If you end up seeing it towards the end of April, I suspect the battalion will be in what we call "double digits." This is an informal term we use in the military when we are less than 100 days away from some important event. And that event, as I am sure you are waiting with as much anticipation as your soldiers, is our deployment to our new home at Fort Carson.

The Brigade PDSS Team (Pre-Deployment Site Survey) recently returned from several weeks in Fort Carson with a wealth of information covering just about every facet of our upcoming movement to Carson from pack-up and deployment here in Iraq, to leave windows, to Unit of Action conversion. Hopefully in the upcoming weeks a lot of this information will make it onto the Brigade website so you can all take a look at it.

Although there still continues to be very violent insurgent activity in parts of Iraq, the battalion's area of operations still remains relatively quiet due to the continued vigilance of our soldiers. Perhaps you have seen the news recently and noted the several successes that the up-and-coming Iraqi Security Forces have had in raiding two rather sizable terrorist training camps. One significant note is that in at least one instance, the Iraqi military was tipped off by locals in the area as to the location of the camp. Hopefully this is an indication of a growing confidence on the part of the Iraqi Nationals in their burgeoning military to take the fight to the enemy. The battle for Iraq is one of shifting momentum, and for the foreseeable future it is with the newly elected Iraqi government. Even recently more spectacular attacks by the insurgents should be taken as an indicator of their desperation. What other reason could explain the gunning down of 5 female Iraqi translators in Baghdad a few weeks ago by insurgents as they walked home from work?

Congratulations are in order for the following: to SGT Lewis and his wife Dodi on the birth of their 3rd child, Kody; the marriage of 3rd Platoon's SPC Eastridge to his wife while on leave in Korea; and to the newly promoted Staff Sergeants Morris and Duhon of 3rd Platoon.

CPT John H. Sandler
Company Commander