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Hello from Iraq: Hello to all the family and friends of 2nd Battalion and we hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! Easter Sunday was beautiful but I’m sure most everyone would agree that we would have rather been at home with family and friends. We made the best of situation as many soldiers were able to cut back a little on their duties and enjoy part, if not all of the day off. Many of our soldiers were able to attend church service, and the mess hall served a pretty good Easter dinner of Ham, Turkey, Roast Beef, and all the trimmings. We are working to provide additional services to our outlying units, especially Catholic Services for Alpha and Charlie Batteries. It is hard to believe that it has been two weeks since our last newsletter. Time is flying by and before you know it, we will be coming home. We don’t have a lot of new information to report to you as our mission has not changed a great deal. We hope to provide you a little more of the human events type stories from each battery in future issues so you can really see what our Battalion is accomplishing. Most of the Iraqi people are thankful that we are here and have liberated them from Saddam. But, they are also proud and don’t want an occupation army in their country. That is why our work is so important. We are helping to provide a safe and secure Iraq, helping them to improve their quality of life by providing food, water, and construction, and giving them the opportunity for the same freedoms we have at home. Leisure Time: A few examples of leisure time at Camp Cedar II Game Boys and Play Station II’s are a popular past time for many of our soldiers young and old alike. Here, SFC Greg Whitlock practices his golf game while sitting in the air conditioned comfort of his tent after a long day at the TOC.
One the subtle side, MSG Todd Rose (above) decided to bring his garden with him. Here, he waters his beans and makes sun tea at the same time.
Of Local Interest… One of our desert friends--the camel spider
Some of our desert friends….Camel Spiders Camel Spider also known as a Wind Scorpion The camel spider isn't really a spider, because it is also called a wind scorpion. BUT it is NOT a scorpion either. It is related to BOTH the spiders and the scorpions, and it belongs to its own group of animals. This large arachnid looks like a huge hairy spider and is unique to the desert. It can be as long as 6 inches across! Camel spiders like to live in barren parts of the desert far away from humans. They don't like oasis either, and they feel most at home in the open, uninhabited places of the desert. Most of the time camel spiders hide in their burrows, coming out only when they're hungry. So when they do come out at night to feed, they are very ferocious and dangerous. A hunting camel spider runs across the desert floor almost at lightning speed, and it is so fast that it is impossible for the human eye to follow. When it senses its prey, the camel spider chases after it until it is caught. The greedy camel spiders have a big appetite - they will eat and eat and eat and eat until their bodies are swollen with food and they can hardly move an inch! Then, with great difficulty I imagine, it crawls back to its safe, cozy burrow. The reason why camel spiders have managed to live so successfully in the desert is probably because they spend as little time as they can on the dangerous surface where there are lots of predators. Weather: I really don’t know what to say but we have been blessed this far with excellent weather. The temperature is gradually getting warmer but we still have not had any extremely hot days. And, as soon as we have a few hot days in a row, it seems to cool off again for a few more days. We have also experienced one or two small thunderstorms that give a little rain to settle the dust. As I said in our last issue, as long as we can stay below 100 degrees we will not be complaining. We know the hot weather is coming and are very thankful for the pleasant days we have right now! Promotions:
PFC Christopher Wright is promoted to Specialist 4/E4 PVT Nathan Hall is promoted to Private First Class/E3 Web Site: Our web-site is now operational! There isn’t a lot of information on the site at this time, but there are a few pictures and you can even check out the local weather conditions. We will continue to improve the site as time allows. Our web site is: www.DakotaSteelRain.com. Mail: New….New….New…. Charlie Battery has decided to have its mail delivered to a base camp closer to its location. Since Charlie Battery goes to this base camp on a daily basis to get food and water, they will also pick up their own mail. Family and friends may send mail to Charlie Battery Members at the following address:
THIS ADDRESS CHANGE IS ONLY FOR MEMBERS OF CHARLIE BATTERY! A group of soldiers from Charlie Battery have moved back to Camp Cedar II and will get mail there, so stay in touch with your soldier and ask him which address to use! Any mail sent to Charlie Battery at Cedar II will still be forwarded to the soldier. Mail can be sent to your soldier at the address below. You can expect it to take 7-14 days for your mail to get picked up by the battalion. Then we must deliver it to the units in their various locations when we deliver other supplies. The mail address for each unit is listed below:
Battalion Commander’s Corner: LTC Jeffrey P. Marlette Over the past couple of weeks I have received numerous e-mails from family and friends worrying about our safety. I will tell you that I am always touched by their concern and appreciate their continual prayers, but I feel bad for time they spend worrying about our soldiers. In my opinion, the Media does not help to reduce this worry. Without a doubt, the past couple of weeks have been a stressful time. The Sadr Militia has been very active and we have suffered our highest number of casualties in over a year. The Media however always seems to concentrate on only the bad and never seems to cover all of the good things that our soldiers are accomplishing. Outside of those troubled areas, I still feel the majority of the Iraqi people appreciate what we have done for them. They do want us to leave their country as soon as possible, but they know that time has not yet come. Our soldiers are making a huge contribution to the safety and stabilization of Iraq. One last thought I will share is on the subject of what we refer to as Force Protection. At every level of leadership in the planning stages for every mission we take on, Force Protection is our number one priority. What that means is that we look at our ability to protect our soldiers and to the best of our ability reduce risk to them. There is no doubt that what our soldiers do is very serious business and there is always risk, but I can tell you that we do our best to reduce that risk and at times even go so far as to delay or cancel a mission that we are not able to reduce the risk to a manageable level. Our soldiers are extremely professional and they are well trained. They are equipped with everything they need to do their jobs and they do an excellent job of accomplishing their missions without compromising their safety. Thank you for all that you as family members do for our soldiers. It is through your strength that we are able to draw our strength.
Battalion Operation’s Officer’s Corner: MAJ Bruce Carter Greetings to all back home! If you have been watching the news, you know that the SADR’s Militia led by SADR has been very active in trying to disrupt what the coalition has done so far. The coalition forces have taken immediate action to this. With over a million pilgrims walking along the roads to and from their homes celebrating Araba’een a religious holiday. We have limited travel to mission essential only for safety reasons. We have also improved Force Protection at each base camp. We have secured and cleared four (CEA) Captured Enemy Ammunition sites so far. And we are busy planning for new sites to go into, clearing and consolidating ammunition to secured sites. This is to ensure a safe and secure environment for the Iraqi people and the Coalition forces. Units providing civilian truck convoy escort security have logged over 145, 0000 miles on the road. MAJ Somsen and the Administration and Logistics guys have been very busy in support of the missions providing logistical and administration needs to the units. They have also been working on the R&R plan to give the guys some well needed time off. Again, we are making great progress and having a tremendous impact here. "There are no extraordinary soldiers, only ordinary soldiers who rise to meet extraordinary challenges" this is true of all of your loved ones serving in the 2-147 FA BN. Thank you for your time and support, Chaplain’s Corner: MAJ Lynn Wilson Yes, the risen Lord came to Iraq through the presence of His word and worship this year. What an exciting day it was for the most part-services were held, even two baptisms. But not everything was great. One of our soldiers was informed of the loss of his loved one on Easter morning. He will forever remember Easter as the day he heard that sad news. But perhaps such news as that causes us all the more to hold onto to Jesus' own words to Martha after the death of her brother Lazarus: "I am the Resurrection and the Life. He that believeth on Me, though he die, yet shall he live". In the past weeks many soldiers have died over here in this country. This is why Jesus' promise means more to me and many of my fellow soldiers more than ever before: "He that believeth on Me, though he die, yet . . . shall he live"! Happy Easter to all of you from the 2nd 147th Field Artillery! Battery News Headquarters Battery: CPT Charles Hauck/1SG Bruce Brekke Greetings from Camp Cedar II on behalf of HHS Battery. As the temperature rises, so do the hostilities. No doubt you have seen the news stories concerning the renewed fighting in cities like Al Fallujah, An Najaf, Baghdad, and many others. While the fighting has stayed away from our camp and we have not had any incidents on the road, it keeps us alert. As we’ve grown comfortable with the mechanics of our missions, current events have reminded us never to become complacent and above all, always be aware of your environment. We’ve been taking a second look at things that have gotten familiar, searching out the hidden dangers. This is a good thing as an alert soldier is a safer soldier. So far, we’ve put well over 30,000 miles on the batteries vehicles. The maintenance crew and vehicle operators continue to do an outstanding job keeping our vehicles in tip-top shape. We’ve escorted nearly 200 civilian convoys and made numerous supply runs to the outlaying batteries. Please extend a special thanks to Sharon Roberts and Lori Wiley, the HHS Family Support Coordinators for Watertown and Webster. Their hard work, dedication and sacrifice make this time a little easier for us all. 
Everyone take care and I look forward to chatting with you in the next newsletter! Captain "H" Alpha Battery: CPT Lucas Lentsch/1SG Michael (Red) Jensen To all our friends, family, and neighbors: The intent of this writing is to convey back to the home front the experiences of these South Dakota Citizen Soldiers who have been called to serve. Battery A, 2nd BN 147th Field Artillery is headquartered out of Sisseton with a detachment in Watertown. Soldiers are from several North Eastern South Dakota communities. "Iraq is the battleground for civilization. That is why our enemies are throwing everything they can at you. If you help create the first free and tolerant Arab country in the heart of Islam, they are doomed. If we fail in Iraq, we are doomed. Our enemies know this. We need to know this." Dennis Prager, The American Legion Magazine, Dear American soldier in Iraq, March 2004. Recently, we received a copy of the above magazine from back home. As we read this particular article, it gave many of us a new perspective towards the mission that we are here to do. How quickly things change. A month ago, we were conducting MEDCAPs (Medical Civil Affairs Programs) in remote locations here in Central Iraq. The programs are designed to bring basic medical care to the impoverished rural areas. Now, we are witness to a militant Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, and his militia, the Mehdi Army, and others trying to disrupt progress of a free Iraq. Sadr rallies around ideals that are extreme in comparison to the direction that the Iraqi people wish for. Violence can be a safe haven for those who fear change. With the handover to the Iraqi Governing Council this June, it will be the Iraqi people that control their success. Central Iraq is the focal point of militant activity trying to destabilize the Iraqi Governing Council’s progress. From the U.S. Marines in Fallujah to the U.S. Army in Najaf, we are witness to American Soldiers at their best. Battery A, 2/147th has been close to a massive troop movement in support of re-stabilizing Iraq. We went from being a very small base camp doing our own mission to now being called Camp Duke with over a couple of thousand soldiers. The equipment alone for such a mission is mind-boggling. Just outside of our Battery Headquarters, at one time a location with infrequent traffic, the 1st Infantry Division working 24-hour operations. We watch imbedded reporters from international news agencies working closely with the leadership on the ground in support of major operations. Is patriotism alive? We have one flagpole at our location that we have been using since our arrival in late February. On that flagpole, our Nation’s flag is flying high, and just beneath it is the South Dakota State flag. We’ve seen many a soldier point to the flags with admiration. One young Sergeant that I walked up to was sitting on the ground cross-legged looking hot, tired, and thirsty. He was staring off into the distance behind me. When I asked him how he was doing, he just said, "I’ve been all over this country, and that flag is the best sight I’ve seen. We wear the flag on our shoulder…to see it flying…awesome…I’m better now." The men of Battery A, 2/147th FA continue to make strides daily. As we plan and execute operations, we learn from our actions. The military uses a technique called After Action Reviews (AARs). It is a time where we come together after major events to discuss what was supposed to happen, what did happen, what went right, what went wrong, and what we can do to make it better the next time. To come from so many backgrounds with such independence, everyone is doing great adjusting to military structures. The diversity of talent is a constant source of strength. Captured Enemy Ammunition site security and convoy escort security is still our primary mission. With all that’s been going on, we have been conducting 24-hour base camp security operations. Troop sleep rotation is a serious planning factor when working extended periods of time within a continuous operation. The weather has been good for us. Individual water consumption rises with the temperatures. The approximately two week rest-and-recuperation rotations will be starting during the month of May lasting through November for our soldiers currently in theatre. The South Dakota National Guard family support groups have been a wonderful component of our deployment – thank you. In closing, we all look forward to the June 30th handover to the Iraqi Governing Council. America cannot solve all of Iraq’s challenges. It has to be the Iraqi people. As Abraham Lincoln said, "The ballot is stronger than the bullet." We have set the stage for a free Arab country. It is difficult to see the price that Americans are paying not only here, on the home front as well. Many soldiers have died in support of Iraq’s liberation. The resolve of the American Public may appear to waver at times. Let me assure you, the resolve of the American Soldier does not falter. These men and women who have fought and continue to fight beside each other and who have died beside each other make the future worth fighting for. The terrorist has no power over us. They survive on instilling fear. These great Americans will continue to seek out anyone who wishes these Iraqi people and the Iraqi government harm. When the "al Sadrs" of the world come out, the world will unify, remove them, and/or destroy them. Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Until our safe return, we remain your faithful South Dakota Citizen Soldiers. Lucas Lentsch, Commander, Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 147th Field Artillery.
Bravo Battery: CPT Frank Sullivant/1SG Wayne LaBelle 15 April 2004 I must admit that the last 2 weeks have flown by and I really do not have much to update you on. We continue to work on the R&R issue and MAJ Somsen and CPT Rounds are hard at work finalizing the details. We have a Family Support meeting this weekend on the 17th at the Aberdeen armory. It starts at 1300 and I plan to call in at that time from here. I hope many can attend. The mission for Bravo battery has not changed and we continue to provide escort security to vital logistical supplies coming into Iraq. Bravo battery has successfully and safely escorted over 500 convoys and driven over 80,000 miles since the first of March. I need to let everybody know that we all are focused on completing our mission safely and we train and practice every day. I have appointed SPC Eggiman as our Unit Public Affairs Representative (UPAR) while we are here and he is tasked with helping me write articles for this newsletter. We will alternate and I hope that he can share his unique perspective of how things are going for the junior enlisted soldiers. ~CPT Sullivant Charlie Battery: CPT Troy Ness/1SG Myron Simons A little news from LT Bitz: As for other news, the unit has had a weeklong break leading up to Easter, and is ready to go at it again. LT Bitz’s Platoon is preparing for a move to Camp Cedar II to help out with supply convoy security. We offer our thoughts and prayers to Pat Lambert, as his father passed away this last week. We would like to congratulate the first birth of a soldier’s child since we have been overseas; Scott Loveland now has a beautiful healthy baby girl. Charlie Battery continues to lead the way!
Mia Loveland, daughter of SPC Scott Loveland Words from the Commander: I hope everyone had a good Easter! Chapel services were held at Base camp for the Easter holiday. It’s always a treat to have Chaplain Wilson stop by and provide some spiritual uplifting. The evening Easter meal was a little different. There was the typical ham, potatoes, gravy, vegetables, salad & the not so typical rice and stir-fry along with ham hocks. All that counts is the taste – delicious!! The soldiers are doing an excellent job!! This reinforces the motto I tell to the other Btry Commanders "Just Keep Up"!! Remember to send letters & e-mails! Take care & be proud of your soldiers!! CPT Ness
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Webmaster: Holly Hauck
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Movies and recorded sitcoms are also a big hit. Everyone does there best share
movies and help keep each other entertained. Chaplain Wilson loves to watch
movies and always seems to find a good one. Here, however, Chaplain Wilson just
couldn’t make it all the way though the movie before he decided to inspect the
inside of his eyelids.
