Commander's Update, July 8, 2009
1st Battalion, 12th United States Cavalry Regiment
Michael Fadden, LTC Commanding Officer

Charger Families & Friends,

July is upon us and with it comes constant heat, sandstorms, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of Iraq. Also, we've moved well past the midway mark for the deployment as the countdown begins earnest for December and our return to Fort Hood.

As mentioned, great changes occurred in Iraq on 30 June 2009 with the full implementation of the Security Agreement. Most notable change is the movement of combat forces out of the cities. This has had great effect on most of the brigade, but much less effect of our battalion since we do not operate in the cities. This is a monumental step in Iraqi security forces taking over the responsibilities for securing their sovereign nation. Although this has indelibly change how the brigade operates in Mosul, it has had limited impact on our operations in Southern Ninewah as we continue to operate in a very similar manner as before, June 30th.
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At the midway point, I also want to stress what tremendous work everyone in the battalion has been doing on a daily, non-stop basis. You can be rightly proud of the efforts by all in providing a secure environment for the population in Ninewah and the constant improvements made to the local infrastructure.

Also, during the past two months, we have had considerable change within the battalion as part of the normal rotation of company leadership. We welcome the new company leaders