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

18 3rd Infantry Division Operations
and enemy, over the course of four years. Under Saddam Hussein,
it had been a mint for printing currency. It had first garrisoned
Iraqi Army forces then, after the invasion in 2003, US
forces. It was essentially a hollow hulk ill prepared for service
as a modern command and control center. The walled compound
that surrounded it, nicknamed "Honor 51," was positioned
a few hundred feet from where SFC Paul R. Smith had
fallen in battle on April 4th, 2003 becoming the division's 51st
Medal of Honor recipient.
As it directed troops in contact, the Division assumed responsibility
for terrain and stood itself up. Around the clock, communications
specialists, Soldiers and civilians, worked feverishly
to assemble the arteries, some 12 miles of red and green
wires, of the Multi-National Division - Center headquarters.
Equipment and personnel continued to arrive, echelon by echelon,
bringing the command to life.
The disadvantage of not being on the ground gradually was
replaced by evermore clear assessments of the battle space by
commanders already in position. What could not be learned
of its mission and operating environment while half a world
away, was gleaned from the units on the ground and plans were
refined. There was a lot to catch up on. Aircraft shuttled commanders
and planners to all corners of Iraq. The picture slowly
came into focus.
The state of Mesopotamia
The area of operations for Multi-National Division - Center
stretched from Saudi Arabia to Baghdad. Eventually, it grew to
include a large portion of the border with Iran. It was the "land
between the two rivers" or - in ancient terms, "Mesopotamia."
The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers snaked south from Baghdad