LTC Theisen Diehard 6
| Greetings to the DIEHARDS and family at the
1st Engineer Battalion reunion. We have almost completed 12 months in our mission in Iraq. As many of you have heard, units have been doing 15 months tours during the surge. We will do 15 months as well. I will have the battalion back at FT Riley before Christmas. Our mission in Iraq is an important one for the 25th Infantry Division. We are the divisional route Clearance Battalion. Our Call Sign is TRAIL BLAZER. This nom de guerre is a deviation from our proud heritage in the 1st ENs but comes from the previous battalions who have performed this mission in the North of Iraq. Our primary task is to remove Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDS) for the Main Supply Routes (MSRs) and Alternative Supply Routes (ASRs) to allow the Coalition Forces and the Iraqi populace to have freedom of movement. IEDS in Iraq are the greatest threat to the Coalition Forces and the Iraqi public. The companies have moved to stay with the “Surge” and have been at the sharp end of many of the divisions operations while maintaining the MSR/ASRs or breaching into enemy strongholds. They have been magnificent through it all. The soldiers, NCOs and Officers of the 1st have been phenomenal in how well they discover the devices emplaced by the enemy. We have in the past 12 months removed well over 1000 explosive devices from the roads. We have been using some of the latest technology in vehicles, and equipment to do our mission and we have continued to receive items to test. While I understand the superb efforts by the DIEHARDS, it has come at a price measured in loss and human suffering. We mourn the loss of SGT Wright and SGT Kingman who were killed in action earlier this year. We have many comrades at back in the US recovery from their wounds. The signature injury of Iraq is Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBI or mild TBI patients will have no visible injury since they suffer from a form of concussions. With a closed head injury you discover that some have short term memory problems or difficulty speaking. I currently have 20 soldiers recovery at various medical centers in the US who are receiving treatment for their wounds. CSM Benton and I have seen the personal cost to our soldiers and their families and marvel at this latest “greatest generation”. As we circulate the battlefield we often meet with other unit leaders. All feel compelled to tell us their TRAIL BLAZER (TB) story. Most are along the lines of how they followed a TB Patrol that found three buried IEDs that their soldier never would have found. They describe also how their unit has lost soldiers because of a tragic event with an IED. Most have moist eyes while they thank CSM and me for keeping their soldiers Safe. Day after day the soldiers and leaders head out the wire because they know that day after day their actions and skills enable fathers, sons, mothers and daughters to return home safely from a war in IRAQ. I have been thankful for the rare privilege to be the Commander of such noble men and women. LTC Dave Theisen Die Hard 6 |