Team cobra: 141st Signal Battalion's "tip of the sword" in Iraq

Army Communicator, Winter, 2003 by David Humphreys

141st Signal Battalion, whose motto is, "Sword and Voice," supports the 1st Armored Division in and around Baghdad, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Located at Logistical Support Area Dogwood, the Division Rear Headquarters is separated from the Division Main Headquarters, at Baghdad International Airport by an hour and a half convoy along one of the country's most dangerous roads. Known as "RPG Alley," Alternate Support Route Sue is a hotbed for guerilla activities. Almost daily, gunmen target American Convoys on ASR Sue with Small Arms, Rocket Propelled Grenades and Improvised Explosive Devices. The area along ASR Sue is also full of communication dead zones, which are areas where very-high frequency and ultrahigh frequency signals do not propagate. This makes it extremely dangerous for convoys under enemy attack.

The area between LSA Dogwood and BIAP was a Marine Sector of responsibility. The 141st Systems Control coordinated with Division and combined joint task force to find where the Marines were located in sector in hopes of establishing a signal site. As can be seen, this quickly became a joint mission.

The communication gap along ASR Sue had to be eliminated. Charlie Company, 141st Signal Battalion, was the "Tip of the Sword" for this mission. Charlie Company (Team Cobra) provides command, control, communication, computer and intelligence support to the Division Rear Headquarters with a Large Extention Node Platoon and retransmission of key command nets with a Radio Tactical Satellite / Retransmission Team Platoon. June 26, 2003, a Cobra Radio Access Unit and RETRANS Team established a Joint Army / Marine site at Hilltop 43 in order to blanket ASR Sue with seamless Mobile Subscriber Radio Terminal and Division Command Combat Net Radio coverage.

Moving expeditiously, the heavily armed convoy arrived at Hilltop 43, also known as "Hamburger Hill" for its mosquito infestation. Formerly an Iraqi antiaircraft and artillery site, Hamburger Hill was built for combat. Four M113s from the 69th Chemical Company's Smoke Platoon helped ensure security was tight on the Hilltop 43. Emplacing M113s and dismounted M2s was quick and effortless. Interlocking sectors of fire formed a 360-degree perimeter. M203s eliminated the blind spots, preventing enemies from cowering in them. Using the terrain to its maximum advantage, RAU and RETRANS vehicles deployed below the military crest of the hill, affording them optimal protection, while the antenna systems, silhouetted at the highest point possible, gained maximum signal strength. RAU and RETRANS emplacement and operations plugged the communications gap.

The mission was a major success with no more dead space on ASR Sue. The mission was of such high importance and visibility, the 141st Signal Battalion commander directed that an officer command the site at all times. Filling this roll were two platoon leaders. 1LT Curtis Rhymer, the Radio Platoon Leader, and 2LT David Humphries, the LEN Platoon leader, alternated time on the site ensuring continuous communications support along ASR Sue.

The second night on site, Marines indicated that someone was closing in on the site. Parachute Flares, launched by SPC Nathan McDaniel, captured no sign of intruders from the darkness. However, the following night, Iraqi gunmen opened fire with AK-47s from a nearby wood line. A solid defense plan sprung into action. As Team Cobra rushed to their fighting positions, M113s released a barrage of .50 Caliber bullets.

Tracers surged into the wood line, illuminating the countryside. Smartly, the gunmen disengaged, leaving the rest of the night peaceful. This familiar scenario played out, night after night, for the rest of the week. High-speed weapons training from Marine Corps Armorer Lance CPL Arroyo, familiarized Team Cobra with the Marines crew served weapon systems and fighting positions, in preparation for future attacks.

Logistic and engineering support was critical in keeping Hamburger Hill Operational. Several times a week, supplies and equipment had to be brought into the site. Bottled water for drinking, water for showering, meals-ready-to-eat and occasional hot meals and equipment had to be constantly rotated onto the site. Additionally, engineers were tasked to help improve site security building berms and clearing sectors of fire. With the large amount of traffic coming to the site, patrols had to be conducted along the entry road to check for mines or improvised explosive devices.

Concluding several weeks on Hamburger Hill, Battalion Operations working with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force located an abandoned compound near a 1st MEF Forward Operating Base. This compound, our new home, came to be known as Camp Venom.

Rolling toward Camp Venom, Team Cobra hit a set back that presented them with quite a challenge. A Marine support vehicle broke down near a market place outside of Al Yusafiyah, a small town outside of Baghdad known as an extremist hot spot.

Halting in a communication dead zone, the convoy assumed a herringbone defensive posture. Unable to recover the vehicle or abandon it, a wrecker was the next best option. Single-Channel Ground-to-Air Radio System, even with the power amplifier, could not reach out of the communication dead zone surrounding the convoy. Even after raising one OE-254 Antenna, right there on the roadside, there was no answer.