155TH Accomplishments 2005

This is the best letter I've read since it is concerning their last mission and thier return home. God bless you all this holiday season,
Debbie

Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 10:34 AM
Subject: [U] Iraq Update - Please pass to All
To the Families and Friends of the 1-155th IN BN (Mississippi Rifles):

Iraq took another major step forward this week. Once again democracy prevails, and the Iraqi people have won a tremendous victory. On December 15, the citizens went to the polls and selected their national leaders. These individuals will lead Iraq to a better way of life and brighter future. This is the third election that this battalion has experienced. Watching democracy in its infancy is an historical event within itself, but this recent election was the most gratifying. The large voter turnout in both the Shite and Sunni areas without a major incident allowed us to witness the fruits of our labor over the past year.

When I first visited this area in October 2004, it appeared a desperate situation. Kidnappings, assassinations, bombings of infrastructure and hostile attacks were all too common. The scars of the insurgents were very evident. Almost every road was damaged by detonations from road-side bombs with some holes being as large as a vehicle. There were only two Iraqi Army companies located in Iskandaryiah, and the Iraqi police were not even considered a viable force. The former Musayyib District Police Chief cooperated with both insurgent leaders and Madhi Militia. Three police stations were destroyed by insurgents. The Police Department in Jurf as Sakr openly cooperated with insurgents and in some case even participated in insurgent activity. We arrived knowing that the only way security could ever be sustained was through the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police. Our top priority was developing and preparing the Iraqis to assume security responsibility for their area. In February, this seemed like an impossible goal. However, today they have demonstrated that they are capable of accomplishing this essential task. This is due to the remarkable job of our soldiers working with the Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army on a daily basis and developing them into a viable force. We have spent numerous hours training their forces and conducted countless joint missions. Also, the emergence of strong, competent Iraqi leadership has been a tremendous asset. LTC Abmed was appointed the Musayyib District Police Chief this past March. He has been a loyal and dedicated Police Chief who has devoted all of his energy to make this a safer place. We have rebuilt two police stations that were previously destroyed and established two police departments located in former insurgent strongholds. In addition, the Iraqi police established 17 security check-points along the major roads leading to Musayyib, which have been instrumental in disrupting insurgent’s freedom of movement. In July, the Iraqi Army received three more companies making it a full battalion. LTC Mehdi was appointed the Battalion Commander and LTC Mohammed became the Battalion Executive Officer. Both have done an excellent job in organizing and managing their forces. Within four months, the Iraqi Army was conducting independent operations. They have greatly supplemented security in the area making the citizens feel safer. Today, most of the roads have been repaired, many of the schools have been remodeled, five health clinics have been built, and the water quality has been improved. As a result, the Iraqi citizens feel safer; their qualities of life have improved; and are optimistic about their future. The large voter turnout proves the conditions have dramatically improved. As we turn over all operations to our American military counterparts, we depart knowing that progress has been achieved.

Now that the elections on over, our main priorities are transferring all operations to the replacing unit and safely redeploying our soldiers back to the various home-station armories. Last week, one group of soldiers arrived at Camp Shelby to assist and expedite with the out-processing. Another group arrived in Kuwait to upload all of our equipment on ships. This group of soldiers will depart Kuwait around the middle of January. The rest of us will depart at various dates throughout the rest of December and early January. We all look forward to our return and reuniting with our friends and families.

Below is an article recently published in the Washington Times about the accomplishments of 155th Brigade Combat Team.

Washington Times
December 10, 2005
Pentagon Touts Brigade's Efforts
By Rowan Scarborough, The Washington Times

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld could have had the Mississippi Army National Guard's 155th Brigade Combat Team in mind this week when he bemoaned the lack of balanced press coverage of Iraq.
Wrapping up one year in Iraq, the brigade has worked without much publicity to turn the war-ravaged city of Najaf and surrounding areas into relatively hospitable enclaves.
Najaf, home to one of Shi'ite Muslims' most holy shrines, and nearby Karbala, are now run by Iraqis. Babil Province, the 155th's other geographic assignment, is still plagued by violence, but overall attacks are down.
Yesterday, the Pentagon produced one of the Army officers who had a lot to do with the Najaf-Karbala resurgence as part of a counteroffensive to rebut the public's perception that too little progress has been made in Iraq.
"We've worked very close with the citizens of Iraq to try and make a better way of life for them," the brigade's commander, Brig. Gen. Augustus L. Collins, told reporters at the Pentagon via a teleconference.
Gen. Collins seemed just as pleased with his soldiers' community projects as he was with their more than 500 combat missions and the capture of 1,500-plus foreign terrorists and Iraqi insurgents.
Gen. Collins listed a number of good deeds:
*The renovation of 49 schools and the import of 26,000 backpacks full of pens, paper and rulers. "I gave the order that each company would adopt at least one school," the general said.
*The building of health clinics where the brigade's doctors and dentists provided care.
*The reopening of Najaf's teaching hospital, which was looted and wrecked by Shi'ite militants. Now, the hospital treats 400 patients daily.
*The reconstruction of Najaf's soccer stadium, where 20,000 fans watched an inaugural game between Baghdad and a local team.
President Bush singled out Najaf this week as one of Iraq's bustling new cities. Such a designation was hard to imagine more than a year ago, when firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stirred up a revolution, funded by Iranian money, according to U.S. intelligence sources.
Najaf is also home to a key coalition ally and Iraq's top Shi'ite leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani. Ayatollah al-Sistani has endorsed the election process that is likely to put the majority Shi'ites in charge of Baghdad next Thursday, when voters chose a permanent parliament.
Gen. Collins formally handed over Najaf to the Iraqis in September.
"Najaf is a city that's on the move," he said.
"A lot of the buildings down there were abandoned," Gen. Collins said of an October 2004 visit to the city. "I was in some of those same places recently and it's entirely different now. The buildings have been renovated. The markets are open. There are people on the street."
Because of Najaf's importance to devout Shi'ites and to the coalition, it can expect to stay on the target list of Jordanian-born Abu Musab Zarqawi and his al Qaeda in Iraq suicide bombers.