America's North Shore Journal

Remember this story? U.S., Iraqi troops rescue 24 abused boys from orphanage U.S. and Iraqi army forces found 24 naked and abused boys, ages 3 to 15 years old, in a darkened room without any windows. Many of the children were tied to their beds and were too weak to stand once released. Nearby in a locked room, the Soldiers discovered food and clothing that could have been used to aid the children. Three women, claiming to be the caretakers, and two men, the orphanage director and a guard, were on site when the Soldiers arrived. Members of the Fajr Neighborhood Advisory Council were notified by the Iraqi army soldiers and escorted to the orphanage to assist the boys. Paratroopers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, and a 492nd Civil Affairs … Read entire article »

DVIDS By Pfc. Nathaniel Smith, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs BAGHDAD, Iraq – Seven weeks ago, the citizens of east Doura couldn’t walk down 35th Street. Seven weeks ago, there would have been an explosive or gunfire waiting for them. Seven weeks ago, the Raiders weren’t in the area. That’s how long the Soldiers of Troop A, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division have been overseeing the security of the 35th Street market in southern Baghdad’s Rashid District. In those few weeks, approximately 20 shops have already opened up, and there hasn’t been a single explosive attack. Capt. Nicholas Cook, the commander of Troop A, 1-4 Cav. from Lansing, Mich., said while the northern section of the street has become a hub of economic activity, the … Read entire article »

DVIDS By Sgt. Robert Yde, 2nd Brigade Combat Team , 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs BAGHDAD, Iraq – After more than eight months of being nothing more than an empty building at the Baghdad Zoo in Zawra Park, the zoo’s aquarium was reopened July 23. Reopening the aquarium was just one of several ongoing projects that Soldiers with the 15th Brigade Support Battalion (BSB), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division have been working on since March when they began supporting the Zawra Park complex. According to the battalion’s project manager, Capt. Amy Cronin, this was one of the easier projects that the 15th BSB had taken on because the only thing keeping the aquarium from being open was the lack of a power source. “It was just one of those low hanging fruit type … Read entire article »