The First Battalion of the 17th Infantry has been serving in Mosul for over six months. This regular army outfit moved from the cold of Alaska, where they served for a number years, to the cold and dust of Mosul. (The regiment drove the Japanese out of Aleutian Islands during World War II.)

LTC Al Kelly commands the Buffalos, a name we picked up in Korea from General Bill Quinn. Kelly said in his article in the last issue of the Buffalo Bugle, "The Buffalos are still kicking ass and doing a good job."

The unit has been on hundreds of combat patrols but the casualties have been low. Small arms fire and bombs have been the main problems. Typically an insurgent will take one or two pot shots from a hidden position then run. It is a faceless enemy. Kelly said that roadside bombs buried by the insurgents and then exploded as the 1st Battalion's vehicles pass usually have little effect.

Kelly has the highest praise for the STRYKER vehicle. He said it continues to dominate the battlefield and the insurgents can not stop it. He also said that this tremendous vehicle "provides a situational awareness of where all other vehicles are and allows us to mark where we think enemy activity is occurring so that everyone in the Battalion and Task Force is aware of the potential location for danger. That along with the firepower it delivers makes it the weapon of choice for this fight."

I'm glad the 1st Battalion has what it needs to fight. In Korea we fought with the junk left over from World War II and ammunition was rationed out by some miser in the rear who had to make sure we each got our share of what was available. We had to borrow ammunition from other units when under heavy attack.

The unit in Mosul helped secure polling sites for the election in October and December. LTC Kelly said the Iraqi police did a commendable job during this assignment. I was glad to hear that the police were functioning properly. He said that there were still problems because the police do not have enough school-trained police and because of "potential corruption in the system."

The unit runs two combat missions daily to keep control of would-be bombers. The unit also maintains security for their medics who are helping the civilian population with minor medical problems, keeping wounds clean and medicated.

LTC Kelly said that the people of Iraq continue to suffer because there is "no running water and little or no electricity."

Go Buffalos!

Truth and Courage

The End