Charlie Rock had both a unique and diverse month in November. The company focus shifted away from the weapons and munitions cache sweeps we were heavily involved in during the first two months due to operational requirements in Fallujah and Ramadi. Our Sappers saw significant amounts of combat at both cities this past month and performed admirably under these stressful conditions.

1st Platoon was sliced away from the company at the beginning of November and attached to 1-503rd IN, moving to the "spartan" conditions of Combat Outpost on the eastern edge of Ramadi. The platoon made an impact almost immediately upon arriving in the city on 5 November. SSG Lambert and his squad uncovered one of the largest caches found to date by the Strike Brigade in a large plastic storage tank buried on the grounds of a Mosque in the city during OPERATION TIGERS II. During the same operation, SGT Widger and his team located and disarmed an improvised explosive device prepared by enemy forces to detonate inside a youth center. For his actions and bravery, SGT Widger has been submitted for the Bronze Star with Valor. The platoon has made an impact on countless missions this month with their cache sweeps, munitions disposal, explosives breaching, and camp improvements. 1LT Keller had an extremely close call as he was shot in the head by an enemy sniper. Luckily, the round only grazed the side of his head and stitches were all that was required before he was able to return to duty. Unfortunately, the platoon lost three soldiers wounded in action during fighting on 26 November. SGT Bradley, CPL Bell, and PFC Pijeau were all wounded as the infantry unit they were operating with came under heavy enemy fire in the streets of Ramadi. All were quickly evacuated, treated at multiple levels within Iraq and Germany, and are all currently back in the United States. All were doing well at the time this article was written and we expect them to make a full recovery and, hopefully, return to duty.

2nd Platoon, with most of the ACE squad from 3rd Platoon, was also sliced out and attached to the Marines' 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) unit for most of the month for preparations and execution of OPERATION PHANTOM FURY near Fallujah. Our Sappers did an outstanding job and were the FIRST unit to move on the city from the west. Their critical mission was to create blocking obstacles on both bridges across the Euphrates River to prevent any personnel or vehicles from leaving Fallujah to the west. They quickly and efficiently emplaced these obstacles, moved into defensive positions, and helped construct fighting positions. 1LT Walsh also used up ALL of his 15 seconds of fame as he headlined most of the radio clip put together by embedded reporter Quil Lawrence from the BBC as they executed their primary mission on the bridges under enemy fire. 1LT Walsh, SGT Chrisman, and PFC Avalos all received minor wounds in the first few days of the fighting, but all were treated on site and returned to duty. They remained with the 3rd LAR executing various missions on the Fallujah Peninsula until 24 November when we welcomed them back to the comfortable confines of Camp Habbaniyah for a thorough recovery and refit.

Unfortunately for 3rd Platoon, their remaining two squads were all that CPT Czekanski and 1SG Etter had to focus on during the majority of the month. Yes, the CO and 1SG were "demoted" to PL and PSG as the "company" consisted of all of 38 men for the majority of the month. Nonetheless, the "company" did participate in six task force missions by scrounging EVERY able bodied male to participate in missions ranging from cache sweeps to traffic control points to humanitarian assistance for the local population. 3rd Platoon also performed outstanding work on Camp Habbaniyah to make extensive improvements to the Main Gate area and to camp security, while also assisting with numerous infantry company missions by providing them with Sapper sweep teams. They are more relieved than anyone that 2nd PLT is now back and the CO and 1SG can focus on someone other than them! The company had a nice Thanksgiving dinner in the dining facility and MOST of the soldiers were able to get turkey before they ran out and transitioned to roast beef and ham. The officers of the company were inducted into the TF 1-506th Currahee Brotherhood in a "fraternity-esque" ceremony on Thanksgiving night, while the NCOs had their Brotherhood event the following night. Lastly, the day after Thanksgiving was spent focusing on "decorating" the company area with Christmas decorations in preparation for the big holiday next month. We even have a Christmas tree courtesy of Mrs. LaForge! Thanks to all for your continued prayers and support and Happy Holidays from the Sappers of Charlie Rock!