In a similar training mission, members of the Slovak Republic 5th Special Forces Regiment prepare to evacuate a simulated casualty as part of a Partnership Development Program event at the Military Training Center Lest in Slovakia. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Donald Sparks, photo approved for official public release by MSG Donald Sparks, Special Operations Command Europe Public Affairs Officer

Lt. Col. Steve Osterholzer, spokesman for the 10th Special Force Group, confirmed today that a small element of Russian paratroopers is expected to train at Fort Carson, Colorado, in May. The twenty Russian soldiers are from a light infantry unit, not Spetsnaz.

The Russians will be participating in a training mission under the terms of a bi-lateral agreement signed last year between the Russian and U.S. militaries. It was recognized that troops that may need to work together in the fight against terrorism ought to train together. Special Forces troops conduct dozens of similar training missions for nations worldwide every year.
(more…)

Bronze Star with V device for valor

Staff Sgt. Jeffrey D. Moe, 2nd Bn., 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) is awarded the Bronze Star with Valor Device on Feb. 20. Moe heroically distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous conduct in the face of the June 3, 2007 in Diwaniyah, Iraq. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Michael R. Noggle)

In front of Soldiers from his unit, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Moe spoke briefly about the night of June 3, 2007.

“I just thank God we made it out of there alive,” said the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) linguist.

More than 17 months later, Moe received the Bronze Star with Valor Device from Col. William H. Shaw III, 10th SFG(A) deputy commanding officer, at the McMahon Theater on Feb. 20.

Moe served as an assistant team sergeant supporting a Special Forces Operational Detachment–Alpha and members from the 8th Iraqi Army. Their mission was to capture or kill a targeted individual in Diwaniyah, Iraq.

While conducting the mission, the entire element was engaged in a firefight with more than 100 members of an insurgent force who massed during the night.

“We started taking fire in all directions when these insurgents showed up,” Moe said. “It threw me back; one of the Iraqi soldiers was killed. It got scary really quick.”

After completing his task, Moe began assisting in securing the area and preventing the enemy from maneuvering on the ODA.

During the firefight, a sniper team moved out in advance of the forward line of troops in order to engage enemy rocket-propelled grenade and machine gun positions. After engaging the target, the sniper team was trapped while one member of their team was severely wounded. The team attempted to evacuate themselves back to the friendly troops but was unable due to accurate and persistent enemy fire.

In order to provide covering fire for the movement of the trapped team, Moe voluntarily stepped directly in to the line of enemy fire and began suppressive fire on the enemy position.

“I just wanted to do the right thing and help my fellow Soldiers out,” Moe explained. “I didn’t think too much about it, I just reacted. I knew things were getting pretty thick and they needed help to get out.”

Despite rounds of small arms fire impacting inches from his head and being shot in the right leg, Moe continued to place effective fire on the enemy until the sniper team was safely under cover.

His courage and selflessness allowed the sniper team to move to a secured position where the wounded sniper could receive immediate medical treatment and be evacuated out of the area.

“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about that day,” said the emotional staff sergeant. “I thank God that he prevented more people from getting killed or hurt. I hope I did the right thing, and I’m happy all those guys made it out alive.”

USASOC
By Staff Sgt. Michael R. Noggle
10th SFG(A) Public Affairs

The Sons of Heaven are a cult of the Shia version of Islam and they are found in southern Iraq. In January 2007, by accident, our forces stumbled into one of the largest battles of the War in Iraq since the liberation.

Army Times:

The fighting that erupted Jan. 28, 2007, turned out to be some of the fiercest of the Iraq war. U.S. and Iraqi soldiers killed 373 enemy fighters, and more than 400 surrendered. The U.S. Army awarded more than 100 combat decorations for bravery that day, including at least eight Silver Stars and a Distinguished Flying Cross.

The battle has since been reconstructed in some media accounts ,but the fight against the Soldiers of Heaven remains little known outside the circles of those who were there.

This is that Army story.

This is an amazing account of a battle that slipped below the radar in the media, probably because we won so overwhelmingly. It is worth your time to follow the link and read the story.

via Matt at Blackfive

Want to know where Mr. White and Mr. Black are this week? At Fuerzas Comando 2008,

a military skills competition between the best special forces teams in the western hemisphere. The event is at Camp Bullis, Texas from June 19 – 26. Security forces from 17 countries are taking part in the challenging contest, which promotes military-to-military relationships, increases interoperability and improves regional security.

U.S. Southern Command is hosting Fuerzas Comando 2008, with Special Operations Command South serving as the lead U.S. military organization for coordination of this exercise.

More than 300 military, law enforcement and civilian personnel from the participating nations are taking part in the exercise. About 150 U.S. service members from all the services are involved.

Fuerzas Comando 2008 tests the participants’ physical and psychological endurance through many obstacles both on land and in water. It includes two parts: a multinational special operations skills competition and a senior leader seminar.

Multinational Special Operations Skills Competition:

The skills competition will improve multinational regional cooperation, enhance mutual trust and confidence, and advance the training, readiness and interoperability of participating special operations forces in tactics, techniques, and procedures. There are two events:

• Assault team competition
  A physical fitness test; a confidence course; close-quarters combat; a rucksack march; water event; and an obstacle course.
• Sniper team competition
  The sniper team competition will consist of five events: a physical fitness test; marksmanship; shoot and move; range estimation; and stalk and shoot events.

Each participating nation will send a judge, a five-person Special Operations assault team and a two-man sniper team to compete in challenging tests and evaluations of their skills in special operations tactics, techniques and procedures used in counter-terrorist operations.

Senior Leader Seminar:

The senior leader seminar will help to develop, refine and improve political and military relations and multi-national cooperation in fighting terrorism and other transnational threats. The senior leader seminar focused on terrorism and fighting transnational threats will take place June 23 – 26, 2008 in San Antonio.

Nations Participating:

Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States, and Uruguay. Barbados and Mexico are participating as observers, gathering information to assist them in building a team for possible future Fuerzas Comando competitions.

Background:

This is the fifth consecutive year Fuerzas Comando has taken place in SOUTHCOM’s area of focus.

They were heard to exclaim “Feets, don’t fail me now!”

An Iraqi citizen recovered a bag of C4 explosives from two fleeing suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq members near al-Aziziyah, approximately 79 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, June 9.

The Iraqi man, suspicious due to recent thefts in the area, began chasing two men he suspected to be AQI. The two men abandoned a bag as they fled on dirt bikes.

The man recovered the dropped bag, which contained a cache of several blocks of C4, Russian PE4 and other explosive making equipment. He then turned the weapons cache over to Special Forces at a base in al-Kut.

The suspected AQI members have been hiding in the town and disguising themselves as shepherds in order to ambush and steal from the local population.

The cache has been moved and will be destroyed by a Coalition explosive ordnance disposal team.

MNF-I