Winnsboro, Texas, native Spc. Caleb Barrett, a UH-60 Black Hawk crew chief for Company C, 3rd “Spearhead” Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, scans the ground for danger while flying through the skies of Baghdad. Spearhead, a Black Hawk battalion, supports the effort in Iraq with multiple missions including air assaults and Soldier transportation. Recently, 3-227th has worked around the clock to provide support to the search for the missing Soldiers south of the Iraqi capital. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Kitchens, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade.

Although the 2nd Brigade Combat Team “Commandos,” 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) troops are sometimes trucking supplies out to their brothers and sisters in arms, they mainly rely on the 1st “Warriors” Air Cavalry Brigade’s aerial assets to get the job done, said Staff Sgt. Darren Larson, a brigade supply noncommissioned officer for 2-10th Mountain.

“I know everybody down range really appreciates everything (1st ACB) is doing. We couldn’t have done it without (them),” he said. “(They’re) probably, by far, one of the biggest assets we have.”

From sling-loading supplies to carrying them internally, the Warrior air crews make sure their comrades have everything they need to continue their search for the missing Soldiers, said Capt. Pat Patrino, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot and commander of Company B, 3rd “Spearhead” Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment.

“We’re doing raids on targets, insertions, extractions, re-supplies, emergency re-supplies and troop movement,” Patrino said.  Pretty much anything they ask us to do, we do it.

The Commando Soldiers support 1st ACB by getting the supplies ready for transport from Company A, 210th Brigade Support Battalion. They understand working quickly and effectively with their aerial partners is critical to keeping the mission going, said Capt. Anita Trepanier, commander of Company A, 210th BSB.

“Our mission, right now, is to support the troops that are on the ground trying to find our fellow comrades with logistics support,” she said.

“I never thought in a million years that something like this would happen to us,” said Capt. Don Jamoles, former commander of D Co., current commander of Headquarters Co. 4-31, referring to his former Soldiers as still a part of him.

Everyday Jamoles hopes the Soldiers will be found.

Soldiers continue to fight rising temperatures, walk over uneven land, keep a vigilant watch for IEDs, sift through reeds taller than themselves and wade through canals in hopes of finding their brothers.

While the task of finding the Soldiers can become frustrating at times, Command Sgt. Maj. Alex Jimenez, sergeant major of the 4-31, remains hopeful that they will succeed. 

“We will continue searching for our Soldiers and doing whatever we can to find them – we will not leave them,” Jimenez said.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases)

In other developments throughout Iraq:

•           Approximately 45 local sheiks met with Diyala provincial leadership in Baqouba, Iraq, to discuss their tribe’s concerns, reconcile grievances and discover solutions to rid terrorism from the province, May 23.

•           Coalition forces detained 15 suspected terrorists and destroyed a cache of explosives during operations Thursday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq.