Tag Archive for '1st Armored Division'

An officer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas, fights off one of her instructors during Sexual Assualt Unarmed Self Defense Awareness and Prevention class, held at Forward Operating Base Warrior.  Photo by Pfc. Jessica Luhrs

“You must show confidence in yourself at all times,” said Sgt. 1st Class Gerald Meineke, the SARC. “Walk with your head high and you will not be looked at as a victim.”

The junior-enlisted Soldiers that participated in the program were also given a very lethal weapon that would scare off any attacker, according the Lucas.

The II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), U.S. Force - West color guard stands at parade rest just prior to the beginning of the transfer of authority ceremony in which II MEF yielded command of Al Anbar province to 1st Armored Division, U.S. Division-Center at Camp Ramadi Jan. 23. The ceremony marks the end of nearly six years of Marine command of coalition forces in Iraq. (U.S. Army photo/Spc. Kayleigh J. Cannon)

The casing of the II MEF colors signified completion of the Marine Corps mission in Iraq. As the Marine color guard marched their colors off the stage, the Army color guard replaced them. Maj. Gen. Terry Wolff, 1st Armored Division, U.S. Division-Center commanding general, said the accomplishments of the Marines in the region will not be in vain.

The sugar refining machinery inside the Majaar Al Kabir Sugar Factory in Maysan, Iraq.

They were escorting TF-BSO personnel to evaluate the Al Majaar Al Kabir Sugar Factory, in need of renovation. The manager of the sugar factory brought in engineers and representatives from several departments within his corporation to meet with the taskforce.

TF-BSO recently completed two inspections with “B” Btry. The first was an initial evaluation of the factory’s buildings. The second was to examine the machinery inside and the sugar cane fields once used to supply the factory.

The fields still grow sugar cane, but, without the means to refine it into a finished product, locals have to sell the cane to factories outside of Maysan. The refined sugar then makes its way back to the province and is resold at increased prices in local markets.

Iraqi police and U.S. Soldiers carry a bag of book bags to a school in the Faylaq neighborhood during their combined humanitarian mission, Dec. 22. Photo by Pfc. Jessica Luhrs

Three hundred Iraqi schoolchildren in the village of Faylaq, near the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, Iraq, were treated to a surprise donation of school necessities Dec. 22.

In an effort to improve education in Kirkuk, Iraqi police and members of the Al-Atyah Women’s Organization, assisted by Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, attached to1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, donated school supplies for children.

Soldiers from Task Force Pathfinder conduct a walkthrough, Nov. 6, to check on the progress of a demonstration building commissioned by the municipal counsel of Al Chubayish, Iraq. The project uses bricks made from local clay mixed with cement that are stronger, cheaper and more environmentally friendly than those traditionally used. Photo by Capt. John Landry

The Al Chubayish municipal council recently learned of a new, stronger type of brick. It is made from 45 percent of their local clay and 55 percent cement, and yet doesn’t require oven heat to solidify. As it turns out, all it needs is sunlight.

By avoiding the brick-baking process altogether, the fuel consumption and the required transportation to the construction site – the bricks can be manufactured onsite — the cost could decrease. Additionally, “solar powered” process eliminates the air pollution of baking bricks.

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter supporting 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division

“Getting out among the people has been a great experience,” said Sgt. Hugh Gunnerson, from Cannonsburg, Pa. “We can see the benefit of our mission in Iraq when people have something Americans sometimes take for granted, like clean water to drink.”

Spc. Jessica Moon, a human intelligence collector from Seoul, Republic of Korea, takes a moment to catch up on the administrative details of her work. Moon is deployed with 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division out of Fort Bliss, Texas. Photo by Sgt. Mark Miranda

“Through my work there, I had a chance to work and attend presidential events,” said Moon. “We took care of anti-terrorism security measures, particularly those affecting Korean citizens. We built a website for Koreans traveling abroad that gave guidelines for safe practices; tips on how to avoid being targets for terrorism.”

“There came a point where I was going to lose my U.S. citizenship for that career, which is not what I wanted so I decided to join the U.S. Army. My [job] keeps me working in a similar field,” added Moon.

Spc. Janet McMahon (left), a lab technician with the 47th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, prepares to take blood for testing from Spc. Amanda San Nicolas

Despite her hard work and determination, McMahon didn’t expect to beat out three other Soldiers’ and go this far in the Soldier of the Year. Her original intention for attending the Soldier of the Month boards was to practice for promotion boards.

If she wins the “Iron Brigade” Soldier of the Year competition, she’ll continue on the 1st Armored Division Soldier of the Year in Wiesbaden, Germany and then the United States Army Europe competition in Heidelberg, Germany.

Proud to Be an American

Specialist Tarikawe Daniel, from Arlington, Va., a Combat Engineer in Co. C, 40th Engineer Bn., 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division after a route clearance mission at Forward Operating Base Hammer Oct. 16, 2008

“During that time I struggled to please my father. He wanted me to go to college but I was not a good student, I had a ‘C’ average. I spent a lot of time working to help support the family and have money for myself. The classroom environment was never my place.”

One day, Daniel’s father asked him what he was going to do with his life and he told him he would join the Army. His father scoffed, telling him he couldn’t make it.

“My guidance counselor in high school also told me I couldn’t make it in the Army. I wanted to prove them both wrong,” he said.