February 18, 2006

Families, Friends and Sponsors of Triple Deuce

We are growing closer to the halfway point and we have achieved some remarkable results. As I previously reported, the process of a free and democratic National Election went off without a hitch and a remarkable number of Iraqis came out to vote. Your Soldiers did a remarkable job, not only on election day, but in the weeks and days leading up to this historic time. Were it not for the efforts of our Military Transition Teams from Headquarters, Delta, and Alpha companies, there would not have been a credible, trained Iraqi Army on the streets protecting elections. It was truly an Iraqi success, but the efforts of all of our companies to create those conditions is the type of thing that will be written about in history books in the years to come.

Recent notable events include the efforts of our team members from the Georgia Army National Guard to get assistance for Baby Noor. For those that haven’t seen it in the worldwide press, this represents all that is good about what our Soldiers have as their ultimate goal - a better way of life for the people of Iraq. Our C/1-121 from Georgia leveraged their homestate connections and found donors for surgical assistance and sponsorship to help this young child, found during a raid, to recover from Spina Bifida.

January brought about an enormous shift in our operations. No longer bound to the streets of Abu Ghraib, we are operating in an area 5 times the size of what we covered previously. Luckily, we are receiving a great deal of assistance from our brothers in the Muthana Brigade of the Iraqi Army. Together, we are patrolling not only the streets of Abu Ghraib, but the farm fields on the outskirts of Baghdad. A completely different environment, but equally as important that we secure this area in the fight against the insurgency. We have already had huge success in the early part of the year. Recent reporting has covered our Triple Deuce soldiers in action having uncovered a large weapons cache alongside our Iraqi brothers. This action was commended by the 4th Infantry Division leadership who just took over as our higher headquarters, as a symbol of the progress of the Iraqi Army and our ability to work with them. On that same day, we had the good fortune to fully accomplish the mission we set out to do - we recovered an international kidnapping victim, Mr. Bernard Planche. As a result, some of our Soldiers have been invited to the French Embassy to be recognized for their actions. Finally, in preparation for the upcoming election results release, our soldiers have been more vigilant in their patrolling back in our old sector, and as a result have uncovered a large number of IEDs prior to their detonation, diffusing the enemies ability to create havoc in the streets on the important release day.

You will note that I said we are approaching the halfway point. We are therefore also approaching the “rumor season” as often happens during long deployments. There are many things that are being misinterpreted as lending credibility to an early return. I would ask you to shield yourself from the heartache that comes from unmet expectations. Right now, there is absolutely no indication that we will be home any time sooner than the 12 month mark. This does not mean that there are not folks working to make an early redeployment a reality, but right now the conditions just aren’t right for us to leave any sooner that August 2006. We have a job to do, and while every one of us wants to be home, we are also soldiers and many have expressed to me their concern about leaving the job undone. We came here to “Git ‘R Done” - we won’t leave until that happens, or the 1 year mark hits, which ever comes first. Stay tuned - I will be the first to tell you when there is any certainty about our redeployment.

Overall, I am incredibly proud of everything the Soldiers and Families of Triple Deuce have achieved. Together, we have made this deployment an enormous success to this point. I ask that you keep us in your prayers, keep the faith, and keep in touch! We need you, and you have been there for us.

Thanks.

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