Rugged obstacles challenge troops from Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade
MANAGAI MARKESS, Afghanistan - There are worse places to be in a war than Afghanistan.
The wars in Iraq, Somalia and the western Sudanese region of Darfur, for example, are waged against backdrops that are both parched and apocalyptic.
But that is not the case with the northeastern corridor [...]

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VICENZA, Italy - Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Dean Blaskowski and Spc. Matthew Donald Taylor were born six years apart in different states.But the two soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, who died less than three days apart in Afghanistan, were both remembered in a memorial ceremony Wednesday at Caserma Ederle.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Stevan [...]

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SCHWEINFURT, Germany — Before Staff Sgt. William R. Fritsche headed out on his first mission as a squad leader, Capt. Joey Hutto posed a simple question to the 23-year-old: “Are you ready?”Fritsche was quick to answer.
“I have spent the past five years waiting for this moment,” Fritsche said. “I am fully prepared.”
Maj. Thomas G. Bostick [...]

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Dusk firefight at Afghanistan base leaves one wounded
FIRE BASE PHOENIX, Afghanistan — The firefight lasted an hour, and by the end, thankfully only one man was wounded.
Just before 8 p.m. Sunday, 24 men from the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment’s Company B, Spartan Platoon were hit hard from multiple locations by sniper, small-arms [...]

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By Spc. Jon H. Arguello, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, July 9, 2007 – It’s been almost 18 months since 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade [...]

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By Kent Harris, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, May 30, 2007
With very little fanfare, the last soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade have left Vicenza, Italy, to begin their deployment in Afghanistan.
Lt. Col. Todd Johnston, the brigade’s rear detachment commander, said Tuesday that some 3,400 troops had left bases in Vicenza, and Schweinfurt and Bamberg [...]

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American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2007 – The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, located in Vicenza, Italy, will deploy to Afghanistan this spring, DoD officials announced today. This Army brigade combat team previously was scheduled to deploy for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On the recommendation of commanders on the ground, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates approved [...]

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By Kent Harris, Stars and StripesMideast edition, Thursday, February 15, 2007

The 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team will be heading downrange a little earlier than expected. And instead of going to Iraq, the Sky Soldiers will be heading back to Afghanistan in the spring.
The announcement Wednesday from U.S. Army Europe contrasted with a January announcement [...]

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Soldiers aware of possible move to Iraq in June
By Mark St.Clair and Kent Harris, Stars and StripesMideast edition, Thursday, January 11, 2007

BAMBERG, Germany — It’s been nearly two months since Pentagon officials announced that the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team would be one of several units headed to Iraq sometime in 2007.
Since then, [...]

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