June 16, 2006

SHOOT ORDON'T SHOOT?

DESERT BULLS

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The decision of whether to engage atarget with hostile force - a life or deathdecision -- is the hardest decision thismission demands that you make eachand every day on a Combat LogisticsPatrol, at an Entry Control Point, stand-ing in a tower or on a combat patrol.You are in a dangerous position, you'rein a war zone, and we recognize that.

You are members of the finest Armythe world has ever seen. You have thebest training and the best equipment.Given continued training, thorough Pre-Combat Checks/Pre-Combat Inspec-tions, and the right tools, the 1/34 Bri-gade Combat Team leadership is confi-dent in your ability to close with anddestroy the enemy when it is called for.But this war will not be won by elimi-nating the insurgents alone. As long asthe insurgents have a willing populationbase to operate in, this war will con-tinue.

The success of our mission is riding onyou. Never forget that. Your tactical de-cisions have strategic implications. Thevast majority of vehicles you encounteron the road are simply innocent Iraqisgoing about their daily lives, attendingto their families and making a living.Using deadly force on one of them isan issue you will not only have to livewith for the rest of your life, but it alsohas a high probability of creating evenmore insurgents for the future.The use of disproportionate force - evenwarning shots and forcing others off the

road -- can have se-vere consequences onCoalition Operationsby creating a negativeimpression of CoalitionForces, turning good,law abiding, peacefuland neutral Iraqisagainst the coalition,and aiding theinsurgency's claim thatCoalition Forces targetinnocent Iraqis.

Remember these thingswhen faced with a decision to use Es-calation of Force procedures.

Positive ID: Do I have a hostilethreat? This is more than a vehicle ap-proaching within a certain distance ofyour position.There is no "security bubble" around aconvoy that permits the use of deadlyforce simply because someone got tooclose. Iraqis frequently disregard trafficlaws and are inattentive drivers. Thatmay be a first sign of something amiss,but is not a hard and fast rule that canbe used to justify the use of deadly force,including warning shots. Use EOF pro-cedures to develop the situation basedon what you know of recent intelligenceand enemy tactics, techniques and pro-cedures. Seeing shots fired is also NOTpositive identification of a threat. Re-member, there are other U.S. militaryand Iraqi Security Forces across thebattlefield.They are out there everyday trying tokeep our Main Supply Routes clear.Don't shoot the guys that are out theretrying to help us!! Identify who is shoot-ing and what they are shooting at be-fore you engage.

Warning shots are only authorizedwhen deadly force would be authorized.Deadly force, including warning shots,may not be used to clear traffic!Ask yourself before you shoot, "What is

the hostile intent ordanger to me"?

If shots arefired, you must ascer-tain if there is prop-erty damage or injury.As a U.S. Soldieryou are duty andhonor bound to ren-der aid to wounded,both friendly and hos-tile.

Report theincident immediately. A Commander'sInquiry is mandated within a few daysof each EOF incident. Expect to talkto an investigating officer. This doesnot mean anyone did anything wrong.Their purpose is to gather the facts andlearn how we can better prepare our-selves to handle these situations. Byknowing what is working and what isnot, we can better equip ourselves men-tally and materially to continually getbetter at this.We are engaged in a war that will shapethe future of the Middle East, and ulti-mately America. I know that in our ev-eryday duties we are not always think-ing of the strategic implications of ouractions. But I can assure you, our ac-tions have impacts far beyond what wecan see. Our country has sent us hereto win a war. We can only win thatwar by gaining the support of the Iraqipeople. For all the insurgents that youcome upon, I hope your aim is sureand deadly. For the overwhelming num-bers of average Iraqis you meet, I hopeyour judgment is sound and accurate.

"Few generations of this world havebeen called upon to defend freedomat its moment of peril, and now isone of those times. I do not shrinkfrom that responsibility, I welcomeit."John F. Kennedy

To shoot or not to shoot

Story byLt. Col Paul Zimmerman1/34 BCT Deputy Commander

The 1/34 Brigade Combat Team is commanded by Col. David Elicerio. Command Sgt. Major Doug Julin is the 1/34 BCT command sergeant major. The Desert Bulls staff is Capt. MarkLappegaard, public affairs officer; Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood, editor; Sgt. Kent Westberg, broadcast journalist and Spc. Brian Jesness, print journalist. The Desert Bulls is an officialpublication of the 1/34 Brigade Combat Team. It is produced by the 1/34 BCT Public Affairs Office. This Soldier newsletter is in compliance with the provisions of AR 360-1. Any questions,comments, photos, story ideas that you would like to present should be forwarded to the 1/34 BCT Public Affairs Office. E-mail Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood at clinton.wood@us.army.mil.

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Day in Red Bull history

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Most of the morning the men were busywith their personal equipment; they areturning in a lot of the excess things theyhave, having a show-down inspectionto see how we can cut down on someof the equipment, making more room inthe trucks for hauling things in. LtNorman J Hooghkirk left on recon at1430 hours. Capt Karlson left the Com-pany area to recon roads going to Rome,as we are to follow behind our troopswho are meeting only scattered resis-tance. Our Company moved out at 1600hours, leaving the kitchen behind until

we get into our next position. When theCompany moved into the city of Romeitself it was dark, but one of the mostimpressive scenes any of the men hadseen came when going by one of thelarge white buildings built by Mussolini.On the steps leading to the street aGerman soldier lay, possibly shot whiletrying to come out of the building, andthen rolling halfway down to the street.The Company moved into an area onthe edge of Rome where there was avery large, but occupied, house. We didnot set up the guns. The kitchen wasbrought forward after the guns arrivedin the area. A few planes came over

but no bombswere droppednear here.E d i t o r ' snote: This di-ary entry isfrom The UnitJournal ofCannon Com-pany, 133rdInfantry April1944 until May 1945. For the completediary, log onto www.34infdiv.org/his-tory/133cannon/4404.html

Monday, June 5, 1944Near Rome, Italy

When I first arrived in theater, I put my wedding ringaway in a secure location. The reason was for safety. Iknow fellow Soldiers who had their fingers ripped offwhile wearing rings while performing their jobs. In onecase the Soldier jumped off an earthmover/scraper andhis high school ring caught a piece of sheet metal as heleaped from the vehicle. He lost half of his finger. After talking to Lt. Col Larry Herke, executive of-ficer of the 1/34 BCT, I learned that wearing a ring onany finger is a safety concern. He went so far as to staywatch bands also are dangerous to wear (unless theyare Velcro).I also have not been able to publish two photographsbecause of Soldiers wearing their wedding rings. In a more serious matter, Sgt. 1st Class Elma JoyceClark, the sexual assault response coordinator, would likeSoldiers to know that this command does not toleratesexual assault.

In the event of a sexual assault, Soldiers should contact her at318 833-1303.-- Sgt 1st Class Clinton Wood

DESERT BULLS Issue #20

Heads upFrom the editor: A look at issues, trends and things to watch

About the cover: A Non tactical vehicle isseen through a rifle scope. Photo illustra-tion by Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood, 1/34BCT PA

This week's Iraqi language lesson:Maa as-salama is good-bye (pronounced ma el salama).Zayn is good (pronounced zane).Minu is who (pronounced man who).Afwan is your welcome (af won).Sofra da man is thank for your hospitality pronounced sofradie men).Chai mum taz is excellent tea (pronounced chay mum taz).

Babylon ancient city in MesopotamiaStory byCapt. Bill Hamann1/34 BCT Comptroller

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What is Babylon?1. A state in southern Mesopotamia;2. The name of an ancient Garden; 3.A Fair Young Maiden of years past; 4.A dictionary software in more than 50languages; 5. The land between the riv-ers; 6. The Greek variant of AkkadianBabilu; 7. A biblical reference for atower.All answers are related to the topic,which I will explore in the followingparagraphs, but the definition ofBabylon from Wikipedia is: Babylon is the Greek variant ofAkkadian Babilu (b?b-ilû, meaning"Gateway of the god", translatingSumerian Kadingirra), an ancient cityin Mesopotamia (modern Al Hillah,Iraq). It was the "holy city" of Babyloniaand the seat of the Neo-Babylonianempire. In the Old Testament, the nameappears as ??? (Babel), interpreted byGenesis 11:9 to mean "confusion", from theverb balal, "to confuse". Therefore, answer 6is correct. Answer one is incorrect, since Babylon wasa city, Babylonia is the state in southernMesopotamia. Answer two relates to theHanging Gardens of Babylon-one of the SevenWonders of the Ancient World. Answer threeis obtuse-the fair young maiden refers to BabyLoni Anderson, who must have descended fromBabylonians based on her name.Answer four is a translation assistance soft-ware available on the internet. Answer five isa translation of the Mesopotamia, which iswhere Babylon was located. Answer sevenrefers to the Tower of Babel, referred to inthe Bible, popular with artists and as a gamingsoftware platform. The Sumerians, who pre-dated theBabylonians, survived the Ice Age and pros-pered from 10,000 B.C. to 5,000 B.C. inroughly the same geographic area. BabylonianHistory is typically broken down into five peri-ods: Old Akkadian - 2,500 - 1,950 B.C.; Old

Babylonian/Old Assyrian - 1,950 - 1,530B.C.; Middle Babylonian/MiddleAssyrian - 1,530 - 1,000 B.C.; Neo-Babylonian/Neo-Assyrian - 1,000 - 600B.C.; Late Babylonian - 600 B.C. - 100A.D.The first period (Old Akkadian) followedthe period of Sumerian rule. TheAkkadians (pre-Babylonians) had fourdynasties-the Ur, Lagash, Uruk, andAkkad. Of note is the cuneiform writ-ing they created and the Epic ofGilgamesh. The Epic is a heroic poemoriginally written on 12 clay tablets de-scribing the trials and tribulations of theKing of Uruk, Gilgamesh. It describeshim as a great conquerer and builder ofBabylon. The second period producedHammurabi. His code was quite strictand contained 300 laws. Hammurabicontributed to creating one of Babylon'sGolden eras and his code was used bymany cultures later. The 'innocent until

proven guilty' basis for our legal system pur-portedly derives from it. The third period was largely ruled by theKassites. During the fourth period, theAssyrians sacked Babylon and rebuilt it.Ashurbanipal ruled and built a library. Muchof Babylonian history we know today is dueto his efforts to collect and copy informationand to bring it to one location and safeguardit. The fifth and final period brought aboutthe second Golden Era. Nabopolassar re-claimed Babylon from the Assyrians andplanted the seed for his son, Nebuchadneezer.Nebuchadneezer was a builder, creating citywalls with eight spectacular mural gates.Temples and museums were rebuilt. TheHanging Gardens and the Tower of Babelwere constructed. He ruled for 43 years andis the most famous Babylonian. Cyrus the Great captured the jewelNebuchadneezer had made Babylon and in-corporated it into his Persian Empire.

A 16th Century depiction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylonia.

Iraq 101

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The Soldiers of Task Force Iron havefinally arrived and settled in to their fi-nal destination at Al Asad Air Base inwestern Iraq. Task Force Iron assumedits mission recently after relieving the118th from their duty in Iraq. Over thepast few weeks the Soldiers havestarted to learn what the base has tooffer. Moving into living quarters wasthe first pri-ority. Theliving areasrange from10 to 50man tentswhile staffs e r g e a n tand abovereside in twoto six-manc o n n e xr o o m s .There aremultiple dif-ferent livingsites scat-tered aroundthe base.Al Asad of-fers aboutthe sameamenities asdid CampBuehring inKuwait forthe Soldiersto enjoy anduse. The central location includes a PostExchange with an adjacent food court.Included in the foot court is a Pizza Hut,Burger King, a beauty and barber shop,and two gift shops. There is also a build-ing that has a Subway and a GreenBeans Coffee stand along with an eat-ing area.

Across the way is the MoraleWelfare and Recreation building. This

Story by1st Lt. Darin McDermottand Sgt. Michael LangrTask Force Iron

large recreation center offers pool, pingpong and gaming tables. Available alsoare board games, a video game roomand movie viewing room. There is aroom with about two dozen computersand a dozen phones for the Soldiers tocommunicate back home. This roomdoes stay full and there are times oflong waiting periods. Soldiers sign upfor the computers or phones in half-hourincrements. The phones use a specialconnection that allows for a reducedrate to call home.An popular area is the Rockhouse Gym.

The cardio room hastreadmills, elliptical machines,stairclimbers, and stationary bikes. An-other room is equipped with mats andhas a punching bag. They also offerabdominal classes and martial arts train-ing on certain days of the week. Thecentral location of the gym is the weightroom. There are a variety of machines,benches and free weights.

Task Force Iron settling in at Al Asad A former stadium with a track andsoccer field is in the middle of the base.Many of the little things from homearen't available. News and entertain-ment are normally behind the times. Thefood service and laundry service is ex-cellent here.

The temperature is starting toget hot; the average temperature isaround 90 degrees for May. With sum-mer approaching it will only get hotter.Another weather phenomenon that stillamazes everyone are the dust storms.The tents clear and cameras come out

each time eachone approaches.Most storms alsobring rain and in-dividuals returninside to checkfor leaks.

One recentsurprise for theSoldiers was thearrival of carepackages from"Iowa Bravest."The packages in-cluded letters ofsupports, miscella-neous items andplenty of snacks.It was greatly ap-preciated andlifted the spirits ofall. Please makesure and send yourthanks to those in-volved.

Task ForceIron has found itshome for a whileand has success-

fully transitioned into its mission capableroles. The missions have started and lifeis beginning to become a normal rou-tine. With the start of the mission therecomes an end to look forward to and allare looking forward to the return home.

Photo by Sgt. Michael Langr, Task Force Thunder

A dust storm approaches Al Asad Air Base. These storms are common at the base.

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It's Hot as heck and I can't take it anymore!Well this is proving true for an increasing number of us. The 1/34 BrigadeCombat Team is seeing a dramatic increase in heat casualties. I know wehave all heard this stuff a million times and can recite it from memory, Hy-drate, take rest breaks, eat, use sun block. Ok, that's all fine, except I havebrought up heat issues to some troops who were trying to win the Darwinaward and I am pretty sure all they heard was bla, bla,bla. This is not good. Itis hot, more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit everyday. If we do not actually thinkabout hydrating (1.5 qt an hour), eating properly (try the veggies once a day,they really won't make you gag), using sun screen (at least spf 45 for youNorwegians) and watching the amount of pop and Gatorade we consume (acouple of these a day should be plenty, especially for those under 25, you'rehyper enough) , we have a high probability of being the next person feelingnauseous, vomiting and having severe headaches.Staying healthy in this heat is relatively easy, just remember these few things:" Thirst does not equal hydration" If you are outside working (all the motor pool buildings are consideredoutside) take frequent breaks." Use sunscreen, it is free at the outpatient clinic" Watch your buddy, if they look over heated, they are. Get them to sitdown and take in some fluids." Supervisors keep track of the heat categories and adjust the work loadaccordingly. Make sure your buddy system is functioning and ask "what if.."questions of your troops.That's it for this week, next week I will discuss why road surfing on aHumvee is a bad idea.

Leave; the word alone can transformthe worst of moods, and send thoughtsof joy racing through the minds of Sol-diers across this country. Whether youare going back home, touring Europe orAustralia there are things to remember.For those who are planning to reunitewith their families; have a list of expec-tations that you share with each per-son. Sharing this list prior to your ar-rival will help everyone start on the samepage and know what others are expect-ing of them. Also, make sure you un-derstand that you are going to be a guestwhile you're home. The daily routinesthat you remember have changed inorder to make things easier for yourloved ones. You should try and fit intothose routines instead of changing themback to how you remember.For the single Soldiers returning home;your family and friends may not knowexactly what you have been doing.They may think you have been in a lotof danger and want to hear all the sto-ries. You may feel overwhelmed by this;just know that if you don't want to talkabout your experiences that's OK. It isgoing to be hard for them to understandyour daily routine. Pick a story aboutsomething funny that has happened hereand use that story when people askabout your experiences. That way theother person gets to hear a good storyand you don't have to talk about thingsyou may need to deal with on your own.Lastly for Soldiers who are traveling toother countries. Always tell someoneyour destination and expected returntime. If you are traveling by yourselfwrite down where you are going, whenyou will return, and what you are wear-ing. Leave the note in your hotel roomwhere someone would be able to find itin case there is an emergency and youneed to be contacted immediately.No matter where you are going onleave, remember that your leave is atime for YOU. Use the time wisely toregroup and relax.

By Chief Warrant OfficerPeter Panos1/34 BCT Safety Officer

By Sgt. Jessie Rae Johnson1/34 BCT UMT Team

Tips on leave

Staying healthy in this heat takes several precautions

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Paralegal spotlight: This month meetPfc. Larry Blackstad. Blackstad is our 27Dparalegal specialist in Task Force Thunder.He is from New Ulm, Minn. where he gradu-ated from high school in 2005. He plans toattend college af-ter this deploy-ment. He joinedthe Army in 2004.As a paralegals p e c i a l i s t ,Blackstad helpsthe CommandJudge Advocate’soffice provide le-gal services to thecommanders andSoldiers of TFThunder. If you need legal assistance, yourbattalion paralegal specialist should always beyour first stop. But remember, only judge ad-vocate officers can give legal advice.Camp Adder Consolidated Legal OfficeFor those units located at Camp Adder, thejudge advocates and all paralegals are cur-rently consolidated at “The Alamo.” See thead nearby for office hours and other infor-

mation.Spotlight on Legal As-sistanceThe Legal AssistanceTeam is here to provideSoldiers with timely andappropriate assistance inorder to minimize distrac-tions so Soldiers can re-

main focused on the mission. We support allbranches of the Armed Forces with legal sup-port, guidance, and assistance including, butnot limited to; Special and General Powers ofAttorneys and notary services. Attorney con-sultations are available regarding: wills; pro-bate matters; domestic/family concerns; di-vorce; custody; child support; court orders;temporary modification of a court order; sub-poenas; review of legal documents; rentalproperty issues; financial issues/Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act; helpingSoldiers gain U.S. citizenship; Noncommis-sioned Officers Evaluation Reports, OfficerEvaluation Reports, and financial liability inproperty loss rebuttals and appeals; and howto retain a civilian attorney. Additionally, weencourage Soldiers to utilize all resources oravenues that are available. Such as, Army

One Source, chaplains, Combat StressControl, their chain of command and theInspector General.Since we have a lot of new Soldiers incountry, we would like to stress credit/debtawareness. It is essential that a very keeneye is kept on your credit while deployed.A free credit report can be obtained bygoing to www.annualcreditreport.com.You could either access your credit re-port online or have it mailed to you here.Once reviewed, disputes can be made tothe credit bureau – either Equifax,Experian, or TransUnion. As a Soldierdeployed to a combat zone, you can putan “Active Duty Alert” on your credit forone year. This will require that you becontacted if anyone tries to open new ac-counts in your name.Power of attorneys and notary servicesare available 0900 – 1700 daily. In orderto alleviate wait times, appointments arehighly recommended for all other matters.

Military Justice Log

A Soldier from Task ForceThunder received a field grade article 15for violation of a lawful general order. TheSoldier violated General Order 1 bywrongfully consuming alcohol. The Sol-dier was reduced from specialist to pri-vate, received a forfeiture of $713 for twomonths, 30 days of extra duty and 30 daysrestriction. A Soldier from Task ForceThunder received a field grade article 15for violation of a lawful general order. TheSoldier violated General Order 1 bywrongfully consuming alcohol. The Sol-dier was reduced from specialist to pri-vate, received a forfeiture of $713 for twomonths, 30 days of extra duty and 30 daysrestriction. A Soldier from Task ForceThunder received a field grade article 15for violation of a lawful general order. TheSoldier violated General Order 1 bywrongfully consuming alcohol. The Sol-dier also discharged his weapon inside hisliving quarters. The Soldier was reducedfrom private first class to private, receiveda forfeiture of $636 for two months, 30days of extra duty and 30 days restric-tion.

Notes from the Command Judge Advocate A Soldier from Task Force Wolverinesreceived a company grade article 15 for los-ing his weapon while on a mission. Theweapon was later recovered. The Soldier wasreduced from specialist to private first class,received a forfeiture of $394 for one month,seven days of extra duty and seven days re-striction. A Soldier from Task Force Thunderreceived a field grade article 15 for violationof a lawful general order. The Soldier vio-lated General Order 1 by wrongfully consum-ing alcohol. The soldier was reduced from pri-vate first class to private, received a forfei-ture of $713 for two months, 30 days of extraduty and 30 days restriction. Currently the Sol-dier is appealing punishment.

A Soldier from Task Force Wild re-ceived a field grade article 15 for Cruelty andMaltreatment by sexually harassing a subor-dinate. The Soldier was reduced from staffsergeant to sergeant (suspended for 180 days),received a forfeiture of $1,474 for two months(suspended for 180 days), and extra duty for30 days

A Soldier from Task Force Thun-der received a field grade article 15 for viola-tion of a lawful general order. The Soldier vio-lated General Order 1 by wrongfully consum-ing alcohol. The Soldier was reduced fromspecialist to private, received a forfeiture of$713 for two months, 30 days of extra dutyand 30 days restriction. Currently the Soldieris appealing punishment.

Pfc. Larry Blackstad

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Spc. Nathan Wiley, HHC1/34 BCT, takes a drinkof water after a civilmilitary operationsconvoy last week.

CAMP STRYKER, Iraq - This femaleSoldier from the 1/34 Brigade CombatTeam probably had one of the moreunique Mothers Day greetings.As Sgt. Veronica Schilling stood in aHumvee turret somewhere in Iraq, hertruck commander, 1st Lt. Paul Harperyelled up to her, "Hey Schilling, HappyMother's Day," asthe clock struck12:15 a.m.For the next sev-eral hours,Schilling eitherstood up in the tur-ret or sat down onits parapet, as-suming her dutiesas one of fourHumvee gunners.This convoy es-cort team escortedmore than 15 semitrucks hauling avariety of goodsfrom a small basein southern Iraq toBaghdad Interna-tional Airport (the c o n v o ydidn't arrive at BIAP until sunrise)."I would like my family to know that Ido all of this for them," said Schilling,the married mother of a daughter whoturned 2 on May 24. "I am here forthose I love most back home."She also said that when her daughter,Brooke, is older she will explain to herthat she deployed to Iraq to protect her."Sure will be a mothers day you can'tforget," Schilling said.What she did this particular night wasn'tdifferent from any others. She was the"eyes" for her team armed with a ma-chine gun mounted on the swiveling tur-ret. This included using a large spot-light and donning night vision goggles."I shine anything that looks suspicious,

Story and photos bySgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood1/34 BCT PA

she said.Schilling's spotlight duties included illu-minating potholes for her driver, Spc.Brandon Gerold and illuminating over-passes as her Humvee entered and ex-ited them (ducking down in the Humveefor safety as it went under them).Schilling, who has been in the Guardsince 1997, also would tell Harper, theconvoy's interval status and other traf-fic concerns.When the convoy stopped because of

the discovery of an Improvised Explo-sive Device several miles up the high-way, Schilling donned her night visiongoggles. She said she was constantlyscanning the area around the Humvee.Just always being alert and lookingaround," Schilling said this pretty muchsummed up her duties.She said she isn't the only one on theroads looking around. "It feels prettygood when people do a doubletakewhen they see that it is a female upthere (in the turret)," she said. "It's agood feeling."She said this reaction also gives her alot of confidence.Something she admitted she didn't havewhen she first learned that she was go-ing be a gunner.

"I didn't feel that I had enough trainingon the crew served weapon," she said."But with some additional training I feelvery confident and proud to be a fe-male gunner."Schilling also trained with other Soldiersthat she replaced. Her fist convoy wasto BIAP."It was a good time," she said. "The guysmade it fun, they knew when to jokeand not to joke around…but it still wasscary at times."

This training also gave herthe opportunity to test firea 50-caliber machinegun, the weapon ofchoice for most gunners.I have learned since thatfirst convoy to be veryalert and always be readyto fight," she said. "Myability to react fast is de-pendent on my team'ssafety."Back in Minnesota,Schilling left a full-timeposition at Camp Ripleywhere she reacted tounit's supply issues.When she returns, shewill be the supply non-commissioned officer for

Company B, 134th Brigade SupportBattalion at the camp.She also will work in supply at CampAdder once a replacement companytakes over the convoy escort missions.She said her deployment goal is to buildon her skills as a noncommissioned of-ficer and return to Minnesota with thisknowledge and experience as back up.But for now, she said she will remem-ber this Mothers Day as a day that shewasn't with her family but thought ofthem constantly.She also knows that Brooke is in "goodhands." Schilling's mother quit her jobso she could watch Brooke during theday.

Mom on a mission

Sgt. Veronica Schilling, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1/34 BCT,smiles as she talks to fellow Soldiers while they wait for their convoy securitymission to leave from Cedar II.

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Tips on how to take better photographs

On July 4, I know everybody withtheir "Happy Snaps" or compact digitalcameras will be shooting in full forcefor the "Red Bulls" 04JUL06 Photo Al-bum. As a many-time award winner in theMinnesota Associated Press Photogra-phers Association and Minnesota NewsPhotographers Association, I can offeryou some tips on how to take photo-graphs that are not snapshots. First, remember the rule of thirds.In other words, your subject shouldnever be centered in the viewfinder. Inthe newspaper business, we make surethe subject has room to run or look outof the page. Also the horizon shouldnever fill half the frame. It should ei-ther fill a third of the frame or two thirds

of the frame. Another piece of advice is to shootat a low angle or high angle. If you aregoing to photograph children, get downto their level. Another good technique is ensuringyour photo has more than one subjectmatter even it is their environment. Agood example would be a photographof a firefighter giving cardiopulmonaryresuscitation to a small child he is hold-ing as he runs from a burning building.The photo guidelines for the contest areas follows: a. All photos must be inJPEG format, ideally in color but blackand white will be accepted; b. Thelarger the size of the photo the better. Please do not compress the photos; c.While “cut lines” are not required, theyare encouraged as it will make the photoalbum more interesting. At a minimum,the name, rank, and unit of the photog-rapher must be provided. This infor-mation can be included on the “notes”portion of the photo if you havephotoshop or attached in a word docu-ment that references the photo number

(example: “photo 10001 was taken byPFC Snuffy, HHC, 2-136 CAB, at 1300during a convoy”); d. No photos ofECPs, restricted vehicles, or otherOPSEC violations; e. Soldiers mustbe in the proper uniform; f. While“group photos” and “grips and grins”are acceptable, action shots (not posed)are preferred; g. Photos that includecollation partners, local Iraqis, and his-toric landmarks are encouraged.

Remember the"RedBulls"04JUl06 PhotoAlbum contest

-- Photos must be taken from0001 to 2359 on July 4 and beabout 1/34 BCT Soldiers ortheir families -- Send CD of photos to PAO-Photo Album, HHC 1/34 BCT,APO AE 09331-000 -- Complete rules and tips onwww.redbullweb.com -- Photo tips and rules onwww.redbullweb.com

By Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood1/34 BCT PA

If you enter contest

Al Asad Mosque at sunsetThe sun sets near the Al AsadAir Base Mosque earlier thismonth.

Photo by Sgt. Kent Westberg, 1/34 BCT PA

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On a dusty afternoon at a meeting near theEuphrates river May 31, citizens andofficials of Al Batha, Iraq met to celebratethe opening of a new water purificationplant.The Al Fawaz reverse osmosis waterpurification plant was completed under thedirection of Jabbar Hassan, a local contrac-tor and the work of about 40 Iraqi citizens.The project was funded through efforts ofthe 1/34 Brigade Combat Team, CivilMilitary Operations office.'The plant can provide water for up to 5,000people and produces 10 cubic meters ofwater an hour for the village of Al Fawazand the city of Al Batha," said Deputy CivilMilitary Operations Officer, Capt. ColinFleming.Fleming added that the CMO office hasplans to support the refurbishment of threeother similar water plants in disrepair in theregion.Before completion of this waterplant, approximately 1,500 localcitizens in the area surrounding AlBatha had no access to cleandrinking water. Citizens that didhave access to clean water had torely on a trucking service thatdelivered water to rural areastraveling on dirt roads, which aredifficult to navigate when dry insummer and become more difficultwhen muddy during the rainyseasons in the winter of Iraq.The CMO office is developingplans to provide funding forpersonnel for security and engi-neering positions at the plant to bestaffed by local workers from AlBatha, said Fleming.Common health conditions sufferedby citizens without clean drinkingwater can range from dysenteryand diarrhea to intestinal issues dueto waste products in the river andchemical and biological runoff from

sources north of Al Bathaon the Euphrates river.Tthe World Health Organi-zation reported it is ensuringadequate, safe drinkingwater and access to sanita-tion. Almost half of Iraq'stotal population of 24.5million people are children.United Nations agenciesestimate that one-quarter donot have access to safewater. In 2000, about 3.5million people did not haveaccess to safe drinkingwater and more than 4.8million people did not haveaccess to any type ofsanitation facility.The city of Al Batha islocated in Dhi Qar, agovernate or province insouthern Iraq.

Story and photos bySpc. Brian D. Jesness1/34 BCT PA

Cold water on a hot day1/34 BCT CMO team assists village incompleting reverse osmosis water plant

An Iraqi boy takes a drink of water after a grand opening cer-emony for a Reverse Osmosis Water Plant May 31 near AlBatha, Iraq.

An Nasiriyah residents enjoy clean water at Opening of Al Fawaazi Reverse Osmosis Water Plant AnNasariyah, Iraq.

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CAMP ADDER, An Nasiriyah, Iraq-Minutes before their next escortmission, the Soldiers of SecondPlatoon, 250th Transportation Com-panyhuddledtogetherunder thedesert sunto pray.

"Heavenlyfather, wegot someintel thatthere mightbe some(ImprovisedExplosiveDevices) onthe road,"said Cpl.FranciscoCampos, atruckcommander,as theothersbowed their heads in reference. "Weknow that if we get hit we're justgoing to keep rolling."

Scenes like this are commonfor troops of the 250th. The Reserveunit from South El Monte, Calif., hasbraved constant attacks to providesecurity escorts for unarmed contrac-tors who are vital for delivering food,water and fuel to installations through-out Iraq. Less than two months intotheir tour of Iraq, 24 troops in a unit ofabout 160 have put packets forcombat action badges for incidentsthat occurred in route to LogisticalSupport Area Anaconda, BaghdadInternational Airport and elsewhere.

Spc. Alfred H. Velasquez of

Story and photo bySpc. Spencer Case207th MPAD

250th Company Soldiers have bravedconstant attacks in convoy security missions

Merced, Calif., said he has alreadylost count of the number of missionshe's been on with the 250th, butdecided the total must be between 10and 15.

"The first few times I was alittle bit worried because I didn't know

what to expect," said Spc. Alfred H.Velasquez, who alternates being adriver and a gunner on missions."…but after getting used to it andseeing that there are a lot ofpatrols…there are (Explosive Ord-nance Disposal teams) out theredoing their job, I don't worry somuch."

Velasquez said that so far, hisexposure to combat has been con-fined to being stopped as EOD todestroy an IED in place, and havinginsurgents take a few potshots at hiscombat logistics patrol.

"Other than that we've beenpretty lucky," Velasquez said before

correcting himself. "Pretty blessed, Ishould say."

Staff Sgt. Ernest Paredes, asquad leader for the 250th, alsoconsiders himself to be lucky. He hasbeen close enough to feel the concus-sions of several explosions while onthe road. On May 7, an IED deto-nated near his team's vehicle, causingmajor damage to a truck belonging tocontracting company Kellogg Brownand Root.

"Everybody did their jobwithout hesita-tion," Paredessaid "…Theirreaction wasquick andefficient."

Troops havelearned thatlong hours ofmonotony canlead to moresubtle dangerslike boredomand anxiety.When they areon the road thetroops keep upsmall talkabout thingslike music,things theywant to dowhen they gethome and

movies they've seen. For those whoare on base, listening to music,spending time at the gym, and callingloved ones are preferred means ofkilling stress.

Capt. William "Dan" Bow-man, the company commander, saidhe has been impressed by his troops'resilience to the long hours.

"They've kept their heads upand gone through it and were ready togo out on the next mission when theyget back," Bowman said. "...They'vetaken it pretty well so far in the twomonths that we've been in theater."

Spc. Leonardo Hernandez and Spc. Octavio Espinoza a gunner and a driver for the 250thTransportation Company, discuss the proper way to turn a 50-Caliber rifle on a Humvee prior toleaving Camp Adder on an escort mission, May 16.

IN OUR SIGHTS

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Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood, 1/34 BCT PA

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Lease, TF Wild

Spc Jonathan Schwartz, Task Force Wild, prepares for a convoysecurity mission from Camp Adder.

Sgt. Joe Dunlap, Task Force Sabre, provides security onthe roof top at the Governor’s Center in Ramadi

Staff Sgt. Robert Hillesheim, Task Force Thunder, talks to his fellow non-commissioned officers in charge about night base security operations atScania.

Photo by Capt. Paul Rickert, Task Force Thunder

Staff Sgt. James Feeney, Task Force Wolverines, nears the finish line of theHarley Davidson 10K Memorial Day Run..

Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Doug Schultz, TF Saber