Kuwait to Iraq

DefenseLink News Release: DoD Announces Force Adjustments: "DoD Announces Force Adjustments


As a result of the President’s Iraq strategy review, the Department of Defense announced today an increase of 20,000 U.S. military forces for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Specific decisions made by the Secretary of Defense include:

The 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, N.C., and currently assigned as the call forward force in Kuwait, will move into Iraq and assume a security mission there."

82nd Airborne -- Kuwait

82nd Airborne: "82nd Arrives in Kuwait, Ready for Action
CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT – The 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team began arriving in Kuwait [1/2/07] to assume the role of quick reaction force for Multi-National Force-Iraq. The Fort Bragg, N.C.-based Falcon Brigade will remain in Kuwait on stand-by status, ready to immediately deploy into Iraq to support coalition operations."
“The 82nd Airborne is America’s strategic response force. Within days of being alerted, we’ve moved an entire brigade combat team by strategic airlift to Kuwait, and we are prepared to respond to any contingencies that the combatant commander directs,” said Col. B Don Farris, the 2nd BCT commander.
The 2nd BCT is particularly suited to the role of strategic response force, Farris said. Its long-standing mission has been to deploy world-wide on short notice and conduct full-spectrum combat operations. Paratrooper training stresses readiness and adaptability to a variety of different mission sets.
“Paratroopers possess an expeditionary mindset. It’s a lifestyle. It’s our culture. Paratroopers know they must be ready to go at a moment’s notice,” said Farris.

Bush to order about 20,000 more troops to Iraq | Top News | Reuters.com

Bush to order about 20,000 more troops to Iraq | Top News | Reuters.com: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush will tell skeptical Americans on Wednesday he will send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq as part of a long-delayed new plan for the unpopular war, setting up a confrontation with Democrats.
The fresh infusion of troops will join about 130,000 already in Iraq. Senior administration officials said 17,500 would go to Baghdad and 4,000 to volatile Anbar province.
The first wave of troops are expected to arrive in five days, with others coming in additional waves. Under the plan, the Iraqi government will deploy additional Iraqi troops to Baghdad with a first brigade deploying February 1 and two more by February 15."

Army All-American Bowl: Las Vegas soldier to be honored at football game

Army All-American Bowl: Las Vegas soldier to be honored at football game: "Las Vegas, N.M., native Shawn Sedillo, who is returning to Iraq 'real soon' for his third tour of duty, will be honored at today's Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

The 31-year-old Army sergeant is one of 88 'soldier heroes' selected for a pre-game show before the all-star high-school football game, which will be broadcast nationally.

Sedillo, who joined the Army 12 years ago after graduating from West Las Vegas High School, won a Bronze Star for his actions during his most recent tour of duty in Tal'afar, near Syria.

'It was basically looking for a fight every day,' he said in a telephone interview Friday. 'You kind of just drive around waiting for somebody to shoot at you. That's how we did it. It's kind of like fishing. The fish are biting us, you know.'

Sedillo estimated his unit captured 400 insurgents during his last tour of duty, from March 2005 to February 2006. A typical mission, he said, began with Iraqi informants identifying 'bad guys.' Then, Sedillo said, his 10-member section would approach a house before daylight, break down the door and capture the occupant."

HERO Act

HERO Act expands IRA eligibility for deployed servicemembers: "This tax season, another question will likely be high on a Soldier's list: What is the HERO Act, and how can it work for me?

The HERO Act
The answer, according to the Internal Revenue Service, is that members of the military serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones can now put money into an individual retirement account, even if they received tax-free combat pay.

Under the Heroes Earned Retirement Opportunities Act, signed into law on Memorial Day, servicemembers can now count tax-free combat pay when determining whether they qualify to contribute to either a Roth or traditional IRA. Before this change, military members whose earnings came entirely from tax-free combat pay were generally barred from using IRAs to save for retirement. "

New Years

Myspace.com: "Dec 31, 2006 7:19 PM
Subject:New Years
Body:just want to say happy new years to everyone, i love every single one of you guys and gals, and i hope this next year brings you good luck, great times and better relationships.
i know i haven't kept in touch too well, but its a busy life with the 82nd, and its about to get busier. I ship overseas soon, so my next message may be from iraq.

love you all, and happy new years

D"

Note from Dallas

Date: Jan 3, 2007 7:50 AM
Subject: overseas travel
Body: well, my first overseas trip, just touched down in germany. jst spending an hour or so here before we head off again.

"wuff_the_fluff" on MySpace

n.b. Dallas has since landed in Kuwait where he found a phone and called home at 3 a.m. my time.

Heather Martin - When Are You Coming Home

From a sister to a brother -- very touching.

Gates Approves 82nd Airborne Division Deployment to Kuwait

Gates Approves 82nd Airborne Division Deployment to Kuwait: "Gates Approves 82nd Airborne Division Deployment to Kuwait
Dec 27, 2006
BY American Forces Press Service

82nd Airborne to Deploy
The 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team received orders today to deploy to Kuwait in early January to become the theater command's 'call forward' force, Defense Department officials announced today.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates approved the request from Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, yesterday, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters.

About 3,500 members of the 'Falcon Brigade' headquarters will replace the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit as CENTCOM's forward-deployed on-call force, ready to respond quickly to a full range of contingencies, he said."

The 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army was constituted in the National Army as the 82nd Division on March 5, 1917, and was organized on March 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Since members of the division came from all 48 states, the unit was given the nickname “All-Americans. This is the basis for its famed “AA shoulder patch. Famous soldiers of the division include Sergeant Alvin C. York and General James M. Gavin. Photo by Army.mil

U.S. sends elite force back to Mideast

United Press International - Security & Terrorism - U.S. sends elite force back to Mideast: "U.S. sends elite force back to Mideast
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army is sending 3,300 paratroopers back to the Middle East only weeks after bringing some of them home.
The move appears to be a response to increasing pressures for ground forces capable of operating in Iraq and Afghanistan.
'More than 3,000 paratroopers -- some of whom returned from Iraq only two weeks ago -- will be in Kuwait by mid-January in an 'on-call' capacity for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan,' the Army Times reported Wednesday. "