Arrowhead Brigade Soldiers receive awards from second deployment

Don Kramer/Northwest Guardian

After the inspection of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers in formation July 24 and before casing the colors, the six battalions and 10 other subordinate units, assigned or attached during its second deployment, received a flood of unit awards.

The brigade adjutant read citations for 15 Valorous Unit Awards and 11 Meritorious Unit Commendations.

“That’s how we did it last time, too,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Alan Bjerke, the brigade senior NCO. “We got our awards and put them on (at) the deployment ceremony.”

The awards were submitted upon the brigade’s return from its last deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom August 2007, but final approval arrived only four weeks ago.

“It takes a long time to process those awards,” Bjerke said. “There are so many places it has to go, get reviewed and approved.”

Most of the Valorous Unit Awards came for combat actions in Baqubah, except for the VUA awarded to 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, which distinguished itself in the Battle of Najaf.

Sykes Regulars of 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment secured a foothold in Baqubah from March through early June 2007, until other brigade elements joined them there in the first offensive operation of the surge of troops, Baqubah will be remembered for vicious al-Qaida resistance and clearing operations, a neighborhood at a time.

Two companies of the Patriot Battalion, 2-3 Inf., drove 100 kilometers to secure a downed Apache helicopter in a small village called Zarqa outside Najaf January 2007, but encountered more than 400 fanatic cult members in a fortified compound, determined to fight to the death. After intense combat from late afternoon to the next morning, U.S. Soldiers pivoted into mass casualty operations, rendering medical and humanitarian aid to civilians and enemy fighters they had fought hours before.

The volume of awards should not diminish their value or prestige. Bjerke said the VUA, for example, is the unit equivalent to the individual award of the Silver Star.

VUA: Headquarters, 3rd Bde., 2nd Inf. Div.; 2-3 Inf.; 5-20 Inf.; 1-23 Inf.; 1-14 Cav.; 296th Brigade Support Battalion; 18th Engineer Company; C Co., 52nd Inf.; 209th M.I. Co.; 334th Signal Co. Not present to receive VUOs: 1st Squad, 12th Cav.; A Co., 486th CA Bn.; 15th Engr. Co.; Det., 19th Engr. Bn.; Det., 60th Engr. Bn. MUC: Headquarters, 3rd Bde., 2nd Inf. Div.; 2-3 Inf.; 5-20 Inf.; 1-23 Inf.; 1-14 Cav.; 1-37 FA; 296th Brigade Support Battalion; 18th Engineer Company; C Co., 52nd Inf.; 209th MI Co.; 334th Signal Co.