Successful deployment

Guns Magazine, June, 2008 by Ben Fox

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When the Soldiers of 1st Squadron, 12th Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, began their deployment, in the city of Baqouba, Iraq, the markets were closed and the leaders of the city, if not corrupt, had no power. Most families were displaced, running because al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups plagued the population with gunfire and explosions.

This city with a population of 300,000 is the capitol of the Diyala province in Iraq, and it became the primary responsibility of 1-12 CAB November 2006.

The area reached its bleak state before the battalion arrived. In January 2005, Iraq held democratic elections, but the Sunni Muslims boycotted the voting, leaving them out of the political system. The Shia Muslim minority now primarily held the political power in the province. "There was a mayor of the city of Baquoba." Lt. Col. Morris Goins, commander of the 1-12 CAB "Chargers" said. "We would meet with him (and the Sunni sheiks) every Monday. It was a very awkward situation because the mayor of the city didn't own a budget, so he didn't have the ability to move or accomplish anything."

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The Iraqi Security Forces also struggled. The leader of the 5th Iraqi Army Division at the time was Staff Major General Shakir, a Shia Muslim who used his power to oppress the Sunnis with broad-sweeping operations similar to those used under Hussein. Hundreds of Sunnis were arrested, even during Ramadan, the holiest of Muslim holidays.

Baqouba also suffered from al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups, a product of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, who declared Diyala the new capitol of the Islamic State of Iraq in April 2006. With the city already in a state of desolation, it was up to the Charger Battalion to turn things around, which would prove to be a complicated task.

Goins said almost from the beginning the battalion was in for the fight of its life. "When we arrived it was quiet for about two weeks, and then all hell broke loose," he said. "We fought every day, except two, where we either fired at or fired upon," he said.

One crippling event happened in Buhriz, a neighborhood of Baqouba. In December 2006, al-Qaeda overran the Buhriz Iraqi Army and Iraq Police stations and raised the al-Qaeda flag above them.

The battalion took back the stations and stayed so the ground wouldn't be lost again, Goins said. "We occupied two outposts a lot sooner than we would have, (and they were) probably not the best tactical locations we would have selected if we had the time to choose."

Even worse was the effect it had on the populace. "The Iraqis could look around and see their police department and army had fled," said Goins. "Although they had enough equipment and munitions, they just basically lacked the courage to fight.

The 1-12 CAB worked in conjunction with other units in the surrounding areas to diminish al-Qaeda's foothold in the city, but their operations were not enough to contain the spreading violence. The Chargers could clear, but holding the area was near impossible. After seven months of hard fighting, the Charger Battalion finally got their big break: Operation Arrowhead Ripper--a large operation in conjunction with the troop surge in Baghdad. "I would say that was a turning point because you had ... three line battalions in that city," said Goins. "You can turn ... anything in the world with three line battalions."

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On the first day of the operation, the battalion had their last death for the deployment, totaling 28 Soldiers killed in action. After the operation, the tables turned and the battalion had al-Qaeda on the run. The city changed dramatically with markets reopening, the government began to function again, and food and services started to come back.

Goins was genuinely and happily surprised the way the deployment ended--a success clearly seen in the faces of the citizens throughout Baqouba. "With Arrowhead Ripper you could see the change coming, but I would have never thought (the deployment would end the way it did)," he said. "(1-12 CAB) is a cohesive unit that would take on the world" Goins said. "I would not want to be an opponent facing the Chargers."--Spc. Ben Fox, 3rd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs, Photos: Spc. Ryan Stroud, 3rd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs.