3rd Infantry Division Operations - Fort Stewart - U.S. Army

The Surge 5
lowed the absence of healthcare, fresh drinking water, and
adequate electrical power. There were rumors of widespread
cholera outbreaks. There was rampant crime which compounded
a desperate humanitarian condition with sectarian warfare,
and ineffective government. Something had to change.
That the 3rd Infantry Division would return to Iraq was not in
question. It was simply a matter of time. Could Iraq wait? The
answer seemed to be that it could not. The next question was
"how soon would the division deploy, and for how long?"
There was no deployment order, but if one came, the 3ID
would be ready, that's what ARFORGEN was all about. The
1st Brigade Combat Team was set to deploy first in early 2007.
Next available was the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, followed
by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and the 3rd Combat
Aviation Brigade. So, as new Soldiers arrived, they were simply
directed to report to the unit which would deploy next.
The same pattern followed for new equipment. Motor pools,
the parking lots usually packed with tanks and armored personnel
carriers, sat empty for units not first in line. Their equipment
was either undergoing a massive, yet necessary overhaul,
or had not yet been issued. Soldiers were being issued new
uniforms and personal protective equipment assembled from
years of lessons learned, research, and development.
In the meantime, commanders readied their units for the cycle
of training that would build confident and competent teams
that were ready to fight. Training included a cycle of gunnery,
individual and crew-served weapons qualifications. Everything
from first aid to complex, multiunit attacks needed focused
training and practice. By design, the capstone training event
for every unit was a month-long deployment to the National
Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. NTC had mock Iraqi
villages complete with role playing civilians and an oppos-