More Photos of the Day

[akd]

Originally posted by sgtgoody (esq):

I thought they got rid of those years ago.

I guess not all of them!

An Iraqi child gives Staff Sgt. Michael Marker a kiss on the cheek Nov. 20 in the Mosul neighborhood of Hay-Al-Tenek. Marker, a squad leader with 2nd Platoon, Company B, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and other Soldiers from 5-20 Inf. Reg. joined Iraqi Army soldiers with 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division in a joint presence and community engagement patrol in Hay-Al-Tenek. (Sgt. Antonieta Rico, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Det.)

Staff Sgt. Anthony Cheney, of Brush, Colo., kisses his son Jack, who was born on June 28 while Cheney was away, after he and other soldiers with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team returned to Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Tuesday Dec. 5, 2006, from Iraq. In July, the brigade's tour was extended for four months, to provide security in Baghdad.

Frankenbradley...

An overturned tank is used as a blocking position on a bridge that is a key route of travel for anti-Iraqi forces Nov. 19 as part of a coalition operation to clear out the Muqdadiyah, Iraq, area of insurgents.

More Frankenbradleys...

Bradley fighting vehicles roll through the downtown streets of Muqdadiyah, Iraq, Nov. 19 as part of a massive coalition forces operation involving Iraqi Security Forces and Soldiers from the 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.

A Bradley fighting vehicle rolls into the Joint Coordination Cell in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, Nov. 19.

And Frankenhumvee too!

Marines from Regimental Combat Team 5 take up a security position in an assembly area during a multi-day sweep of RCT-5's Northern Regimental Security Area in Iraq recently. U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva

[John Kettler]

akd,

What's all that stuff on the Frankenbradley, please?

I see lots of things I don't recognize, some of which I think are ERA, but I also see some unfamiliar optics/electrooptics installed as well, such as the item on the turret right. I also note ballistic glass protecting the commander's position.

Regards,

John Kettler

[akd]

The orange pointy things are traffic cones.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Keith McDonald demonstrates rifle techniques to Iraqi police officers from the 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Division during training at the marksmanship range at Camp Rustamiyah, Iraq, Dec. 2, 2006. U.S. Army Soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 1st National Police Transition Team and Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division are supervising the training. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bronco Suzuki)

random Aussie M1 pic, cuz I feel like it:

[MikeyD]

I finally got to I.D. that overturned tank. Its a Chieftan ARRV in what looks to be Iraqi army coloring! A rare bird. Not exactly something you'd expect to see overturned at a bridge entrance.

[akd]

Originally posted by MikeyD:

I finally got to I.D. that overturned tank. Its a Chieftan ARRV in what looks to be Iraqi army coloring! A rare bird. Not exactly something you'd expect to see overturned at a bridge entrance.

Certainly a Chieftan, and captured from the Iranians I suppose.

[flamingknives]

The Bradleys are, I presume of A3 or A2ODS standard, which includes a CITV for the commander, so I'd guess that's you mystery object on the turret right.

The strips are probably intended to defeat wires strung across the road.

Then you've got the usual bits and bobs on the outside - coils of razor wire, tow cables, spare road wheels, MRE boxes, track links etc.

[John Kettler]

akd,

Traffic cones, eh? Har! Har!

flamingknives,

A CITV? Installation's nothing like the one on the M1A2. That's for sure. Was thinking it might be some sort of mini LRAS. Whatever it is appears to have either FLIR and CCTV or possibly, FLIR and a laser of some sort.

Regards,

John Kettler

[akd]

Originally posted by John Kettler:

akd,

Traffic cones, eh? Har! Har!

flamingknives,

A CITV? Installation's nothing like the one on the M1A2. That's for sure. Was thinking it might be some sort of mini LRAS. Whatever it is appears to have either FLIR and CCTV or possibly, FLIR and a laser of some sort.

Regards,

John Kettler

BFVS-A3 enhancements include

a vehicle control and operation system to control and automate many crew functions and to enhance situational awareness by transmitting, receiving, storing, and displaying digital messages. This digital capability is to be compatible with all components of the combined arms team.

the improved Bradley acquisition system (IBAS) and commander's independent viewer, both 2nd generation FLIR's, to improve target acquisition and target engagement.

a position navigation system with GPS receiver to enhance situational awareness.

Most of the modifications to the Bradley take place inside the vehicle and its turret. Although the turret of the A3 is smaller than the A2's, additional components and software to be installed increase the A3's ability to "shoot, move, and communicate". Moreover, functional improvements are to be made to the A3's electrical power system, Nuclear Biological Chemical protection system, 25mm enhanced gun system, situational awareness capability and its navigational systems.

Electrical power to the A3 is segregated such that many of the components in the A3 can continue to operate despite the failure of other components. Power will be supplied by a 400-ampere voltage and current-regulated generator connected to six hull batteries and one 24-volt turret battery.

The 25mm enhanced gun system will have two types of barrels, nitride and chrome. The gun uses the chrome-lined barrel to compensate for the higher temperatures when firing the new depleted uranium penetrator and other service ammunition. Removable link bridge plates will be installed on the feeder, replacing the old permanent bridge plates to ease the removal of jams and aid in cleaning out debris and/or dust build-up. Also, the manual safe switch will now travel approximately 30 percent beyond center when placed in the fire position to prevent the switch from jumping back to the safe mode when firing a weapon.

The upgrade will also touch on the troop compartment which will be reconfigured to accommodate 10 soldiers, consisting of a three-man crew and seven dismounts. The dismount squad leader will have his own display screen in the back of the A3 so that he and his dismounts can see what the Bradley commander (BC) and gunner see through their sights. The BC will also have the added advantage of a "target designator" enabling him to bring his gunner's line of sight or view of the battlefield online with his own at the push of a button. This way if the BC sees something on the battlefield in another area, the BC can change his gunner's sight picture instantly.

The A3's on-board diagnostics capability will enable it to execute a system-level built-in test on power up and continually monitors system status while power is applied. Malfunctions are to be displayed on the commander's tactical display to alert the crew of potentially dangerous faults. Pre-mission and preventive maintenance checks and services are built into software to make it easier for the operator to maintain the system. In the event of a failure which the crew cannot correct, maintenance personnel will no longer have to lug around six boxes of test equipment and a series of more than 13 technical manuals in order to troubleshoot the vehicle. The vehicle diagnostic and maintenance software will provide embedded diagnostic and maintenance capability.

Improvements to the sights will be combined with the advent of the squad leader's display, voice and data radios, digital maps, alerts, malfunctions, and digital messaging. Other improvements include a larger gas particulate filter system, along with additional crew stations and heaters, to provide NBC protection for the entire crew, both mounted and dismounted.

The M2A3 BFV features an improved Bradley acquisition system (IBAS), which adds an improved target acquisition subsystem and missile control subsystem. The improvements also include a second-generation, forward-looking infrared radar (FLIR); a thermal sight; a target-designation function; dual-target tracking; an eye--safe laser range finder; an automatic gun-target adjustment; automatic optical alignment; and "hunter-killer" capability. Second-generation FLIR allows the radley commander or the gunner to identify and acquire targets beyond the range f the vehicle's weapon systems. The IBAS enables the user to acquire, recognize, ientify, and automatically track two targets within the same field of view (FOV) an selected magnification, day or night. While moving (or stationary), the M2A3 BFV can use the 25--mm or 7.62-mm to engage either of two targets appearing in the same FOV, from any aspect. While stationary, the M2A3 BFV can use the TOW to engage either of two targets appearing in the same FOV, from any aspect.

Here's a random Stryker story:

Nothing Impossible For Assassins

By Capt. Jeffrey Scott

299th FSB, 2nd BCT, 1st Inf. Div.

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq—The Company A "Assassins" live their unit motto – always "On Call to Serve."

The Assassins, Co. A, 299th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, devised a new method to recover disabled Stryker Armored Vehicles.

And they can do it in ten minutes.

Until recently, it was widely believed a disabled Stryker Armored Vehicles could not be recovered using a Heavy Equipment Transport (HET) due to the Strykers’ long and low front end. Charged with providing emergency HET recovery support for oversized equipment around Camp Liberty, the company could not accept this limitation on their ability to clear downed vehicles from the road.

The company developed a method to quickly move a disabled Stryker, ensuring their ability to minimize the amount of time Soldiers are on the road waiting for recovery.

Their next step was to practice what they were preaching. The Assassins started by finding a Stryker on the base camp that could be used for training. Next, they gathered an M88 tracked recovery vehicle and a HET, and borrowed an M984 10-ton wrecker from Company B, 299th FSB. The team examined the problem and developed the best course of action for recovery.

Assassin mechanics used the HET’s recovery winch cables to pull the Stryker onto the bed of the HET. Contrary to popular belief, the Stryker was quickly and easily recovered.

The Assassins did not stop there. They immediately began to war-game a worst case scenario: a Stryker that had lost all of its wheels. Dragging the Stryker over the HET’s two loading ramps was a challenge for mechanics because the ramps are not flat and there is a large open space between them. The ramps are intentionally built with small steps which provide traction for vehicles that are capable of driving onto the HET trailer. The same traction is a hindrance when trying to drag a piece of equipment onto the trailer. The space between the loading ramps creates problems for a vehicle without wheels because the undercarriage of the vehicle being recovered snags on the inside edges of the ramps during the uploading procedure.

The company is addressing that issue by modifying the HET trailer and fabricating a piece of metal that lays flat over the loading ramps. This addition to the HET trailer will allow for the upload of severely damaged Strykers because the vehicle would then have a smooth surface to slide across and onto the trailer.

The fabricated section will not be a permanent addition to the HET trailer; instead, it will be designed to be easily attached when the mission dictates and removed during standard transportation operations.

Dispelling a myth that a Stryker Armored Vehicle cannot be recovered with a Heavy Equipment Transport (HET), Soldiers from Company A, 299th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, devised a way to complete the mission in less than ten minutes. (U.S. Army photo by Lt. Col. Keith Sledd, 299th FSB, 2nd BCT, 1st Inf. Div.)

After devising a plan to recover disabled Stryker Armored Vehicles, Soldiers from Company A, 299th Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, use a recovery vehicle to pull a disabled Stryker off of a Heavy Equipment Transport. (US Army photo by Lt. Col. Keith Sledd, 299th FSB, 2nd BCT, 1st Inf. Div.)

[ December 08, 2006, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: akd ]

[John Kettler]

akd,

Appreciate the explanation, despite the aggravating

wrong definition of FLIR (no radar, obviously). The Stryker recovery breakthrough represents American ingenuity at its finest. Hope BFC's paying attention to the graceful decay aspect of the A3 Bradley's power system. Rather than single point failure taking out all the vetronics at once, only part of them would be lost. Significant in my book!

Regards,

John Kettler

[MikeyD]

That Bradley photo above is the first time I've recognized a Marine-style heavy ribbed 25mm barrel on a Bradley! Chromed liner to handle more powerful rounds, you say? Okay okay, the Army's probably been using these barrels for ages but this is the first time its registered for me. I recall spotting those heavy-ribbed type and plain type barrels randomly distributed on Marine Corps LAVs in Afghanistan late '02.

[akd]

Remember our friend with the M231 FPW? Well, sadly:

Grenade blast claims life of 'Blue Spaders' soldier

By Mark St.Clair, Stars and Stripes

Mideast edition, Thursday, December 7, 2006

A 19-year-old soldier based in Schweinfurt, Germany, died in Baghdad on Monday, officials said.

Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis, of Knox, Pa., assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment “Blue Spaders,” died when a grenade was thrown into his vehicle in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.

The “Blue Spaders” have been in Iraq since August. McGinnis’ death marks the 10th that the Dagger Brigade has suffered since deploying. Most of the casualties have come from the ranks of the “Blue Spaders.”

A memorial service will be held at Ledward Barracks chapel in Schweinfurt next week. The date and time have yet to be determined.

[hellfish]

Ben Murray / S&S

This photo of Pfc. Ross McGinnis appeared on the front page of Stars and Stripes on Nov. 30, a few days before he died saving his comrades from a grenade thrown into their Humvee.

He has been given the nation’s third-highest award for valor in combat after sacrificing himself for four of his fellow infantrymen in Iraq.

Posthumously promoted to the rank of specialist, Ross Andrew McGinnis, of Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment out of Schweinfurt, Germany, was awarded the Silver Star after jumping on a grenade that had been thrown into his vehicle in Baghdad.

While patrolling Baghdad’s Adhamiyah neighborhood with members of Cobra Platoon on Dec. 4, McGinnis was manning a .50-caliber machine gun from the turret in the last of a six-vehicle convoy. After making a turn onto a city street, an enemy fighter threw a grenade at McGinnis’ Humvee from a nearby rooftop.

Immediately yelling “grenade” over the vehicle intercom, McGinnis tried to deflect it, but was unable, Baka said, and the grenade fell through his gunner’s hatch and into the truck.

The truck commander, who was also McGinnis’ platoon sergeant, didn’t know that the grenade had gotten inside and shouted, “Where?” to McGinnis, who was posturing himself as if to jump out of the hatch.

After realizing that the four other soldiers inside were trapped, their Humvee doors combat-locked, he answered, “The grenade is in the truck,” and threw himself on it, trapping the deadly explosive between his back and the radio mount.

When the grenade went off, McGinnis was killed instantly. His warnings to the other crewmembers had given them time to react, and none of the other four were seriously wounded.

“He had time to jump out of the truck,” his platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas, was quoted as saying in a military news release. “He chose not to.”

McGinnis was 19 years old when he was killed. story

.

Brave kid. Rest in peace.

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Aww jeeze Rest in peace.

[akd]

HIGH-RES

Members of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team salute the colors druing the unit's redeployment ceremony at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Dec. 12, 2006. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss

HIGH-RES

U.S. Army Col. Michael Shields attaches a new battle streamer to the guidon during the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's redeployment ceremony at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Dec. 12. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss

Note the spurs.

HIGH-RES

A spotlight shines on the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team's fallen warriors display while the names of the fallen are read during the redeployment ceremony at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Dec. 12, 2006. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss

HIGH-RES

James Trout touches the photo of his grandson, U.S. Army Spc. Dustin Harris, who was killed April 6, 2006, while serving in Iraq with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss

HIGH-RES

A dog tag hangs from a rifle which represents a fallen soldier of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team. The unit recently returned to Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss

Stryker Brigade Ceremony Focuses on Accomplishments, Sacrifices

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Dec. 13, 2006 – Some 4,000 members of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team gathered here yesterday to celebrate their accomplishments during 16 months in Iraq and mourn their losses as they uncased the unit’s colors during a stirring redeployment ceremony.

The soldiers assembled at the Carlson Community Center, just down the road from Fort Wainwright here, to reflect on their deployment and receive a rousing welcome home and thank you from Army and brigade leaders.

Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey praised the “Arctic Wolves” for serving proudly under some of the most difficult conditions any unit has faced in Iraq. “Without a doubt, the Arctic Wolves were given the toughest challenge of any unit in Iraq,” he said, particularly in Baghdad in the midst of growing sectarian violence.

The brigade was due to return home in July when the Army extended its deployment four months, moving the brigade from Mosul to Baghdad to quell violence there.

“You took on the mission, and you did what great American army units have done throughout our history. You accomplished that mission,” Harvey told the soldiers. “But you know better than anyone else that the 172nd’s many achievements came at a heavy price.”

Nineteen soldiers died during the initial 12-month deployment, and another seven during the extension. In addition, another 350 soldiers were wounded in action.

“The nation mourns the loss of these soldiers. We will never forget them and what they did to preserve peace and freedom for our great nation,” Harvey said.

Harvey praised the soldiers for exemplifying the new Army advertising slogan, “Army Strong.”

“Arctic Wolves have been strong enough to always do the right thing, no matter how difficult the task,” he said. “You have been strong on the outside, but also strong in mind. You never broke under pressure. You have been strong in spirit, by never accepting defeat. You have been strong in heart by never forgetting those for whom you fight. You have been strong in character by maintaining the highest ethical conduct while fighting the enemy … with no moral compass.

“You have been strong in purpose by ensuring the mission was always accomplished, despite the disruption caused by the extension,” he continued. “You have been strong for our nation, excelling under harsh and deadly conditions. And you have been strong for yourselves, living up to your full potential. You are truly ‘Army Strong.’”

U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, a World War II veteran, praised the 172nd Stryker Brigade as “the nation’s next greatest generation” that has brought pride to all Americans, but especially their fellow Alaskans.

“It takes an extraordinary person to volunteer to do the job that you have done -- a willingness to serve and to make a commitment to our country and to all of us,” he said.

That commitment “was never easy,” particularly during the unit’s extension, he said. “You did your job; you accomplished everything you were sent to do and more, and for that, you should be proud.”

Col. Michael Shields, the brigade commander, emphasized the importance of yesterday’s uncasing of the brigade’s colors in the unit’s history, particularly because it followed one of the longest combat deployments in U.S. history.

During that deployment, which included duty in northern and western Iraq, then in some of the most dangerous parts of Baghdad, “there was no place we wouldn’t go, mounted or dismounted,” he said.

The unit hunted terrorists and insurgents around the clock, treated people with dignity and respect and protected the population in “a truly magnificent performance,” he said.

“This success is because of our soldiers” throughout the chain of command, he said. “But the backbone has been and always will be our noncommissioned officers: our team leaders, squad leaders, platoon sergeants, first sergeants and command sergeants major.”

The leadership they provided, and the combat experience the brigade has gained, has made the 172nd Stryker Brigade the most experienced, lethal and capable combat force in the U.S. Army, Shields said. “You are proven in combat and tested,” he said.

Shields said his soldiers proved their professionalism most admirably during the low points of the deployment, when they lost a comrade. He recalled one particular difficult time, when a unit in his brigade took a wounded soldier to the combat support hospital then returned to their mission, maintaining discipline despite the emotional load they were carrying.

“And those are your high points, when you watch these soldiers perform, watch how they treat people with dignity and respect under some the most demanding conditions on this planet, up against the most demanding threat that rarely comes out of the shadows,” he said. “It is an incredible, humbling experience to watch them perform.”

As a commander, Shields said he found it especially rewarding for him and his battalion commanders to be able to give mission, intent and guidance to their company commanders, empower them and give them the resources they needed, then watch them take the initiative.

“We had incredible company teams, platoons, and our soldiers,” he said. “And the soldiers were making tactical decisions on the streets with strategic consequences.” Watching them perform, “never cracking, never losing discipline and upholding the standard of the brigade and our Army and our Army values … was very rewarding,” he said.

Now that they’ve redeployed, Shields said, the brigade members have become models for their fellow soldiers.

“With the uncasing of the colors on the greatest combat brigade in our Army’s history, the 172nd SBCT has returned home,” he said in ending yesterday’s ceremony. “The strength of the wolf is the pack, and the strength of the pack is the wolf. Arctic Wolves.”

story

[akd]

update

Specialist who dove on grenade nominated for Medal of Honor

By Michelle Tan

Staff writer

Spc. Ross A. McGinnis has been nominated by his commanders for the Medal of Honor, said Maj. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.

On Dec. 4, while on duty in Baghdad, Iraq, McGinnis used his body to smother a grenade, saving the lives of four fellow soldiers. McGinnis died from the blast.

McGinnis, 19, was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, which is attached to 2nd BCT.

Only one soldier and one Marine have received the Medal of Honor since the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and there has been debate about why there have been so few recipients of the nation’s highest award for valor.

According to information provided Tuesday by Multi-National Division-Baghdad, McGinnis was manning the gunner’s hatch when an insurgent tossed a grenade from above. The grenade flew past McGinnis and down through the hatch before lodging near the radio.

His platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Cedric Thomas, was in the vehicle at the time.

McGinnis “yelled, ‘Grenade. … It’s in the truck,’” Thomas said. “I looked out of the corner of my eye as I was crouching down and I saw him pin it down.”

McGinnis, who was from Knox, Pa, could have escaped the blast, Thomas said.

“He had time to jump out of the truck,” he said. “He chose not to. He gave his life to save his crew and his platoon sergeant. He’s a hero.”

Three of the soldiers in the vehicle with McGinnis have returned to duty after suffering minor injuries. The fourth is recovering in Germany.

McGinnis, the youngest soldier in his company, was approved Monday for a Silver Star, the nation’s third highest award for valor, according to a press release from MND-B. In it, he was referred to as a private first class. McGinnis was promoted to E-4 the morning he died.

[hellfish]

Might be kinda simplistic...

http://science.howstuffworks.com/stryker.htm

[J Ruddy]

Damn do I hate war.

So why do I enjoy these games so much?

[Imperial Grunt]

Here is a moving tribute a pair of Mothers put together to honor fallen Marines.

How a Marine says goodbye

General Robert E. Lee once said "It is a good thing war is so terrible....lest we grow too fond of it"

Semper Fi to all of the warriors out there right now and to all of those who have been there, and especially to those who fought the good fight and made the ultimate sacrifice.

[John Kettler]

fytinghellfish,

The article's pretty good--if we ignore the whopping weight error on the M1A1HA/M1A2, which is low by 10+ tons.

akd,

"Greater love than this no man hath, than that he should lay down his life for his friends."

Regards,

John Kettler

[Homo ferricus]

Originally posted by fytinghellfish:

Might be kinda simplistic...

http://science.howstuffworks.com/stryker.htm

so any idea how many of these variants will make it in, BFC?

[Battlefront.com]

Stryker variants slated for CM:SF are:

ICV

CV

RV

MGS

ATGM

FSV

ESV

The MC version may not be included since its roll on map is itself questionable. NBC and MEV are definitely out.

Steve

[Michael Dorosh]

Originally posted by J Ruddy:

Damn do I hate war.

So why do I enjoy these games so much?

Most women I know hate rape but like soap operas and Jackie Collins novels. Human nature?

[Vanir Ausf B]

Most women I know hate rape

Most?

[akd]

HIGH-RES

U.S. Army soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, provide security for Iraqi army soldiers during a patrol in Adhamiya, Iraq, Dec. 11, 2006. The purpose of the patrol is to decrease sectarian violence and insurgency activity while increasing the Iraqi security force's capabilities. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jeffrey Alexander

HIGH-RES

U.S. Army soldiers from 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, provide security for Iraqi army soldiers talking with Iraqi citizens during a mission in Adhamiyah, Iraq, Dec. 12, 2006. The purpose of the operation is to bring sectarian violence and insurgency activities down while increasing Iraqi security force capabilities. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Jeffrey Alexander

HIGH-RES

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby, Jr., left, recieves the Brigade Colors from it's outgoing Commander U.S. Army Col. Michael H. Shields during the Reflagging / Change of Command Ceremony in Fairbanks, Alaska, Dec. 14, 2006. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss

HIGH-RES

Spurs from a soldier from the 4th Squadron, 14th U.S. Cavalry, sit on a table next to a program of the reflagging and change of command ceremony in Fairbanks, Alaska, Dec. 14, 2006. Defense Dept. photo by William D. Moss

Story

[hellfish]

Sucks that they're getting rid of the 172nd.