On Point: the United States Army in Operation Iraqi ... - Boekje Pienter

Command Sergeant Major Robert GallagherIn In 1993, 1993, Command Command Sergeant Sergeant Major Major Gallagher Gallagher was part was of part Task of Force Task Ranger Force (75th Ranger Ranger (75th Regiment), Rangerwhich Regiment), attempted which to capture attempted Somali to capture warlords Somali in Mogadishu. warlords in During Mogadishu. the fierce During fighting the on fierce 3-4 fighting October,he on was 3-4 severely October, wounded. he was severely Ten years wounded. later, in Ten Iraq, years the later, reporters in Iraq, traveling the reporters with his traveling unit, TF with 3-15IN, his jokingly unit, TF nicknamed 3-15 IN, jokingly him “Black nicknamed Hawk him Bob.” “Black The name Hawk stuck. Bob.” The The sergeant name stuck. major The cultivated sergeant ahearty, major gruff, cultivated and profane a hearty, persona gruff, and with profane his troops, persona and they with affectionately his troops, and called they affectionately him by his nickname, calledalthough him by his never nickname, to his face. although never to his face.Gallagher stated stated that that his his philosophy philosophy and and method method of of operation operation was was to to “go “go as as far far forward forward as I as can I can andnot and undermine not undermine the command the command authority authority of the unit. of the If there’s unit. If something there’s something I can do to I can help do the to companies, help theI’ll companies, do it.” He I’ll decided do it.” that He he decided was not that happy he was with not the happy traditional with role the of traditional a command role sergeant of a command major—staying sergeant in major—staying the rear to assist in coordinating the rear to assist logistics coordinating and support—the logistics traditional and support—the “beans and traditional bullets”approach. “beans and He bullets” felt that approach. the officers He and felt sergeants that the officers assigned and that sergeants mission could assigned make that it mission work; he could couldbe make of more it work; help he elsewhere. could be of more help elsewhere.If If he he was was going going to to circulate around the battlefield, he needed more protection than than the the HMMWVauthorized by by the the unit’s unit’s table table of of organization. He He adopted adopted an an M88 M88 heavy heavy recovery recovery vehicle, vehicle, soon soon hissignature his signature vehicle. vehicle. He also He kept also kept the main the main aid station aid station (MAST) (MAST) close close to him to him whenever whenever moved. he moved. Thisensured This ensured that the that MAST the MAST was near was the near fighting the fighting but had but security. had security. The MAST The MAST guided guided on the on M88, the which, M88,in which, turn, protected in turn, protected the medics the with medics its heavy with its machine heavy machine gun. gun.Gallagher’s years years of of experience with with 75th Ranger Regiment served TF 3-15 IN IN well. well. He He broughtthat that elite elite force’s force’s training training and and combat combat techniques techniques to his to his new new unit. unit. He instituted He instituted focused focused training training whenthe when soldiers the soldiers reached reached Kuwait. Kuwait. In this, In he this, and he Lieutenant and Lieutenant Colonel Colonel Twitty Twitty saw things saw things eye-to-eye. eye-toeye.In the Kuwait, unit had the the unit resources had the and resources opportunity and opportunity for this type for of this training. type The of training. soldiers The completed soldiers anInKuwait,exhausting completed but an confidence-building exhausting but confidence-building regimen. The support regimen. soldiers The support trained soldiers alongside trained the infantrymen, alongsidelearning the infantrymen, to clear trenches, learning destroy to clear bunkers, trenches, and destroy engage bunkers, targets from and engage any position. targets Drivers from any and position. assistantdrivers Drivers went and through assistant ambush drivers went training through using ambush live ammunition. training using Even live the ammunition. fuel handlers Even attached the fuel tothe handlers task force attached completed to the a task live-fire force exercise. completed This a live-fire paid huge exercise. dividends This later. paid Gallagher huge dividends extended later. hisfocus Gallagher to the extended junior officers his focus and mid-grade to the junior sergeants, officers training and mid-grade them out sergeants, of the junior training soldiers’ them sight out of topreserve the junior their soldiers’ authority. sight “It to was preserve my assessment their authority. that the “It sergeants was my and assessment officers in that mechanized the sergeants infantry andunits officers tend in to mechanized want to centralize infantry training. units tend I to wanted to to de-centralize training. it, to I wanted push it to down de-centralize lower in it, thechain, to push make it down the junior lower leaders in the chain, more make responsible, the junior and leaders get them more to responsible, buy into the and training.” get them The to buy teamcame into together; the training.” Gallagher’s The team efforts came paid together; off on Gallagher’s CURLEY on efforts 7 April. paid off on CURLEY on 7 April.Objective LARRYDerived Derived from from interview interview with with Command Command Sergeant Sergeant Major Major Robert Robert Gallagher, Gallagher,19 19 May May 2003. 2003As Captain Johnson and Bravo Company arrived to reinforce Team Zan at ObjectiveCURLEY, the fighting reached high intensity at Objective LARRY, where Twitty positionedhimself. Captain Dan Hubbard, commanding Team Rage, composed of two tank platoons anda mechanized infantry platoon, led the fight at LARRY. Hubbard had 19 armored vehicles,including his own tank and Lieutenant Colonel Twitty’s Bradley. 98 At LARRY, one tankplatoon covered the northeast quadrant while another took the southeast quadrant. Hubbard’smechanized infantry platoon covered the entire west side of the objective. Enemy attacksbegan immediately, mainly from the south, but also from buildings to the northwest, from thecrossover road to the west, and from a jumble of buildings to the southwest. 99368