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Stryker Brigade Arrives In-country
Nobody shot at them or tried to blow them up, and everyone arrived in one piece. The Stryker brigadeâs first series of convoys, the advance party, made it safely to their destination in northern Iraq after another long ride Thursday. Much larger numbers were to arrive today and later until most of the Fort Lewis brigadeâs 5,000 or so soldiers get here to make the base one of the largest cities in this area. For security reasons, the Army will not allow The News Tribune to report the location of the camp or the brigadeâs mission, at least for the present. But it was with a mixture of exhilaration and relief that the soldiers in the advance party pulled into the camp Thursday afternoon. For a couple of weeks, they drilled on the major threats to U.S. forces on the Iraqi roadways - improvised explosive devices along the roadways and ambushes with rocket-propelled grenades. Many were convinced theyâd be struck at some point along the trip. "Itâs not at all like I thought it would be," said Sgt. David Williams, who manned the .50-caliber machine gun atop the Humvee of company commander Capt. Vinnie Bellisario.Which was? "Like hell," Williams said. "Thatâs good, though," he added. Particularly considering the route. Military police cleared at least 18 roadside bombs - or IEDs, short for improvised explosive devices - along the way over the past couple days, Bellisario said. "We went through IED alley, we went through RPG alley. No contact whatsoever," he said. "Must be our lucky day." Not only that, it was clear and warm enough after the previous dayâs cold rain. EFL Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2003-12-05 |
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