Publication:Chattanooga Times Free Press
Date:Saturday, January 22, 2005
Section:Front Page; Page:1

DISPATCH Iraq

By Edward Lee Pitts Military Affairs

JALULA, Iraq — Soldiers responded with words, rather than weapons, to the Thursday bombing by Iraqi insurgents of a school in Jalula, one of the polling sites for next week’s elections.

For nearly two hours Friday, soldiers with the 278 th Regimental Combat Team played a recorded message throughout Jalula. The tape pleaded with residents for help in battling those who want to set off bombs beside the city’s schools.

"A g ain criminals are threatening your lives and your children’s lives," the Arabic message began. "These terrorists have again destroyed Iraqi proper ty, and again these terrorists have delayed the progress of your sovereign nation."

Sgt. 1 st Class Marshall Furman of the 278th said the small blast in Jalula knocked the school courtyard door off its hinges, blew the door’s bottom panel about 25 feet and left a hole 10 inches wide and 3 inches deep.

The bombing clearly was a warning from those intent on disrupting the Jan. 30 elections, he said.

"They were just letting us know they had access to the site and can hit it," said Sgt. Furman, a 35-year-old squad leader from Hendersonville, Tenn.

On Jan. 30, Iraqis will choose the delegates who will write their constitution.

Capt. Brian McSpadden, one of the officers in charge of Third Squadron’s L Troop based out of Springfield and Gallatin, Tenn., said insurgents are not going to sit back and allow the voting to take place unhindered even in this more rural portion of Iraq near the Iranian border.

"I anticipate it being a long week," said Capt. McSpadden, 35, of Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Shortly after lunchtime Friday, a convoy of three Humvees rolled into Jalula, an impoverished city of 45,000.

In addition to its standard mounted machine gun poking out of a turret, one Humvee carried on its roof an oversized loudspeaker able to hurl sound as far as a mile and a half away. The speaker blasted a message devised by the 350 th Tactical Psychological Operations Company, an Army reserve unit from Ohio charged with helping the 278 th win Iraqis’ hearts and minds.

"Psychological operations is the most important aspect in Iraq right now," said Staff Sgt. Tim Downing with the 350 th. "We are not going to change the terrorist’s mind. But there are so many people on neutral ground, and we are trying to convince them to come over to the winning side."

Many residents stopped their activities to listen to the message, while others just kept walking down the muddy sidewalks, ignoring the message.

"How much more violence are the good people of Iraq going to take?" the recorded message continued. "Stand up against the terrorists! Stand up for your newly won freedom!" Cars stuck behind the slow 278 th convoy honked horns in protest. Spc. Sean Story, 19, a gunner from Monroe, Ga., said Jalula is not a very friendly town for the 278 th or those who support the Americans.

Sand-filled barriers nearly 10 feet tall ring the city’s police station. Barbed wire curls down either side of busy streets to discourage insurgents from parking cars laden with explosives. "Do not live in fear of these terrorists," the message continued. "Report all criminal activity to the authorities."

As the convoy passed, one Iraqi boy cocked his plastic AK-47 and held it up to the gunner in a Humvee, and another hid his toy pistol behind his back.

Sgt. Kevin Barton, 24, of Ashland, Tenn., said Jalula might be the town that will give the most trouble to the regiment’s Third Squadron during the elections. The people struggle with a lack of fuel and electricity, authorities said.

Most of the village’s streets and buildings are the color of mud. But blue, yellow, pink and green streamers and balloons — decorations left over from a religious holiday feast the day before — hung in the courtyards of several buildings.

At the town’s crowded center, the convoy stopped so the message could play once in its entirety for the gathered people. "Show these cowardly dogs you are not afraid by voting on Jan. 30," the message ended. "Call with any information. Your identity will be kept secret."

Back inside Forward Operating Base Cobra, just minutes from Jalula, Staff Sgt. Downing said his three-person Psy Ops team will go out two to three times a day next week. The team will mingle with the population and distribute handbills, pamphlets and books to teach Iraqis about freedom and democracy.

He said most of the people in Iraq are young enough to know life only under Saddam Hussein, and it is the team’s job to show them a way of life without violence and deception.

"This is probably the craziest job in the Army, because we have to get right in the middle of crowds and talk to people you know in the back of your minds are the enemy," Staff Sgt. Downing said. "I have even gone up to people and asked them why they hate me, because you can see it in their eyes."

E-mail Lee Pitts at lpitts@timesfreepress.com

U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika - A 278th Regimental Combat Team Humvee rolls through the streets of Jalula, Iraq, on Friday, warning residents to turn in any suspected terrorists. At right, a child picks up a candy cane thrown by the Humvee’s gunner.

U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika - A 278th Regiment Combat Team Humvee rolls through the streets of Jalula on Friday announcing a pro-election, antiinsurgent message.

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