31 march

Below is a newsletter to our Family Readiness Group (FRG) from Troy ’s B Company Commander CPT Fitch.

Tim
Another six weeks down here. A lot has happened in the last few weeks. Our Company went through a RIP (Relief-in-Place) of the Company that was previously serving in Hit. The RIP consisted of a few parts. The first phase was building our combat power, getting all of our soldiers here to Firm Base 1, getting our vehicles and containers shipped here, and getting acclimated to our new home away from home. Some of the things we have had to acclimate to include the weather, our living conditions, getting used to all of the systems here (chow, showers, daily operations, etc...),and studying maps in order to better learn our new battle space. Upon our arrival, we conducted a right seat ride with A Co. 1-36 Infantry Regiment. Initially they continued operations with our leaders going on missions with them. On 5 February, we completely took charge of the AO.

Initially, our Company spent a lot of time inventorying all of the property we were taking over: HMWWVs, Sniper Rifles, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, radios, etc... Nothing glamorous, but certainly something necessary. Soldiers for the most part, spent their time improving the defenses on our bases; Firm Base 1 for 1st and 3rd platoons, and on COP-3 for 2nd Platoon. Meanwhile, the Headquarters soldiers spent time learning how to run and support the Company's day to day operations while leaders shadowed their outgoing counterparts in order to observe their tactics. The days were long, usually starting work at around 8 AM and getting to bed around 1 AM, but we knew we had a lot to learn and didn't want to waste the few days we had with the soldiers who had been on this terrain for the past year. They certainly had a lot of useful information to pass on and we incorporated that into how we would run our daily operations.

The city of Hit and the surrounding areas (Haditha, Ramadi, Fallujah) have consistently been the worst areas in the country. Yes, you hear a lot of stuff about Baghdad , but don't forget, its a city of 8 million people. Also, since the Green Zone is there, that's where all of the reporters live, since for the vast majority of reporters, they are too scared, won't, or aren't allowed to travel to most parts of the country (especially places like Hit). A/1-36 lost a large number of Bradley Fighting Vehicles here due to mostly IEDs. They also had a lot of small arms contact (AK-47s mostly), snipers, etc... All in all, not a very friendly place. Our company wasn't nervous, but we certainly knew we would find ourselves in bad situations eventually.

Initially, we were expecting a crazy time. Often, the insurgents will "test" new units by launching an unusually large number of attacks when a unit first arrives there. We prepared up for a slew of IEDs, sniper attacks, and mortars, but so far, it hasn't come. The lack of enemy activity, I believe, can be attributed to our proactive approach to things here. We had a Marine Company attached to us that discovered a large number of caches south of Hit which severely disrupted enemy activity and we just completed a large operation where we supported the IPs in clearing the city of insurgents and establishing an outer cordon to keep them out. The cordon, in conjunction with our proactive patrolling, has kept the enemy at bay for the time being.

At this point, we have been away for about 6 weeks. We have pretty much settled into our daily routines and have held down the fort. 2nd Platoon does not live with us, but they are only about a mile away and they visit every day. They are fairly self-sufficient and enjoy being on the Euphrates River . They grill their own food from time to time and return to FB1 for their fair share of supplies and meetings. Please do not worry, they do have sufficient food and water!

The soldiers here are in pretty high morale, all things considered. The food has gotten better and MRE's have not been a part of our daily diet. We are slowly improving in the cleanliness, which is difficult considering that we burn all of our trash. Furthermore, burning refuse (take on drum of refuse, add gasoline, light, and stir) 24/7 leaves a particularly unpleasant odor hanging throughout the building, and that smell never seems to go away. On the bright side though, you actually start to get used to it. The other thing that is keeping morale high is being on a Firm Base on our own. I know it sounds crazy, but I would rather be here right now than at any of the huge, plush bases in Iraq , even the ones that have Burger Kings, KBR-run chow halls, and porcelain toilets.

With all things considered, we are proud of each other and the loved ones that support our efforts. Thank you for your support. Continue to send your blessings and prayers for our same return home.