C/44 EN Mission Summary

There has never been a better time in history to be an American Soldier. Our soldiers are equipped with the highest level of technology ever issued to a large land military force. We have optics on our weapons that make everyone from the Sapper to the supply sergeant into an effective tool of violence. Our body armor stops the enemies' bullets from piercing our skin. Every one of our Sappers can see through the darkness to slip quietly into insurgents' homes without waking our quarry. Although we know that our friends and family worry more for our safety than we do, great comfort can be taken in the fact that the enemy's family needs to worry about him seventeen times more. This past year has been a challenge to some, boredom for others, and many memories for all.

The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division began making history by receiving its deployment orders in late May 2004. This marked the first time in decades that American fighting power was leaving its charge on the Korean Peninsula. After block leave in June 2004, five weeks of intense training was spent in austere living conditions at the Korean Training Center executing weapons ranges to hone accuracy, target acquisition and engagement speed, as well as route sweep and cache sweep missions to simulate what we could best guess our missions would be in Iraq. One thing everyone will remember were the mortar attack simulations... everyone into the tent, its rack time!

In the beginning of August 2004, Charlie Sappers loaded onto a commercial airline and began the 23 hour flight through Thailand to Kuwait. Upon stepping off the plane, you would have guessed you were stepping into a dry sauna. As soon as you stepped through the wall that divided the artificial temperate environment of the plane to the arid landscape of sand and a sunrise you had to breathe through your mouth until you became acclimatized. Without pause, the company began running more weapons ranges to continue to improve in weapon proficiency and live fire convoy lanes to simulate firing on the move. Because of the heat of the sun and the amount of maintenance required on the tracked vehicles, we began a reverse cycle to prepare for the movement north. During the day the barracks were silent but in the evening the company was a hive of activity while tracked vehicles were packed and loaded onto trucks to be moved north and wheeled vehicles were equipped with extra steel plates of armor for the drive. Looking back, we would never have settled for bolting steel plates 'A-Team style' if we knew what we did today. Half the company flew from Camp Udari to Camp Taqqadum via C-130 while the other half drove over 700 kilometers over paved and dirt roads.

Upon arrival at Camp Habbaniyah, all our Sapper eyes voraciously consumed the sights before us; anything shiny and movable soon made its way into the barracks. Since Camp Habbaniyah was once a British airbase in World War II later turned over to the Iraqis, we all marveled at the mosques, broken jets, helicopters, anti-aircraft platforms but most of all: trees. Positioned between the Euphrates and a canal running into Lake Habbaniyah, a Mediterranean atmosphere cooled the air and protected us from the sun. Make no mistake, however; our operational tempo was extremely high. As soon as the company arrived, it fell under 1-506th Infantry (Air Assault). Every other day at the minimum we ran missions ranging from door to door cordon and searches to cache sweeps. Operations Buckeye, Waterboy, and Strange Brew were just three of over thirty missions the company was involved in during those two months. The door-to-door searches were particularly time consuming as we went from door to door and displayed our best charade skills to get locals to fill out census style sheets to build a database of where the people and tribes lived. Cache sweeps were also grueling as it was guaranteed that Sapper Company would find an enormous cache minutes before the exfiltration time. Flame throwers, grenades, land mines, plastic explosives, artillery rounds, and machine guns were only a few types of weapons and munitions that were found.

The Soldiers were wary, as we were in a foreign environment and danger lurked behind every corner. During these two months, there were as many as 70 Improvised Explosive Devices detonated in a 30 day period. This was our wild west and our chance to tame it.

In addition to the combat missions, the company was also responsible for the Camp Habbaniyah Mayor Cell. The Mayor Cell ran the day to day operations of the camp such as plumbing, electric, and air conditioning work as well as hiring local Iraqis to do menial tasks around camp. Although many people back home picture us living like the Soldiers in the Battle of Ardens, the Soldiers of the Mayor Cell truly had the thankless job of fixing generators and air conditioners, directing lemming-like Iraqi workers, and generally ensuring the Soldiers could focus on the fight and enjoy a warm shower and a cool room to rest in.

November was the month that broke the routine. 2nd Platoon was attached to the Marine Corps 3rd Light Armor Reconnaissance Battalion for the assault on Al Fallujah to the east, 1st Platoon fell under 1-503rd Infantry and moved to Combat Outpost on the eastern fringe of Ar Ramadi to the west, and 3rd Platoon remained with the company headquarters at Camp Habbaniyah. During Operation Phantom Fury, the assault on Al Fallujah, 2nd Platoon moved to attack the two bridges leading out of the city to the west. After the bridges were secured, the Sappers dismounted to clear the bridge of explosives and emplace obstacles under enemy fire. The remaining two weeks were spent manning a vehicle control point, conducting cache sweeps along the peninsula and building up earthwork fortifications. After Fallujah was taken, 2nd Platoon returned and 1st Platoon began the difficult task of quelling the insurgency in Ramadi. 1st Platoon ran a number of missions from cache sweeps, to clearing fields of fire for guard towers under the cover of darkness, to manning vehicle control points. 3rd Platoon focused on improving the defenses of Camp Habbaniyah and conducting cache sweeps in the 1-506th area of operations.

Until December the company had survived with only three minor casualties. Most Soldiers were starting to feel confident but not complacent while operating outside the wire. Unfortunately, SSG Arthur C. "Mase" Williams was shot by a sniper while pulling security while two of his soldiers were operating a metal detector and looking for IEDs on 8 December 2004. SSG Williams was not the only casualty and Ramadi was proving to be a challenge.

January kicked off with the Santa Claus Raids: Operation Santa Claus I & II. Based off of intelligence gathered and developed over the last couple months and as a result of caches the company found, the task force captured over 40 insurgents involved in making and placing IEDs.

When not conducting raids and cache sweeps, the company prepared for another historical event: the Iraqi National Elections. For a few days before the elections, the company set up two sites in and around Al Khaladiyah then secured one election site on 31 January 2005. Throughout the country, the elections were a resounding success recording a voter turn out of over 80% throughout the country... except for in predominately Sunni areas like ours where we had five voters all day.

February and the beginning of March was relatively quiet as the raids, cordon and searches, and cache sweeps continued. The company met tragedy again when a vehicle packed with over 500 pounds of explosives detonated in the traffic control point 1st Platoon was running east of Ramadi on 7 March 2005. SSG Andrew L. Bossert and PFC Michael William Franklin were killed instantly in the blast.

Although we said farewell to two of our brothers, we welcomed a squad of Construction Support Equipment engineers with all the equipment a child plays with in a sand box: front yard loaders, Dump Trucks, and Bull Dozers galore. "Git 'er done," was heard shouted around the company area and job sites on occasion ever since they arrived. They have been a tremendous help with the capabilities they brought to the fight: Hesco walls were constructed, guard towers raised, and roads built. We also learned from them that coffee and cigarettes was a viable form of physical training in the morning...

The rest of spring was uneventful, again in relative terms for our situation. Cache sweeps continued to discover hidden weapons and munitions and raids kept catching bad guys. In early March, during Operation Matrix, 2nd Platoon uncovered various caches on a farmland that included a 120mm mortar system and mortars. This resulted in Operation Sergeant York at the end of March where four insurgents were captured. Winter and Spring had proved to be a quiet time as only 10 IEDs were detonated in a month as compared to the 70 when we first arrived. But this lull in violence would not continue.

On 1 May, the company received a new First Sergeant, 1SG Robert G. White. He replaced 1SG John M.F. Etter who served with distinction in the company for over two years. 1SG Etter was the authority on what went on in the company because he had diamonds. Unfortunately his time was over but he will be missed.

Throughout the year, the company headquarters platoon truly made the missions possible for the platoons. We would be remiss if we did not mention the mechanics and the commodity sections. The mechanics were the hardest working individuals in the company by turning wrenches and repairing the wear, tear, and damage the vehicles sustained. Thanks to them the Sappers were not true light fighters utilizing their "LPC" to make it to objectives. The headquarters section ensured platoons could talk on the radios, had the supplies to execute missions, and ice to cool sodas. Or Pop if you are from the mid-west.

As the summer wore on, violence increased tremendously. Within a one week period in June, the camp was attacked by five different indirect fire attacks, two suicide bomb attacks on OPs on MSR Michigan, and numerous IED and RPG attacks. Intelligence had said that insurgent activity would increase. In this ever changing asymmetrical war, the Sappers have adapted and continued to cut off the insurgents' lines of supply by finding countless caches totaling tons and tons and captured over 50 insurgents.

On 22 June, the company changed leadership: CPT Adam J. Czekanski moved on to bigger and better things and was replaced by CPT Steven L. Kreh. No more would CPT C be the proverbial punching bag when hearts was being played in the company command post.

Ever tried to herd cats? You know: get a pack of cats to move as one group and in the direction of your choosing. Now you have the general idea of how it is running missions side-by-side with the Iraqi Intervention Forces: Iraqi men who we train so that they can take over our job and we can leave. Charade skills and interpreters again came into great need as we integrated them into our scheme of maneuver. With neon blue flashlights taped to the barrels of their AK-47s and Nissan trucks with a machine gun pintle welded to the bed, they executed missions with great hustle and proved to be an invaluable asset.

Now that we wind down to the last month in lovely Camp Habbaniyah, we patiently await the arrival of our replacements from the Pennsylvania National Guard. One lesson we have learned here: stay alert and do not become complacent. So in this last month here we will be preparing to leave and training the new unit to take our place and not skip a beat.

We are deploying to Fort Carson, Colorado; this is a place where many of us have never been. Soon after arrival, the company will be disbanded to conform to the new Light Unit of Action organization under the 7th Infantry Division. We will no longer be ever-vigilant Warriors along the DMZ in Korea but we will be the Bayonets ready to deploy wherever the Soldier is needed.