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South Dakota National Guard
Public Affairs Office
2823 West Main St.
Rapid City, S.D. 57702
Phone 605-737-6721
E-mail PAO@sd.ngb.army.mil
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 22, 2006
PAO 09-22-06
FOR MORE INFORMATION - please contact Maj. Orson Ward at (605) 737-6721.
Charlie Battery heads for home
By Staff Sgt. Brooks Schild
Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery
BAGHDAD - MISSION COMPLETE! Yankton's Charlie Battery conducted a transfer of authority ceremony Wednesday morning at Forward Operating Base Rustamiyah that marks the official completion of the unit's mission in Iraq. It also set in motion the unit's next mission - getting all members back home safely. "Thank you for your service and thank you for your sacrifice," praised Lt. Col. Alfred J. Bazzinotti, commander of the 519th Military Police Battalion. "The Army is proud of you for answering the call to duty and serving our nation so faithfully." Charlie Battery's mission started nearly 16 months ago when it mobilized at Fort Dix, N.J. and for the past year in Iraq, its mission was to train and evaluate the Iraqi Police Force in Baghdad. "When you Soldiers get off the plane in just a few short days in America, hold your head high!" said Bazzinotti. "You accomplished the mission!" Bazzinotti also commended the dignity the Soldiers displayed in honoring the unit members lost during the deployment. While the unit members stood at attention, the fallen and wounded of Charlie Battery were recognized as their names were read:
Sgt. 1st Class Richard Schild, killed in action by an improvised explosive device in southeast Baghdad on December 4, 2005.
Staff Sgt. Daniel Cuka, killed in action by an improvised explosive device in southeast Baghdad on December 4, 2005
Sgt. Corey Briest, wounded in action by an improvised explosive device in southeast Baghdad on December 4, 2005
Sgt. Allen Kokesh Jr., wounded in action in southeast Baghdad on December 4, 2005 and died as a result of those wounds on February 7, 2006.
Staff Sgt. Gregory Wagner, killed in action by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad on May 8, 2006.
Spc. Brian Knigge, wounded in action by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad on May 8, 2006.
Charlie Battery Soldiers served under the 720th Military Police Battalion, and the 42nd and 49th Military Police Brigades. During the ceremony, members of Charlie Battery said goodbye to its current higher headquarters, the 519th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade. They also worked hand-in-hand with elements of the 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions and the "Screaming Eagles" of the 101st Airborne Division. Throughout the year, the South Dakota National Guard Soldiers performed police transition team missions with the Iraqi Police. They conducted joint patrols that included route security and reconnaissance missions in eastern Baghdad, rescue and recovery missions, and convoy wrecker support missions within the capitol city and south into Kuwait. Personal security detachment missions were conducted all over Baghdad, as well as critical site security and convoy security missions throughout Baghdad. But the Iraqis were not the only ones to benefit from Charlie's professional training as three U.S. Army units that were new to the Baghdad area of operations (to include the unit's replacements) were trained on the unit's specialized missions.
"Charlie Battery Soldiers helped to teach the (Iraqi Police) the ideals of police service, community support and professionalism," Bazzinotti said. "You made a difference!" The unit trained more than 1,000 Iraqi Police, creating stability in the southern and eastern strategic districts of Baghdad and enabled a district in the center of Baghdad to become the first to transition the responsibility of security to the Iraqi Police.
Bazzinotti pointed out that their efforts helped ensure that free elections could take place. At ceremony's end, Charlie Battery Soldiers immediately loaded their rucksacks and duffel bags onto trucks and departed for BaghdadInternationalAirport. The unit is scheduled to leave Baghdad and arrive soon in Kuwait. It will arrive in the U.S. at FortDix and finally head home to South Dakota. A parade and deactivation ceremony is planned in Yankton when the soldiers arrive later this month or in early October.
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NOTE - Charlie Battery is a field artillery unit of the South Dakota Army National Guard - Battery C, 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery. Its headquarters is located in Yankton, South Dakota. About half of its members are made of members from Battery A in Mitchell and Battery B in Salem and Sioux Falls.
Photos available on request: Please contact Mr. Roger Anderson, 605-737-6268 or e-mail roger.anderson5@us.army.mil