Archive for the ‘Iraq’ Category

Longest bridge in Iraq to be re-opened – Iraqi News

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi authorities are preparing to inaugurate the Al-Quwair Bridge, the longest bridge in the country, after a five-year closure because it collapsed during the war against ISIS.

Al-Quwair Bridge is one of the main roads between the city of Mosul and Kurdistan capital, Erbil.

Al-Quwair Bridge will be re-opened on Tuesday, July 5, on a trial basis, after it was closed in early 2017 during the war against ISIS terrorist group, the Mayor of Mosul, Amin Finsh, said.

Al-Quwair Bridge is the longest bridge in Iraq, and its reopening will have an impact on the level of trade exchange and transportation between Nineveh governorate and Kurdistan Region, Finsh explained.

The bridge is 1.14 kilometers long and is located on the Tigris River. In 2014, ISIS invaded the city of Mosul and declared its control over nearly one third of the area of Iraq.

In 2017, the Iraqi security forces, in cooperation with the Peshmerga forces, carried out a security operation to clear the country of ISIS militants, and were able to regain control of the city of Mosul and the rest of the areas controlled by ISIS terrorists.

ISIS militants blew up the bridge at that time to block the way in front of the Iraqi security forces and prevent them from advancing further towards areas under their control.

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Longest bridge in Iraq to be re-opened - Iraqi News

Iraq War veteran uses art to cope with PTSD – Star Tribune

Jeffrey Stenbom smooths out an inch-wide piece of fabric sliced off his old Army uniform and attaches it to his loom. That strip of fabric he knots with another strip ripped off a different military uniform, then he weaves the fabric through the loom's warp thread, which is parachute cord.

Over and over, the Iraq War veteran and art instructor at Normandale Community College repeats the meditative motions of weaving. One strand of fabric is from a World War I uniform he bought off eBay; the next is from an Army combat uniform his grandfather wore during World War II in Europe; the next is from Air Force coveralls worn by his other grandfather, who served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

This will eventually become an American flag woven from uniforms from every military conflict the U.S. has engaged in since World War I. It's one of 10 pieces of art commissioned by USAA, the military-focused financial services company, which will be displayed at each of USAA's 10 regional offices.

But Stenbom's largest work a 25-by-12-foot American flag that took 1,200 hours to weave is already complete, displayed at the San Antonio International Airport for the next six months for USAA's 100th anniversary. It will then permanently move to USAA's San Antonio headquarters.

"So much history," Stenbom says, holding part of a World War I uniform. "There's so many stories, untold stories, with each of these uniforms."

You may assume Stenbom's story is a simple story of veteran patriotism.

That is partly true. The message of the "Freedom's Threads" flags he wove for USAA is straightforward: Stenbom wants to ensure the sacrifices of military veterans are not forgotten. There's symbolism in interlocking all these veterans' histories.

But look deeper and Stenbom's story is as tortured and complicated as his dark, powerful art.

The 44-year-old Apple Valley father of three is primarily a glass sculptor. One of his pieces is a glass replica of the combat boots he wore in Iraq, resting in a bed of 5.56-millimeter rifle casings. Another is a sculpture that mashes up a grenade and a human brain. Another is a display of 7,300 glass dog tags, the number of U.S. veteran suicides each year.

Stenbom's art lives in that darkness. His darkness stemmed from a harrowing deployment early in the Iraq War that left him with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"It's not just bringing awareness to the sacrifices," he said. "It's the aftermath of war, PTSD, veteran suicide. That stuff is not pretty. I'm not into making pretty artwork. I do a lot of stuff that talks about death. I was around it all the time. I do a lot of stuff with skulls. My fiancee and my parents, they're like, 'I know you made this stuff, but it's just so sad!' [But] I need to do this. It's part of helping me deal with the things I've gone through. Before I did art, I was lost."

He wants his art to cast light in the darkness, because that's what art did for him.

**

Stenbom was taking a break from college when 9/11 happened. Eight days later, he signed up for the Army. By the end of September, he was in basic training. He trained to be a cavalry scout, the eyes and ears of the Army: go out in your Humvee and track down the bad guys.

He was deployed to Kosovo in 2002, then in February 2004 went to Iraq as a squad leader with seven soldiers under him. He was just north of Samarra, living in old grain storage bins in the heart of the Sunni Triangle, when the insurgency heated up that spring. His base was hit by rockets and mortars almost daily.

"I remember the first time being shot at, and it was like, 'What the heck?' " he recalled. "Then it shifted. The days you didn't get shot at became the weird days. That was when you knew that things weren't right."

Soldiers struggled with heat and the lack of sleep, but the worst part was the uncertainty. Insurgents didn't wear uniforms. Americans never knew who the enemy was. Once, an improvised explosive device, or IED, exploded next to Stenbom's Humvee, lodging shrapnel in his hip. Another July day, a suicide bomber attacked a base where Stenbom had been the night before. Six U.S. soldiers died.

While he was in Iraq, Stenbom's first son was born. In August, he went on R&R to meet his son, and his sister died by suicide back home. All the emotions piled up and broke him. He was suicidal. He tore up an ER when military doctors told him he had to return to Iraq.

With assistance from military psychiatrists, he was sent back to the United States. He was filled with rage. Some of it was feeling duped by a war on false pretenses; some of it was transitioning from war zone to home front. Once, at his parents' house, he threw a table against the fireplace, shattering it. He didn't know why he did it. His grandfather took him for help.

Stenbom knew he wanted to go back to school. On a whim, he took a fused-glass art class at Normandale Community College. Spending hours fusing shards of glass together pushed war from his mind.

"This started giving me a passion and a drive and a focus, energizing me like hadn't happened since before the war," he said. "I got lucky. If it wasn't for this one class, I don't think I'd be here, man. I'm positive I'd be dead."

**

Now armed with a master's degree from Tulane University, Stenbom teaches the same class he credits with saving his life. At the beginning of every semester, he tells students about his path. He tells them he used to be a nontraditional student, like some in his class. And he talks about how art like these American flags woven from military uniforms saved his life.

"That isn't just fabric," said Taylor Clark, a retired Navy officer and the executive sponsor of USAA's 100th Anniversary. "Each one is a different story of commitment and honor and service."

The giant flag at San Antonio International Airport weighs 100 pounds. It includes 6,500 feet of parachute cord and fabric from 140 military uniforms of all six military branches.

"There is something sad about it," Stenbom said. "I'm deconstructing these uniforms pulling them apart, cutting them up and there's a lot of history in there."

Sometimes, when he tears off the pockets, things spill out. An N-95 mask. Tobacco that was never used. Grains of dirt or sand from a far-off land. Stenbom always wonders about the stories contained within, and how similar they are to his own.

"My mission is to bring awareness to the sacrifice," he said. "That's what my art is about making sure the message is being delivered. I want people to think about all these stories."

Link:
Iraq War veteran uses art to cope with PTSD - Star Tribune

Sen. Lindsey Graham tweets 4th of July message from Iraq – WBTW

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham spent his 4th of July in Iraq, according to a tweet Monday.

Im honored to be visiting with our troops today, Graham wrote. Its a great day to be an American and spend time with the brave men and women who keep us safe.

The message was posted with a handful of American flag emojis.

He posted four photos with the tweets, including him in an aircraft, a picture of him shaking hands with troops and a shot of him posing for a group photo in front of a flag.

Thank you as well to our diplomats who work to protect and secure American interests around the world, the tweet reads. Keep safe and have a great 4th of July!

The day before, Graham posted from Turkey, writing that While we have had a problematic relationship at times, it is imperative Turkey and the US take steps to strengthen ties between our two nations.

He applauded Joe Bidens administration for selling F-16s to the Turkish Air Force, stating that the jets will help support U.S. security.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham tweets 4th of July message from Iraq - WBTW

Virginia Guard Returns From Federal Active Duty in Iraq, Kuwait – United States Army

RICHMOND, Va. The first groups of the Virginia National Guards 329th Regional Support Group Headquarters returned to Virginia June 17 after supporting Operation Inherent Resolve at multiple locations overseas Oct. 7 to June 6.

Members of the 329th provided mission command and base life support to Al Asad Air Base, Erbil Air Base and the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center in Iraq, and to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.

There are lots of stats associated with this mission like thousands of troops supported, tons of supplies and material moved, millions of dollars of projects executed, numbers of Combat Action Badges or awards earned, but the number Im most proud of is actually zero, said Col. Todd Pegg, commander of the 329th RSG.

The 329th had zero Purple Hearts, breaking the trend of our predecessor units, in part due to our increased focus and efforts on improving base defenses and hardening force protection measures, he said. Beyond keeping our own folks safe, the lasting improvements the Jamestown team made will serve countless U.S. and coalition troops well in the future.

The 329th RSG command team was stationed at Al Asad Air Base and provided base command and base operating support-integrator operations. BOS-I is the cell that coordinates and secures all base life support functions and land use, including food, water, fuel, military and office supplies, new construction, equipment and personnel movement. The command team was transferred to Camp Arifjan from Nov. 23 to June 6 while continuing to provide BOS-I support to Al Asad Air Base.

The units mission at Erbil Air Base was to support the installation commander by providing BOS-I operations.

At Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center, the unit provided a commandant cell for BOS-I operations to the military entities on installation.

The units mission in Camp Arifjan was to provide a commandant cell that supported the Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve staff. The 329th RSG also provided a Soldier to the CJTF-OIR to serve as their sexual assault response coordinator.

Collectively, the 329th RSGs missions included commanding assigned or attached units, supporting units and personnel as directed, providing contract requirements definition and oversight, determining base camp support requirements, supporting a 24/7 base defense operations center and overseeing base camp management and operations.

The 329th RSG excelled in this complex, non-doctrinal mission, Pegg said. From numerous indirect fire and unmanned aerial system attacks at the bases in Iraq to the complexities associated with operations in the interagency environment of Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center and the multifunctional support to the CJTF-OIR staff in Camp Arifjan, the 329th RSG provided outstanding leadership, achieving immeasurable results to the bases they led and supported.

The 329th RSG responded to multiple indirect fire and unmanned aerial system attacks, Pegg said. The 329th RSG staff focused on integrating all the key entities from initiation of the attack through post-attack recovery.

The leadership and strong abilities in process improvement were critical to the quick response to these attacks, he said.

Pegg said that through tenant communication, solid relationships, and diligent staff work, Al Asad Air Base, Erbil Air Base and Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center all improved the personnel accountability process.

The quick account enabled the base commanders to focus on battle damage assessment and initiating repair plans based on the assessment, he said.

The logistics section at Al Asad Air Base also played a vital role in the recovery and safeguarding of an Improvised Multiple Rocket Launch System, Pegg said.

The mission began in the middle of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

Pegg said through a team effort of the 329th RSG, medical professionals, and unit leadership, the average vaccination rate at the four locations was over 99%. That enabled base commanders to lift restrictions on masks, open dining facilities and other services on the bases.

The commandant cell at Camp Arifjan served as the CJTF-OIR Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, providing administrative, operations, logistics and communications support to CJTF-OIR staff and coalition forces.

The Camp Arifjan Commandant Cell supported the planning and execution of the relief in place of Task Force III. They also managed the base camp management cell BOS-I sync, with the 329th commander serving as the chair for the weekly syncs.

Lastly, with the relocation of the 329th commander to Camp Arifjan, the commandant cell served as the RSG Headquarters, directing operations for the subordinate detachments at Al Asad Air Base, Erbil Air Base and Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center.

The commandant cell at Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center served as the direct liaison between the Department of State and CJTF-OIR. They were responsible for the accountability of all Department of Defense operations and personnel, including DoD military and civilians and coalition forces.

The commandant cell was the direct line of communication between the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center DoS management, the Regional Security Office and CJTF. As the CJTF representative for all matters involving CJTF personnel, equipment, and logistics, the commandant cell facilitated the action of all DoD requests on the installation.

The Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center team vastly improved mission command by implementing a tactical operations center environment within the commandant cell to receive, corroborate and disseminate mission-critical information to the DoS Sully Operations Center and all DoD and coalition force partners, Pegg said.

They also worked with the DoS Financial Management Office, facilities and contracting to oversee $113 million of contracts within Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center.

The commandant cell managed, coordinated, and facilitated the force protection improvements of the only Role 3 Hospital in Iraq or Syria and the improved force protection of the medical evacuation aviation tactical operations center and on-shift flight crew sleeping quarters.

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Virginia Guard Returns From Federal Active Duty in Iraq, Kuwait - United States Army

From Gettysburg to Iwo Jima to IraqWisconsin Soldiers Played a Role in Keeping America Free – UpNorthNews

While most of us will celebrate Independence Day weekend with food and fun, lets not forget some of the people with Wisconsin ties who made these freedoms possible.

Most (22) were awarded to soldiers who fought in the Civil War especially the Iron Brigade, (the 7th Infantry along with members of the 6th and 2nd) for its sacrifices at Gettysburg that helped preserve the Union on July 1-3, 1863. Medal of Honor recipients spanned US history through the Vietnam War. A special congressional medal was also awarded to Milwaukees own Gen. Billy Mitchell, an aviation pioneer and airport namesake.

General Arthur MacArthur, Jr. is the father of five-star General Douglas MacArthur. The pair became the first father and son to both receive the Medal of Honor. (And it has only happened once since, with former President Theodore Roosevelt and his son, Theodore, Jr., who commanded troops at Utah Beach on D-Day.)

The elder MacArthur started his military career in Milwaukee, but his most famous moment happened during the Civil War Battle of Missionary Ridge in Tennessee, when the 18-year-old planted the regimental flag on top of a hill and shouted On Wisconsin. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for inspiring his fellow Union soldiers with that action and went on to serve in the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars.

General Robert Bruce McCoy was a National Guardsman during both the Spanish American War and World War I. After his first deployment, McCoy bought some land in Wisconsin to start training other soldiers. When he died in 1926, the military named the base after him.

Since then, Fort McCoy has been in constant use, and currently trains more than 100,000 members of the military every year. The 181st Infantry Brigade, the division responsible for training National Guard troops involved with the Global War on Terror, is the largest unit stationed at the fort.

Navy corpsman and field medic John Doc Bradley jumped in to help several Marines hoist the first American flag above the black sand and volcanic ash on the tiny island of Mt. Suribachi in February 1945.

Bradley was the last surviving flag-raiser when he passed away in 1994. His son John wrote the best-selling book Flags of Our Fathers in 2000.

He was born in the Antigo area, grew up in Appleton, and returned to Antigo after the war, where he raised his eight children and started a business.

After Bradleys passing, confusion about the men in Joe Rosenthals famous photograph was finally resolved. Bradley had actually been photographed by Lou Lowery while raising the first flag, but commanders wanted a larger flag planted later that day. Bradley was misidentified as being part of the second flag-raising.

Bradley was among 110,000 Americans who fought for control of the small but vital island and he was one of some 20,000 who were wounded in a campaign that resulted in 6,800 American deaths. Bradley was awarded the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart.

Appletons Russell Klika dropped out of high school in the late 1970s and joined the Marines when he was 17. On a whim, he bought a 35mm camera and taught himself how to use it.

After working as a civilian newspaper photographer and documenting the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Klika rejoined the military and, camera in hand, traveled to Iraq as a non-commissioned officer. His photographs have been featured in Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times. In 2007, Klika was named the Military Photographer of the Year.

The withdrawal of most American soldiers from Afghanistan ended the countrys longest war. But the post-traumatic stress and pain of losing friends or family members in the past is still very real within the military community.

Here are several organizations the Wisconsin Veterans Museum supports that benefit US troops, veterans, and their families:

Wisconsin Veterans Foundation

Wounded Warrior Project

Soldiers Angels

Veteran Tickets Foundation

Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America

Link:
From Gettysburg to Iwo Jima to IraqWisconsin Soldiers Played a Role in Keeping America Free - UpNorthNews