The recent deployment of Stryker companies from our region made up the largest deployment of National Guard troops in Pennsylvania since World War II. After they returned from Iraq, we sat down with several soldiers to find out what it was like over there. The biggest danger for soldiers in Iraq are road side bombs or ied's. Strykers use an attachment to sift through roadside debris. Other soldiers used metal detectors to find explosives, weapons and ammunition. That's what SSg Michael Smith did. And he was very good at it. Bravo company found more buried weapons and ammunition than any other Stryker company in Iraq. The 8 wheeled Stryker is an imposing sight. The company comander says the offensive and defensive power, high tech communication and camera systems made the soldiers feel secure. Capt. Hoffman says enemy Iraqi's were afraid to attack the intimidating Stryker vehicles. That kept casulties and injuries low. But so did working with the locals through iraqi interpreters. The soldiers made lasting friendships with those interpreters. The most fulfilling thing for 1st Sgt Jim Buchanan in Iraq was seeing his soldiers work together as a team after just 2 months of training. The company commander says what made the National Guard Strykers so effective is that they are citizen soldiers with diverse backgrounds. While there, the Strykers helped train Iraqi security forces. These soldiers hope to be home for 4 years before they cycle back to a war zone. They say, remembering the friends they lost, will be a lifetime mission. Stryker, and Specialist Chad Edmondson of Williamsburg was killed by a roadside bomb on may 26th. Bravo company soldiers wear a bracelet in his memory.
If you'd like to watch the video clips that the military has available on it's Divids web site, click here.