Apr. 17 2005

Sunday, April 17, 2005
By RAIN SMITH - Reporter

KINGSPORT - The 278th Regimental Combat Team is nearly halfway through its deployment, and the troops are "in the groove, doing a lot of good things," according to the 2nd Squadron's commanding officer.

Lt. Col. Frank McCauley is home on two weeks leave from Iraq. He'll be visiting wounded soldiers and spending as much time as he can with his wife, daughter, three stepchildren and two step-grandchildren.

Taking time for a community update interview with the Times-News, he said the January Iraqi election was a high point for the men of the 278th.

"It was nice for the soldiers to see the fruits of their labors," McCauley said. "They were all very proud. (Iraqis) were dancing in the street, holding their (ink-stained) fingers up to show they had voted."

A TYPICAL DAY

Since traveling to the Iraq/Iran border in November, with units in Camp Bernstein and Forward Operating Bases Caldwell and Cobra, McCauley says the 2nd Squadron's role has slowly shifted from that of a combat unit to support and security for Iraqi forces.

"This is a lot like community policing in that you go into the area, meet the leadership, mingle with the people, and try to sort out good guys from bad guys," McCauley said. "It's real important that you establish yourself early on - that you are there to help them and their country."

McCauley knows a thing or two about police work. A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officer in civilian life, McCauley said police skills are invaluable on his daily rounds among Iraqi towns and villages.

"A lot of it is like a cop on a beat," McCauley said. "You walk the same eight blocks every day, you're going to know everything coming and going. It's about developing that rapport with these people."

McCauley said there's also a lot of "knocking on that right door, asking that right person, and putting the right pressure at the right places at the right time."

"If you catch a guy doing something, do you necessarily want to put him in jail, or do you want to explain life to him in another way that makes him want to help himself," McCauley said.

The "bad guys are going away," and Iraqi police and military personnel are getting better, he said.

McCauley spends most mornings meeting with Iraqi officials from various towns. He said the first step in Coalition forces gaining the Iraqis' confidence, and leads on insurgent activity, is to embrace the Middle Eastern culture. The last thing a soldier should do, he said, is start barking orders. Rather, there's a lot of small talk before easing into the business at hand.

Over a cup of Chai, a strong tea with lots of sugar that McCauley has taken a liking to, he exchanges pleasantries and small talk in Iraqi homes.

Outside, soldiers are swarmed by Iraqi children. They hand out pencils, paper and candy.

Meanwhile, the 278th's Psychological Operations personnel walk the streets handing out leaflets that say, "Iraqi people are hurting Iraq. Help us help you" by turning insurgents in.

"It's just like crime is around here," McCauley said, noting the average Iraqi salary is about $2 a day. "If they don't have a job, a legitimate one, they're going to find a way to make money."

To provide potential "bad guys" with alternatives, McCauley spends his afternoons talking about building projects with city councils and military training with Iraqi army officials.

Soldiers of the 2nd Squadron spread the word about job opportunities with the Iraqi army, as well as Middle Eastern contractors needing workers at oil well and power sites, in their daily patrols, hanging up notices announcing meetings and job openings. TRAINING, TEACHING

Through positive interactions in recruiting for the military and contractors, McCauley said 2/278th soldiers have been able to drive a wedge between Anti-Iraqi Forces and citizens of the country that are "sitting the fence" on who to support.

"We're trying to separate those that really haven't made up their mind about the AIF," McCauley said.

McCauley reports the 2nd Squadron as intricate in not only recruiting Iraqi workers and soldiers, but Northeast Tennessee soldiers are also providing hands-on training. With obvious language barriers, McCauley said a lot of it is, "Hey, watch me do this then you do it."

"We kind of coach and mentor them in the basics of marksmanship and tactics," McCauley said. "Once they get confident, they start training their own people. Our goal is to make them self-sufficient."

McCauley's interaction with Iraqi army commanders is deeper. He talks to them about how to manage men and run checks and balances on operations under their command.

"We're showing them a way to do it, not the way to do it, and equipping them with the basic set of tools to do their jobs."

As 2nd Squadron commander, McCauley says he sees "the really good and really bad" from Iraqi officials, with no in between.

He hinted many Iraqi leaders are bending his ear, saying, "There's a tendency in that culture that once they've met your boss, they'd rather talk to your boss."

Before coming home on leave, the most recent problem McCauley saw was a river's banks giving way. That collapsed power lines that ran over the water, cutting power for 14,000 to 20,000 Iraqi citizens.

"We got work locally to get generators going, then helped them with money to hire contractors to erect the towers," McCauley said.

But the 2nd Squadron's mission is not limited to infrastructure damage control and military training. In March, the 2/278th helped organize Tuz-day, a third anniversary celebration of the town's liberation. He said more than 800 Iraqis came out to paint buildings, sweep streets and plant trees in an effort to reclaim their community.

"The vast majority (of Iraqis) want to work, earn their way and take care of their families. It's a pride thing for them."

A DANGEROUS PLACE

McCauley says attacks on coalition forces seem to be subsiding. U.S. soldiers are earning the respect of Iraqi people.

However, he said, soldiers have no illusions about their situation. McCauley places a dark footnote on nearly every praise for the turnaround in Iraq, adding, "This is still a very dangerous place."

In the past month two 278th soldiers have been killed, the unit's first fatalities since the Korean War.

On March 20, Spc. Paul Thomason, 37, Jefferson City, was killed when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb between Tikrit and Tuz.

On April 4, Staff Sgt. Jeff Kennedy, 25, Oak Ridge, was killed in a firefight south of Balad Ruz.

"It hurts so bad to lose a man, but life goes on," McCauley's voice cracks, his eyelids batting back a swell of tears.

"My soldiers need to know it's OK to grieve and cry. I want that for them."

Improvised explosive devices are a major concern for 2/278th soldiers, McCauley said. The most effective defense against IEDs is saturating areas with patrols, he said, giving insurgents a small window of opportunity for planting the devices under roadways or in animal carcasses.

McCauley said his soldiers have caught "many" insurgents putting IEDs in place and can usually identify who made an IED by its craftsmanship and materials used.

McCauley considers the 2nd Squadron fortunate to have seen only two fatalities. He says the work of his soldiers, and the unit they replaced, in rounding up insurgents has made their region safer than many in Iraq.

AN OLDER GROUP

In the early stages of the Iraq War, many questioned the use of National Guard units in a combat role. McCauley says the men of the 278th were more than aware of those criticisms and doubts.

"We are on average an older group," McCauley said. "But when you say ‘old,' I think ‘mature.'"

The quality of the maturity has been noticed by active-duty personnel, McCauley said.

"I think a lot of the active-duty guys have seen that we try hard and do well and support them like we would want them to support us," McCauley said. "It's very gratifying."

McCauley, 42, has been a member of the 2/278th for 24 years. Many in his unit have watched him rise through the ranks and emerge as their leader.

"I know most of them on the radio by their voice. We don't even have to use call signs," he said.

Knowing each other so well, he said, is a blessing when a world away from home, immersed in war. Interwoven backgrounds that share neighborhoods, schools and friends can morph another soldier's joy into your own, he said.

"There's days you think about home, think about your little girl or whatever, but we all get through it together," McCauley said. "That's unit cohesion. Camaraderie is something you don't think about in the short term, but in the long term it makes a big difference."

The camaraderie among National Guardsmen is a feature McCauley expects to be present on battlefields for a long time to come.

However, he is quick to point out that politicians and the public alike should see a need to beef up the active-duty military.

"I think the Guard and Reserve should be a part of any national effort," McCauley said. "It has caused a lot of hardship for my men and their families, but it's our generation's turn."

McCauley said the 278th's return from Iraq near Christmas is possible, but things "can and do change." Whenever he and his soldiers return home, they'll be bringing a restored sense of appreciation for American life with them.

"Over there you have to drink mostly bottled water. Going to the rest room involves flip flops and a flashlight," McCauley said. "There are children that are tickled to death to get a pencil. To me, that's one of the silver linings. It's made me appreciate so many things."

The 278th's Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Squadron, is based in Kingsport. Additional local elements of the 2/278th that are deployed include: Detachment 1, Rogersville; Troop E, Newport; Troop F, Bristol; Troop G, Greeneville; and Company H, Erwin.

The 278th RCT consists of about 4,000 soldiers from five states, with more than 800 of those troops from East Tennessee's 2nd Squadron.

Story Copyright to Kingsport Times-News