Hero Stories for March 2009

AGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - As part of the shift in the U.S. focus in the war on terror, Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division's, 3rd Brigade Combat Team are taking up positions in eastern Afghanistan that until now have had little coalition presence. The BCT, known as 'Task Force Spartan,' and based at Fort Drum, N.Y., was rerouted from Iraq to Afghanistan in the fall. As the first substantial illustration of the new military focus in Afghanistan, the brigade will be moving into forward...

AGHDAD - Since the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, assumed control of their operational area in November 2008, Soldiers of the "Dagger" brigade have performed a multitude of missions to secure the citizens of Baghdad and improve the quality of life for its citizens. For Sgt. Patrick Chambers, 2nd HBCT, 1st Inf. Div., a recent change in jobs took him from vehicle maintenance to brigade leadership protection. Chambers, a native of Denton, ...

KIRKUSH MILITARY TRAINING BASE, Iraq - Col. Mohammed Saleh Mahdy, Kirkush Regional Maintenance Company commander met at Kirkush Military Training Base with Lt. Col. Norman B. Green, the 304th Sustainment Brigade commander out of Riverside, Calif., and Lt. Col. Brent D. Bush, 100th Brigade Support Battalion commander out of Houston, Texas, to discuss the proposed authorized stockage list for the M1114 humvee Jan. 27. The open dialogue among the leaders assisted in establishing a steady founda...

BAGHDAD - For the 890th Engineer Battalion, 225th Eng. Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, supporting the counterinsurgency efforts with route clearance is not the only skill that they brought with them to Iraq. The National Guard unit from Gulfport, Miss., supported the lower Mississippi delta with hurricane relief since their inception in 1953. Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating hurricanes in history, gave them extensive experience of restoring the e...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HUNTER, Iraq - After two months of patrolling in northern Baghdad last summer, Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, helped reduce the rate of indirect fire received at the base there to its lowest levels since the war started in 2003. With the intent of duplicating those results at their new location here, the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, also known as 'Black Dragons,' assisted the 41st Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division, duri...

From a mother who lost her son in Iraq having my herobracelet on each day helps to make feel like he is still here next to me. No one will ever know how much I miss him. I want you to know that what you are doing is such a wonderful thing. I want to extend my heart felt gratitude to you for this great way to keep my sons memory alive each and every day that I wear my bracelet. I feel such pride when someone notices the bracelet and asks me who this person is on the bracelet, it just warms my ...

Sgt. Jeffrey A. Reed, 23, of Chesterfield, Virginia, died March 2, 2009, in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by a grenade in Taji, Iraq. Sgt. Reed was assigned to the 411th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.<

Introduction to Inspiring Alliance Inspiring Alliance is a nonprofit organization created to offer assistance to U.S. soldiers having served during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) - those who sustained combat-related injuries in the line of duty that we refer to as our "Wounded Warriors." Sacrifices made by these men and women are numerous, as are those of their loved ones - those who support them without fame or reward. We want our veterans to know how muc...

Sgt. Simone A. Robinson, 21, of Dixmoor, Illinois, died March 1, 2009, at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near her security post on January 17 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Sgt. Robinson was assigned to the 634th Brigade Support Battalion of the Illinois Army National Guard, Crestwood, Illinois.<