European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 1, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Pages stars and stripes Sun Fey gunfire ruins a shopping trip every time soldiers Stop at Baghdad hardware store interrupted by drive by shooting by Monte Morin stars and stripes Baghdad it was a Baghdad style shop Ping spree for sure acting 1st sgt Jose Moran had some Bucks to Burn on improvements for Alpha Compa nys commando a dark Saddam Era Bunker that troops from the 1st battalion 8th cavalry regiment converted into a combat outpost for the new Baghdad Secu Rity plan the underground labyrinth occupies a tattered Corner of new Baghdad and its Chambers have never seen the Light of Day the Bunker is so dark that soldiers who emerge from its tunnels Are quickly blinded by the Sun while those who enter the Complex find themselves stumbling in the gloom were going out for Moran told 2nd platoon soldiers wednesday were going to get some Light bulbs and Extension cords weve got to the 2nd brigade 1st cavalry division soldiers who currently Are attached to the 2nd infantry brigade combat team 2nd infantry division shrugged into their sweat stained body Armor pulled on their gloves and piled into their humvee the Convoy motored toward the Wel Todo neighbourhood of Baladi at and Moran began pricing coils of Extension Cord at several curb Side hardware stores the 39yearold san Juan puerto Monte and stripes acting 1st sgt Jose Moran 39 of san Juan puerto Rico shops for Light bulbs and Extension cords at an East Baghdad sidewalk store moments before a drive by shooting wednesday Rico native had just settled on a Price for two 100foot coils of Cord when things suddenly got interest ing the iraqi shopkeeper was just about to ring up the Purchase when a gun blast echoed Over the pavement a nearby window pane burst into the pattern of a spiders web get in the vehicles Moran yelled to the platoons interpreter it looked As if the shot was fired from a shiny new taxi cab a drive by the Convoy set off in search of the gunman now this is staff sgt Daniel Newsome said As his truck weaved in and out of traffic this makes my said the 27yearold Springfield native but after digging and tagging through the neighbourhood and Dou bling Back on the hardware shop several times it appeared the gun mans Trail had grown cold the soldiers went Back to shop Ping Moran directed the Convoy into an open air Market wedged be tween a mosque and a traffic police Bureau this is a Jam mar Moran said referring to the Jawish Al Mahdi or Mahdi army militia commando company sol were going out for supplies were going to get some Light bulbs and Extension cords weve got to spend h acting 1st sgt Jose Moran 1st battalion 8th cavalry regiment Diers had visited the Market on previous occasions looking for weapons and terror suspects this time shop owners eyed the sol Diers warily As Moran priced Extension cords they want Way too Moran said after exiting the Market some one thought they spotted the gun mans taxi parked next to a fire Sta Tion soldiers swooped in on the vehicle searching it and the fire Sta Tion known Mahdi army hang out neither a gun nor a gunman was found by this time Moran had decided to bring the shopping expedition to an end the Light bulbs and Extension cords would have to wait ill go Back and get them another Moran said email Monte Morin at Green dragon avs deter violence on iraqi streets by Sandra Jontz stars and stripes fal Lujah Iraq the Mammoth Green tracked vehicles lumber up and Down the Highway an ominous presence Seldom messed with by insurgents who take on marines with Small arms or sniper fire insurgents have taken to calling the As Sault amphibious vehicles Green marines have Learned they dont want to fire on the Green said capt Eric Dominijanni commanding officer of company b assault amphibious battalion for from the dragons belly can Spring pissed off under sexed crazed marines Wholl stomp were a show of Force a major deterrent to make these roadways he said but there not invincible the battalion has suffered three fatalities in Roadside bomb attacks and sniper fire since arriving in fal Lujah in september Dominijanni said portraits of the three marines hang in the command centers foyer a reminder that the battalion wont be returning to Cample Jeune with All their Brethren Lance Cpl Jesse Tillery was killed dec 2 Lance Cpl Luke Yepsen was killed dec 14 Cpl Joshua Pickard was killed dec 19 that the hardest thing for me going Home without All my the Sandra and stripes working As quickly As possible marines with 1st platoon company b assault amphibious battalion hitch an assault amphibious tracked vehicle to another one after a breakdown near the end of a patrol Mission tuesday near fal Lujah 34yearold Captain from Queens said in Iraq use of the assault amphibious vehicles strays from its primary purpose As a Shipto Shore troop transport vehicle look ing at it one might not believe that the thing can float it does assured several marines who have nicknamed the 27ton vehicle Gator for the Way it looks while mov ing in water it might seem Odd to see the beasts Lum Bering along the highways but were a huge deterrent out said staff sgt Richard Schmitt Section Leader of 1st Pla Toon company b assault amphibious Bat Talion under regimental combat team 6 the hulking vehicles can withstand Road Side bomb blasts better than humvee he said and they bring More firepower to the fight but the aim of course is to avoid setting off Roadside bombs in the first place he said during a routine patrol tuesday along the notoriously dangerous main Road neat fal Lujah marines spotted what looked like a Muffler in the Middle of the Road in a spot already blackened from a previous attack the avs closed both sides of the main thoroughfare keeping traffic at Bay As they radioed and then waited for More than an hour for an explosive ordnance team to come Check it out it was a Dud just a Muffler Schmitt was Happy this is a hot spot and a lot of things Hap pen Schmitt said anything can be an Roadside wed rather be Safe than the Aav in Dominijanni opinion is one of the Best platforms in the Marine he said its so versatile is one of the Best commandant control platforms can carry up to 18 infantry marines and All their gear can go off Road and with the space can medevac casualties if Neces it does everything but Fly and in sure someone in Washington is working on email Sandra Jontz at
