WEBVTT

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Mhm .

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Today on Freedom's Journal , Iraq

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will go on ahead court insurgents to us

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and Iraqi troops and we'll show you who

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keep these birds in the air .

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Welcome

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to this edition of Freedom Journal Iraq ,

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I'm army sergeant Shell guy . And

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here's a look at events shaping the

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region . The soldiers from the Fourth

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Infantry Division have taken the brains

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in the southwest region of the country .

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They're working closely with Iraqi

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security forces to help curb insurgent

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activity in and around Iskandiriyah ,

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Army Sergeant till the last reports ,

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the soldiers from the first

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battalion , 67th Armored Regiment ,

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fourth Infantry Division are under

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second deployment to Iraq in their new

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hor or area of responsibility and make

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sure you are . Thank you this season .

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Combat veterans know exactly what they

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need to do . Our mission here is to

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provide assist the Iraqi police force

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to provide a stable operation uh for

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coalition forces and Iraqi police to

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work in with a clear goal . The 167 ,

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also known as the dealers aggressively

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picked up where the one fight fight

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from the Mississippi National Guard

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left off the dealers from fort Hood

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texas without the difficult times .

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They're charged with maintaining peace

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in the nail are situated between cities

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to the north . She is to the south .

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Leaders from the italian have had to

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put an emphasis on making sure the

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goals are safe . The just

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keeping the route open in our area to

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allow our freedom of maneuver within

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the area , but also the population's

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freedom of manoeuvre so that they can

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move the within their sector , feel

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safe and secure on their roads to move

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back and forth with their jobs , their

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homes to the mosques , to whatever they

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feel secure as the people down south

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from here . Through successful efforts

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with Iraqi security forces , dealers

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have stabilized their southern johor

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that includes the city of Karbala .

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However , an insurgent stronghold in

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the north is testing the battalion's

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medal in the town . The area is called

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the german soccer area that that seems

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to be if you want to call it the last

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fashion and hold out in our sector of

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insurgent activity in the area plagued

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with violence and rebel activity has

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forced the dealers to take the fight to

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the insurgents . That area has been an

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I . E . D magnet in the last few weeks .

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The operations targeting problem areas

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are effective searching court on

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missions have uncovered huge amounts of

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mortars , making materials and useful

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information in response to ideas have

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been going off after court idea attack

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cordoning off the area . Go and search .

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We found a large cachet upon the island

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and uh , and then that has led up to

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other intel which has led us on other

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raids . Uh , in that area , The beauty

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and seeming serenity of this fertile

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land that borders the Euphrates river

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is misleading , insurgents have used

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the landscape to their advantage . That

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means canine and E . O . D . Teams work

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overtime and soldiers are ever vigilant

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when they leave the wire . You don't

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know when or where the idea is going to

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strike . You can go down the road and

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it's clear an hour later Come by and

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get hit by an I E . D . And it's

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planted as soon as you left said that

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like an I E . D . Exploded . Further

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inspired troops on search and cordon

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operations to do the job right . The

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dealers along with Iraqi security

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forces have fared well in their hunt

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for insurgents and weapons caches that

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can be used against coalition troops .

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The more we hear about I E . G . S ,

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the more we want to go out there , the

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more we want to make a difference ,

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motivated soldiers like these do make a

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difference in the security operations

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of their hor efforts to help improve

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the quality of rifle citizens who live

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in the area , reinforced the goodwill

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of coalition forces . Especially

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tedious switcher says we're headed in

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the right direction just showing up ,

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you know , up on the road , showing

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that were there , that you know , we

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care about these people and we want to

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make a difference so far because of

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that . Makes it a pretty successful

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mission . Sergeant filled in law school ,

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Iskandariya . Iraq .

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This

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is a very important task and I'm hoping

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to see many , many members of the armed

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forces from western Virginia and

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elsewhere around the country and let

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them know personally how much I

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appreciate their efforts . But this is

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an opportunity for me to say thank you

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to the men and women of our armed

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forces across the globe .

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Welcome back and unmanned and unarmed

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aerial vehicle went down your cider

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city . U . S . Troops lost contact with

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the U . A . V . As a parachuted to the

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ground . Shortly after takeoff from

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Taji soldiers from the sixth Iraqi

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division put a search of the vehicle

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and residents returned to you lady to

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city officials . The next day the

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aircraft was on a flight in support of

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Iraqi security forces protecting a

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muslim pilgrimage helicopter . Air

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medical evacuation is a vital

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capability in a war zone . A special

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group of soldiers work behind the

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scenes to help ensure those birds stay

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in the air . Army Sergeant Ryan Poland

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introduces us to the team

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soldiers

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from the 57th Medical Company , Air

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ambulance maintenance section . Take

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pride in their work . This Blackhawk

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maintenance team is not like most

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others . The quality of their

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workmanship could mean the difference

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between life and death for urgent

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medevac patients . I'm the ground

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maintenance . So anything that goes

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wrong with the aircraft in the day , I

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bring it in , I work on And make sure

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those things can get out when they need

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them . It's very important because

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without the crew chiefs of the

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maintainers , the 15 tangos like we are

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without us . Mission doesn't run .

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Keeping the medevac choppers in the air

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is an important yet challenging

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responsibility from electronics and

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avionics . Two motors and rotor blades .

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These helicopter mechanics work on

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every intricate part running 24 hour

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medevac operations in the harsh desert

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atmosphere of Iraq definitely takes a

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toll on the helicopters . A number of

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system tests and inspections helped the

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soldiers of the 57th ST on top of their

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arduous task . There's always something

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to fix on these birds . There's never

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anything , it's never just always up

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and ready to go . So there's always

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something to fix and something to

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improve . The work is hard and the days

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are long . But in the end it all pays

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off . Makes you feel good , Makes you

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feel real good . Uh , just to be able

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to give my a little piece to this

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entire operation . Very rewarding

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actually . You know , when you think

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you work on the aircraft and you see it

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wide , it's been broke . I like knowing

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that I'm helping people and it gives me

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a good sense of accomplishment knowing

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that our aircraft are doing well and

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we're performing the mission without

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any incidents reporting from Elsa

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anaconda . I'm Army sergeant Ryan

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Poland two oh seven M pad .

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Thanks for watching the newscast brings

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you the stories from the front lines of

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the war on terror and Operation Iraqi

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leaders from all of us here at a menu .

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Freedom General Iraq have a great day

