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Watching From Above
Blackanthem Military News,
BAQUBAH, Iraq, January 23, 2006
13:22
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U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy
Keenan, a Troy, N.Y. native, rolls the "Shadow" out of the hangar to
its flightline at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, Iraq. Keenan serves
with A Company, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division.
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski |
Troops’ being on the ground in
Iraq is a risky business- the insurgents and anti-Iraqi forces are devious
when it comes to placing IEDs and hiding their caches. It always helps to
have an extra set of eyes watching over the streets of Iraq.
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Platoon of A Co., 3rd Special Troops
Battalion, 4th Infantry Division from Ft. Carson, Colo., provides the eye
in sky. The platoon maintains and operates the "Shadow" UAV. Their mission
is to fly route reconnaissance and surveillance, providing intelligence
reports for commanders of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team.
Staff Sgt. Brian Ward, the platoon sergeant of the Shadow platoon and
Lebanon, Pa. native said, the Soldiers conducting ground patrols like it
when the Shadow is soaring above them. The insurgents know that when the
shadow is in the air, they are being watched. This leads to fewer
incidents.
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U.S. Army Pfc. Mark Trombly,
a native of Worcester, Mass., conducts a walk around inspection of the
Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle. Trombly is serving with A Company, 3rd
Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division near Baqubah, Iraq.
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski |
Spotting IEDs and following
insurgents as they try to hide is all part of the Shadow’s mission and it
has been successful. Two weeks ago the Shadow spotted two 155mm rounds
emplaced as a roadside bomb. Providing early warning of troubled areas is
what this platoon does and does well.
Staff Sgt. Robert L. Lilly, a Beckley, W.Va. native, is a section leader
in the platoon and responsible for deciding who will fly and what
missions.
"They love the mission. It’s a great job. We get to fly airplanes and help
people while we are doing it," said Lilly.
Spotting IEDs is not the only thing the Shadow’s camera is good for, it is
capable of spotting disturbances in the dirt where a weapons cache may be
buried, or following a high value targets as they move about.
The Shadow platoon enjoys their job knowing that they can spot troubled
areas before the ground troops roll upon them, endangering their lives..
Story and Photos By: Staff Sgt.
Mark Wojciechowski
133rd MPAD
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