Soldiers stationed at Combat Outpost Cleary have been working closely with soldiers from Georgia as part of Task Force Petro.

Task Force Petro is a combined effort involving the Georgian forces along with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, to bring peace to Iraq and improve living conditions both on and off of COP Cleary.

The 13th Georgian Infantry Battalion’s progress as a unit has been phenomenal, said Capt. Christopher Rehnberg, from Norfolk, Conn., a member of the liason team, 2nd BCT, 1st Armd. Div.

He credits this to the 3rd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., for their hard work with the Georgians.

“The 3rd HBCT has set a high standard for (the 2nd BCT) coming in here,” Rehnberg said. “We plan to build upon that and gain trust with the Georgians.”

Rehnberg said both forces are working together to make the Mada’in Qada a more safe and secure place. Upcoming projects include building water pumps for agricultural needs, and building housing for Iraqi contractors while they work on COP Cleary.

Rehnberg also points out that up to this point, the Georgians have built everything on COP Cleary. “These soldiers are hard working and passionate about their work,” Rehnberg said. “They did an outstanding job building the COP. We are their guests here.”

Rehnberg can speak for their work ethic since he spent time with the Georgians prior to arriving in Iraq. He was a participant in the Georgian Sustainment and Stability Operation Program, a project aimed to help the Georgians become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

He said there is a small cultural barrier between the two units, but the distance is closing on a daily basis.

“We are learning each other’s language, plus we are both learning Arabic. Every day communication gets better,” Rehnberg said.

The Georgians pride and joy on COP Cleary is a church they built from the ground up. The church includes a picket fence and a small bell tower.

Zaza Arsoshvili, a medic in the 13th Georgian Infantry Battalion, said Georgia has been a Christian region for over 16 centuries. He said having the church on the COP helps soldiers feel more comfortable while away from home.

“Faith is very important in our country,” Arsoshvili said. “The church is like a small piece of home for the soldiers.”

Arsoshvili said that the Sledgehammer Soldiers of the 3rd BCT set very high standards for Georgians and made them stronger as a battalion. While the Iron Brigade Soldiers have just begun working with the Georgians, he believes their relationship will prosper over the coming months.

“First impressions are very important and theirs was very good,” Arsoshvili said. “They are new blood and have new ideas. They can only make us better.”

Rehnberg agrees with that assessment and believes that together, Georgian and American Soldiers can improve Iraq. Over the next 15 months, the 2nd BCT and Georgian forces will assist Iraqis in repairing infrastructure and help set conditions for long-term stability in Iraq.

“These guys are our comrades,” Rehnberg said. “We need them to help complete our mission.”

The 2nd BCT, 1st Armd. Div., from Baumholder, Germany, is replacing the 3rd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div., in the Mada’in Qada in Eastern Iraq.

DVIDS
By Spc. Justin Snyder
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division

Capt. Zaor Makaradze, the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade civil-military affairs officer, gives snacks to residents of a village near Shaykh Saad, Iraq. The 214th Fires Brigade, the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade, and El Salvador’s Cuscatlan Battalion work together to identify civil-military projects that will have an immediate impact on the villages surrounding coalition checkpoints.

DVIDS
Sgt. 1st Class Stacy Niles, 214th Fires Brigade PAO

Passable roads are something that are taken for granted in developed countries, but in Iraq’s rural countryside, road conditions can mean the difference between life and death.

With the onset of winter rains, many of Iraq’s roads become too muddy to navigate. In the villages surrounding a coalition checkpoint near Shaykh Saad, at least two residents died in recent months after impassible road conditions kept them from accessing medical treatment.

Now, after consulting with local Iraqi leaders to establish priorities under a general community-development plan, coalition Soldiers are undertaking improvements to the road system serving the Shaykh Saad area.

(more…)

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Trevor Plummer, from 3rd Infantry Division, provides security while stopping to check on the progress of a new Iraqi Army checkpoint. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Timothy Kingston.” title=”U.S. Army 1st Lt. Trevor Plummer, from 3rd Infantry Division, provides security while stopping to check on the progress of a new Iraqi Army checkpoint. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Timothy Kingston

MNF-I

Coalition forces began pursuit of remaining insurgent elements near Salman Pak Feb. 15 with the kickoff of Operation Marne Grand Slam.
The operation is designed to terminally disable the dwindling number of al-Qaeda in Iraq operatives remaining in the region southeast of Baghdad.

(more…)

DVIDS
Story and photos by Sgt. Natalie Rostek, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

The 13th Georgian Light Infantry Battalion assumed responsibility for al Wehida from the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, in a transfer of authority ceremony, Feb. 10 ,at Combat Outpost Cleary.

Lt. Col. Jack Marr, from Minneapolis, commander of the 1-15th Inf. Regt. passed command of COP Cleary to Maj. David Sulkhanishvili, commander of the 13th Georgian LI Bn.

(more…)

Maj. Shavlego Tabatadze, commander of the 3rd Georgian Infantry Brigade, prepares to case the brigade colors, Feb. 4, during a transfer of authority ceremony at Forward Operating Base Delta.

DVIDS
By Sgt. 1st Class Stacy Niles
214th Fires Brigade Public Affairs Office

The 3rd Georgian Infantry Brigade transferred its responsibilities to the 1st Georgian Infantry Brigade, Feb. 4, at Forward Operating Base Delta.

The 3rd GIB’s mission was to secure Wasit province, stop the flow of accelerants into Baghdad and provide force protection at FOB Delta.

“I am standing here today feeling proud for my units because they were so successful in fulfilling their missions. We are returning back home filled with gratification and a sense of accomplishment,” said Maj. Shavlego Tabatadze, the 3rd GIB commander. “We believe that even though relatively young, the Georgian Army is one of the strongest and (most) successful armies among the coalition forces that are safeguarding freedom and security all over the world.

(more…)