Donated Filters Purify Village Water

U.S. Army 1st Lt. James Teeter, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, gives a water filter to an Iraqi woman in the village of al-Tameem, Sept. 21. Photo by Sgt. Joshua Risner, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.

U.S., Iraqi Forces Work to Open New Schools in Iraq

Marine Corps Col. Matthew Lopez introduces the Karmah education inspector to Army Col. Mark Stammer at the opening of the Karmah School for Girls in Karmah, Iraq, Sept. 9, 2009. Stammer’s brigade of paratroopers will continue the Marines’ partnerships with Iraqi security forces, sheiks, and local and provincial officials to ensure that school and water projects continue. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Michael J. MacLeod

Salman Pak Humanitarian Mission

A young Iraqi girl grimaces as Spc. Jessica Velasquez, 82nd Airborne Division, uses an alcohol pad to disinfect the girl's deeply cut finger during a combined humanitarian assistance mission at the Gulgamesh Elementary School, Salman Pak, Sept. 13. Photo by Pvt. Jared N. Gehmann, 82nd Airborne Division.

Joint Security Patrol in Salman Pak

Spc. Jonathan "Tito" Taylor ,of Los Angeles, leans against a rock wall as an Iraqi girl overlooks his shoulder during a combined foot patrol, Sept. 13, in the town of Salman Pak, Iraq, located 30 miles southeast of Baghdad. Iraq army soldiers and Paratroopers assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad conducted these patrols frequently in order to deter any enemy activity in the area. Taylor is an infantryman assigned to Company B. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea


Spc. Nicholas King, of Nolensville, Tenn., looks down a neighborhood road during a combined foot patrol Sept. 13 in the town of Salman Pak, Iraq, located 30 miles southeast of Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted the presense patrol to address any concerns local residents may have and to assess the area's security. King is an infantryman assigned to the Company B, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea


An Iraqi army soldier uses a fire extinguisher to put out a fire after a local resident calls on the combined forces to help them put out an electrical fire on an unoccupied home during a combined foot patrol Sept. 13 in the town of Salman Pak, Iraq, located 30 miles southeast of Baghdad. The fire was contained and no one was injured. The homeowners were not inside when the fire sparked. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea


Capt. Dallas Cheatham, of Fayetteville, N.C., says farewell as he shakes hands with a community leader during a combined foot patrol, Sept. 13, in the town of Salman Pak, Iraq, located 30 miles southeast of Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted a presence patrol in a local neighborhood in order to assess any concerns the area's residents may have had. Cheatham serves as the commander of Company B, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea


A young Iraqi boy looks over a wall as Paratroopers assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad and their Iraqi army partners visit a local school, Sept. 13, in the town of Salman Pak, Iraq, located 30 miles southeast of Baghdad. Paratroopers and their Iraqi counterparts conducted a routine patrol in one of the town's neighborhoods in order to assess any concerns local residents had and to check on the area's security. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea


Paratroopers assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, inspect an abandoned car along side a neighborhood road during a combined foot patrol Sept 13 in the town of Salman Pak, Iraq, located 30 miles southeast of Baghdad. Paratroopers and their Iraqi counterparts conducted the routine patrol in order to assess any concerns local residents had and check on the area's security. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea


U.S. Army 1st Lt. Jeffrey Wismann, of Louisville, Ky., sits and speaks next to an Iraqi boy as his Iraqi army partners enter a nearby home during a combined foot patrol Sept. 13 in the town of Salman Pak, Iraq, located 30 miles southeast of Baghdad. Iraq army soldiers and Paratroopers assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad conducted the routine patrol in one of the town's neighborhoods in order to assess any concerns local residents had and to check on the area's security. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Alex Licea

History Tour

An Iraqi army officer speaks with U.S. Army Lt. Col. Michael Shinners, left, and U.S. Army Capt. Dallas Cheatham, right, about the history of the Taq-i-kisra Arch and the area that surrounds it, Aug. 5, 2009. Shinners is the deputy commander for the 82nd Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Cheatham is commander of the brigade’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Jared Gehman

82 Airborne Soldiers Stay Vigilant in Iraqi Suburbs

Army Staff Sgt. Richard Grimsley greets an Iraqi girl during a checkpoint in the Madain region outside eastern Baghdad, Aug. 19, 2009. Grimsley is a squad leader with the 82nd Airborne Division’s Troop A, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Pvt. Jared Gehmann

Restoration Planned for Ancient Arch

Spc. Ryan Ringi, a New York City native and 82nd Airborne Division infantryman, leads a security patrol toward the ancient Taq-i-kisra Arch in Salman Pak, Aug. 5. Photo by Pvt. Jared N. Gehmann, 82nd Airborne Division.

82nd Airborne Assumes Command in Eastern Afghanistan

U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines stand in formation saluting with their Afghan and coalition counterparts during a transfer-of-authority ceremony at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, June 3, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Michael Greenberger

Wounded Paratrooper Reunites with Unit at All American Week

Army Sgt. John Hoxie, of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment attends a reception following an award ceremony May 19, 2009, at Fort Bragg, N.C. Hoxie received the Bronze Star medal at the ceremony for his heroism while on a 2007 deployment to Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kissta M. Feldner

By Army Staff Sgt. Mike Pryor
Special to American Forces Press Service

FORT BRAGG, N.C., May 20, 2009 – Of all the people who gathered on a gray and rainy Monday morning to watch the 82nd Airborne Division kick off its annual All American Week celebration with a division cohesion run, perhaps no one faced more obstacles to be there than Army Sgt. John Hoxie.

Hoxie, 24, lost his left arm and leg to an improvised explosive device while serving with the 82nd in Iraq in 2007. For almost two years, he has been recovering from his wounds at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Silver Spring, Md. Despite his injuries, and the fact that he was only recently cleared to travel by his doctors, the Philippi, W.Va., native was determined take part in this year’s celebration.

The morning of the run, Hoxie watched the runners pass by from his motorized wheelchair. He showed little sign of the emotions that were running through him. It was only when paratroopers from his unit let out a cheer that Hoxie cracked a smile.

“I’m just glad to be here. It’s been a goal for a while,” he said. “Other people [at Walter Reed] are like, ‘I can’t wait to get out.’ But I can’t wait to get back.”

Hoxie’s battalion commander, Army Lt. Col. Patrick Hynes, said Hoxie is a role model for soldiers everywhere.

“After all his injuries and the rehabilitation he’s been through, he still wants nothing more than to be a part of the unit. That says it all about him and about the kind of unit he belongs to,” Hynes said.

Although All American Week was the first time Hoxie has been back to Fort Bragg since being injured, he never came off the rolls at his unit -- Company C, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. And Hoxie never stopped thinking of himself as a part of the team.

“I try to think of myself as just a regular soldier with a mission to do,” he said.

Hoxie was doing his mission on Aug. 20, 2007, on a combat foot patrol in Iraq, when he stepped on a pressure-activated explosive.

“It felt like time was moving really slow . . . I started to call out ‘IED!’ but it blew up,” he said.

Hoxie’s friend, Army Staff Sgt. Evan Mace, was the first person to reach him after the explosion.

“His leg was disintegrated, and his hand was missing,” Mace said.

Hoxie was evacuated to a hospital in Baghdad, where he was stabilized, and then transported back to the United States for treatment. At Walter Reed, he underwent a grueling series of surgeries, and had to make the agonizing decision to have his left hand amputated to be fitted with a prosthetic. Then the really hard work began – relearning how to do everyday tasks with two artificial limbs.

“It was like going back to being an 18-month-old again,” Hoxie said.

Previously simple tasks such as tying shoelaces or using a knife and fork took on new dimensions of difficulty.

“It’s times like that where it can be a little annoying,” Hoxie said with typical understatement.

Through it all, he never got discouraged, and never stopped thinking of himself as a member of the Airborne Infantry. He kept in regular contact with his unit, and focused on the goal of recovering from his injuries and returning as soon as possible to regular duty.

“You’ve got two choices. You can either lay down and quit, or you can stand up and fight through your problems and overcome them,” he said.

In April, Hoxie was able to walk upright with the use of canes, and he expects to be able to walk without any support in a few weeks. Throughout his struggle, Hoxie’s never-say-die attitude has been an inspiration for his fellow paratroopers.

“He’s just a great soldier,” Mace said.

The emotional highlight of Hoxie’s return to Fort Bragg came yesterday when he was awarded the Bronze Star by his brigade commander in front of his unit.

As sweet as that moment was, Hoxie has his eyes set on another milestone – he wants to be able to run with his unit during next year’s All American Week division run.

“That’s my goal for next year,” he said.

Two and a Half Men

U.S. Army Capt. Clay White talks to an Iraqi Police officer as he carries an Iraqi child wearing a police uniform following a school supply distribution in eastern Baghdad, April 1, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alex Licea.

Combined Ops

Soldiers with Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, currently attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, board a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter after completing an operation on Feb. 3 in the Hussaniyah Nahia. The combined air assault operation was conducted with members of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi National Police division. Photo by Sgt. Brad Willeford.

82nd Airborne Steps Up Baghdad Security

By Sgt. Mike Pryor
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division

BAGHDAD — The 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team arrived in Baghdad last week as part of the first wave of a planned escalation of forces in Iraq's capital city.

The paratroopers from the 2nd "Falcon" Brigade, who had been based in Kuwait as a ready reserve since early January, are to be followed over the next several months by four more combat brigades, bolstering U.S. forces in Baghdad by approximately 20,000 Soldiers. The increase in troops is designed to help clamp down on violence in the city and pave the way for the Iraqi government to assume full control of Baghdad's security.

The 2nd BCT will be organized under the Multi-National Division - Baghdad, headed by the 1st Cavalry Division. The brigade will conduct operations in conjunction with the Iraqi security forces. As part of its mission, the Falcons will send paratroopers into some of Baghdad's most volatile areas to pursue a "clear, hold and build" strategy against insurgents.
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(Photo: Soldiers from 82nd Airborne Division arrive in Baghdad to help secure the city. Official Department of Defense photo.)

82nd Airborne Battalion Arrives

FOB LOYALTY — A battalion-sized element of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division arrived here by helicopter over the past week, nearly doubling the base population.

The soldiers — from the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment out of Fort Bragg, N.C. — are part of the increase of 21,500 U.S. troops ordered by President Bush in early January. The extra troops, whose tour is open-ended, are to help Iraqi forces quell violence in their country, particularly in Baghdad.

Roughly half of the battalion will stay at FOB Loyalty, while the others will move to FOB Rustamiyah, a much larger U.S. outpost about four miles down the road, said Maj. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the 2nd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team. The 2nd BCT is in charge of the East Baghdad area, including the two bases.
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(Photo: Pvt. Jonathan Duque, 20, of Houston, a member of Company D of the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, sweeps the Kuwait dust out the inside of his Humvee at Forward Operating Base Loyalty in Baghdad, Iraq. Duque and the rest of the 82nd Airborne battalion, have arrived in Iraq this week as part of the increase of 21,000 troops ordered earlier this month.)