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April 10, 2008
3rd Bn., 73rd Cav. Regt. Paratroopers ~ Great Success
3-73 Cavalry Is on Point
By Spc. Jamie Avila
1st Brigade Combat Team
82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs
IRAQ
On a daily basis, paratroopers of Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division patrol villages to search a number of houses suspected of harboring criminals in a attempt to find them or information that would lead to arrest of those involved in illegal activities against Iraqi and coalition forces.
Although every patrol does not result in the capture of a criminal, it does result in valuable information through the constant interaction and rapport with the local people.
Over the past eight months, paratroopers of Troop C, 3rd Sqdn., 73rd Cav. Regt. have captured numerous suspects, of which 17 remained detained in U.S. facilities and 14 remain detained in Iraqi security force’s detention facilities.
“We’ve detained about fifteen guys since we’ve been here, which is less than a year. We’ve been getting good intel (intelligence) that we can act on while were out there doing patrols,” said Staff Sgt. Shane J. Weigel, a squad leader for 1st platoon.
According to 1st Lt. Aaron Doutt, platoon leader for 1st platoon, Troop C has reduced the number of illegal weapons throughout the area, lowered the improvised explosive device threat and reduced the number of indirect fire attacks on Convoy Supply Center Scania.
The 3rd Bn., 73rd Cav. Regt. paratroopers attribute their success to the way they do things, which is different from what past units did before them.
“The biggest thing that we do different than the last unit is the amount of local national engagement and the specific targeting that we do ... all our paratroopers are familiar with the top TWN list and the active targeting process,” said Doutt.
“Our success is largely due to the way we conduct operations. What makes Charlie Troop different from the guys who have done this in the past is that we’re a reconnaissance troop. We like to dismount and walk into villages all hours. It keeps them on their toes,” said Doutt.
Prior to their deployment to Iraq, these paratroopers went through countless hours of training at both Fort Bragg and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.. Focusing their training on infantry tasks to include search and seizure procedures, clearing rooms and buildings, combat lifesaving techniques and various other battle drills. Upon arrival in Iraq and able to see and interact in their area of operations, these paratroopers have continued to refine and train on their tactics, techniques and procedures.
“All around we have a pretty mature group of guys. They know what we expect of them because of all the training we did with them back at Bragg,” said Weigel.
“We are always critiquing ourselves and trying to find better and more effective ways to engage the locals and enemy,” said Doutt.
Charlie Troop continues to remain focused on their mission to support the overall mission of the squadron. These guys are usually working long hours with very little rest and their work is appreciated by their chain of command.
“They’re out there trying to hunt down the people who have been attacking us with rockets. They come back, get a few hours of sleep, get their trucks ready and they’re back out doing it again. They do that everyday without us hearing any complaints,” said Capt. Jim Pilkauskas, Troop C commander.
“They have exceeded my expectations and I’m very happy with the effort these guys are putting forward. They’ve been very successful and will continue to be succesful,” he added.
Posted by Wild Thing at April 10, 2008 03:45 AM
Comments
Sounds like this cavalry troop has counter insurgency down well. Our troops are training well before they deploy. That makes a lot of difference in the rate of success. They will pass on lessons learned to other units preparing to deploy. This is one advantage of a long war and a professional military. It learns specific, applicable tactics well.
Posted by: TomR at April 10, 2008 10:13 AM
Tom I agree, so many of the articles I have read about our troops deal with new ways of doing things, or added things to the way things have always been done.
Posted by: Wild Thing at April 10, 2008 12:40 PM
