| News from the Front Lines | ||
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Dragoons’ always ready—Stryker Regiment set to help secure Baghdad
“Deploying is nothing new for the Dragoons. Many of the troops are already veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the entire regiment moved from Fort Lewis, to Vilseck, Germany in 2006. The move’s intent was to showcase the Stryker vehicle to European allies. However, orders resulting from the Coalition Force “surge” sent the Dragoons to Iraq,” Denny said. According to Denny, who is on his second tour of Germany, moving families overseas in 2006, with all their household goods, vehicles and pets, was far more challenging than merely deploying the regiment’s Soldiers and equipment to Iraq in 2007. Over four months, 3,000 Soldiers, 2,000 dependents and 601 pets made the move from Washington to Germany. Following three months in Germany, after completing the move, the Dragoons headed for the Fertile Crescent with seeing action in mind. “The gunfire is here and like good Cav units, we came to the sounds of the guns and that led us to Iraq,” said Denny, who served in a tank battalion during the first Gulf War. To prepare for the deployment, the Soldiers trained at the Hohenfels Combat Maneuver Training Center in Germany. In addition, training conducted at home station included rules of engagement, first aid and the sharing of lessons learned on the battlefield, Martinez said. “We have a lot of Soldiers who deployed before. Although things have changed, it’s good to rely on one’s previous experiences,” he said. True to their motto, “Toujours Pret,” which is French for “Always Ready,” the Dragoons are already in the thick of it, as they learn the ropes from the homeward bound Arrowhead Brigade, 3rd BCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Some of the Dragoons have already seen the face of the enemy in Iraq, firsthand, including Martinez, the regiment’s highest ranking enlisted member. Recently, while on patrol an explosively-formed projectile (EFP) struck his Stryker while traveling in eastern Baghdad, near Forward Operating Base Loyalty. “I had never been hit with an EFP. That was something else. I’ll never forget that,” said Martinez, who sustained minor shrapnel wounds from the blast. Though no Soldiers were seriously wounded, the attack served as an early reminder to the Dragoons that there was an enemy with a lust for blood. With their deployment just beginning, the Dragoon Soldiers try not to think too far ahead. Instead they focus on the present rather than the year-plus ahead. “We keep on saying to one another, ‘This is a marathon, it’s not a sprint.’ So we’re just kind of taking it day by |
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day. But when you stay busy and have goals, time goes by pretty quick,” said Martinez, who has already spent more than a month in country.
That being said, the Dragoons are already diving into the mission. “The phrase for the day is ‘It doesn’t get over until it gets started.’ We’re ready to get this thing started. We have a purpose. Our Soldiers are professional. They’re courageous. They’re ready to do their job like everyone else who wears the uniform here,” Denny said. “It’s a vital job we’ve sacrificed a lot for already, as an Army, and as a nation. I would like to see this get done on our watch.” . . . continued |