Story filed 1-28-05

By Edward Lee Pitts

Military Affairs

AS SA'DIYAH, Iraq -- Attempting to crack down on corruption with just three days until the Iraqi elections, the 278th Regimental Combat Team's 3rd Squadron on Thursday searched the houses of local leaders accused of using violence as a political weapon. The investigations are part of the Tennessee-based unit's efforts to bolster security for Sunday's vote after a week of heightened attacks against both the 278th and Iraqi civilians.

The unit sustained its most serious injury to date Monday when Sgt. Timothy Gustafson, of Clarksville, Tenn., a 1st Squadron soldier, was injured when a roadside bomb exploded under his Humvee. Sgt. Gustafson was evacuated immediately out of the unit's sector for additional medical care.

Doctors in Iraq said the soldier could lose part of his foot, and they might have to amputate more.

Sgt. Gustafson's wife, Janice, said doctors in Germany stabilized her husband, who was being flown to the United States on Thursday afternoon. He will be treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

"I talked to him Tuesday morning," said Mrs. Gustafson, who lives in Clarksville, Tenn. "He seemed to be in very high spirits. I've been sitting by the phone waiting to hear more."

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

In Iraq, Thursday's searches illustrated the challenges facing the unit as it attempts to apply criminal investigative procedures common back home but foreign here.

"We are switching from wartime to peacekeepers," said Sgt. Charles Morgan Hanners, of Ownings, Md., who is attached to the 278th. "We are dealing with more than just laws. We are dealing with public affairs."

To win the public relations war, soldiers are changing their tactics. Instead of breaking down doors in raids, they seek permission for home searches.

"The first three weeks, we were doing a lot of slapping around," said Lt. Col. Jeff Holmes, the 3rd Squadron commander. "We wanted to wake everybody up and let them know we are serious. Now we are kind of pulling up and doing soft knocks and searches."

Following the standards of law enforcement rather than the rules of war, the 278th soldiers are using cameras, notepads and plastic bags more than their weapons as they gather evidence to nab suspected insurgents.

"We've been joking, calling this CSI: Sa'diyah," said Staff Sgt. Mark Meador, of L Troop platoon, referring to the slang word for As Sa'diyah. "Fortunately I watch a lot of cops shows back home."

Soldiers are trying to lead by example and are showing the Iraqis the documentation needed to make an arrest in a democratic justice system, Staff Sgt. Meador said.

Before starting Thursday's mission L Troop leaders used the word "gentle" in describing the planned searches. Items should be left exactly as the soldiers found them, the officers said.

HOUSE SEARCH

Out in the streets of As Sa'diyah on Thursday afternoon, the soldiers find their intended target, Deputy Mayor Mezbahn Hoot, at the city's crowded gas station where nearly 200 cars are lined up for fuel. The suspect agreed to take the soldiers to his house without a protest.

On a salary of just $60 a month, Mr. Hoot lives with his large family in a compound of four buildings made from straw and dried mud.

Capt. Matthew Smith told the deputy mayor that other locals accused him of aiding in the recent assassination of a local sheik, or village leader, who had spoken in favor of Sunday's elections.

With a wide grin on his face and his hands raised palms up, the deputy mayor pleaded his case.

He told Capt. Smith not to listen to such talk about the sheik's death.

"He was my friend," Mr. Hoot said.

Capt. Smith, though a translator, explained the process of criminal investigations.

"We need to know because you are a government official," he said. "We are trying to make sure you are clear."

Mr. Hoot did not argue or appear upset as the 278th soldiers spent about two hours searching his mud and straw compound.

"This is your duty. Do your duty," he said to Capt. Smith. "If I know anyone who assisted, I will let you know."

Four women and eight children present at the compound huddled on blankets outside, near four cows chained to rusted plows.

The soldiers searched the compound's 15 rooms in teams. One group tore apart each room, looking through blankets and foam mattresses stacked from floor to ceiling in one spot. Another pair of soldiers rearranged the flimsy wooden furniture in the next room.

Other teams followed, replacing all the items already examined. Soldiers, their M-4 rifles slung over their backs, joked about coming all the way to Iraq just to refold blankets.

"It doesn't have to be perfect," Staff Sgt. Meador told soldiers rebuilding the large stack of blankets.

The family used empty grain sacks to store clothes. All the rooms had ceiling fans hanging from straw roofs. The electrical wires of television sets ran outside through holes punched in the mud.

SAVING EVIDENCE

When conducting searches, soldiers must photograph the evidence, document its location in writing and then place it in zippered bags to be taken back to the base for further investigation.

During this search the soldiers found torn up pieces of paper stuffed in an empty cigarette pack. They asked and received permission from Mr. Hoot to take this and other documents that will be poured over by translators back at Forward Operating Base Cobra, where L Troop resides.

Sgt. 1st Class Marshall Furman, 35, a police officer in Hendersonville, Tenn., said treating the Iraqi suspect's house with all the delicacy of a homicide crime scene is a hard order for U.S. soldiers to follow when some of their own are being attacked sporadically.

"Following certain procedure and documentation of evidence in a combat zone is harder than the police work I do back home," he said. "It is easier to convict somebody in the U.S. than in a war-torn country."

By the end of the search, Capt. Smith, 35, of Nashville, decided to re-examine the source of the intelligence information pointing the finger at the deputy mayor. Another search of a local sheik's home also turned up nothing. Soldiers in this area have to be careful accusations are not the product of deep-seated ethnic tensions between the Arabs and the Kurds in the region.

Back at his Cobra office, Capt. Smith said conducting searches in a more open and friendly way will help the Iraqis see U.S. troops as less of a military force and more as an ally willing to help and support.

"The different way we conduct business makes people a little more open to work with us," he said. "They are a lot easier to talk to."

Staff writer Beth Rucker contributed to this story.

E-mail Lee Pitts at lpitts@timesfreepress.com

Story Copyright to Chattanooga Times Free press