CAMP FALLUJAH - Nearly 400 men and boys shared sportsmanship and camaraderie at a newly-renovated schoolyard in downtown Fallujah, April 3.
The Sports Day offered local residents a safe and organized event that included volleyball, basketball, gymnastics and a bodybuilding demonstration. Participants received awards and recognition at the end of the afternoon.
Marines from 3rd Bn, 5th Marine Regt based out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., worked with Fallujah officials to create the event over the last six months.
Joint pediatric clinic for Iraqi Police SWAT families
TIKRIT - CF stood up a joint pediatric clinic for the families of IP SWAT team at FOB Sykes, April 2. The goal of the pediatric clinic was to demonstrate goodwill and extend a heartfelt "Thank you" from CF to Iraqi SF, and to improve relationships between U.S. and ISWAT Soldiers, as well as local Iraqi doctors in Tal Afar.
Additionally, Soldiers and FOB personnel distributed more than 150 meals, more than 500 toys, school supplies and multivitamins.
The clinic placed emphasis on identifying surgical and sub-specialty health care needs.
The clinic was set up with bare minimum equipment in a bunker with the support of 2 fire engines, 5 IP pick-up trucks, a bus and a HMMWV.
Iraqi SF discover weapons caches, detain key suspect in separate ops
CAMP VICTORY - Iraqi SF, in a joint effort with CF, detained a key suspect in the area of Mahmudiyah, April 3.
In a separate location, a tip from a local resident led IA Soldiers to a weapons cache in Suwayrah, consisting of 2 explosively formed projectiles, 2 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, 2 Katusha rockets, an anti-tank rocket and a PKC with 500 rounds.
In southeastern Baghdad, an Iraqi citizen led Soldiers from Co C, 1st Bn, 187th Inf Regt, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn Div (Air Assault) to a cache, consisting of 2 107 mm rockets, 200 DSHKA rounds, various rocket and mortar parts, and 34 120 mm projectiles.
Iraqi citizens continue to reject criminal activity and are assisting the Iraqi SF to defend their communities.
Bravery under fire: Remembering Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith 5 years after earning the Medal of Honor
CAMP VICTORY - He was a husband, father, Soldier and leader, but on April 4, Sgt. 1st Class Paul R. Smith, the 3rd ID's 51st Medal of Honor recipient was remembered simply as a hero.
A remembrance ceremony was held in the courtyard where five years ago to the day, Smith gave his life in defense of others. He was setting up a short-term detention holding area near the Baghdad International Airport when his unit was attacked by enemy soldiers. Outnumbered, with wounded Soldiers and damaged vehicles, Smith told his men to get back as he manned a .50 caliber machine gun from the exposed turret of an armored personnel carrier damaged by rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. He fired at the enemy and unleashed some 300 rounds, allowing his Soldiers to reorganize and mount an attack. Smith and his men defeated the enemy attack. During the attack, Smith fell mortally wounded.
A disciplined, no-nonsense plt sgt with Co B, 11th Eng. Bn, 1st BCT, 3rd ID., Smith was bestowed the highest award for bravery in 2005, the Medal of Honor. "He was a Soldier who took care of Soldiers ... he lost his life doing it," said Brig. Gen. Grimsley, who at the time was the 1st BCT, 3rd ID cmdr.
In 2003, Capt. Christopher Doerr, of HHO Co, Special Troops Bn, 3rd ID, was a 23-year-old brand-new second lieutenant. He admired Smith's expertise, precision and dedication to mission accomplishment. "He was an expert engineer, the best in the bn. The way he motivated his Soldiers; he made them train to standard. It all makes sense now, why he pushed us, why we did the things we did. Now we are here because of that," Doerr said.
Smith had been in combat when he was a young private first class in Desert Storm. In Kuwait, just days before heading into Iraq, Doerr asked Smith to tell him what war was going to be like. "He said, 'War is hell,' and he showed me that first hand," Doerr said. "He laid it all on the line and that was not a fluke ... he was concerned for the safety of his men and others, and he put that above his own personal safety, and I think you've got to say he's a hero for that."
More than 200 people attended the remembrance ceremony, including Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, cmdr. of MNC-Iraq, who in 2003 was the dep. cmdr. for maneuver for the 3rd ID.
Large-scale pictures showed Sgt. 1st Class Smith in desert camouflage uniform days before the battle. Diagrams, mounted on an armored personnel carrier like the one Smith used, detailed his heroic action.
Visible from the courtyard was the bullet-riddled tower the enemy had fought, but failed to seize. A bugler played Taps and, after the ceremony, Soldiers walked the site and reflected on the sacrifice he had made for our country.
