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BAGHDAD, March 30, 2006 — About 25 improvised explosive devices detonated on Route Redwing in southern Baghdad, resulting in the death of several US servicemembers during January. To prevent IED’s from taking the lives of Coalition Forces and endangering the lives of the local populace, elements of the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team have been tasked to run security operations and route reconnaissance on Redwing. Prior to the soldiers of the Currahee Brigade taking over Redwing, insurgents used the route to bring supplies into Baghdad, said SPC Derrick Marez, M2 .50-caliber Browning machine gunner, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment. Insurgents also used the route for a clear path to fire mortars at the International Zone in Central Baghdad. Along the road, many IED craters can be seen, some which took the lives of soldiers only a few months earlier. On the west side of the road, there is a house where insurgents occupied and planned attacks, said SFC Steven Crafton, platoon sergeant, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment. Soldiers nabbed the insurgent, obtained the home and are using it as an observation post, OP Red or the “Dawg House,” he explained. As the coalition steps closer to eliminating these threats, US forces still need help from the Iraqi police forces, said 1LT Christian Wollenburg, platoon leader, Company D. One of their main goals is to hand over the route to the 4th Public Order Brigade, Iraqi police. Wollenburg said he wants the Iraqis to take full responsibility for the route and control OP Red independently. Currently, the Iraqis provide security at the check point, controlling traffic and ensuring no weapons or explosives are brought into the area, he added. They are also conducting joint patrols with the Currahee Soldiers. Each patrol the 506th conducts, the light infantry try to incorporate the Iraqis, said Wollenburg. Their presence lets the Iraqi people know their government is taking the needed steps to securing freedom for their country. Wollenburg said the Iraqis are steadily improving. They are all wearing the same uniforms, carry their weapons correctly, and acting and moving as a unit. The 506th and Iraqi forces' continuing efforts to eliminate insurgency on Redwing will ensure safety for the local nationals and the Coalition forces, said Wollenburg. Their efforts will give the 506th troops the opportunity to use their combat power in another area, and the Iraqi police the opportunity to take control of the mission. From their crowded, two-story OP, which smells of “bad feet and bad breath,” the Renegade Soldiers run their operations and conduct their missions, said SPC Grant Courtney, infantryman, Company D, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment. Teams rotate in shifts, moving from static positions to force protection and finally to strike force, he explained. Along the route, soldiers sit in static positions, gaining a secure watch over the entire route, Courtney said. They watch for insurgents who may have snuck onto the road and anyone who may be digging, trying to place an IED. Their objective is to provide security for their fellow troops, the children playing in the streets or in their backyards, and for the parents who are trying to make a life for their families, he said. Force protection provides security and cover for the soldiers on the ground and the observation post, said SPC Michael Sheridan, infantryman, Company D (? B ), 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment. Their mission is to look for and eliminate possible threats to the OP and troops on the ground. At OP Red also sits a strike force, or quick response force, who wait patiently to quickly respond to any attack or incoming mortars, said Marez. While waiting for such a possibility, they escort and provide security for engineers who are fixing and cleaning the damaged road. IED's left massive craters along Redwing, and still buried beneath are explosives waiting for an insurgent to sneak through, hook up a wire and detonate it, he said. Being on strike force also gives the troops an opportunity to interact with the local nationals. Marez feels many of the locals agree and approve of the US presence in their area. If the 506th is securing the area and keeping bombs and explosives off the road, then the kids have nothing to fear when they’re out playing or on their way to school. The soldiers are trying to build a relationship with the local
nationals, in hopes the civilians can help lead to the detention
of anti-coalition forces. The troops ask the Iraqis about recent
significant actions in the area, said Wollenburg. Some seem to
cooperate and give information. Others though, fear if they release
any information their lives will be at risk if it leads back
to them. Total cooperation is needed to keep both American forces
and local nationals' lives safe, he said. The faster troops locate
and eliminate terrorists activities, the quicker US forces can
leave the area and open the road to the locals for freedom of
travel, explained Wollenburg. 
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