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FOB LOYALTY, Iraq, June 20, 2006 - MG William Caldwell, the deputy chief of staff for strategic effects for MultiNational Force - Iraq, visited Forward Operating Base Loyalty June 5 to meet with the soldiers of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and to tour the brigade's area of operation. "It starts from Adhamiyah, up here," said COL Thomas Vail, commander of the 4th BCT, 101st Airborne Division, illustrating for Caldwell on a map inside of the brigade's Tactical Operations Center, "all the way down here to Salman Pak." "That is a huge area," said Caldwell. The Brigade's operations are conducted over the entire length and breadth of eastern Baghdad. It is an area with 4.5 million Iraqi citizens. After meeting some of the soldiers that run the day-to-day operations in the TOC, Caldwell met with Vail and his staff. They discussed every aspect of the brigade's work in east Baghdad, from military intelligence to information operations. After the briefing, Vail escorted Caldwell out of FOB Loyalty's gates so he could see Sadr City first-hand. Caldwell also took advantage of an opportunity to see the work that the brigade's soldiers are doing every day to help improve the quality of life for citizens in this impoverished region. The leaders visited a water treatment plant and spoke about the importance of providing local citizens with essential services. The 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion has been working hard to get new water networks built. "Those first homes that have the new networks in Sadr
City, they will see a great improvement in quality of life,"
said LTC Christopher Hall, commander of the 4th BSTB. 
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