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| Iraq |
| 1AD relieving 3ID in Baghdad |
| 2003-05-22 |
| Edited for brevity. The Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which spearheaded the invasion of Baghdad, is getting ready to go home and handing over responsibility for security in the Iraqi capital to the 1st Armored Division. The only armored division still in active service in the U.S. Army, the 1st is also the division with the most experience in peacekeeping operations, having performed similar missions in Bosnia and Kosovo. The primary difference between an armored division and a mechanized infantry division is one battalion. An armored division has five tank battalions and four mech infantry battalions. A mech infantry division has four tank battalions and five infantry battalions. The handover is accomplished by what are called "right seat, left seat" rides. First, the 3rd Infantry soldiers drive through their areas of operations with 1st Armored Division members as passengers. They show what they have been doing and why, and introduce the 1st Armored soldiers to Iraqi contacts. The next day, the 1st Armored soldiers conduct the patrols, with 3rd Infantry soldiers riding along to see that they are doing it right. |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #5 Thank you 3ID. You deserve a month's worth of sleep and beer. Your emblem will be recognized all over the world. If post-war leadership here in the US is as effective as you were over there, Iraq will be a model for the region. |
| Posted by: Michael 2003-05-22 20:27:34 |
| #4 Rifle: And the 3rd ID was the 27th Mech? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2003-05-22 13:24:54 |
| #3 Just a small point/correction to this story. The 1st Cavalry Division is an armored division, it has its name simply to continue the heritage of the old cavalry units (not that this is actually told very often to soldiers to build any historical pride in their unit of course). And when the 2nd Armored Division was "reflagged" as the 4th Infantry (the guys over there now, including an old comrade from Europe) I don't remember them giving up any of their tanks, but I should double check that. The re-naming was due to the 4th Infantry ("Ivy" Div.) having more "history" than the 2nd Armored ("Hell on Wheels"). After the Army lost all those divisions in the 1990s drawdown there was a whole lot of discussion at HQ levels about which unit names were to be kept active and which to retire. So the names of Army divisions can be more "historic" in nature than descriptive of the unit's composition. Of course, if things get out of control in the next 10-20 years like some of us commenters at Rantburg and LGF suspect/fear those retired division flags may fly again, "Revolution in Military Affairs" or not. |
| Posted by: Rifle308 2003-05-22 12:32:52 |
| #2 Yes, but very nice to see the brave souls of the 3ID get home after a job well done. Heaven knows they deserve a break and a big welcome home. |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-05-22 12:12:09 |
| #1 Business as usual |
| Posted by: Ernest Brown 2003-05-22 10:22:01 |