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Iron Horse Brigade Pushes Out Insurgents

1st Cavalry Division

By Sgt. Dan Purcell and Pfc. Erik Ledrew
122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

     CAMP EAGLE, Baghdad, Iraq-Soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team (BCT), spearheaded a task force which included elements of the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment and the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment-both from the Iron Horse Brigade- when they kicked-off Operation Iron Fury August 17. Command officials characterized the operation as an all-out effort to root out the radical "Mahdi Army" forces that have been terrorizing the local civilian population in eastern Baghdad. Pfc. Miguel Miranda, White Platoon, "Comanche" Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, exits a building during Operation Iron Fury in eastern Baghdad. The Los Angeles native served as the point man for a team from his platoon in Sadr City operation.
     "The objective of Operation Iron Fury was to reduce the Mahdi Army's influence in Sadr City and provide a secure and stable environment for the people," said Capt. Anthony Martinez, the public affairs representative for 2-5 Cavalry. 
     Since insurgents launched a second wave of violence in Sadr City August 5, shops and government offices have been closed down in the heavily populated area. U.S. Army-sponsored humanitarian missions have also come to a standstill.Pfc. Miguel Miranda (right) and Spc. Michael Gratace, both of White Platoon, "Comanche" Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, lead their team out of a house to remount their Bradley Armored Fighting Vehicles and move out with the rest of their company.
     "This operation is a combined effort conducted by the 1st Brigade," said Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Battle, 1- 12 Cavalry. "We want the law abiding citizens [of Sadr City] to know that we are here and that we will do what it takes to support a legitimate government so that all Iraqis can live a normal life."
     During the initial phase of the operation, Soldiers from 2-5 Cav. pushed into the center of the city to secure their company's objectives. Sgt. Eloy Garza, an Infantryman with White Platoon, "Comanche" Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, and a Robstown, Tx. native, watches over a street in Sadr City from his makeshift guard position. The Robstown, Texas native and his platoon occupied this position during the second day of Operation Iron Fury.
     Capitalizing on the brigade's foothold in the city, 1-12 and 2-8 Cav. commenced their respective attacks the following day.
     "This is the largest operation I've been on," said Spc. Thomas Jeffcoat, Headquarters Company (Maverick), 1-12 Cav. "We should have done this a long time ago, because the Mahdi Army has just been running wild out here."
     "This is my first time out here in Sadr City, and it's a lot different from [1-12 Cav.'s] regular area of operations: There's more activity, more improvised explosive devices, and rocket-propelled grenades," Spc. James Garcia, Headquarters Company, 1-12 Cav., added.
     By day-three of Iron Fury, the 1st BCT had exceeded its initial expectations for the mission, pushing blocks past their planned objectives despite mounting opposition from the insurgent forces. Sgt. Eloy Garza, a Soldier with White Platoon, "Comanche" Company, 2-5 Cavalry, fires on a group of insurgents dressed in black and armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
"The operation is going exceptionally well," said Battle. "The tempo has been very high and I have been very impressed with the way the Soldiers have conducted themselves."
     In order to keep the front-line troops moving, Iron Horse Brigade's forward support elements gathered at a location several kilometers from the fighting. These elements included Company C, 115th Forward Support Battalion, a team of medics from 1-12 Cav., and two Civil Affairs teams from the 478th Civil Affairs Battalion. Sgt. Shawn Dunlap, team chief, Headquarters Company (Maverick), 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment keeps his thumb on the trigger of his 50 -caliber machine gun as his company rolls towards Sadr City in Operation Iron Fury.
     "This is a full spectrum operation so we are staying focused," Battle said. "This is the first time we have conducted an operation of this scale here, but it needed to happen and it's paying big dividends."
     "I think that that when this is all over we will get a lot of thumbs up from the civilian population," he added. "The key thing here is we are bringing peace [back] to Sadr City, so that the people won't be afraid to walk down their streets."