Research info for other families

The time has come for change. The Schriefer family no longer has boys at war and it is about time to create a new blog for our closest family and firends. This blog will remain online for now at www.501stSoldierFund.com, but will not be updated after 31-Dec-2007. I wish the best to the rest of the soldiers and their families as their challenges continue on. While we don’t always agree with the situations that put our country at war, my wife and I take great pride in our soldiers who are willing to defend those decisions.

Thanks to all for the kind words during this time and all the donations during our driFire shirt effort.

I hope that some of the information on my blog was useful to others. Here are a few links that I have found useful to gain information.

• My blog choice: www.blogger.com. Owned by Google, which also owns YouTube and Picasa, making it very easy to integrate photos and video – all free.


• Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts/) allow you to setup search criteria and it will generate automatic emails to you with the search results. As an example, I have a search setup for Jurf As Sakhr as a “once a day” “Comprehensive” search. But I found that some news agencies also spell it as Jurf Kas Sukr, so I also setup a search for that spelling.


• Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System (http://www.dvidshub.net) is the website that the military uses to publish their video, photo and other news stories out to the agencies. It is a great source for video and you can become a member just by signing up. You can watch or download hi-res images / videos and you can search for specific phrases that pertain to your nephew’s location, unit, etc. You can even create a bookmark in Internet Explorer of the search results so that you can quickly check back for new videos.


• The Pentagon Channel (http://www.pentagonchannel.mil) has a lot of military news to watch online and they also have podcasts freely available on iTunes for download


• Iraq Coalition Casualty (http://www.icasualties.org/oif/) is not an uplifting website, however it is a good source to locate specific information regarding a soldier, unit, etc. I have used it to look at how many soldiers in my son’s unit were killed and the official military press release to match it. While it sounds bad, it also helped set my mind at ease many times. I would hear about a casualty on the news in the area that my son was in, but didn’t actually know if it had to do with my son’s unit. It takes several days for the military to publish the name (all family must be notified first), but this website can sometimes help to determine the true location or unit that was affected.


• Other useful websites: http://www.blackanthem.com/, http://www.blackanthem.com/, http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

Here are the most valuable communication tools I’ve found during this time:

• A good laptop and webcam for your soldier, with a good headset and mike (Logitech’s 980445-0403)


• A durable camera (Olympus Stylus 770 SW). While this camera is expensive, my son destroyed two others before it – so would have been cheaper in the long run. Sand gets in everything in Iraq, these cameras can be rinsed off with water and can survive a lot of abuse.


• Yahoo Messenger works great even with slow internet connections in Iraq. Also, for us family members, you can setup Yahoo IM to work on your cell phone so no matter where you are, you can be online for your soldier. Video quality via webcam is pretty good most of the time too. It really helps to be able to see your soldier live while IMing with him.


• Skype Messenger works great to allow your soldier to call you at your home, cell or anywhere else, plus can IM or call you on your computer. I set my son up with SkypeIn ($60/yr) and SkypeOut Unlimited ($30/yr) services. SkypeIn service provided him a local phone number that friends and family could call him and leave voicemail messages. If he is online at the time, they can actually reach him by phone – all for no per minute costs. SkypeOut Unlimited allows him to call anyone in USA for no per minute charges – I think he can also do conference calls.
  o http://www.skype.com/products/skypein/
  o http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/


• AAFES AT&T Calling Card – This is the cheapest reliable calling card I found, but still about $0.25 per minute from Iraq to USA. I would check my son’s balance on a weekly basis and recharge if necessary, so he wouldn’t have to worry about it. Since they only have limited time for phones and many times stand in line for an hour to make a call, I always wanted to make sure he had enough minutes to handle it.
  

Article: Fortifying an Outpost Against al-Qaeda

An excellent story from Time Magazine regarding the 501st. -Tavis

I had to fill a sandbag before I could enter the chow hall this morning to eat breakfast. It's a new rule at this forward operating base south of Baghdad where I've been traveling with soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment for most of the week. I guess I probably could have said no, argued that I was a civilian or that by doing so I would break some sort of magical neutrality and become a combatant. But I filled it with whatever patriotism I could muster at 6:30 a.m., and then went about my business as a reporter and asked everyone around me, "Why?"

"They're for OP-3," most of the troops said with a certain pride before tossing their heavy green sacks onto ever-growing pyramids and walking smartly off to chow. This is the story of how I tracked my sandbag to OP-3...
Read entire article

Sphere: Related Content

Iraqi recruits head to “Boot Camp”

ISKANDARIYAH — Shiite and Sunni Muslims came from far and wide Sept. 2 to begin working together for the greater good of their country.

Sparked by a successful recruiting campaign, these Iraqis crossed over their sectarian boundaries and started their journey toward becoming the newest members of the Iraqi Army.

Congregating at the compound of 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, located adjacent to Forward Operating Base Iskandariyah, home of 1st Battalion, 501st Airborne, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, these new recruits arrived by the truck load to be processed and transported to their basic training.

“The recruiting drive started on Aug. 12 and lasted through the 16th,” said Capt. Douglas Mulvaney, a member of Military Transitional Team 248. “In all, the drive yielded 1,500 Iraqis willing to join the Iraqi army.”

For many of the recruits, the fact that they are able just to have a chance to do something to help their country is reward enough. But for some, this opportunity means so much more.

“I am just glad that I have a chance to come here and be given the opportunity to show everyone that we want to change and make a better way of life,” said Ali Raghib, one of the recruits out of Jurf as Sakhr. “In my neighborhood, I see that things are getting better and I want to be part of the change in the right direction.”

Getting from their homes to Iskandariyah was the biggest challenge for most of the recruits because of the threat of sectarian violence.

“The Iraqi Army has given these people an opportunity to make something better for themselves and their friends and neighbors,” Mulvaney said. “It has erased the danger of traveling to and from different areas, which would have previously discouraged any activity like joining the Iraqi Army.”

The Iraqi Army transportation system took recruits from the compound to their basic training location.

“Seeing how they arranged for the recruits to get here safely is a true testament that the Iraqi Army system structure really works,” Mulvaney said.

For recruits, what awaits them is a rigorous 45-day training program where they will learn basic soldiering skills, rank structure and general military knowledge. Following basic training, the new soldiers will be assigned to different battalions and then go through a 30-day skill screening process to determine their strengths and be placed in a position equivalent to their skills.

“I am excited about the training we are about to receive,” said Hussein Resan Thaif, a native of Mussaiyaib. “I will do everything I can to serve my country and help my family to the best of my ability.”

In a country that has a high rate of unemployment, the recruiting drive for many is just what the doctor ordered.

“One of the biggest successes for this drive is that 1,500 people are going to be back to work,” Mulvaney said. “This eliminates the numbers of people who may turn to militia for money because it gives them another option versus killing for sectarian reasons.”

The recruitment drive was a joint effort between Military Transitional Team 248 and 2nd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division. After months of planning and preparation, the vision has come full circle.

“Having been there side-by-side from the beginning and seeing these Iraqis arrive in swarms gives our Military Transitional Team and the Iraqi Army a great sense of accomplishment,” Mulvaney said. “Seeing all of our hard work pay off tells us we have done a small part to help each other make this country a safer place to live.”

Link

Article: U.S. Efforts May Work Against Iraqi Self-Sufficiency

Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, September 5, 2007

..."We can fire the police chief, we can get the mayor removed if we want. Iraq is a sovereign country, don't get me wrong, but I wonder how much they would get their act together if our presence was reduced," said Maj. Craig Whiteside of the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment.

"It's impossible to put the American military somewhere and not have everybody, when they have to make a decision, ask, 'Is this okay, boss?' "

In this region, where Sunnis and Shiite groups are battling for power, U.S. reconstruction efforts are largely focused on Sunni areas ignored by the Shiite-led government. U.S. officers say the Iraqi government is unwilling to spend money on Sunni areas because the United States is doing so...
Full Article


Abdul Amir Hussein works on a network of hoses that supply water to an apartment complex in central Baghdad. Power blackouts have hampered the capital's pumping and filtration stations.

Video Segment Covering Jurf as Sukr

This is part of Freedom Journal Iraq. A video podcast published daily by the DoD. This segment was from 28-August and covers Jurf as Sukr. Worth watching just to know how to say "Jurf as Sukr".

Capt. Moltz Describes the Concerned Citizens Program at Jurf as Sukr

Capt. Moltz talks to a military reporter about the concerned citizens program in effect in Jurf as Sukr, Iraq, employing local Iraqis for the program, and improvements in areas where the program is in effect.

Source: http://www.dvidshub.net/vjump.php?vid=28244