Bringing Down the House in Samarra
February 22, 2008
When the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade was deployed in 2005, most of the soldiers, including the 2nd Battalion’s Charlie Company, were stationed at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Warrior in Kirkuk. It wasn’t until they were deployed again in 2007 that most of these soldiers realized how good they had it in Kirkuk.
Charlie Company is in Samarra now, at Patrol Base (PB) Olson. PB Olson is located on the Tigris River, but that’s about all it has going for it. The main building on the base was once a casino, and though now there is the occasional card game in a quiet room near the medics’ aid station, today most of the gambling occurs when the soldiers leave the base and patrol the city.
Samarra is probably safer than it was even six months ago, but it is still risky to leave the safety of the trucks. Before I had a chance to figure out if PB Olson had anything resembling a women’s room, I was out with the 1st Platoon, watching where I stepped on the trash-strewn streets of Samarra.
Lieutenant Matt Bryant and Sergeant Dietrich Stallsworth were armed with weapons. And cash. This was one of those battles for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, and money talks.
Several homes in one Samarra neighborhood had been damaged by gunfire from Coalition Forces--air support trying to take down an insurgent after watching him install an IED. Lieutenant Bryant and Sergeant Stallsworth interviewed homeowners, who pointed out broken windows or damaged gates or walls or cars, and then tallied the cost of repairs and presented each homeowner with an amount that seemed ample. The general reaction was one of gratitude.
A second series of payments were made to people whose homes had been damaged by the National Police (NPs). The NPs are members of an Iraqi force sent from Baghdad to Samarra to supplement the local police force, and, thanks to sectarian differences and just a general abuse of power, the experiment has not worked very well.
After one of their policemen was killed, the NPs descended upon the area of the city where the murder occurred. They kicked in a lot of gates, confiscated a lot of AK-47s (which homeowners are allowed to own in Iraq), and scared a lot of innocent people. Our soldiers were anxious to try to repair at least some of the damage caused by the National Police before the situation grew worse.
Whether or not the residents of these neighborhoods expected to be compensated for the damage caused by the NPs, they seemed to appreciate the effort our soldiers were making to right the wrong. Because the damage was more widespread and the thefts associated with it more difficult to prove, it would be impossible to compensate everyone adequately. And yes, there were people who tried to receive payment for false claims. But Lieutenant Bryant and Sergeant Stallsworth tried to acknowledge as many legitimate claims as they could.
The National Police were punished for their misdeeds; some were fired. But it will be a long time before the people of Samarra regard them as a benevolent force.
Day Two at Patrol Base Olson (and no, there is no women’s room, but the men have let me share theirs) meant more patrols of the city. This time I went out with the Scouts of Charlie Company. Lieutenant John Vickery and his very entertaining team let me ride along in their MRAP (Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected) on a morning and an evening patrol.
During the morning patrol, we dismounted several times. Lieutenant Vickery took the opportunity to ask the residents of Samarra how they felt about the level of safety in the city, and what they thought about the development of a Concerned Local Citizen (CLC) group in their area. The CLC groups are a growing phenomenon in the country. Once known as the Awakening Council, now known as the Concerned Local Citizens, but perhaps becoming the Sons of Iraq, no matter what they are called, these groups are forming throughout the country, and are generally considered a good thing. Fingers crossed.
At one home, the women of the house were making bread outside. Round, flat bread that is a staple in Iraq. While Lieutenant Vickery talked to one of the women, I stared at the bread. The Iraqi people may be stingy with the information they are willing to give us, but they are very generous in other ways. As we left, one of the women who had been working steadily during the conversation presented me with two big rounds of bread, warm from the oven, and I felt as though it was my lucky day.
Most of the conversations went as Lieutenant Vickery imagined they would. People seemed to think the CLC was a good idea, that security provided by local citizens was preferable to whatever the National Police were providing. Everyone claimed to live in a good neighborhood free of insurgents.
Lieutenant Vickery said in the early months of the deployment any trip into the city would draw some kind of fire, but our morning patrol had gone smoothly, and our evening patrol, which consisted of driving up and down many of the city’s streets on the lookout for suspicious activity, was also without incident. Over time, these patrols have made a difference.
The guys in the truck joked with each other throughout the morning and the night, and it is fun to witness a level of camaraderie that is probably only achieved in a combat zone, or perhaps some retail environments. One of the soldiers, Sergeant Steve Oldaker, turned twenty-seven, and was treated to a pink belly at the end of the long day. Some soldiers will celebrate two birthdays in Iraq during this fifteen month deployment.
Patrol Base Olson is no Bellagio. The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion’s Charlie Company make do with very little. What was once a casino is now the home of a bunch of soldiers who show up each day and who play the hand they are dealt. They will stay in the game until it is time to go home, and if the bad guys are smart, they will fold long before that. shelbymonroe@gmail.com
When the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade was deployed in 2005, most of the soldiers, including the 2nd Battalion’s Charlie Company, were stationed at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Warrior in Kirkuk. It wasn’t until they were deployed again in 2007 that most of these soldiers realized how good they had it in Kirkuk.
Charlie Company is in Samarra now, at Patrol Base (PB) Olson. PB Olson is located on the Tigris River, but that’s about all it has going for it. The main building on the base was once a casino, and though now there is the occasional card game in a quiet room near the medics’ aid station, today most of the gambling occurs when the soldiers leave the base and patrol the city.
Samarra is probably safer than it was even six months ago, but it is still risky to leave the safety of the trucks. Before I had a chance to figure out if PB Olson had anything resembling a women’s room, I was out with the 1st Platoon, watching where I stepped on the trash-strewn streets of Samarra.
Lieutenant Matt Bryant and Sergeant Dietrich Stallsworth were armed with weapons. And cash. This was one of those battles for the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, and money talks.
Several homes in one Samarra neighborhood had been damaged by gunfire from Coalition Forces--air support trying to take down an insurgent after watching him install an IED. Lieutenant Bryant and Sergeant Stallsworth interviewed homeowners, who pointed out broken windows or damaged gates or walls or cars, and then tallied the cost of repairs and presented each homeowner with an amount that seemed ample. The general reaction was one of gratitude.
A second series of payments were made to people whose homes had been damaged by the National Police (NPs). The NPs are members of an Iraqi force sent from Baghdad to Samarra to supplement the local police force, and, thanks to sectarian differences and just a general abuse of power, the experiment has not worked very well.
After one of their policemen was killed, the NPs descended upon the area of the city where the murder occurred. They kicked in a lot of gates, confiscated a lot of AK-47s (which homeowners are allowed to own in Iraq), and scared a lot of innocent people. Our soldiers were anxious to try to repair at least some of the damage caused by the National Police before the situation grew worse.
Whether or not the residents of these neighborhoods expected to be compensated for the damage caused by the NPs, they seemed to appreciate the effort our soldiers were making to right the wrong. Because the damage was more widespread and the thefts associated with it more difficult to prove, it would be impossible to compensate everyone adequately. And yes, there were people who tried to receive payment for false claims. But Lieutenant Bryant and Sergeant Stallsworth tried to acknowledge as many legitimate claims as they could.
The National Police were punished for their misdeeds; some were fired. But it will be a long time before the people of Samarra regard them as a benevolent force.
Day Two at Patrol Base Olson (and no, there is no women’s room, but the men have let me share theirs) meant more patrols of the city. This time I went out with the Scouts of Charlie Company. Lieutenant John Vickery and his very entertaining team let me ride along in their MRAP (Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected) on a morning and an evening patrol.
During the morning patrol, we dismounted several times. Lieutenant Vickery took the opportunity to ask the residents of Samarra how they felt about the level of safety in the city, and what they thought about the development of a Concerned Local Citizen (CLC) group in their area. The CLC groups are a growing phenomenon in the country. Once known as the Awakening Council, now known as the Concerned Local Citizens, but perhaps becoming the Sons of Iraq, no matter what they are called, these groups are forming throughout the country, and are generally considered a good thing. Fingers crossed.
At one home, the women of the house were making bread outside. Round, flat bread that is a staple in Iraq. While Lieutenant Vickery talked to one of the women, I stared at the bread. The Iraqi people may be stingy with the information they are willing to give us, but they are very generous in other ways. As we left, one of the women who had been working steadily during the conversation presented me with two big rounds of bread, warm from the oven, and I felt as though it was my lucky day.
Most of the conversations went as Lieutenant Vickery imagined they would. People seemed to think the CLC was a good idea, that security provided by local citizens was preferable to whatever the National Police were providing. Everyone claimed to live in a good neighborhood free of insurgents.
Lieutenant Vickery said in the early months of the deployment any trip into the city would draw some kind of fire, but our morning patrol had gone smoothly, and our evening patrol, which consisted of driving up and down many of the city’s streets on the lookout for suspicious activity, was also without incident. Over time, these patrols have made a difference.
The guys in the truck joked with each other throughout the morning and the night, and it is fun to witness a level of camaraderie that is probably only achieved in a combat zone, or perhaps some retail environments. One of the soldiers, Sergeant Steve Oldaker, turned twenty-seven, and was treated to a pink belly at the end of the long day. Some soldiers will celebrate two birthdays in Iraq during this fifteen month deployment.
Patrol Base Olson is no Bellagio. The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion’s Charlie Company make do with very little. What was once a casino is now the home of a bunch of soldiers who show up each day and who play the hand they are dealt. They will stay in the game until it is time to go home, and if the bad guys are smart, they will fold long before that. shelbymonroe@gmail.com
posted by Shelby Monroe at 8:53 AM
1 Comments:
Thanks Shelby! for this insightful story of our boys and their lives at PB Olson/Samarra. Oldaker, Oldie as we know him, is doing his time there along with our son, Sgt. Randy Sellers, whose 26th birthday was just a couple weeks before Oldie's. This sure made our day seeing this article and your experiences were like walking right beside you, as you went about your day with them! Keep up the good work and take care boys, be safe and God be with you all!
Momma Sellers, Idaho
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