Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment tear down sandbags in preparation for the responsible return of the base to the Iraqi government, Aug. 4.

A small ceremony marked the return of Salah ad Din province’s most important grain storage site to the Government of Iraq, Oct. 6.

The Samarra Silo, formerly known as FOB Brassfield-Mora, had been occupied by U.S. military forces for several years as U.S. Soldiers first fought an insurgency and later supported reconstruction efforts in the central Iraqi province.

As the security situation in the province improved and reconstruction efforts turned to agriculture, Soldiers realized the importance of their base to the province’s farmers.

“We’ve been putting so much effort into rebuilding the agricultural infrastructure and yet here we were, sitting on the most important storage facility in the province,” said Col. Walt Piatt, the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division commander.

A serious drought period in Iraq and the unstable security situation negated the need for a provincial storage site for wheat in recent years. Thanks to an improved security situation and agricultural advancements the province had an unusually large wheat crop this year. The achievement revealed one problem: the Iraqis didn’t have a place to store the wheat.

“If you were to drive around the province about eight weeks ago you would see a lot of the wheat crop was piled outside and in various local refineries because they had no place to store and refine the wheat,” said Maj. Kareem Montague, of Fishkill, NY, the executive officer of 2nd Bn., 35th Inf. Regt., the battalion stationed at the Silo. “By returning this silo to the Iraqi government, we are returning Samarra’s wheat storage and refining capability,” he said

“We decided to return this facility to the Iraqi government as soon as possible. We wanted to make sure we did it before we left the province, so the incoming unit wouldn’t have to worry about it,” said Piatt.

Leaders from the brigade and battalion met with provincial agricultural officials in June and July to discuss the base’s return. Soldiers from the 2nd Bn., 35th Inf. Regiment started tearing down hundreds of thousands of sandbags and clearing out the base in early August. Soldiers from the 95th Engineer Company, 65th Engineer Battalion joined the de-construction effort in mid-August and moved housing trailers, sandbags, concrete barriers and leveled the ground to prepare the base for agricultural use again.

The mammoth task of removing all the equipment and returning the base in pristine condition to the Iraqi government in just over two months showed the dedication of the Soldiers and civilian contractors stationed at the Silo.

More than 400 housing trailers, nearly 200 concrete bunkers, 65 shipping containers, 1,600 concrete barriers and 200,000 sandbags had to be removed from the base, according to Montague. It took more than 200 convoys to transport all of the equipment off the base, he added.

Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, the 3rd Brigade’s replacement unit, will oversee reconstruction projects to renovate the seed separator, scales, warehouses and administrative building to return the Silo to operational capacity in time for the 2010 wheat harvest.

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Story by Spc. Jazz Burney

The small Diyala province village of Jiaffra was once a stronghold for insurgent groups, causing village residents to flee for their safety. After three years of displacement, 16 families returned home to a celebration marked with music and dancing, Aug. 15.

During the celebration, residents thanked Iraqi and U.S. forces for their help in bringing safety back to the area.

Though there are still struggles in the village for some basic needs, Iraqi government officials promised during the celebration to immediately bring the villagers water and work on providing other necessities as soon as possible.

“What a great day for Diyala,” said Maj. Chris Hyde, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division spokesman. “It’s wonderful to not only see these people come home, but know that they would not have been able to do this if the security hadn’t improved enough to for them to do so. I think it’s a testament to the enormous improvements Iraqi and U.S. forces have collectively achieved in making the region and province a safer place.”

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U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Seth Alderman, a squad leader for the military police in the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, waits for his squad prior to a mission out of Combat Outpost Sabari in the Khost province of eastern Afghanistan. Photo by Pfc. Andrya Hill

Deployed Soldiers have all kissed their families good-bye, and headed off to war with the expectation of learning to handle the constant heartache of missing their loved ones.

However, in a rare exception, two Soldiers in eastern Afghanistan have found unexpected relief from this typical situation by being assigned to the same location at Forward Operating Base Salerno in the Khost province.

U.S. Army Maj. Una Alderman, the chief nurse officer for the 452nd Combat Support Hospital, received deployment orders after her son had already been serving in Afghanistan.

“His [mailing] address said Salerno, and then I found out that was where I was going. I just couldn’t believe it,” she explained.

Her son, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Seth Alderman, a military policeman with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, out of Alaska, was equally surprised.

“When I came here with 4-25 in March, she was on orders waiting to deploy, but we didn’t know where,” he said. “When I found out she was coming here, to Salerno, I just thought ‘Wow.’ It was a huge surprise to both of us.”

Seth works on Combat Outpost Sabari, just a few miles from FOB Salerno, and convoys between the two locations each month.

“Having her here really gives me something to look forward to when I come to Salerno,” he said.

While their close proximity is unique to the deployed environment, and provides a form of solace in the midst of war, it also enables more frequent visits than they have experienced in the U.S.

U.S. Army Maj. Una Alderman, the chief nurse officer for the 452nd Army Reserve, from Wisconsin, tends to a patient at the hospital on Forward Operating Base Salerno, Aug. 5. She is stationed in the same area of operation as her son, Staff Sgt. Seth Alderman, a military policeman with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. Photo by Pfc. Andrya Hill

“It is nice because I live in Wisconsin, and Seth lives in Alaska. We’ll be able to see each other on a more regular basis here, instead of every year-and-a-half,” Una said.

Both Soldiers said they have tremendous support from their colleagues, and other Soldiers are excited about their opportunity.

“There is a lot of joking around from my Soldiers, but there is also a level of respect. They think, who else’s mom is over here, really?” Seth said.

Combat brings a level of daily danger and with Una working in the hospital, and her son working on the ground, they each have had to face the possibility of continuing their jobs in an unfortunate tragedy.

“I am a mom, he is my son, so I do worry,” said Una.

Despite her motherly worry, Una, with help from others is able to focus on her mission.

“I have a lot of support from the colleagues that I work with, and we will do the job regardless,” she said.

Seth has a half-year remaining in his year-long deployment, and Maj. Alderman has just begun hers. They said they are appreciative of the time they will get to spend together, and are looking forward to the new level of camaraderie, as fellow Soldiers, as well as mother and son.

“I am really proud to be in the Army,” Una said. “The people I am here with are just outstanding Soldiers, so I think it is going to be a very good year, a very meaningful year. Besides my children, this is probably one of the most meaningful things I’ll ever do in my life, and adding that Seth is here, at least until February or March, it makes it that much better.”

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Story by Pfc. Andrya Hill

Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Jones Jr., command sergeant major, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, hands a Halal meal to a young Iraqi girl in Bara'ia, Samarra, Iraq. Photo by Sgt. Ian Terry

Multi-National Division-North Soldiers delivered dozens of humanitarian aid packages to the Bara’ia neighborhood near Samarra, March 31.

Soldiers from the Spartan platoon of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, delivered several cases of Halal meals to families in the neighborhood.

“Bara’ia is an extremely impoverished area of Samarra, and local residents are not used to receiving humanitarian aid from government or coalition forces,” said 1st. Lt. Daniel Flynn, the platoon leader. “The last time most of these folks saw people in uniform, they were kicking down doors and arresting people.”

The local citizens appeared cautious at first, but quickly warmed up to the Soldiers when it became apparent they were on scene to help.

In addition to food and water, coalition and Iraqi security forces delivered several large rolls of plastic, useful in the cultivation of crops. “It is difficult to grow here, sometimes,” said Abdul Hassani, a local farmer. “This will help us very much. We are very grateful.”

The Bara’ia community is home to two small shops, a makeshift soccer field, and several acres of farmland. Residents do not have access to clean drinking water, and residents draw their water directly from the Tigris River.

The nearby village of Al Rega, where a water treatment facility was recently opened, has pledged to provide assistance to neighboring villages, including Bara’ia.

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Story by Sgt. Ian Terry