Sure-Shot
03-15-2004, 09:58 PM
From 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Nashville, Tenn.1st Armored Division
Bandits use cordon and search to find illegal weapons
By Sgt. Mark Bell
Oct 19, 2003, 02:00A soldier keeps a look at for possible danger during a recent cordon and search.BAGHDAD, Iraq – The loud, thunderous roll of the M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, the distinct rotor sounds of several OH-58D’s hovering above, and the faint footsteps of several dozen infantrymen as they cautiously approach a building frighten nearby children of a rural community northwest of Baghdad.
As soldiers tactically surrounded a suspicious building, the sounds of a small battalion-sized military operation was drowned out by the echoing of terror from nearby children crying because of the fear of the unknown.
With the outreach of his hand of friendship to a small boy, one soldier from C Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, tried to calm the small pocket of children peeping around corners – not sure exactly what to think of the more than 100 soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team’s cordon and search operation.
“This is the toughest part of the job,” said one soldier walking away from the children. “Listening and watching them cry is very tough to swallow. They never do understand what we are doing. What I would give just for them to see that we aren’t the bad guys.”
Only when their Iraqi interpreter explains the presence and purpose of the U.S. forces and the Iraqi police, do the children wipe away their tears and help the soldiers by pointing out potential danger areas during the large search.
Although the 1-37’s “Bandits” nickname could be associated with Wild West train robbers and thieves, the soldiers out of Freidburg, Germany, are anything but the bad guys in black cowboy hats.
With recent mortar, improvised explosive device (IED) and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attacks in the area just east of 1-37’s forward operating base, commanders decided a cordon and search of a small area would produce evidence of weapons that could be used against U.S. forces and the Iraqi people.
A cordon and search has the same desired end result as the famous crashing-the-door-down raids the media highlights so often – finding something that isn’t suppose to be there.
“Cordon and search is the slower side, or less combat side, of a raid,” said Pfc. Shaun Loun, a rifleman with 1-37. “During a raid we are pretty much just kicking down doors and throwing flash bangs. These are more methodical methods of a search where we ask people to come out of the house before we enter the building.”
The mission for C Company began in the early morning hours as soldiers gathered just inside their compound gate for one last check to ensure all pieces of the mission communicating. As leaders lined up the tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and other vehicles carrying the small battalion-sized task force, the psychological operations detachment blared hard-edge music to give the small task force an early-morning shot of adrenaline.Soldiers from C Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, clear a nearby building and work around windows that could have potentially hidden danger.As “Highway to ****,” blared over the loud speakers, soldiers prepared for a long afternoon of searching houses and buildings. Smoking their last cigarettes they’ll have for several hours and crushing large blocks of ice to fit into their coolers loaded with water was to be the choice of activity before the first military police vehicles moved out to secure vital intersections and control traffic.
With military aircraft gunships inbound for support, radio traffic jammed the airwaves as the first of three waves of vehicles proceeded to the rally point just on the edge of the search area.
As the small attack helicopters circled the area to ensure no surprises waited for the joint task force of “Bandits,” Army National Guardsmen and Iraqi police, soldiers dismounted their vehicles and began their four-hour long meticulous search.
With dozens of buildings to search, several squads simultaneously began searching each house room by room.
With intelligence of possible IEDs being manufactured in the area, soldiers spent a good part of their time going through blankets, boxes, stoves and small sewage holes looking for evidence that could lead to the manufacture of the deadly devices.
Different from a raid, cordon and search involves more time, planning and patience as soldiers knock on doors and talk with the residents before entering and beginning their search.
“Although this is a search where we ask the people to come out of their houses before entering, there is still that very real danger of someone in there trying to hurt us,” said Loun. “You just never know what is behind each corner.”
Trained to find IED-making material, soldiers cautiously look under ever rug, open every door and search both the women and men for hidden contraband.
“IED-making material is one of the most dangerous things out here because it’s easily disguised and you never know when it’s going to hit you,” said Loun.
He said cordon and searches are vital to the success of their mission in Iraq.
“It’s important because while we are here, we are trying to get the civilian population to come to like us and see that we are here to help,” he said. “We are not that big bad guys knocking down their doors.”
Although the majority of the rooms and buildings were free of illegal weapons, “Bandit” soldiers still take each mission with open arms and a listening ear.
“A lot of times we don’t find things, but the people still offer a glass of water after we have gone through their private homes,” Loun said. “So it’s good we don’t alienate the population, and at the same time we find out that if we talk to them they are our most valuable source of information to help us and themselves live a better life here.”
After moving through the large group of buildings and coming up empty handed on their search, frustration on the soldiers’ faces became noticeably visible as they moved toward a large open cow pasture.Soldiers from C Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division peek around a corner before deciding to advance to the next building. Soldiers were cautious because of a nearby window that could easily contain a sniper. With several squads lined up, the teams begin the slow search of holes, weeds and high grass. Keeping soldiers on track, squad leaders use small portable radios to maintain the much-needed discipline of a large open search.
With the temperatures reaching over 110 degrees and swarms of flies agitating soldiers, the “Bandits” continued focused on their search through the 200 meters of rugged terrain.
“I found something,” yelled one soldier from a distance. With a sense of anticipation, soldiers quickly uncovered a large cache of rocket-propelled grenade launchers and small arms.
“It feels good,” said. Loun after seeing the RPG launchers loaded into the back of a military vehicle. “There’s been a lot of RPG and IED attacks lately, and any time you can get a weapon off the street that can be used down the road does feel good.”
What determines success for a cordon and search? Success is seen in the eyes of the soldiers after a long, exhausting day searching nonstop in hopes of the making a better, safer Iraq.
“It was a pretty good day,” said. Spc. Nicholas Simon while wiping dirt and sweat from his face after a long, hot morning. “We found some weapons and established a good direction with the people here.”
Finding and seizing illegal weapons is definitely one of the top 10 reasons for success, but soldiers like Loun and Simon say making Iraq better for Iraqis is the only true success.
To achieve that success, Iraqi police were assisting U.S. forces in their search.
“It’s important we work with the Iraqi police, because we aren’t the police,” said Loun “We’re trying our best to help police the country, but we need to train the police them and get them up to par to make our job easier and to get out of here quicker. When we leave they are the ones going to be taking over.”
If not physically involved in the search, Simon said, the Iraqi people need to see the Iraqi police are working with the coalition forces.
In addition to visibility, Simon said he hopes the cordon and searches are at least a learning experience for the police force.
“Hopefully they get to see the way we conduct our operations in a very professional manner,” he said. “We’re not overstepping the boundaries, and hopefully they’ll learn our approach to treating people.”
He said the very presence of the police to their own people during the operation, brings a little bit of a reassuring tone to the entire operation.
After hundreds of cordon and searches are completed and Simon and Loun are back home with their families, each hopes the Iraqi people learn from the coalition forces.
“Maybe we can help jumpstart their country, the way the people want it,” Simon said. “I just want to give them a feel of our freedom and democracy, hoping the entire region stabilizes and this is a model for other countries, and it spreads throughout the region.”
Bandits use cordon and search to find illegal weapons
By Sgt. Mark Bell
Oct 19, 2003, 02:00A soldier keeps a look at for possible danger during a recent cordon and search.BAGHDAD, Iraq – The loud, thunderous roll of the M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks, the distinct rotor sounds of several OH-58D’s hovering above, and the faint footsteps of several dozen infantrymen as they cautiously approach a building frighten nearby children of a rural community northwest of Baghdad.
As soldiers tactically surrounded a suspicious building, the sounds of a small battalion-sized military operation was drowned out by the echoing of terror from nearby children crying because of the fear of the unknown.
With the outreach of his hand of friendship to a small boy, one soldier from C Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, tried to calm the small pocket of children peeping around corners – not sure exactly what to think of the more than 100 soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team’s cordon and search operation.
“This is the toughest part of the job,” said one soldier walking away from the children. “Listening and watching them cry is very tough to swallow. They never do understand what we are doing. What I would give just for them to see that we aren’t the bad guys.”
Only when their Iraqi interpreter explains the presence and purpose of the U.S. forces and the Iraqi police, do the children wipe away their tears and help the soldiers by pointing out potential danger areas during the large search.
Although the 1-37’s “Bandits” nickname could be associated with Wild West train robbers and thieves, the soldiers out of Freidburg, Germany, are anything but the bad guys in black cowboy hats.
With recent mortar, improvised explosive device (IED) and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attacks in the area just east of 1-37’s forward operating base, commanders decided a cordon and search of a small area would produce evidence of weapons that could be used against U.S. forces and the Iraqi people.
A cordon and search has the same desired end result as the famous crashing-the-door-down raids the media highlights so often – finding something that isn’t suppose to be there.
“Cordon and search is the slower side, or less combat side, of a raid,” said Pfc. Shaun Loun, a rifleman with 1-37. “During a raid we are pretty much just kicking down doors and throwing flash bangs. These are more methodical methods of a search where we ask people to come out of the house before we enter the building.”
The mission for C Company began in the early morning hours as soldiers gathered just inside their compound gate for one last check to ensure all pieces of the mission communicating. As leaders lined up the tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles and other vehicles carrying the small battalion-sized task force, the psychological operations detachment blared hard-edge music to give the small task force an early-morning shot of adrenaline.Soldiers from C Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, clear a nearby building and work around windows that could have potentially hidden danger.As “Highway to ****,” blared over the loud speakers, soldiers prepared for a long afternoon of searching houses and buildings. Smoking their last cigarettes they’ll have for several hours and crushing large blocks of ice to fit into their coolers loaded with water was to be the choice of activity before the first military police vehicles moved out to secure vital intersections and control traffic.
With military aircraft gunships inbound for support, radio traffic jammed the airwaves as the first of three waves of vehicles proceeded to the rally point just on the edge of the search area.
As the small attack helicopters circled the area to ensure no surprises waited for the joint task force of “Bandits,” Army National Guardsmen and Iraqi police, soldiers dismounted their vehicles and began their four-hour long meticulous search.
With dozens of buildings to search, several squads simultaneously began searching each house room by room.
With intelligence of possible IEDs being manufactured in the area, soldiers spent a good part of their time going through blankets, boxes, stoves and small sewage holes looking for evidence that could lead to the manufacture of the deadly devices.
Different from a raid, cordon and search involves more time, planning and patience as soldiers knock on doors and talk with the residents before entering and beginning their search.
“Although this is a search where we ask the people to come out of their houses before entering, there is still that very real danger of someone in there trying to hurt us,” said Loun. “You just never know what is behind each corner.”
Trained to find IED-making material, soldiers cautiously look under ever rug, open every door and search both the women and men for hidden contraband.
“IED-making material is one of the most dangerous things out here because it’s easily disguised and you never know when it’s going to hit you,” said Loun.
He said cordon and searches are vital to the success of their mission in Iraq.
“It’s important because while we are here, we are trying to get the civilian population to come to like us and see that we are here to help,” he said. “We are not that big bad guys knocking down their doors.”
Although the majority of the rooms and buildings were free of illegal weapons, “Bandit” soldiers still take each mission with open arms and a listening ear.
“A lot of times we don’t find things, but the people still offer a glass of water after we have gone through their private homes,” Loun said. “So it’s good we don’t alienate the population, and at the same time we find out that if we talk to them they are our most valuable source of information to help us and themselves live a better life here.”
After moving through the large group of buildings and coming up empty handed on their search, frustration on the soldiers’ faces became noticeably visible as they moved toward a large open cow pasture.Soldiers from C Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division peek around a corner before deciding to advance to the next building. Soldiers were cautious because of a nearby window that could easily contain a sniper. With several squads lined up, the teams begin the slow search of holes, weeds and high grass. Keeping soldiers on track, squad leaders use small portable radios to maintain the much-needed discipline of a large open search.
With the temperatures reaching over 110 degrees and swarms of flies agitating soldiers, the “Bandits” continued focused on their search through the 200 meters of rugged terrain.
“I found something,” yelled one soldier from a distance. With a sense of anticipation, soldiers quickly uncovered a large cache of rocket-propelled grenade launchers and small arms.
“It feels good,” said. Loun after seeing the RPG launchers loaded into the back of a military vehicle. “There’s been a lot of RPG and IED attacks lately, and any time you can get a weapon off the street that can be used down the road does feel good.”
What determines success for a cordon and search? Success is seen in the eyes of the soldiers after a long, exhausting day searching nonstop in hopes of the making a better, safer Iraq.
“It was a pretty good day,” said. Spc. Nicholas Simon while wiping dirt and sweat from his face after a long, hot morning. “We found some weapons and established a good direction with the people here.”
Finding and seizing illegal weapons is definitely one of the top 10 reasons for success, but soldiers like Loun and Simon say making Iraq better for Iraqis is the only true success.
To achieve that success, Iraqi police were assisting U.S. forces in their search.
“It’s important we work with the Iraqi police, because we aren’t the police,” said Loun “We’re trying our best to help police the country, but we need to train the police them and get them up to par to make our job easier and to get out of here quicker. When we leave they are the ones going to be taking over.”
If not physically involved in the search, Simon said, the Iraqi people need to see the Iraqi police are working with the coalition forces.
In addition to visibility, Simon said he hopes the cordon and searches are at least a learning experience for the police force.
“Hopefully they get to see the way we conduct our operations in a very professional manner,” he said. “We’re not overstepping the boundaries, and hopefully they’ll learn our approach to treating people.”
He said the very presence of the police to their own people during the operation, brings a little bit of a reassuring tone to the entire operation.
After hundreds of cordon and searches are completed and Simon and Loun are back home with their families, each hopes the Iraqi people learn from the coalition forces.
“Maybe we can help jumpstart their country, the way the people want it,” Simon said. “I just want to give them a feel of our freedom and democracy, hoping the entire region stabilizes and this is a model for other countries, and it spreads throughout the region.”