18th INFANTRY REGIMENT ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

www.18inf.org OCTOBER 2004 www.18inf.org

2004 Annual Meeting Report

Our Annual Meeting was held on July 31st at the 2004 reunion in Chicago. Called to order at 8:00am in the packed CP room (hospitality suite), the Honorary Colonel and Honorary Sergeant Major reported on the status and morale of our active duty battalion deployed in Tikrit. They introduced our guest, CPT Chris Crawford, recent B-1-18 INF Executive Officer, who was home in the USA on two weeks of R&R. It was a rare treat to meet this great American and talk with him about what our troops are doing in Iraq - first hand information, and quite different from that which the major media would have us believe.

Bob Baumer, author of our WWII book, American Iliad, presented his book and thanked our WWII veterans for their assistance in writing it, and then remained to autograph copies and talk WWII history with all. It is an excellent book and worth the read. If you haven't already, buy one and read it. Our Executive Director, Larry Paul, presented framed certificates to the Distinguished Members of the Regiment who were induced this year. The class of 2005 included: John McHugh (Co D, WWII), Felix Camps (Co E, WWII), Larry Paul (2-18, RVN), Kenneth Bond (2-18, RVN), Robert Callahan (2-18, RVN), and Andrew Wilson (2-18, RVN). In addition, General Sullivan and Mrs. Norma Carter were named Honorary Members. Secretary Larry Van Kuran reported that we have nearly 650 paid members, of which only about 250 are veterans and 400 are from our active duty battalion. Treasurer Jim Stone reported that we are financially stable, but somewhat poor, and the proposed budget of $8600 was adopted for 2005. Remember, however, that we do NOT spend money we do not have. Substantial donations are needed to maintain our annual commitments to our Thanksgiving/Christmas soldier project, our Iron Mike Soldier/NCO of the year awards, and bringing active duty soldiers to our 2005 reunion in Washington DC.

Over one-hundred-fifty 18th Infantry veterans were present and enjoyed the reunion activities, especially lunch at and tours of the Cantigny First Division Museum, a world-class facility. The Memorial service was moving, and the First Division video update on Iraq at the banquet was outstanding - copies are available from the Society. The 18th Infantry command post/hospitality room was organized by VP Ed Fedrick and the ladies of the 18th Infantry. It was a welcoming place and quite lively at times during the reunion. Hats, shirts, unit crests, note cards, and other items were/are available, please contact our Executive Director, Larry Paul, by phone at 419-332-5782 or by email at: LFP18INF@aol.com. Next year will be even better as we mark the 40th Anniversary of the beginning of the Vietnam war. Plan to come!

 

ANNUAL COMBAT OFFICER'S DINNER

(Please Note: New Place and Date)

The Annual Dinner of the Combat Officers of the First Division will be held on Saturday, 2 April 2005, at the Hilton Hotel Mark Center on Seminary Road in Alexandria, VA. This year marks the 40th Anniversary of our deployment to Vietnam, and a special effort is being made to have present as many as possible of the officers who took the Division into combat in 1965. Mark your calendars now! Call a foxhole buddy and remind him to meet you at the dinner. Come meet us there and enjoy the camaraderie!

For information please contact Phil Pryor, ph: 757-564-1616.

E-mail: Ppryor58@aol.com

SOCIETY of the FIRST INFANTRY DIVISION

2005 Annual BRO Reunion

This year the BRO Reunion is scheduled at the Crystal City Marriott, in the Washington DC area, for July 20-24, 2005. As usual, the 18th Infantry Annual Meeting will be held on Friday morning, and the grand banquet on Saturday night. This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Division's deployment to Vietnam, with many special events scheduled. In addition, we will welcome home our combat soldiers from Iraq and have the 1-18 INF Soldier and NCO of the year present at the reunion. Make reservations through the Society. For information, please contact Jennifer Sanford, 1933 Morris Rd, Blue Bell, PA 19422. Ph: 1-888-324-4733.

E-mail: soc1ID@aol.com or www.bigredone.org

18th INFANTRY REGIMENT REUNION -- WASHINGTON, DC

*** 1944 - AUTUMN OF '44 - 2004 ***

[Editor's note: 40 years ago the Gulf of Tonkin resolution foreshadowed our entry into the Vietnam War, the history of which will be featured in our 2005 newsletters. In this issue, on the 60th Anniversary of the events, we remind our readers of the courage and sacrifice displayed by 18th Infantry soldiers during the hard and difficult battles of the Fall of "44. For more details of these battles, please obtain a copy of, and read, our recently published WWII history, American Iliad.]

October 1944 found the First Division and the 18th Infantry committed to the encirclement and capture of the city of Aachen. Aachen is located on the western boundary of the German fatherland, at the junction of the German, Belgian, and Dutch borders. It lay just inside the famed Siegfried Line, or as the Germans called it, the Westwall. It had formidable defenses, but more importantly it was the first major German city in the path of the Allied advance on the Western Front. In AD 800, Aachen was the capital city of Charlemagne and became the seat of government for the Holy Roman Empire, the First German Reich. Hitler's Third Reich was deemed to be its successor. Therefore, it was a symbol to the German people that far exceeded its military value. Hitler declared it a "Festung" (Fortress city) and ordered it defended to the last man. It became the testing ground for the Wehrmacht's determination not to yield a meter - or at least a conspicuous meter - of sacred German soil to the advancing Americans.

Germany's best units on the Western Front had been completely crushed during the Summer of "44 by the Allied breakout and pursuit from Normandy to the German border. There remained few good quality troops available to defend the fatherland at Aachen, but even poor quality troops in well prepared defensive positions would offer stiff and costly resistance, especially with the artillery resources being moved into the area around Aachen. The 30th Division was given the mission to seal the north side of Aachen and link up with the First Division, which would complete the encirclement from the south. The 16th Infantry was ordered to drive into Germany south of Aachen and hold. The 18th Infantry received the assignment to complete the encirclement, which meant taking the town of Verlautenheide, Crucifix Hill, the village of Haaren, and the Ravelsberg, all directly east of Aachen, between the city and the rest of Germany. The 26th Infantry was tasked to take and clear Aachen itself. The Germans committed at least four or five organized divisions, and various other units, against the First Division in an effort to defend and retain Aachen. However, after desperate fighting, the First Division mission was successfully accomplished and the enemy divisions were decimated. This victory resulted in a battle streamer for the colors, inscribed "Aachen", a Presidential Unit Citation for the First Battalion, which took and defended Crucifix Hill, and the Third Battalion, which took and defended the Ravelsberg, two Medal of Honor awards, and several DSC citations.

After Aachen one would expect that a rest was in order, but such was not the case. In November 1944, the First Division was relieved from the line in order to refit and prepare for it's next mission, the Huertgen Forest. As bad as was the battle for Aachen, veterans who survived both have said that the Huertgen Forest was worse. Less than 10 miles east of Aachen lay the western edge of the Huertgen Forest. On the map, it seems but a short distance through this patch of forest to the Rohr River and the Cologne Plain, the path to the heart of Germany. However, the trees, the terrain, and the weather, combined with well planned defenses, made this a deadly path indeed. The 18th Infantry had the middle sector, with the 16th RCT on the left and the 26th RCT on the right. The objective was the town of Langerwehe, approached by a road along the Wehe Creek, which required the 18th Infantry to capture of three small villages (Wenau, Heistern, and Schoenthal) and two hills (203 and 207), and only about 3 miles distance from the jumping off point in Schevenhuette. Every inch of ground was bitterly contested by fanatical resistance. Each village was taken in house to house and hand to hand fighting. The conditions were miserable and the fighting was hard, and, during this battle, the 18th Infantry suffered the worst friendly fire incident of the entire war, when most of Company E became casualties of our own artillery. The detailed accounts of these battles as described in American Iliad are outstanding and compelling, but even they only scratch the surface of the courage and sacrifice displayed by the soldiers of the 18th Infantry and the rest of the First Division during the battles for Aachen and in the Huertgen Forest.

 

In Memoriam

SPC Edgar P. Daclan, Jr.

SPC Daclan was a medic in the 2nd Platoon, C-1-18 IN. He was killed and his Platoon Leader and another soldier were wounded by a command detonated IED on 10 September 2004. SPC Daclan was from Long Beach, CA and is survived by his parents, a sister, and his Grandmother. He was a good soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice, and he will be missed.

 

NO MISSION TOO DIFFICULT, NO SACRIFICE TOO GREAT, DUTY FIRST!

18th INFANTRY NEWS - DIRECT FROM IRAQ

by LTC Jeffrey A. Sinclair, Commander, Task Force 1-18 INF

September 13 marked the completion of the first six months conducting combat and stability operations in Tikrit, Iraq. The Task Force is now clearly settled into its environment fighting our part of the war. The morale of every soldier is probably the highest I have observed since taking command in June 2003. This can be attributed to a very high success rate on our combat mission in Iraq, the best family support network I have observed in over eighteen years of service and support from Mothers, Fathers, our Regimental Association and families throughout the United States who understand that their sons are the heroes of this decade and they carry family names that will be etched forever in the recorded history of our proud Country.

Although where we live and work remains very dangerous, your soldiers, sons, husbands and fathers work hard to continue the progress forward. On 19 June, we signed over two million dollars in contracts for rebuilding key facilities in our area. This is the first of over forty million dollars in projects that we will start and complete over the next three months. We have distributed over $150, 000 in cash on the spot to local people, businesses and small schools to let people know that we can make improvements now vs. making promises for a great future. Every Company Commander carries cash in his pocket that he can use to employ local Iraqis, buy toys for local children or just purchase paint to restore and clean up a small section of the community.

Tikrit and the Vanguard Area of Operations looks very different from the days back in March when we began our mission in the violent Sunni Triangle. Company C soldiers embarked on an aggressive program to remove the war torn look of our city and provide an area in Iraq where the people would see visible examples of security and progress. During the month of May, the "Rock" soldiers (as they call themselves - Charlie Rock) accompanied by our platoon of engineers, "Dirty", waited patiently for the hot sun to retreat for the evening and all the local Iraqis to return to their homes for the night. The soldiers would immediately move throughout the city with heavy machinery and trucks loaded with new barriers to replace sand bagged and concertina wire positions that reminded every local that their country is at war. When the sun would rise each day, the local Iraqi people were exposed to an environment without the clutter and constant reminders of war. Company C also employed locals to apply fresh paint to structures neglected for decades and teams of Iraqis worked throughout the cities and small towns to remove graffiti that sustained increased tensions between our soldiers and the people we came to liberate. The efforts of this company in one of the most publicized cities in Iraq have set a standard for all other units to follow.

Several other projects have improved our relationship with the people in the community. Company C opened the Tikrit swimming pool and attended the first graduating class of young children who learned to swim. We purchased and issued soccer uniforms to thirty-six teams in our area to restart one of the top sport activities in Iraq (did you note the Iraqi soccer team at the Olympics?). We held a partnership day with our Iraqi National Guard Battalion that included sports and weapons proficiency events. Each team was a mix of the 201st Iraqi National Guard soldiers and Task Force Vanguard soldiers competing together to beat other mixed teams in the two battalions. This event alone solidified the bond among our two cultures that remains unmatched by any other unit in Iraq. We initiated a sponsorship of the Tikrit University that involves weekly interaction with the young professionals of the future Iraq. This University maintains an enrollment of seven thousand students who after two months understand what we are trying to do in this country. In April, we went to the University and only received cold stares from young educated people frustrated with a country at war and the tribal inequities throughout Iraq. Since early April, we have attended student forum meetings, visited the student dormitories to improve living conditions and even one month ago ate lunch at the home of faculty members with our new student representative committee for the coalition forces. Cold stares and silent meetings are now replaced by waves in the street, students visiting our Forward Operating Base and endless invitations to visit their homes for a lunch or dinner.

Progress also continues at a rapid pace outside the city of Tikrit. Company A controls two smaller villages just south of the city. The town of Ouja was the privileged community of body guards and enforcers in the previous regime. This town originally looked like a neighborhood avoided by even the best law enforcement officials in Los Angeles. Daily activities included searching for enemy forces that used this area to conduct planning sessions and work strategies to attack coalition forces. Just south of Ouja sits another community of Wynot. This area concealed over fifteen enemy combatants that advertised their trade by emplacing roadside bombs and ambushes to kill coalition forces as they passed along the highway through our sector. After a few raids to capture these personnel, endless hours of talking to the people and uncompromising pressure on the enemy, today these two towns are very different. Company A removed all concertina wire in the communities, employed local people to repaint the towns, eliminated the graffiti, and started projects to rebuild the schools, water, power, and emergency services. Ouja held their first democratic elections to choose their own city council and now we can drive through this town and receive the Iraqi greeting Al-Salmu Alaykom (welcome). An absolutely remarkable effort.

(Continued on Page 4 - Commander's Update from Iraq)

 

Active Duty Battalion Web site - www.1ID.army.mil/118

(Commander's Update from Iraq - Continued from Page 3)

Company A, 1-77 Armor, (attached to us) continues equally impressive progress in their area further south. Mukashefa, a town that boarders the ever hostile city of Samarra, remains on a path of growth due to the efforts of these proud soldiers. The Warlords (as they call themselves) have assisted every member in this community to the path of recovery. In the face of constant fighting just 10 kilometers away, this town has moved forward with rebuilding. The attitude of the people remains positive even with the negative influence of their southern neighbors. Additionally, the Warlords control two of the largest pre-war ammunition supply points in the country. The enemy always challenges our efforts and attempts to infiltrate these locations to acquire munitions for use against our forces. The "Warlords" deny this area to the enemy and in concert with 2nd Platoon, Company A, 9th Engineers (call sign "Dirty"), they have destroyed more enemy ammunition than any other tactical unit in Iraq. The Warlords efforts have resulted in a secure area along the Task Force boundary that covers over 600 square kilometers.

Company B (they call themselves "Predators") maintain their reputation of a warrior company who spend almost every hour of the day on the road focused on security and rebuilding in the largest sector assigned within the Task Force. The soldiers in Company B have destroyed more captured munitions than most engineers destroy in a military career. They clear and secure the longest main supply route in the Task Force sector from Tikrit to our northern boundary with Task Force 1-7 Field Artillery. Company B also has responsibility for the two large towns of Kadessia and Abu-Thoma. Kadessia is the past sanctuary for enemy forces conducting daily mortar and rocket attacks on our Task Force and Division Forward Operating Base. The "Predators" deny this area through an aggressive program of precision raids and combat observation posts designed to detect and eliminate enemy forces operating in these towns.

The success of all the Task Force operations continues to hinge upon the tireless contributions of our Headquarters Company, called the "Highlanders." The amazing soldiers of the support platoon work around the clock traveling the dangerous highways to deliver mail, repair parts and food to our soldiers. The mechanics work non-stop fixing armored vehicles and HMMWVs that we constantly damage during combat operations. The mortars stand at the ready 24 hours a day and deliver counter fire within a moments notice when the enemy chooses to engage our soldiers. The scouts travel every kilometer of the Task Force sector conducting operations to detect enemy activity. The medics maintain two world class treatment stations that render life saving aide to our soldiers injured in combat and care for the health of every soldier living in this foreign environment. The chaplain and his team maintain our spiritual fitness through a routine prayer breakfast, Sunday sermons and their physical presence on the battlefield. The cooks add to the morale of the evening meal with their ability to get a few special deserts for the boys and their conversation at serving time is only matched by the small town barber in hometown USA.

Task Force Vanguard is and will always be called upon to execute the difficult missions anywhere in Iraq. Three weeks ago we began a series of pure high intensity combat operations south of our normal assigned sector. This mission involves Company Teams fully armed with Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Tanks as well as supporting fires from Army Attack Helicopters and U.S. Air Force Air to Ground attack aircraft. This is a town (Samarra) of over 200,000 Iraqi citizens being terrorized by a group of stubborn insurgents. The Vanguard Company Teams enter the city under the cover of darkness to close with and destroy the insurgent fighters. After three missions and intense fighting the Vanguards continue to carry the proud motto "In Omnia Paratus", "In All Things Prepared"……however, the enemy was not.

I close this letter with a few personal thoughts to the members of our Regimental Association. Periodically, I look on our web page to see pictures of our soldiers conducting operations here far from home. These are snapshots in time, and they really tell the story of our experience here in Iraq. The faces and the spirit of your soldiers magically unfold in the wonderful technology of digital photography. This Task Force and each individual soldier is only a small part of the military fighting the Global War on Terrorism and we are even a smaller dot in the large population of the American people. However, these young men represent the best part of our civilization and the values of our Country. They are captured on film with their tools of war representing our resolve to protect at all costs the freedom we inherited. They are also frozen in time taking a knee, removing a glove and lending a hand to a people deprived of our great way of life. Most important, these pictures display a brotherhood of soldiers locked in a common bond, sharing a life changing experience and a group of men who will fight and die to protect each other. The backdrop to each of these great pictures cannot be captured by even the best digital technology. Behind every soldier is a mother and father who prepared them for this day, and the wives and families who give them strength to continue, and the history of the 18th Infantry soldiers who have gone before and set the standards high . I personally thank all who contribute so much support that allows us to stand together on the frontier of freedom to fight and win this war.

God Bless. First to Battle!


Jeffrey A. Sinclair, Commander, Task Force Vanguard



Active Duty Battalion Web site - www.1ID.army.mil/118

AAFES GIFT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The Honorary Colonel reports: "By calling 1-877-770-4438 during business hours (from 0800 to 1700 hours Eastern time), you can arrange to have a gift certificate (in increments of $10, $20 or $25) mailed by the Exchange's system directly to the individual soldier that you name. There will be a charge of $4.95 for each order (each order may include as many certificates as you wish, but all must be for the same addressee soldier; to add another addressee soldier, you must use a second order, at another $4.95 cost, and so on). You may add a very short message to each certificate, plus your ID as sender. The addressee soldier's name will appear on the transmittal form, but not on the actual certificate. Those of you with Internet access can do all parts of this program at the following website: http://www.certifichecks.com/."

LTC Jeff Sinclair and CSM Doug Pallister are aware of this program and have agreed to insure that gift certificates are received and equitably distributed to our soldiers. Unless you have a personal link with an individual soldier, we recommend that you address them to a Company Commander or First Sergeant, by name, or to CSM Pallister. Address and names:


Soldier's Rank and Name (i.e., CSM Doug Pallister)

1-18 IN, 2BCT, 1IN DIV (FWD)

OIF 2, FOB DANGER

APO AE 09392

HHC: CPT Todd Grissom; 1SG Deon Stanfield

A Co: CPT David Krzycki; 1SG Stanley Varner

B Co: CPT David Arnold; 1SG Matt Cloyd

C Co: CPT Aaron Coombs; 1SG Lorenzo Farrow

A Co, 1-77 Armor: CPT Kevin Bolke; 1SG Alan Hummel

Latest update from Iraq - October email

[Editor's note - in early October the Iraqi National Guard (ING), supported by the Big Red One's 2nd Brigade, cleared the city of Samarra , in the Sunni Triangle, from insurgent control. Over 100 insurgents were killed and almost as many captured. Most of the rest fled. In his report above, LTC Sinclair explains the relationship between 1-18 INF and the 201st ING. The ING performed well, as expected, and 1-18 INF was right there with them.]

"Sir, We are just returning back to our sector and, yes, the Vanguards continue to lead the way on operations here. We participated in Samarra with three of our rifle companies and I left one company down there attached to 1-26 for 3-5 days on stability operations now. We were not the main effort since that area is owned by 1-26. However, we were so successful in our attack that we took part of the 1-26 sector and cleared over half of the city while three other battalions cleared the other half. The soldiers were incredible. I have never been more proud of the company commanders. We had three soldiers WIA, but they will all be OK after some recovery time back in the states or in Germany. The CSM and I just beamed with pride as we went through the city and walked the platoon positions. Just remarkable. Even the resupply system was the best in the BCT. We rotated a platoon out at a time for resupply to our forward combat trains and the companies never lost the initiative. The soldiers spent only about 45 minutes at each refit because they did not want to miss a minute of the fight. Well Sir, we are all getting some rest today and cleaning up the gear. I will write more later. Thanks again for all the support."

18th INFANTRY NOTES


Thanksgiving/Christmas project - Traditionally, we provide funds for Holiday Gift food baskets. In addition, this year we would like to sponsor a "Day at the Movies" for battalion children in Schweinfurt. Your generosity makes these projects possible, and they are appreciated. Thank you for these expressions of your support for our troops.

18th Infantry note cards are available from our Executive Director, Larry Paul: check made to 18th Inf Regt Assn. In packages of 10 note cards for $10, these cards are great for sending notes and greetings. Get yours today!

American Iliad, our WWII history book, makes a great Christmas gift. Order a book for a friend or for one of our soldiers in Iraq. We have a few copies available from Larry Paul, phone 419-332-5782 or email: LFP18INF@aol.com. Orders may be placed directly with the publisher, Aberjona Press, on-line via the link on our web site, or directly by telephone at 866-265-9063 (Toll free). Help spread the story of our great Regiment's contribution to victory in World War II. Make sure your local public and high school libraries have copies.

2005 Reunion - 20-24 July - Washington, DC

 

 

HONORARY COLONEL OF THE REGIMENT

COL. George M. Tronsrue, Jr. USA/Ret.

It's good to read LTC Jeff Sinclair's measured but carefully detailed description of our Vanguards' success in Tikrit. From the hours CSM Carter and I have spent with him, face-to-face, and from what he writes to us when he has a rare spare moment, I'd say this commander and our troops have it all together. How different that picture is from the typical media version! Why that difference? Good question.

Those of you who read "Army Echoes" as retirees will recognize much of the information below, which is offered as my main comment for this Newsletter. Basically, there's another way, in addition to our "care packages," to let our soldiers know how much we support them in this War Against Terrorists. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) now has a "Gifts from the Homefront" program. [See above for details] I am using it and recommend it to you. Our Vanguard battalion commander, LTC Sinclair, assures me that our troops in the Tikrit area do have access to a "stocked up" Exchange where they can redeem your gift certificates for exactly what they choose. This appears to be a simple and direct process, from my experience with it so far (I have a certificate order in the mill, as I write this). Unless you have a direct, personal link to one of our soldiers, it would still be best to send the certificates, by name, to a company commander or a first sergeant as explained above. LTC Sinclair tells me that all share in the care packages, and that all are deeply appreciated. It should prove to be a good way to efficiently show material support for our soldiers.

It was good to see so many of you at the Reunion. May this find you and your families well, and ready to show our soldiers in Iraq that they have our material support as well as our prayers solidly behind them. Duty First!



George M. Tronsrue, Jr., Colonel, USA Retired, Honorary Colonel, 18th Infantry Regiment