Gimlet Photos / Stories of our Brothers in Iraq 2008
and 2011 Afghanistan
Dec. 2008 Iraq
Merry Christmas!  I apologize for not sending you an update sooner.  The
Gimlets are doing great and still taking the fight to the enemy after 13
months.  We will continue our mission and finish strong in mid-February.
Many accolades for the battalion -- all are result of that hard work by
many great Gimlet Soldiers and Leaders. 

I have enclosed a few pics of CSM Pete Roethke (in Santa suit) and me
during our patrol on Christmas Day.  We also had the MNF-I (senior
general in all of Iraq) General Odierno visit us
(he is the one in the 4-star Santa hat).

I'll send another update in a few weeks...until then, have a Happy New
Year and as always, Duty and Bore Brother Bore!

V/r,
Gimlet 6
Diaz, Mario LTC 1-21 IN BN CDR


This is the e-mail I received from the 1-21 IN CO today.
Date line, 2/20/2009
 



Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Ron ,
Thank you for the notes and well wishes over the past 15-months and especially during the past couple of weeks after a minor attack/incident on my Stryker.  I am doing fine with no issues or injuries that were of any substance.  We are in the final days of our mission here and will soon transfer authority for the Abu Ghraib Qada (roughly equal to a lager county).  I have over 450 Soldiers already back in Hawaii or in transit, with the remaining Soldiers traveling with me in the next few days.  I will maintain my  email address; however, I will (thankfully) be away from a computer for about the next 3-5 days. I look forward to re-connecting to you all of you soon.  During the last 15-months, all here dedicated our energy to the mission and did a poor job at maintaining communications with friends and family. Thanks for your patience and understanding.  I tried to keep Shawn and the girls updated, but admittedly, I even did a poor job and keeping my closest loved ones updated. 



All of the 915 Soldiers under my command performed their mission with honor and distinction.  Fighting a complex counter-insurgency against multiple threat groups required my Soldiers to think and fight daily while showing a level of compassion and restraint that our enemies would not or could not match.  Consequently, we made significant gains in this former Al Qaida and insurgent stronghold and definitely left the area much safer with a brighter prospect for enduing stability.  Time will tell.  One thing that is for certain, my Soldiers… America ’s Soldiers did their duty in Abu Ghraib from Dec 2007 until Feb 2009.  We are all anxious to see our families, visit our wounded brothers, and will never forget our fallen comrades and their families. Please remember all of them in your thoughts and prayers.



Sincerely,

Mario

______________________

LTC Mario A. Diaz

Commander, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry

Stryker Task Force Gimlet

Abu Ghraib, Iraq


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Gimlet Photos of our Brothers in Afghanistan 2011
Attached are some photos of the Battalions uncasing ceremony that occurred this morning at FOB Zangabad, Panjwa'i District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
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Chaplain (Cpt.) Mark Olsen offers a final prayer at the memorial for two Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, Gimlets at FOB Zangabad, Afghanistan, 20 July.