Apaches in IraqA/2-72 AR Mission Summary
What began in the lush green mountains of the Republic of Korea ended in the desert of Iraq. Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 72nd Armor started its movement into contact while at the Korea Training Center. In May 2004, the unit was supporting 2-9 IN during their Gunnery when they received a visit from their Battalion Commander, LTC Norbert Jocz. Rumors had passed around the unit for a week about a possible deployment, but the BC had arrived to deliver the news: the Apaches were going to war. After an abbreviated Level I Gunnery, the company was returned to their home at Camp Casey to begin the process of deploying. Their first task was the turn-in of their old M1A1 (HA) tanks, many of them veterans of the first Gulf War. A process normally requiring 3 months was completed in 4 days. Following the turn-in, the company began to receive a lot of the gear that would carry them into the desert.
After block leave, the company completed their Connex upload and attended several classes to begin receiving their new tanks, the M1A1 Abrams Integrated Maintenance System (AIMS) tanks, all 14 of which would go with the company to Iraq. After some familiarization and the packing of the tanks, the soldiers prepared them for shipment. The Alpha Company then relocated to Warrior Base, just outside of the De-Militarized Zone near Camp Greaves. In conjunction with the Currahee's of the 1-506th IN, the company completed weapons zeroing and qualification, as well as taking the first steps to being incorporated into the battalion. Following the completion of the ranges and classes, the company was allowed to take the 4th of July weekend off back at Camp Casey.
The next phase of training took place at Romeo 228, an old airfield used to simulate the Forward Operating Base that the battalion and 1-503 IN would occupy once in Iraq. Once there, the company began their comprehensive training phase. They would have the opportunity to actually put into practice the tactics and techniques they had only talked about and rehearsed before. Using tanks and vehicles borrowed from their sister company, Bravo/2-72 AR, the Apaches went to work refining vehicle and building searches, route security, and area cordons. From Twin Bridges Training Area to the Korean Training Center and many areas in between, the company executed numerous missions in preparation for the spectrum of threats they would be facing. With a capstone 4-day exercise at Romeo 228, the unit was certified ready to deploy with all necessary tasks trained to a high standard.
The company arrived in Kuwait between the 2nd and 4th of August. Despite the searing heat of the desert, the company began receiving new equipment and doing their final training. An intensive maintenance period beforehand ensured that the tanks and weapons were at their peak readiness. The driving dust storms and over 120 degree weather only hardened the troops for the coming movement into Iraq. Eventually, the unit bade goodbye to their temporary base at Camp Buehring and mounted up for their mission.
At long last the company began its movement north into Iraq. After loading up onto Heavy Equipment Transporters (HETs), they left Camp Buehring for their last stop in Kuwait, NAVISTAR, a major convoy stop right on the border. The first vehicle to cross the berm was Apache 70, the company Fire Support Track. What was supposed to take less than two days, soon stretched out into four. Plagued with breakdowns, it took the convoy one whole day to reach their first stop, Camp Cedar II, a Convoy Support Center south of Najaf. After spending the night and part of the next day there, the convoy left again, continuing up the major North-South artery in Iraq. The next stop was at Camp Scania, another Convoy Support Center. The company spent about 24 hours there waiting for the clearance to continue on. In the meantime, the crews performed weapons maintenance, utilized the Internet and phone facilities, and ate in the local mess hall. On the third day, the company started on the final leg of their journey, entering into their Area of Operations in the Al-Anbar province. After a short halt outside of Fallujah, the convoy proceeded to Camp Junction City, outside of the province capital of Ar-Ramadi. From there, the company entered into the Brigade battlespace circling Lake Habbaniyah, and drove their tanks off the HETs at Al-Taqqadam Air Force Base, the major logistical hub of the region. The company proceeded to move mounted across the bridge separating them from their home for the next year: Camp Manhattan.
Once on the ground at Camp Manhattan, the company immediately linked up with their counterparts with Alpha Company, 1-34 AR, 1st Infantry Division, out of Ft. Riley, Kansas. The battalion had been there for the better part of a year and was eager to return to the US. The initial occupation of the facilities at the camp proceeded smoothly, thanks in large part to the efforts of 1-34 AR. The primary building was the Control Tower for the old airfield. The British had built the camp in the 1930's in order to train pilots and aid in their control of the region. Although not open to fixed-wing aircraft, the airfield served as an ideal location to base the armor company. Besides having the tower building itself, the company occupied an old hanger for the motor pool, as well as a collection of smaller surrounding buildings to increase the number of people the company area could accommodate. 1-34 AR then briefed us on our area of operations. Extending approximately 15 kilometers towards Ar-Ramadi, the major East-West highway in the area would be the company's highway. MSR Michigan as it had been termed, connected Baghdad with Ar-Ramadi, and continued on to Jordan and Syria. Together with Destroyer Company, the Apaches would ensure that the insurgents could not deny the use of the highway to friendly forces.
Once the company began their operations on the highway, the tone of the year was quickly set. Several small arms engagements, firings of Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) occurred in rapid succession. Sadly, on September 5th, the company lost its first soldier, SSG Gary Vaillant to an IED that also damaged his tank beyond repair. The pain in the company ran deep, but also created a resolve to adjust tactics accordingly to better counteract the efforts of the insurgents. For the rest of the month, attacks against the unit continued while the tank crews, out on patrol for six hour shifts, gained the experience necessary. With attacks as a whole increasing across the brigade battlespace, it seemed as though the company had to learn quickly. On September 26th, A24, commanded by SFC Jeremy Stemen, was struck by an IED while on patrol in Delta Sector, the most remote sector in the area of operations. Although the tank was damaged beyond repair, the crew only received minor injuries, with SFC Stemen receiving a Purple Heart for his injuries.
The second tragedy to befall the company came on September 29th. While out on patrol in Delta Sector A22, commanded by SSG Daniel Zamora, was attacked by insurgents using an IED. The attack killed the loader, PFC Joshua Titcomb, a member of the company since January. Wracked by a second casualty, the company again adjusted its tactics in the face of an adaptable insurgency. Over the first month, though, the company had not been simply sitting idly by. Many insurgents had been killed or captured through the efforts of the company, either directly or indirectly. Several nights had seen running main gun engagements mixed with small arms fire. After the first month, the company began settling into the battle rhythm it would maintain for the remainder of the year. A mixed infantry/armor team would maintain security on the highway. The tanks served as the heavy response force, while the infantry could quickly respond to any incidents and would bring many boots on the ground.
With October came the first major realignment of the battlespace. The addition of an Observation Post on the Khalidiyah Bridge, the only bridge over the Euphrates River between Fallujah and Ramadi, greatly increased the control over the highway the company had. With additional realignments in the sectors, the company gained an increase in the amount of battlespace that it could cover. The impending attack on Fallujah also created some pressure on the company. The 3rd Platoon, lead by LT David Steward and SFC Jeffrey Davis, were selected to support a company from 1-9 IN (MECH) in the assault. What resulted was a rebalancing of forces to deal with this pending shortcoming. Although increased strain was placed on the company, they adapted and executed without much issue.
With preparations being made, there appeared to be increased activity in the towns in the area of operations. Apparently, insurgents leaving Fallujah were testing the waters to see if Khalidiya, Mudiq, Husaybah, and Julaybah would be good havens for their operations. One of the more remarkable incidents of the deployment occurred during this time. SFC Stemen, while on patrol in Delta Sector scanned down a side access road and discovered several insurgents preparing an ambush site. Using both main gun and machine gun fire, SFC Stemen killed at least eight insurgents and captured many RPG launchers, sniper rifles, and AK-47s in the single most lop-sided engagement of the year.
After several fierce gun battles that saw numerous insurgents killed and captured, activity in the area dropped off remarkably. November was a very busy month, especially with the number of coordinated assaults on American forces. On November 12th, A66 was attacked by a triple-stacked anti-tank mine while on a probe for insurgents in Julaybah, an area north of Delta Sector and a notorious insurgent hot-spot. Also this month, several of the soldiers were hit by snipers, but in only one case was one of the soldiers, PFC Albensi, injured by the round. Although he needed to return to the U.S. for recovery, he returned to the unit in March to complete the tour. Even during all of these actions, the company managed to reduce the number of successful IEDs, showing the success of their tactics on route security.
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Over the months, the company also participated in numerous missions with the battalion that took place off of the highway. From a large sweep of eastern Ramadi, to many patrols in the Al Jazeera area north of the river, the company assisted the battalion by providing a heavy supporting force to primarily prevent any attacks from taking place and, failing that, ensure that any insurgents would pay dearly. Outside of the traditional battalion battlespace, missions in the Fallujah peninsula and a Baathist resort required the use of Apache's tanks.
One of the last major realignments of the deployment took place in December. With heavier than expected casualties occurring among the infantrymen, the battalion made a decision to place additional armored vehicles on the MSR. While Destroyer company would go to Ramadi to assist in route security on another highway, the Bushwhackers of Bravo Company, 5-5 ADA would bring additional firepower and protection to MSR Michigan. With Bradleys and tanks constantly on the MSR, the ability of the insurgents to hinder friendly operations declined further.
Perhaps one of the more significant missions to take place was the protection of the election sites in January. With one site in Civil Camp on the eastern side of the FOB and one in Abu Fleis, the company played a large role in ensuring the people of Iraq could vote without any issues of security. Through the presence of the tanks and the vigilance of the crews, the company ensured that the Iraqi people could vote without fear of attacks by insurgents.
Before and after the elections, the company took particular pride in developing a relationship with the local Iraqis. From frequent conversations with leaders and locals alike, the company began to build bridges into the community. A plan to distribute soccer balls and hygiene items garnered much goodwill and gained support among the youth, who proved to be good sources of intelligence. The benefits of such a plan soon became apparent. The company received additional intelligence of pending attacks or IEDs placed alongside the road. Furthermore, the number of attacks continued to fall, with the rate of only one successful IED for every nine defeated ones. Even small arms fire and RPG attacks decreased. The number of successful Vehicle Borne IEDs (VBIEDs) decreased to zero.
With the increased success of the company in defeating the insurgent's attempts to close the MSR, the terrorists relied on more and more imaginative techniques. Experienced with bicycle-borne bombs, the company started dealing with scarecrows with shells in the torsos and logs with explosives attached. Even homemade anti-tank mines started appearing. Despite their efforts, though, the company continued to defeat the more creative efforts of the insurgents.
As spring came around, the insurgent attacks increased, but the number of successful efforts remained low. The disbanding of the Iraqi National Guard, always a troubling force, meant that attacks would have an increased focus against the Apaches. With new tactics and techniques, the company continued to hold the initiative over the insurgents, forcing them into more and more desperate measures.