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This Sunday, the CBS news program 60 Minutes will dedicate its entire one-hour show to Iowa National Guard soldiers and their families.
The program, "Fathers, Sons, and Brothers" will air at 6 p.m. (Iowa time) on CBS affiliates. The Iowa Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry (The Ironman Battalion) -- the unit that includes Iowa state Rep. Ray Zirkelbach -- and their families here in Iowa are followed from initial alert to the present, nearly 24 total months.
The relationship between the TV news program and the Iowa Guard was formed, according to Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood, in summer 2004 when 60 Minutes did a report on three of the nation's fallen, who included Iowa National Guard member Bruce Smith. The helicopter pilot and instructor had lost his life the previous November when his Chinook, which carried roughly 40 soldiers, was hit by enemy fire. In the subsequent crash-landing, 16 soldiers lost their lives, but 20 survived.
"We worked with them as they put together the piece with Bruce Smith and had a good relationship," Hapgood said. "We were pleased with how the final piece came out, feeling it was very balanced, and that paved the way for us to be more comfortable about this more long-term piece."
CBS, knowing it wanted to follow a battalion-sized unit and family back home, approached the National Guard in several states to see what might be available and who might be willing.
"It was approximately two years ago when they first came to us to see if we had units of a certain size and if we could work together on something like this," Hapgood said. "After learning of the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry they met with a number of soldiers and families to make a rough decision as to which story lines would be followed."
Given the title of the piece, the focus isn't difficult to figure out.
"There are probably 18 different families that have multiple family members serving," he explained. "You have lots of relationships there -- fathers and sons, brothers, nephews, cousins. We also have the very unusual circumstance of having one husband-and-wife couple serving."
In general, it is unusual to have women serving in the infantry since federal law and internal policies limit the roles women can play in combat situations.
The unit was alerted in July 2005 to serve as a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the global war on terrorism. They reported to Camp Shelby, Miss., in September 2005 before leaving for Iraq the following April. In January 2007, the Department of Defense extended their deployment for up to 125 days, or through August 2007.
There have been two major items of note about the unit in the local press: Zirkelbach's service and two fallen soldiers. While Hapgood admits he has not seen the final product, he says, because of the focus of the piece and based on questions asked of him, he does not believe either will be a big presence in the news report.
Because of the deployment and extension of duty, Zirkelbach - who was first elected in 2004 and won re-election in 2006 (unopposed) - has missed the 2006 and 2007 legislative sessions. He was the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee from 2004 to 2006. He is the only state representative deployed to Iraq. A corrections officer at Anamosa State Penitentiary and a member of AFSCME Local 2994, he represents Jones County and a portion of Dubuque County.
In September 2006, two members of the group - Staff Sgt. Scott E. Nisely, 48, of Marshalltown and Spc. Kampha B. Sourivong, 20, of Iowa City - lost their lives during combat operations near Al Asad, Iraq.
"We were honored by 60 Minutes - one of the preeminent news organizations in the world - wanting to follow our Iowa National Guard soldiers," said Hapgood. "We hope it will help provide an understanding of how deployment affects our soldiers and their families and even our communities. We hope that will lead to greater support for our military and their families."
The 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry includes units located in Waterloo (Headquarters and Headquarters Company as well as Detachment 1 of Company B), Dubuque (Companies A and D), Oelwein (Company B), Iowa Falls (Company C), and Charles City (Detachment 1 of Headquarters and Headquarters Company). Approximately 560 soldiers from 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry are on this deployment, with an additional 130 soldiers from Company E, 334th Brigade Support Battalion (Waterloo and Dubuque) providing logistical support.
The Ironmen Battalion's core mission is to conduct close combat with enemy forces and provide security of key terrain, facilities and installations.
Comments (1)
Women Soldiers and Families Deserve Recognition
On Sunday, May 28, CBS devoted its news show “60 Minutes” to a story about American soldiers in Iraq: Fathers, Sons and Brothers. Reporter Scott Pelley has followed the 1st Battalion of the 133rd Infantry of the Iowa National Guard since the soldiers learned of their deployment in July 2005.
No doubt, it is an honor to be featured by 60 Minutes, one of the country’s preeminent news shows. Following the Iowa National Guard soldiers helps civilians at home understand how deployment affects the soldiers, their families and their entire communities. These soldiers deserve the honor and then some. Since arriving in Iraq, the Iowa Guard has run over 300 missions and covered 2.5 million miles. Two have been killed in action and 25 wounded.
But Fathers, Sons and Brothers - how offensive. My sister, a Naval Reserve from Madrid, Iowa, and thousands of other Mothers, Daughters and Sisters are serving in the military, and, like her, many of them are in Iraq. They've left behind husbands, children, elderly parents and siblings, and in doing so have ripped the very fabric of their communities apart.
According to the report, the "men of the 1st Battalion drew one of the most critical missions in the war": escorting the convoys that deliver supplies to the American troops. Nearly 350,000 women are serving in the U.S. military today, which is about 15 percent of active duty personnel. Ten percent of American troops in Iraq are women. As of May 28, 2007, 80 female soldiers have been killed in Iraq. Yet the only woman mentioned in the “60 Minutes” story was a member of an “unusual” husband and wife team.
Throughout American history, women have served as support personnel, soldiers and spies. Women gained an official role in the U.S. military with the formation of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901 and Navy Nurse Corps in 1908. The first women to enlist in the U.S. military joined the Navy during World War I.
It's a real shame that the reporting was so gender-biased, because it was otherwise an in-depth, heartfelt look at the lives of soldiers in Iraq and their families, and the devastating effects of the Bush Administration's misguided troop-surge, stop-loss policies. Notably, although they were scheduled to come home this spring, the 1st Battalion is still serving in Iraq, having had their tour of duty extended an extra 125 days.
If 60 Minutes or any other new show were to do a story on the effects on women soldiers and their families, they would find equivalent hardships along with equivalent strength, wisdom, good humor, leadership and esprit de corps. And yes, they would find the same disillusionment and frustration with this war, in particular, and war in general.
From a Heartsick Sister in the Heartland
Posted by Sandi Zellmer | May 29, 2007 10:24 AM
Posted on May 29, 2007 10:24