ATS EXCLUSIVE~ ADVISOR inside Iraq, teaser

Here is a teaser and sample of the Photo gallery I have been going through of my deployment in Iraq. There are literally hundreds of photos and some videos that will be included, all of them exclusive from my unit to ATS. It takes time to gather and review every bit of media, so it will be some time before the full version is posted. We are busy getting ready for redeployment, and even a year of my free time, I haven’t been able to get every single picture and video. I am still working the issue, and hope to have a full version available by next year.

Enjoy and feel free to post all comments and or questions.


Sign on the way into our AO, Diyala Province Iraq. My unit was there during some heavy action, IED’s were the biggest threat and preferred means of attack by the insurgents. EFPs and triple stacked AT mines were as common as HME.




This photo was taken at a place we dubbed the “dairy factory“. Notice the IED made from HME via propane tank and command wire wrapped around the two litter. We confiscated that with our EOD assets. It is their robot I’m standing by, but Johnny 5 was broken and not alive right then.



This is the LMTV I was placed on during a 12 day mission which turned into 17 days. It was our supply/logistics (what we call “logpac”) vehicle while out in Indian country Iraq. That’s me and my 240 mounted up in the turret. I was tasked with being the gunner for security of the LMTV, and fueler which was behind us in the convoy. Notice the vegetation stuck in the grill and bumper(we nick named it the stash), the driver managed to get us stuck no less that 7 times while out on the patrol. One time we almost rolled the truck, I was in the turret standing up on the seat, and by the time I dropped down, landed on the passenger side door window. We were tilting pretty good. Still waiting to get those photos (the mechanics have them), but I’ll post them when available.



Soldier rests back in our troop area after being crammed in a Bradley all day, night time was the coolest part of the day in Iraq and even a low of 80 felt great after 120 degree days. Add gear and hot CFV engine outputting heat and the temp was more around 140-150 so we drank a lot of water and Gatorade.



EOD detonates an IED in one of the better parts of town in our AO of Iraq. This location would be considered upper class by Iraqi standards, as they had a actual power grid for electric utilities.



The IA and locals flipped that tank over to make a road block. To this day we still have no idea how they did it, let along moved it over there. They had no heavy equipment or anything, so we guessed it took a lot of them using manpower.



This is the entrance to our troop area on FOB Normandy. Each troop has (Cavalry has troops not companies) their own design for their area of quarters.



Here is my troop HQ, 1st and 2nd platoons. Yeah, that is one of our NCOs wearing a sumo suit. Crazy mofo was sweating buckets, but the moral and entertainment made it worth it.



Here is my ugly mug after no more than three hours rest, when first getting to Iraq. They woke me up just to get a photo for records purposes. Little did I know that within 12 hours of arriving to Iraq, we replacements were going out side the wire and into the fray. My first patrol happened within 20 hours of being in country, and I was the first replacement to “go out” because of my prior service.




No it’s not Sharlet and her web, that is Kumar the Camel spider, and if you notice the hole in the door for the knob, you can get an idea of how big it is.



IP standing near gate, we ended up working with them and getting the locals established as well for the Iraqi version of neighborhood watch/militia aka CLCs. Some thing which worked well once it was rolling.




Joint patrol with IP and our guys, teaching the Iraqis how to better secure their neighborhood and keep vigilant about it as well. Yes that truck is one of the ones we gave them, more reliable than what they have over there, which is a must if they are to be reliable as well.



IP gunner, some of them wore masks so they insurgents would not know who they are. It was a safety measure to protect their families. AQIZ liked to kidnap and kill locals who cooperated with us, so our presence patrols were a daily occurrence.



Here is one of the Mosques near a palm grove. Palm groves were very common in our AO, and we often did many dismounted patrols through them. This one was one of the nicer looking Mosques.



Here is a typical looking part of town where the shops were set up. Even though it is day time out, the locals were worried out attacks so they would never come out and sell their goods. It wasn’t until we increased our presence patrols and started establishing the CLC’s that they started coming out and eventually let their kids out unsupervised when we were around.



Another image of the market, notice all the power lines hanging low in the streets. Often we would roll through in our vehicles and the weapons barrels would get hug up on the cables, causing some locals to get aggravated when we accidentally ripped their power down. They tried so hard to raise the lines, but eventually would just resort to stringing the across the ground.

Good to hear from you ADVISOR!

I've been thinking about you since you announced your deployment...that seems like so long ago now.

Glad to see you are doing well.

The pictures are amazing and I can't wait to see the full album. God Bless you for what you're doing over there. All of you.

I'll keep praying for you guys.

Thanks for sharing life in Iraq with us....really interesting to see. The electric lines look like a total nightmare and overkill for such a place and that photo at night leaning against the wall is really incredible.

Can't wait to see more.

Great pics and stay safe. Surely you probably notice the difference in proportion of the IED attacks compare to many months ago. Still probably encounter IEDs, but far fewer since the Sunnis sided with us against AQ.

reply to post by ADVISOR


This is so cool! Thanks for sharing. My brother just went to Iraq as well and he just sent us a bunch of photos, too. Not sure if he is just pulling my chain but is the following true? Here is one photo he sent along with the caption:

"I woke up when the guys knocked and opened my door to this orange sky. It was the coolest thing I had seen over here ... (And still is so far!)"

i133.photobucket.com...

He hasn't replied in days and I have a feeling he has to be joking with me in some way. Surely it's not that bad is it? lol Obviously not all the time but is the above possible?

Anyways, glad you're safe... as long as you stay away from that spider.

P.S. I love the photo in silhouette under the moon. That's awesome! Take care and be safe.

Edit: Made image a link instead of internal/external.

[edit on 10/2/2008 by AshleyD]

Great pics and write up.

I'll have to agree, that is a nice looking mosque. Looks better than some that I saw.

You definitely deserve a....

HOORAH

and

OUTSTANDING

You make me so PROUD!!!!!!

Semper

reply to post by AshleyD


I've seen some really awsome sunrises and sunsets that made the horizon orange, but nothing that gave every thing that hue. I was in the North Eastern side of Iraq by Iran. Next time we go over, we will be in the North West, by Syria and Turkey, Mosul region.

Awesome stuff Advisor...

I hope these pictures helps hit home with a few members...

thank you for the pics ... those power lines seem like they would be a worry for a person in your position ... can't wait to see more! finally some honest pictures!

Amazing pictures.

Thank you, not for the pics, but for what you are doing.

I, like many others, don't agree with the war, but we are proud to support our troops wherever they may be.

Pretty typical question: Did you happen to meet any Australian or New Zealand guys over there? I'm not sure, but i think we only have SAS in Iraq at the moment, but they still have to be based somewhere.

reply to post by fooffstarr


Yes, we were in Kuwait when I spoke with some of them. There were some Brits as well, and other nations over there.

Many of those foreign soldiers were just getting in country too, how ever my unit never ran into them while we were in Iraq. Our AO was mostly US forces, never saw any others exept Ugandans who took over FOB security for us.

Fascinating images, which put a very human face on the American military efforts over there. Thanks for sharing these.

Your welcome, but I must admit, it wasn't just me who is sharing these images. The guys in my unit helped compile the photos, and the Iraqis themselves also. Once the final is finished, there will be many more Iraqi photos included. I'm hopeing to be able to post images with out editing, in order to preserve the moment all that much better.

I appreciate every one replying and staring this thread. It goes to show just how much the ATS community is interested and it gives me more motivation to dedicate time to work on the gallery.

So good to hear from you again Advisor! I can only think of the things you've seen, but have a good idea from various videos I've seen on line. I wouldn't have the guts to do what you're doing out there. BIG salute to you my friend!

Please PLEASE take care of your self and your brothers/sisters in arms (I know you will). You all are in my prayers.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by Slash]

AO, IED’s, EFPs and triple stacked AT mines were as common as HME??? Please excuse my ignorance, but could somebody post a glossary defining these terms? Way too many acronyms for us un-initiated to grasp.

reply to post by Shadoefax


Sorrt about that, AO=area of Operation, IEDs=Improvised explosive Device aka road side bomb, EFPs are the Iranian Explosively Formed Penetrators which can punch through and Abrams, and AT means anti tank, triple being three placed one atop another. HME = home made Explosives.

Feel free to ask about any acronym used in the Army, I know most but even I get lost in the multiple meanings of those cryptic letter combinations. LoL

What's up and thanks for sharing your experiences. That 240 looks pretty sick. that puppy must kick.I must say that you get to play with some serious machines.I know it must be fun when you guys arent being shot at. Definately must be an intense and life awakening experience. Thanks for your service.Much appreciated and wish you and everyone there the best and my thoughts and prayers are with you guys.

Yo, those camel spiders are also called wind scorpions,I think,right? And as big as that is, isn't it relatively small. Ever see the video of the soldier holding one almost the size of his calf?Those things are nasty. They were saying that in the desert they run after you because they like to hide in your shadow. Any truth to that? Just glad I don't have to sleep near thaose things because I would be throwin grenades at it.LOL

Peace out and God Bless brother.

Great pictures.

Stay safe.

God Bless our prayers our with you and for you and your troop.

reply to post by ADVISOR


Then please send my additional thanks to those that have helped compile and share these pictures.

What you are doing here is showing the situation as it truly is; you're sharing scenes directly from the point of view of the men and women that have volunteered their lives for this nation. There is no political spin, no agenda-based censorship applied to images such as these, coming as they do directly from the individuals carrying out the day-to-day affairs of the conflict in Iraq. This makes them an invaluable asset in coming to possess an objective, well-rounded point of view on this complex issue, which is subject to no limit of obfuscation and political exploitation in the mainstream media.

You have my sincere gratitude for this and for similar endeavors in the future, and for your service to our country.