoons during the first week, so that we defended the zone in a series of OP's that could see miles out into the desert. 1st platoon manned 3 observation towers and also manned OP 1 in front of their positions with 3rd squad, 1st platoon. 2nd platoon manned OP 2, 3, and 4. 3rd platoon took one squad each from 1st and 2nd platoon in order to man the ASP with an ECP, and OP's 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13. 3`d platoon also operated a QRF with one HMWV, led by SFC Carlson. Essentially, there were 6 squads up in the North at the ASP, and 6 squads down in the South. SFC Basinger and 1st platoon were the primary defenders of the caravan route. 1st Platoon had to head off the bands of Bedouins moving through the zone with their sheep. 2nd platoon was centered around the North-east corner of the airfield around some abandoned buildings and a radio tower. They manned 3 OP's with excellent observation and fields of fire well beyond the 3-mile radius we required. They could also see the ASP from their location, though they could not cross the irrigation ditch in their sector by vehicle. There were small footbridges that dismounted patrols could cross. There were also a lot of civilians with permanent residences near the ditch and the pumphouses that were beside it. 2nd platoon was also responsible for linking up with Co B, 1-293 Inf on the north flank of 2nd platoon. 2"d platoon also used a HMMWV borrowed from 1-293rd in order to constitute another react force for bedouins coming through our sector. Each element was responsible for day and night mounted and dismounted patrols.

It took approximately 1 week to get all of these positions into place, and the area was so large (30 to 40 square kilometers) that the company was still exploring even up to the day we were relieved by Co C 1-293rd INF on 10 May. When we would go exploring, especially during the first few weeks of the operation, we would discover new things every time, like new pumphouses with civilians, new bedouin camps that had sprung up, new Iraqi civilian vehicles, etc. We discovered that there were IragiADA cannons on all the corners and the sides of the ASP. 2°d platoon dismantled one of the guns, and 3rd platoon dismantled several others. 3rd platoon destroyed the ammunition for these in a small shed on the south-east corner of the ASP with thermite grenades.

As far as living conditions, 1st platoon had the worst living conditions in the entire LSA. They were living in the dirt, in positions that they had dug out of the side of a berm. 2°d platoon was initially living in the berm, and after a few days moved to an abandoned building. It had the smell of a sewer, so they moved again to another abandoned building nearby. It was a good, sturdy structure on the north side of their AO. 3'd platoon lived in a building near the ASP'S ECP, and also in Ammo bunkers in the ASP itself. There was also a series of CP buildings and barracks where the Company CP and the attachments from 1St and 2nd platoon to the ASP were staying. Sand Flies were a major problem and most of the soldiers were bitten quite a bit while they tried to sleep. There was no running water and the troops dug latrines in the dirt. We used wooden bunks with holes cut in them for latrines. All of the platoons eventually rigged up makeshift showers for themselves. Water was sometimes a problem, at one point we were being rationed to 3 bottles per day, including water for personal hygiene.

Due to the fact that the ASP on Co A's northeastern flank was the boundary between V Corps and the 1" MEF, there were a lot of incidents involving the marines coming through our sector. For the first two weeks, there were daily sitings and encounters with the marines, esp. on the southeast side of the ASP. SFC Carlson put up American flags and VS 17 panels in order to identify our positions and to prevent fratricide from the marines. On 3 different occasions, the marines made preliminary runs on or near our positions and stopped only when they saw these identifying marks. Afterwards they would drive up and inform us of how close they came to opening fire on one of our positions. All of this led to a dangerous situation for 3rd platoon and HQ element during the first weeks of the operation at LSA Adder.

For the first 3 weeks at the ASP artillery illume rounds were fired at An Nasiryah by the marines, which could be seen by the soldiers at the ASP. We also saw marine Cobra gunships make runs less than a kilometer from our positions, opening fire with their weapons on targets that were unseen by the OP's in the ASP.

There were constantly things happening while Alpha company was in Tallil. Every day patrols (dismounted and mounted) were conducted. Every night the Co D 1-293rd soldiers attached to Alpha Company would conduct mounted patrols around the ASP. The QRF in both the North and South was dispatched usually at least once each day. Some days they would be dispatched as many as 8 times, responding to civilians that had gotten to within the 3-mile radius of the airfield, or near the ASP fences, etc. Some of the more significant acts will be highlighted in the following paragraphs.

Due to all of the bands of Bedouin's in our zone we utilized the CA/CI (Civil Affairs / Counter Intel) teams from Tallil on numerous occasions. On 6 April CPT Compton went out with the first group and talked to all of the groups currently near the east side of the ASP. We discovered an old bridge that had been damaged, and sent the grid coordinate for that to the engineers. Within 3 weeks a replacement bridge was built for them. We also discovered that there was a way to get around the irrigation ditch (actually over it) by going over this bridge and driving beside the irrigation ditch to the south, and it led to a crossing point.

In the evening on 6 April, OP 10 near the ASP (manned by SGT Triplett at the time) fired shots at Iraqi's that they saw in the irrigation ditch near their location. This happened approx. 2300 hours. In response 1-293rd mortars fired approx. 80 illume in the zone near the OP and in Bravo company's zone directly adjacent. No other sign of the Iraqis was seen.

During the afternoon of 8 April, an Iraqi pulled a vehicle filled with 3 other individuals (at least one other male and possibly 2 females) and attempted to ram the wire, approx. 500 meters from OP 6 in the southeast corner of the ASP. SSG Wilson from 3rd platoon fired warning shots and the individual got back into his vehicle and attempted to ram the wire. More shots were fired at the vehicle, which turned back around and started to travel back toward An Nasiriya. The QRF with SFC Carlson, and CPT Compton with some elements of D Co. 1-152 followed the vehicle in pursuit but were unable to locate it.

On April 9th, CPT Compton spotted an Iraqi civilian trying to breach the wire on the north side of the ASP. After discovering that there was essentially a "blind spot" in between positions, OP 13 was emplaced in between OP's 9 and 10 on the north side of the airfield.

There were several times also when Stallion 6, the 1-293rd Scout platoon, did R & S operations near the ASP. There was some abandoned ammunition in the Marine sector, which was directly next to our sector, that activity was observed at several times. They set up OP's during limited visibility and usually stayed 2 days, and then departed.

On 13 April, SFC Basinger took 5 EPW's from the nomad's traveling through his sector. The first group was three young males wearing civilian clothes and red headdresses, and they were carrying a Czech Mauser and British FAL rifle, along with ammo, and also an RPG aiming scope. We blindfolded and tied their hands, and evacuated to the EPW holding site on the Tallil Airfield 10 minutes away. Several hours later, a group of 2 men, one woman, and 2 children were stopped with 2 AK-47's and ammunition moving through the same zone. The 2 men were detained, the woman and children were given water and food and let go.

All of this was prior to the 15 April Iraqi National Congress meeting which was held near the Ziggurat, north of Tallil Airfield. We were augmented with an MP platoon in order to man a checkpoint in front of the main TCP ran by Co B 1-293`d. During the day of the meeting we had a crowd that swelled up to approx 300 people at one point. We had 2 interpreters to help with the crowd, but the crowd becoming beligerent and they were starting to throw some rocks. The Air Force maintained a 4-vehicle QRF which was dispatched and moved the crowd back. Additionally, a water buffalo was driven up 1 kilometer past the check point to give water to the people, and that greatly eased the pressure on the checkpoint. The checkpoint was maintained with no breaches until the meeting was adjourned and all the participants had left Tallil. Alpha company's vigilance on the checkpoint contributed to the success of this conference. LTC Denton gave kudos to Alpha company during the evening conference calf for a job well done.

On 21 April 1 SG Rains toured some of the local Bedouin camps with some rice that had been found in a military kitchen within the ASP. It was tested by the vetinarians at Tallil, and after they OK'd it we distributed it to the local populace.

There were a total of three trips to An Nasiriya that were made during the company's stay in the area. When we pulled up onto a side road, we got out of our vehicles to go and take some pictures. Within a few seconds, we were absolutely mobbed by a bunch of children who had seen us stop. Some were just wanting to see if we would give them candy, but most of them were just plain excited to see us. Many soldiers had their picture taken with several of the kids. These incidents, coupled with the aid missions we were involved with, just prove that most of the population wants us to be here, and approves of our being here, and are glad we did the job we did. We went up throught the town and saw the Euphrates River, and also crossed the bridge and saw the hospital where PVT Jessica Lynch was rescued from on 1 April. It happened while we were still at Tallil, and though we didn't know what we were seeing we did witness the aircraft flying for the rescue mission on that night.

But I think the greatest thing that Co A did while we were in Tallil was all of the humanitarian aid missions we did, both officially and unofficially, to help the Iraqi civilians. We gave the local Iraqi's items to help them and to improve our relations with them. For one thing, we took our extra food and water that was already issued to us.

Also, we all received a lot of "care packages" in the mail from family and friends back in the US. These packages included lots of personal care items, food, soap, etc. We gave most of it away to Iraqi civilians. We had made friends also with the "Haji Mayor" who farmed most of the land near the air base, and in return for water and food he gave a lot of good intelligence concerning many of the things going on both before and during our stay there.

On 6 May, we organized a humanitarian aid tour to go along the irrigation ditch in the south. Midway through we linked up with the 1-293rd S-2, CPT Denby. During this trip, we came across a young Iraqi girl who had fallen and broken her arm. We had been busily handing out the packages when we saw her coming through the hazy, dusty air. She was stumbling as she walked. Instinctively about 4 of us ran to her. Her entire right side was covered in blood, due to the compound fracture that her arm had received. Fortunately all three of the medics in our company were on site, and we were able to get an air MEDEVAC (medical evacuation) to get her back to the field hospital nearby. SPC Loper the 2nd platoon medic distinguished himself that day for the care he gave to the Iraqi civilian girl. We probably saved her life that day.

Co A continued operations at Tallil until 10 May, and we were relieved by Charlie Co. 1-293rd Infantry from Fort Wayne: We spent the next two days preparing for our departure, and on 12 May we departed in 3 serials via C-1 30's to H5 Prince Hasan Air Base, Jordan. Initially all of the company went with the exception of our supply section, SFC Carlson and some other stay behind individuals. Initially there were 115 soldiers in Jordan. SFC Carlson and SGT Olsen joined the rest of the company one week later: H5 Airbase was quite a welcome change to all of the dust in Tallil; there was A/C in the tents, chow halls, showers and latrines, PX, and an MWR facility complete with a weightroom.

At Jordan, Co A assumed the force protection role for the entire airbase. In doing so we took over from a Florida National Guard Light Infantry Company (1/124th INF), and a California MP Unit, the 382nd MP detachment. We worked for the 30th CSG, which was the unit which ran H5. The Company manned 3 guard towers (Towers 12, 15 and 17) on the north side of the perimeter, an ASP guard and a tower near the entrance to the ASP, 2 check points, some roving guards (discontinued after approx. 3 weeks), the Main ECP to the base (where all vehicles were searched, personnel searched, etc.), and the BDOC operations. The soldiers worked in 12-hour shifts with 24 hours off. In this way each platoon covered a complete shift, and the mortar section fell in with 3rd platoon since they had the lowest strength of the three rifle platoons. We continued force protection ops until 19 June, when we were relieved by the 30th CSG and began prepping for the final departure. 

The most significant activities that happened in Jordan were incidents of theft by Jordanian military. Earlier, the commander of the Jordanian base had issued out an order for his troops to try to improve the base by anything left behind by the Americans. Some of the troops took that as a license to steal, and there was a lot of KBR property that was taken (air conditioners, generators, etc.). There was also an incident where 18 cots were stolen from the 949th Vets in broad daylight.

Once per week the CoA commander would meet with the Jordanian security officer, CPT Wasfi. There were several good discussions during these meetings and out of them came the mutual trust which created a good team environment between the US and Jordanian security forces. 

The soldiers also got a chance to participate in MWR trips put on by the 30th CSG CSM, CSM Murray. There were several trips to Petra (where some movies have been filmed), the port of Aqaba on the Red Sea, and Jerash in the mountans, and Mount Nebo where Moses first saw the promised land. Some of these trips were overnight but the majority went on one-day trips. Every soldier who wanted to go on a trip received a chance to go on at least one of these.

After doing force protection at H5, Co A's next mission set was to take over from Co C to guard the APOD in Kuwait. To facilitate this, the 30th CSG relieved Co A of force protection duties at H5 on 19 June 03.

An advance party led by 1 LT Mohr and consisting of 31 total pax was sent to the APOD in Kuwait for a quartering party and to help Co C 1-152 INF in the transition between our units. Alpha company main body arrived on 23 June and by 27 June Alpha Company was completely running the force protection at the APOD. Our tasks included the Main ECP (which consists of the front gate and overwatch position, TCN searchers, control personnel, searchers, soldiers to ensure all weapons are cleared, and two additional overwatch positions), Exit Gate, 3 Checkpoints, and 5 guard towers. APOD Force Protection is our current assignment as of the time of this history.

Shortly after taking over complete control of the BDOC and Camp Wolf Force Protection, we modified several items. First, we dropped Tower 8 after about 1 week. The reason for this was that it was a redundant position to the 3 overwatch positions at the Main ECP, only about 200 meters away. At the same time, we began placing two soldiers in the Guard Towers at night, versus only one before. This is to ensure that during limited visibility, the towers (which are our farthest and least supported positions) have extra coverage. Since we began 8 hour shifts in June, all of the platoons have stayed on the same schedule. 1st platoon's shift is 2300-0700, 2nd platoon's shift is 0700-1500, and 3`d platoon's shift is 1500-2300. The mortars were integrated into the schedule with 3rd platoon.

In early July, CFLCC approved a Leave Policy that allows soldiers in theater longer than 6 months to take R & R leave. Our Battalion began putting a plan together and we put out to our soldiers asking if they would like to go to Germany, which initially was the only approved leave spot for our unit, per battalion directive. We allowed 4 days for soldiers not bringing family, and 6 days for soldiers who flew over spouses/family. As of 04 January 2004, 65 soldiers have taken leave to Germany, and 32 soldiers have taken leave to CONUS. Leave to CONUS was approved after the battalion received news of extension to 365 days "Boots on Ground". This is a total of 97 soldiers, which is over 75% of the company. Additionally, the 152 BN managed to secure some PLDC slots for soldiers to go to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. In the first group, 5 out of 5 Alpha Company soldiers successfully completed the first class of the PLDC for the battalion, a 100% success rate.

On July 31st there was a massive fire in Camp Champion that destroyed a total of 22 tents in only 20 minutes. It started in one of the sterile tents used for redeployment operations, most likely of an electrical overload. Thankfully there were no casualties other than minor smoke inhalation cases. The BDOC responded promptly and aided in directing traffic as the Kuwaiti Fire Dept responded to the fire. All of the Alpha Company soldiers quickly and efficiently evacuated their living quarters, since the fire was only about 100 meters from our sleeping tents.

On approx. 1 August the Air Force took over CP3 (Check Point 3), which guards access to the flightline. We had been manning this position, and Co C (our predecessor) had manned it as well. This greatly helped our troop to task, which had been suffering as a result of all of our leaves. Additionally Co C has taken over manning CP 1 from us. The net effect of this is that we now have 4 slots per platoon freed up per shift. This aids the platoons and eases their work schedule since Alpha Co. has so many troops gone to leave in Germany and PLDC.

On 13 August the TAG, MG Buskirk, and the CG 76th SIB BG Colglazier, made a stop at the APOD on their weeklong visit to the troops from the Indiana National Guard. CPT Compton gave a 3 hour tour, beginning with an ops brief in the BDOC and moving through all of the positions (Towers, Check points, Exit Gate and Main ECP). Along the tour the TAG and CG stopped to hand out coins to several soldiers: SPC Groves in Tower 12, SSG Wilson at the main ECP, and SPC Secrest at CP2. The GO convoy also stopped to get their picture taken at CP2 with SPC Secrest, a M240B gunner in 3rd platoon. Later that evening, in an extremely well done ceremony, the TAG and CG presented the CIB's and CMB's that Alpha Company earned on the difficult combat assignment at Tallil in Iraq. Co A now wears the badges with honor, and we hold our heads up high.

Alpha Company has set the standard in excellence at the APOD. We have received many compliments, from COL Stinson, the 135th ROC, and BG Robinson.

On 19 October the company received the news that we would be returning to Iraq, instead of redeploying to CONUS as we had been previously told. On 23 October CPT Compton, 1 SG Rains, SSG Kerns, SSG Allen and SGT Mason all went on the LOGPAC first to Scania and finally to what would be our new home, Camp Kalsu. Camp Kalsu is a FOB (Forward Operating Base) from which the 105th MP's and elements of the 1-162 INF from the Oregon National Guard's 41St SIB were operating from. Their mission was to secure MSR (Main Supply Route) Tampa and ASR (Alternate Supply Route) Cleveland in order to prevent attacks on US convoys moving on MSR Tampa, from Kuwait to Baghdad and return. Along with the 300th MP Company, an active duty unit from Fort Riley, Alpha Company was tasked with relieving these units to continue in the mission.

On 1 November the main body of Alpha Company (1St and 2nd platoons and the mortars, along with CPT Compton and SGT McClelland from HQ section) moved up with the LOGPAC and arrived at Kalsu in the early evening, at dusk. Initially, 1St platoon was the "detail" or work platoon while 2nd platoon was tasked with base defense. This continued through to the 5th of November, after 3`d platoon arrived with the XO, 1LT Mohr, on 4 November. There was a lot of work to do....the 1-162 INF and 105th MP's had done hardly any improvements during their stay at FOB Kalsu. We probably had accomplished more in the first week than they did the entire 3 months they were at Kalsu. We put up 4 new tents and floored all of the tents (9 total). Since the camp was sitting in the mud, we also created walkways to avoid tracking in mud. On 15 November gravel trucks started to arrive to alleviate this problem. 1SG Rains did an excellent job of taking care of the troops and organizing details to accomplish these tasks, as did all of the junior NCO leadership underneath him. With the initial base defense plan, CPT Compton set out the initial positions of Tower 1 (Northeast corner), Tower 2 (Northwest corner), OP 1 (Eagle's Nest), and OP2 (atop a small building southeast of the main camp). Co A also started emplacing triple-strand concertina around the perimeter, which would eventually stretch nearly 2 miles around the camp. This was determined by a recon by CPT Compton on or about 4 November, and the wire plan remained unchanged even after Alpha Company was no longer in charge of base defense. After 13 November 1 LT Baker from the BN Mortar Platoon took over most of this function but Alpha Company, overall, did the majority of the wire details. Alpha company did base security until 16 November, which is when the Mortar Platoon took over. It remained like this until 22 November, when it was decided that our Base Defense was inadequate with only the BN mortar platoon. LTC Gentry decided to have one Alpha Company Rifle Platoon OPCON'd to base defense at all times. A 6-day schedule for base defense was emplaced, and remained up until the completion of the battalion mission at Kalsu.

While the senior NCO's were improving the living conditions, Co A was steadily being integrated into the outside perimeter mission cycle of Kalsu. The platoon leaders and most of the squad leaders did a "right seat" ride with the 1-162 INF for a few days, and after a few patrols we became acclimated to the new mission set. Starting on 5 Nov with SFC Basinger's 1st platoon, Co A began what would amount to a 1 month joint-mission with the 300th MP company. The MP's had divided up the MSR by the overpasses, which were numbered IA through 35A in our zone. FOB Kalsu was tasked with securing the MSR for 500 meters on either side, from 12A to 28A, which was commonly referred to as the "mixing bowl". This is a distance of over 60 kilometers. However, the entire zone was actually in the battlespace of the 82"d Airborne and one of the 10th Mountain Division battalions, 1-32 Infantry. Typically the MP's ran 4 patrols a day, 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, so that the MSR had coverage between 0500 and 2100 daily, split into 2 8-hour shifts. Typically the MP's would conduct a sweep of the entire MSR at high speed at the beginning and the end of their shift. The Kalsu segment of the MSR from 12A to 18A was considered the southern sector, and from 18A to 28A was the northern sector. For about a month, Alpha Company would join one of these patrols each day, to augment the MP's. The very first day SFC Basinger, along with the commander CPT Compton and other soldiers from 1" platoon, found 2 AK-47's, 1 SKS, flare gun, box of .50 Cal rounds, and about 50 rounds of 7.62mm AK ammunition. The guidance we received was that every Iraqi household was allowed one weapon, but it could not be a crew-served weapon (ie an RPK). Our joint missions with the MP's usually started after their initial sweep, but the first morning we did the initial sweep with them. The four MP platoons we worked with were 1st Platoon "Bushmaster" led by 1LT Johnes, 2nd Platoon "Titan" led by 1LT Kast, 3rd Platoon "Renegade" led by 1LT Myrick, and 4th Platoon "Predator" led by 1LT Roh. The 300th MP Commander was CPT Rolf, and the other leaders included 1 SG Hollenbeck and 1 LT Murphy (XO).

By late November, on any given day one rifle platoon would be conducting patrolling operations with the MP's, another platoon would be conducting base defense, and the third rifle platoon would be either conducting clearing operations in zone, clearing operations along the MSR, limited visibility patrols, or other "special" missions as the need arose. By late November, CPT Compton was finally able to convince battalion that the MP patrols were a wasted effort and it was important to do our own missions, in order to economize our effort. There were no more joint patrols with the MP's after 4 December. From that point on, there were two platoons available for outside perimeter operations. The S-2 CPT Thorne was initially making areas of interest for us to investigate, but about late November changed to the tactic of clearing entire grid squares. This proved to be effective in clearing the areas around Kalsu and searching all of the houses and buildings in our area. These were called "Knock and Searches" and normally involved an interpreter. There were three interpreters available: Manar, Osama (Bob), and Hussein (Tom). Of these three, Bob and Tom were Alpha Company specific; Manar was a battalion asset. In addition to this the other platoon would be clearing the MSR either at day or night. We would alternate north and south about every other day. To clear it, each platoon would have multiple teams, one of which would clear to the east and west of the MSR while another team, behind it, was moving along the MSR itself In this way Alpha Company found several LED's (improvised explosive devices). 2"d Platoon's SPC Query found two of these on a limited visibility patrol on 20 November, 1st platoon's SPC Schmidt and SPC Wilson found another shell on 8 December, and 1st platoon's SFC Basinger found another IED on Christmas Day. All of these could have conceivably killed or injured coalition personnel had they not been found and disposed of.

Due to so many key battalion personnel being gone at once, for R&R leave as well as other reasons, 2 Alpha company officers were selected for special duty in early December. 1LT Mohr became the Day Shift Battle Captain from 0700-1900 daily from 4 – 24 December and successfully coordinated Alpha Company, 300th MP company, and the various elements of HHC at Kalsu (medics, mortars, signal, transportation) as well as 2 Delta platoons augmenting our operations. 1LT Hall became the Base Defense OIC and successfully ran the base defense during the approx. time period of 10 December – 3 January. Both worked very hard and showed the typical Avenger attitude of flexibility to change, one thing Alpha Company became experts at during this deployment.

As mentioned previously patrols and other missions were ran every day, in addition to several MWR trips to the nearby ancient ruins of Babylon. Alpha Company seized many weapons and detained many individuals, here is a brief summary of some of the main events:

On 7 November SFC Basinger, while patrolling with SSG Biehl of the MP's, assisted in the detention of a former Iraqi General and 5 other insurgents, and the confiscation of 6 RPG's 4 AK-47's, 1 RPK, and various other items including sights, papers, ammunitions, etc.

On 18 November the Alpha Company mortar section was hit with an IED at 19A while in support of 3rd platoon of Delta Company. The Co A vehicle contained SSG Eckerty, SPC Wininger, CPL Phillippe, SPC Daub, and SPC Summerville from 1st platoon. No injuries were sustained by Co A personnel, though the vehicle they were driving was peppered with shrapnel. 2 Delta Company soldiers were lightly wounded by shrapnel.

2nd platoon seized a mortar sight and a possible IED detonator at NAI 13 on 20 November, as well as apprehending 3 Iraqi males. After being questioned by CPT Thorne and CPT Grundman, they were subsequently released. However, CPT Thorne had Co A go and get these men again a few days later, and then also released them the next morning. Also on 15 November; 2nd platoon's CPL Blair found a cache of 5 RPG rounds and AK-47 magazines near Shiek Al Janabi's house. The next day 1 LT Hall led a patrol there to search the Shiek's house, but nothing was found.

A rocket attack occurred during dinner time on 20 November, wounding several 1-163rd FIST soldiers, who were attached tq 1-152 BN. One Alpha Company soldier, SPC Hitztaler, sustained non-battle injuries during this attack.

The IRF (internal reaction force) was fired upon by unknown insurgents attempting to cross the field south of camp. The IRF, led by SSG Fish, returned fire and chased the assailants across an irrigation ditch on the southwest corner of the field. Six Alpha Company soldiers took place in the engagement. Alpha Company mortars including SSG Eckerty, CPL Phillippe, SPC Wininger, SPC Daub and SPC Groves fired a 48-round illume mission to support SSG Fish during the engagement. Additionally on the same night, near 13A south of Kalsu, SFC Basinger's checkpoint was fired upon. In both instances they were unable to find who was shooting at them, it was very bad weather that night and was raining.

On 8 December, SPC Schmidt and SPC Wilson of 1" platoon found an IED north of 18A. It was a 155mm shell wrapped in a burlap sack, lying in the dirt on the side of the MSR. EOD was called in, and 1" platoon secured the sight until they arrived.

While conducting a grid zone clearance mission, SSG Kerns of 2nd platoon seized 5 weapons at a house southwest of Kalsu (1 AK-47, 1 HK G1, 1 Shotgun, 1 SKS, and 1 Bolt Action Rifle determined to be a Nazi-produced KAR 98 Mauser). This is an example of weapons seizures that happened weekly, though most were not as diverse as this particular seizure.

SSG Coy from 3rd platoon found some Sagger anti-tank missiles at the highway compound northeast of Kalsu on 15 December. They were brought back to Kalsu to be disposed of at a later time.

After questioning an Iraqi civilian named "Sparky" by CPT Thorne, CPT Compton and SFC Basinger led a patrol (along with Sparky, Manar, and CPT Thorne) to a house southeast of Kalsu and found a mortar tube and base plate, 8 mortar rounds, 2 RPG rounds, 3 AK-47's, and assorted ammunition and other military equipment. Three men were detained, of whom one was released the next day. The other two men were taken to FOB Chosin, a 10th Mountain Division compound 20 kilometers Northwest of Kalsu, near the Euphrates River.

For the Christmas Holidays... on 24 December 2nd platoon, led by SFC Fletcher, was conducting a checkpoint near zone 13 and was approached by an informant. After following the lead they arrived at a house and confiscated a large night-vision device. SFC Fletcher has continued to follow up with this informant. On 25 December 1St platoon found an IED emplaced along MSR Tampa near 17A. They secured the sight until EOD arrived and destroyed it. The next day, SFC Basinger detained 2 brothers with Fedayeen ID cards, as well as confiscating the weapons they found on them.

SFC Fish from 2°d platoon found an AK-47 with ammunition, some old anti-aircraft rounds, and an old Iraqi field phone that could have been used as a detonator for an IED.

On 2 January 3rd platoon found over 60 155mm shells near 18A on a grid clearing mission. These shells were taken back to Kalsu for destruction at a later date. The very next day, 3rd platoon also found an IED near 21A. This IED was a 105mm shell.Alpha Company continues to uphold the standard by patrolling MSR Tampa and clearing the area around FOB Kalsu.

- submitted by <unknown>