Published: October 06, 2008
Ivy Division: forward deployed, preparing to deploy
By Maj. T. G. Taylor
MND-B PAO
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq - The 4th Infantry Division is unique and unlike any other division in the United States Army.
Living up to its motto 'steadfast and loyal,' the Ivy Division is forward deployed with three brigade combat teams and an aviation brigade spread throughout Iraq in the Baghdad, Ninawa and Qadisiyah provinces. The division also has a brigade combat team preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. All this with the division's Soldiers and their Families home-based at two separate locations - Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Carson, Colo.
It can be a daunting challenge for the 4th Inf. Div. command team of Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commanding general, and division Command Sgt. Major John Gioia, to keep the Soldiers and Families informed both forward and at home.
Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, load onto vehicles after an evening helicopter insertion to Camp Echo.(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rodney Foliente, 2nd BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.)
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One technique Hammond and Gioia use to keep the Families informed is by hosting a monthly town hall meeting using the Digital Visual Imaging Distribution System. Along with the division's two deputy commanding generals, Brig. Gen. Will Grimsley and Brig. Gen. Robin Swan, chief of staff, Col. Allen Batschelet, senior staff and a few Iraqi guests, they inform their audiences on the Soldier's quality of life, the Iraqi culture, the mission and address the Families' questions and concerns.
Also, the division public affairs office sends out an electronic newsletter, the Daily Roar, to Families, Central Texas and Colorado Springs friends and community leaders, and Army leaders daily. The PAO also produces a daily three minute radio segment, the Ironhorse Tracker, played on the Armed Forces Radio Network and 19 U.S. radio stations throughout the country. Along with a weekly television broadcast segment, Ironhorse Report, a page on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/SteadfastLoyal4thID), and the 4th Inf. Div. website (http://www.hood.army.mil/4id/), loved ones both at Forts Hood and Carson, throughout the U.S. and the world, can keep up to date on their 'steadfast and loyal' Soldiers.
Two Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division move a simulated casualty to a covered and concealed area during a platoon situation training exercise near Camp Red Devil.(U.S. Army photo by Maj. T. G. Taylor, 4th BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.)
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Going on its tenth month in Iraq, the Division headquarters, special troops battalion and 3rd Brigade Combat Team are operating out of the Baghdad province bringing security and stability to the Iraqi people.
Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, arrived to Multi-National Division - Center and Camp Echo with the area of responsibility in Qadisiya Province.
A Sons of Iraq member stands in the foreground directing traffic as Maj. Byron Sarchet, a Colorado Springs, Colo., native, barters with Iraqi children while on a battlefield circulation patrol across northern Baghdad. Sarchet serves as the information operations officer for 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad.(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Zach Mott, 3rd BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B)
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The Warhorse Brigade's 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 67th Armor Battalion, will be operating in northern Iraq, the 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, will operate in eastern Iraq, and the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment will operate in southern Iraq.
The battalions and squadron will each fall under different units; however the Warhorse Brigade will continue to provide the battalions all of their support and logistics, with the exception of 1-67 AR.
"The Warhorse Brigade will provide overwatch with assistance by, through and with the Iraqi Security Forces, as they continue to secure the Iraqi population in this province," said Col. Butch Kievenaar, commander, 2nd BCT, to his Soldiers.
The brigade keeps its Families informed through several different methods such as the virtual Family Readiness Group website, FRGs, monthly town halls, publications from Iraq and the Rear Detachment leadership.
The colors of the Warhorse brigade were officially uncased Oct. 4 at Camp Echo.
The 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad is committed to helping the Iraqi people by providing security and stability in the districts of Adhamiyah and Sadr City and northeastern Baghdad.
Sgt. Emmanuel Deguzman, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, window shops for toys at a local market stand with an Iraqi soldier from the 8th Division Iraqi Army during their dismounted patrol in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Plew, combat camera)
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The 3rd BCT, headquartered at Forward Operating Base War Eagle in Baghdad's Adhamiyah district, accomplishes this in partnership with its Iraqi Security Forces counterparts in the army and police as well as with local government officials. In the Striker Brigade's 10 months in Iraq, it has worked to help the ISF and government take more control of operations and the future of this growing country.
As this deployment continues, the brigade focuses on transitioning civil service projects and the overall security of this region to the Iraqi people.
Hand-in-hand with the efforts to cultivate as well as rebuild key infrastructure elements in Iraq, is keeping the Families of the Striker Brigade informed on the gallant efforts of their Soldiers. The 3rd BCT has hosted town hall meetings for Family members at Fort Carson, Colo., as well as monthly video teleconferences for Soldiers to speak directly with their Families.
"The Soldiers of the Striker Brigade have been nothing short of heroic during these past 10 months in Iraq. I am very proud to lead these great men and women and look forward to completing this challenging mission and celebrating our accomplishments when we return to the great state of Colorado," said Col. John Hort, commander of the 3rd BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B.
Soldiers of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, are gearing up for a deployment to Afghanistan in the spring, but taking training to a higher level.
The Warrior Brigade, located at Fort Carson, Colo., take advantage of the high altitude and mountainous terrain, which simulates what the Warrior Soldiers will face when deployed to Afghanistan.
"The Warrior Brigade is focusing on physical fitness, Marksmanship, Medical Training, Mobility training - (dismounted, mounted, and air), and Battle Drills," said Lt. Col. Thomas E. Munsey, the deputy commanding officer for 4th BCT, 4th Inf. Div. "We've incorporated these five areas into our individual, small unit collective and our Brigade MRX (Warrior Strike) training and will continue to focus on these fundamentals until we deploy in the spring."
The Warrior Brigade is also preparing for an upcoming field time.
"The Warrior Brigade is finishing platoon live-fires and preparing for the Brigade MRX, Warrior Strike, which occurs at the end of October and continues in November," Munsey said. "Following the holiday block leave period, we participate in our Mission Rehearsal Exercise at the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at Fort Polk, La."
The 4th Inf. Division's 1st BCT and Combat Aviation Brigade, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, are in the middle of their deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Both, are scheduled to complete their deployments in 2009.
The division headquarters and 1st BCT will reintegrate at Fort Hood and relocate to Fort Carson in the summer of 2009. A homecoming of sorts, as the division left Fort Carson in October 1995.
"On one hand the division will miss the close friendships and support from the Central Texas community. They really have gone out of their way to support the Soldiers and Families, both deployed and at home," said Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff, MND-B and 4th Inf. Div. "However, we already know how supportive the Colorado Springs community has been to our Soldiers and Families from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th brigade combat teams. We are leaving one home and going to warmth of another."
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