1-7 Cav keeps eyes, ears open

By Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell , MND-B PAOAugust 5, 2009

1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
BAGHDAD - Cpl. Ivan Ibabao, a cavalry scout from Houston, assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, takes notes while talking to local community members as an Iraqi child looks on during a joint ni...
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – BAGHDAD - Cpl. Ivan Ibabao, a cavalry scout from Houston, assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, takes notes while talking to local community members as an Iraqi child looks on during a joint ni... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
BAGHDAD - Staff Sgt. Michael Waddell, a section sergeant from Lakeland, Fla., assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, patrols the small town of Subak Sur, here, with Iraqi Federal Police Aug. 3. ...
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – BAGHDAD - Staff Sgt. Michael Waddell, a section sergeant from Lakeland, Fla., assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, patrols the small town of Subak Sur, here, with Iraqi Federal Police Aug. 3. ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
BAGHDAD - A platoon leader, 1st Lt. Mike Olvera, assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, talks to Iraqi shop owners to assess if they qualify for a micro-grant during a night patrol of Subak Sur,...
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – BAGHDAD - A platoon leader, 1st Lt. Mike Olvera, assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, talks to Iraqi shop owners to assess if they qualify for a micro-grant during a night patrol of Subak Sur,... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
BAGHDAD - In order to clear an abandoned building, Cpl. Ivan Ibabao a cavalry scout, assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, quickly turns on his flashlight and scans the area for enemy activity ...
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – BAGHDAD - In order to clear an abandoned building, Cpl. Ivan Ibabao a cavalry scout, assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, quickly turns on his flashlight and scans the area for enemy activity ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

BAGHDAD - "Alright fellas," a voice crackled on the radio. "Keep yer eyes open." Under the cover of darkness, a convoy of Iraqi Federal Police and cavalry scouts bumped along dusty roads on their way to Subak Sur, a small, but strategically important town on the outskirts of northeast Baghdad.

"This area is a logistics stopover and planning area for stockpiling and making improvised explosive devices coming from [outside of Iraq] and down into Baghdad," said 1st Lt. Mike Olvera, a platoon leader assigned to 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cav. Division. It was the first time since the June 30 Security Agreement that troops have patrolled the area. That's one reason why they arrived at night.

"At night, it prohibits insurgents from looking at us from a distance," explained Cpl. Ivan Ibabao, a cavalry scout also assigned to 1st Sqdrn., 7th Cav. Regt., 1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. "They have to come to us and of course we own the night...If they're going to try to move, we're going to catch them."

"At night we can keep a smaller signature; we're not stirring up too much commotion," said Olvera, a native of San Benito, Texas.

As the vehicles switched off their lights and pulled up to the edge of the town, the Americans and Iraqis dismounted with vigilant eyes and weapons at the ready.

"Yeah, bad things happen at night, but we know the terrain and we have a tactical advantage," Olvera added.

The commander of 4th Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade Iraqi Federal Police, 1st Lt. Arkan Jamil Rasheed, agreed with his American counterpart.

"We go out tonight because most crimes happen at night and we patrol every night because of this," he said.

Not only does it deter crime in the area when U.S. forces work with their Iraqi Security Force partners, but when the people in the community see them working together, side-by-side, they feel safer, added Arkan.

"Doing these patrols also legitimizes the Federal Police force. We work with them and things get accomplished," said Olvera, recognizing the need for teamwork.

As Ibabao passed a dark alleyway, something moved. Without hesitation, he pointed his weapon and flipped his flashlight on revealing a shocked dog. An Iraqi federal policeman shadowing the Soldier mimicked his every move and also raised his weapon toward the dog.

"Everything that I looked into, he looked into. He was pretty much on my shoulder," said Ibabao of the Federal Police officer following him. "Instead of asking for our things like before, now they're asking us for our techniques. We're giving them stuff out of our handbooks."

The Soldiers are also giving them tips on how to win over the trust of the people in the community by checking up on businesses and talking with children, added Olvera as a young boy ran up to the Soldiers.

"That kid had a hurt foot. We tended to it a while back and they remember us. Did you see how he ran up to us even though we haven't been in the area in a little while'" said Olvera with a smile on his face.

"If they see genuine interest, and it has to be genuine, then they'll give you their trust," Olvera added. "We're not going to get anything done in this town if they don't trust us."

"Getting the trust of the people is like being the polygraph and getting the feel of the community," continued Ibabao, who's on his third tour to Baghdad. "We're always on the beat; we're always interacting with them."

Talking to the people in the community helps the Soldiers and policemen gather information about insurgents and other criminal activities going on in the area, explained Ibabao, a native of Houston.

"We're the eyes and ears," said Ibabao. "Being able to gather information from the ground, we're able to get the big picture."

After talking with several community members, some shop owners that were working late and securing three more potential micro-grant businesses, it was time to return to the vehicles. As the dark humvees slowly turned the corner, the street cleared out except for a lone figure. The little boy with a hurt foot stood on the street smiling and waving frantically as the vehicles disappeared in a cloud of dust into the night.