DIYALA – Helicopters hovering overhead may be a common sight for Soldiers in Iraq these days, but for those in 1st Bn, 23rd Inf Regt, 3rd Stryker BCT, 2nd ID, and their IA partners, watching the skies on Feb. 17 provided an interesting sight.
In a rare occurrence, a massive air assault mission was carried out that morning to clear 3 small villages, to which there was no other access. The cooperative effort required extensive planning, but with the partnership of both forces, it ended in success.
"Impeccable planning, hard work, and excellent rehearsals were essential to our success," said 2nd Lt. William Horan, a planning officer for the 1/23 Inf. "It was an exhaustive effort to coordinate even just the air assets required for the missions."
Providing enough helicopters was a major concern, because of the nature of the op. It required 3 Chinooks to provide transport for the Soldiers that completed the clearing, and 4 Blackhawks for the troops creating the security cordon. In addition, a team of 2 Apaches provided air security if needed.
"Once that part of the plan was figured out, we had to build a gigantic terrain model, so that we could do proper rehearsals," said Horan. "During rehearsals, the Iraqi cmdrs showed an immense knowledge of the plan, and were a direct factor in the success of this mission."
"I learned from the training to try and make more active examples in rehearsals to provide a better understanding," said Sgt. Abbas Jassam, an NCO with the 2/19 IA. "Those things made us able to work together better to complete this op."
All of the thorough planning proved fruitful at the end of the day, as the mission resulted in 3 arrests and the confiscation of a small weapons cache. It also improved the relationship between the U.S. and Iraqi forces. "Our time with them was like being with one of our tribes," said Jassam. "They took care of us like family, providing food, a place to stay during training and before the mission.
This is the first time I've been on a mission like this, flying in with U.S. Soldiers instead of driving like usual," said Jassam. "It's been a great experience, and I hope I can do it again soon."
