'Brothers at War' Filmmaker, Producer at Columbus Opening

In this 2008 photo provided by Samuel Goldwyn Films, brothers, from left, Isaac, Jake and Joe Rademacher pose in Decatur, Ill. Jake followed his two younger brothers to Iraq, filming them and their comrades for a film "Brothers at War," that will open in military towns in North Carolina and Georgia. (AP Photo/Samuel Goldwyn Films, Amy Denney) - AP

Jake Rademacher finally got to go to war.

It wasn't the way he had hoped – his childhood dream to attend West Point was dashed when poor eyesight kept him out. Instead, he followed two younger brothers to Iraq, filming them and their comrades for a film "Brothers at War," that opens this weekend in military towns in North Carolina and Georgia.

"My curiosity was more than intellectual," Jake said. "I had a personal reason to know what my brothers were going through..." Another filmmaker who hadn't wanted to go to West Point might not have been as interested in going to a war zone.

"Wanting to be a soldier played into my willingness to go to the edge of the fight and be there when the bullets were flying by my camera. ... and bring the audience with me."

The movie intertwines the story of the three brothers and other family members, along with soldiers at war and families at home. The film's inside, personal look at the battlefield and the homefront attracted the attention of actor Gary Sinise, who helped find distribution for the movie and eventually became its executive producer.

"This is a brother who wants to know about his own brothers. That gives it a heart," said Sinise, who last year received the Presidential Citizens Medal. The medal recognizes U.S. citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for the nation. He was recognized for his work with the USO and with a group he co-founded, Operation Iraqi Children.

"You watch this young filmmaker go from somebody who doesn't know what he's getting himself into into someone who learns a helluva lot about his brothers, who gets to know them better than he did before and by doing that, gets to know a lot about himself."

Jake, 33, is the oldest of five brothers and two sisters who grew up in Decatur, Ill. He went to Iraq in 2005 and 2006, before the surge and, over time, embedded with four combat units.

One revealing scene occurs between U.S. snipers as they wait for insurgents to emerge. The two men talk about whether flowers are an appropriate Christmas gift for a girlfriend – one says yes, one says no – and a teddy bear that one bought for his girl, with her name on the front and soccer number on the back.

On his first visit, he was stationed with his brother, now-Maj. Isaac Rademacher. But that assignment, which consisted of hanging out for days with reconnaissance troops near the Syrian border, drew the disdain of his other brother, Staff Sgt. Joe Rademacher, a sniper who didn't think Jake had experienced the realities of war.

Joe so repudiated Jake's experience that he declined to hug Jake when Jake returned from his first trip to Iraq. It's one of the more excruciating scenes in "Brothers at War," when Jake jumps on Joe, and Joe backs away.

So Jake took up his brother's challenge and returned to Iraq, this time to the Sunni Triangle, at one point being shot at as he filmed and narrowly avoiding a roadside bomb that injured two Iraqi officers.

Joe, 23, "felt like I hadn't gone deep enough into the experience," Jake said. "I hadn't been in a sniper hide site ... things so important to his experience. It was a surprise to me that my little brother rejected my experience when I came home."

Isaac supported his brother's endeavor from the start, knowing how badly Jake had wanted to be a soldier.

"It did hurt his ego when I got in" West Point, said Isaac, 32, who recently was promoted to major and now is the operations officer for an armored cavalry squadron at Fort Bragg. "At the same time, he was happy for me. It's got to be hard to watch your younger brother succeed at something you tried to and it just didn't happen."

While he made the movie to teach civilians about war, Jake said soldiers and their families tell him it's helped them as well because it's allowed the troops to open up about their experiences.

The movie "illustrates and captures what it's like to be a soldier in Iraq," Isaac said. "A guy can sit there with his family and point at the screen and say there, that's almost exactly what I did over there. It gives you a start point to open that conversation."

On the 'Net: http://www.brothersatwarmovie.com/

Military troops deploy to Iraq

Another military unit from eastern Georgia is heading to Iraq. The troops left Fort Gordon near Augusta on Saturday. About 120 troops are part of the latest deployment. They’re joining about 550 of their fellow members of the 63^rd Signal Battalion already in Iraq. It’s the battalion’s third deployment in four years. That can be hard on troops and their families. Austin Webb serves with the battalion’s Company B. He’s 24 years old, and has been married four years. But he’s spent a total of nearly three years away from his wife, serving in Korea and once before in Iraq. “It’s basically getting old, having to leave and come, leave and come,” he said. “What makes it harder is that you don’t see the person you married. You see your job more than that person.” Webb’s battalion sets up and maintains communications equipment. Military officials say the troops will serve in Iraq for 15 months. For more information on Fort Gordon and the 63rd Signal Battalion, go to www.gordon.army.mil.

Georgia loses two soldiers in Iraq

A Macon Airman was killed in Iraq on Saturday. Airman First Class, Jason Nathan was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Tikrit, Iraq. He was just 22 years old and had been in Iraq since February. According to military officials he was serving as a gunner during a mission with Iraqi police as part of the 48th Security Forces Squadron out of Lakenheath, England.

Nathan graduated from Macon’s Central High School in 2003, and spent one semester at Fort Valley State University before joining the Air Force. His mother says he joined the military after being told he was too young to join the police force. According to his personal web page, when asked what’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you he responded, "Nothing, it’s all in God’s hands."

Nathan was not the only Georgian killed in recent days in Iraq. Marine Staff Sgt. Stephen Wilson of Atlanta was killed during his third deployment, as well as Sgt. First Class William Zapfe based at Fort Stewart. He died when his tank rolled over a roadside bomb.

US Iraq commander visits Ft. Benning

Petraeus and vets at wreath-laying ceremony.
(Dave Bender)

On a visit to Ft. Benning Friday afternoon, senior US Army commander in Iraq, Lt.-Gen. David Petraeus, paid tribute to the 555th "Triple Nickels" Battalion, at the unit's 65^th anniversary.

The 555th was the army's first all-African-American paratroop infantry unit.

Speaking before the 1:30 p.m. ceremony, Petraeus told GPB News that the unit helped further the goals of blacks in America:

“They've inspired generations of Americans; they stood in the door for their race, they broke down barriers, they made opportunities possible for future generations, and my admiration for them is flat-out enormous.”

After addressing the some 100 of the unit's vets and family, Petraeus laid a wreath at the unit's pedestal at the Paratroopers Walk.

Earlier, four paratroopers, trailing red smoke, para-glided down from a helicopter hovering above the crowd. The veterans cheered, "Hoo-ah," and applauded as each of the paratroopers touched down alongside the ceremony area.

Smoke jumpers landing next to Paratrooper's Walk.
Training jump towers are visible in background.
(Dave Bender)

Petraeus visited the Fryar Drop Zone to watch his son, Stephen, make his fifth and final jump as he graduates from Airborne School.

"I'd like to introduce our latest Airborne trooper," Petraeus said as his son, a 20-year-old member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Army ROTC program, beamed.

Petraeus and son, Stephen. (Dave Bender)

Stephen Petraeus said he's looking forward to his father's much-anticipated appearance before Congress on Monday.

"My dad is a jumpmaster and a master parachutist," he said. "I hardly think he's nervous about giving a speech."

Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington noted that Petraeus' address to vets did not mention recent events in Iraq, or his coming testimony on troop withdrawals from Iraq before Congress:

“I don't know why he didn't mention it today, but I'm sure that's on his mind, that's he's going to be answering a lot of questions in the next week or so."

(With the Associated Press)

Troops Return Home to New President

As Barack Obama began the first full day of his presidency, there was a homecoming for troops returning from Iraq.

About 80 troops from the army's 63rd Signal Battalion Company B came home early this morning. They reunited with family and friends in a gym at the Fort Gordon army base near Augusta, after serving in Iraq for 15 months.

These troops return home to a new president, one who wants to end the war. Obama has said he wants to pull troops out of Iraq during the next 16 months.

"I'm happy to have a new president, and I'm ready for change," said Sgt. Kimberly Miller, declined to say who she voted for. "Hopefully the deployments will slow down and all of our comrades will get home safely."

During their time in Iraq, Miller and her fellow troops maintained communications, such as internet and telephones, for the army.

Iraq: GA soldier gets posthumous promotion

Leslie and Army Spc. Josh Reeves.
(Courtesy Online Athens)

A soldier who was killed in Iraq the day after his wife gave birth to their son has received a posthumous promotion to corporal.

Corporal Joshua Reeves of Watkinsville was killed September 22 when an improvised bomb exploded near the 26-year-old's Humvee while on patrol in Baghdad.

His wife, Leslie, gave birth on September 21 to their son in Tennessee.

Army officials presented Reeves' parents with their son's Purple Heart and Bronze Star medals yesterday at Evergreen Memorial Park in Athens. Army officials said his promotion was in recognition of his service.

Reeves was assigned to the Second Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, part of the First Infantry Division's Fourth Brigade. The brigade has been in Iraq since February, part of the surge of 30,000 soldiers aimed at ending violence in Baghdad.

Click here for previous GPB coverage of this story, and of the war in Iraq.

(AP)

Isakson sees improvement in Iraq

In a conference call with reporters today, Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson praised the “remarkable progress” he witnessed in Iraq last weekend and said Georgian troops made a “significant investment” towards that success. Isakson confirmed reports by military leaders and President Bush that the surge of U.S. troops in Iraq over recent months is working. He also said the improved conditions are encouraging Iraqi political stability, but he urged Iraqi leaders to act quickly: “They have a window of opportunity. When that window closes if they haven’t moved forward, then everything they’ve got could dissipate very quickly.” Senator Isakson’s six day trip to the region included stops in Djibouti and Equatorial Guinea. He last visited Iraq in March 2006.

Two Georgia-based soldiers killed in Iraq

The Department of Defense on Tuesday announced the deaths of two soldiers in fighting in Iraq:

• Pfc. Timothy R. Hanson, 23, of Kenosha, Wis., died Jan. 7 in Salmon Pak, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Benning.
  
  
• Spc. James D. Gudridge, 20, of Carthage, N.Y., died Jan. 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Stewart.

Iraq: Ft. Benning soldier dies in firefight

Dillon (Image courtesy Army Special Operations Command)

A Ft. Benning soldier was killed in Iraq when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

Cpl. Benjamin Dillon, 22, died Sunday in northern Iraq, according to a military statement.

Dillon had been assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He enlisted in the Army during his senior year at Southeast High School in Ravenna, Ohio, about 30 miles southeast of Cleveland.

Dillon was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Medal. He is survived by his parents Terry and Linda Dillon, and brothers Nicholas and Steven all of Rootstown, Ohio.

Click on the links for more GPB News coverage of events in Iraq and at Ft. Benning.

(With the Associated Press)

Fort Stewart soldier killed in Iraq

The Defense Department announced a soldier from Northwest Georgia was killed in Iraq. Twenty-five year old William Allmon of Rome died Saturday in Baghdad when a bomb exploded near his vehicle.

Joining the Army in 2000, Allmon served as a combat engineer in 2nd Brigade at Fort Stewart. He was on his second deployment to Iraq.

His survivors include his wife, Jennifer Allmon, their three-year-old-son, and their stepson.

Fort Gordon troops on the way to Iraq

Another military unit from eastern Georgia has left for Iraq. About 120 troops are the latest deployment that left Fort Gordon on Saturday. They are joining about 550 of their fellow members of the 63rd signal battalion already on the ground in Iraq. It's the battalion's third deployment.

Two Northwest Georgia soliders die in Iraq

Memorial Day events this weekend will have a special meaning for many in the state. As of this week, the number of Georgians who have died in the war in Iraq topped one hundred.

Two of those soldiers who died this week had roots in Northwest Georgia.

Staff Sergeant Shannon Weaver and Sergeant Brian Ardron were killed Monday in southern Baghdad when multiple roadside bombs exploded near their vehicle.

28-year-old Weaver grew up in Cedartown in Polk County. He moved to Alabama when he was in high school and then to Missouri, where he joined the army. That's where he met his wife – they both went to Iraq in 2003.

32-year-old Ardron was from Acworth. He had grown up in Cobb County, and he had married the girl he met eight years ago while working in Wal-Mart.

The two soldiers didn't meet until they were stationed at Fort Richardson in Anchorage. Both men were paratroopers; Weaver was also a combat engineer.

Ardron leaves behind his wife and a six-month-old son.

Weaver leaves behind his wife. He will be buried in a small country graveyard outside of Cedartown.

Chambliss reports on Iraq

Georgia Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss is back from another visit to Iraq. He says he’s “guardedly optimistic” as to how things are going there.

Chambliss says he saw continued improvement in the situation on the ground. His delegation met with Iraqi political leaders, and saw what he believes to be good military progress. He said Iraqi leaders gave him assurances they are on the way to meeting “benchmarks” the U-S would like to achieve.

Chambliss says he also met with Georgia troops, and praised their work. He also relayed some of their concerns:
“they’re a little bit frustrated and somewhat confused by what’s happening in the political world in Washington relative to the issue with the supplemental budge….but at the end of the day these men and women know they’re there to do a job”.

This was the fifth trip to Iraq for Chambliss, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Ft. Benning unit deploying to Iraq, Kuwait

Nearly 70 soldiers from Fort Benning will deploy to Iraq this week. The deployment comes after four soldiers from the base were killed in fighting in Baghdad over the weekend.

Base Public Affairs Office spokesperson Elsie Jackson told GPB News the maintenance battalion soldiers would provide support and logistics for combat units in Iraq and Kuwait. Family members will see the troops off at the base's Lawson Army Airfield on Wednesday.

The Defense Department announced Tuesday that Iraqi insurgents killed three Ft. Benning troops in a roadside bombing and shooting attack on Saturday. A forth soldier was hit and killed from small-arms fire on Sunday. Both attacks took place in the Baghdad area.

21 troops from the base have been killed in the conflict this year.

Georgia loses 100th soldier in Iraq

An Army sergeant from Cobb County has been killed in Iraq. The Department of Defense says 32-year-old Sergeant Brian Ardron of Acworth was one of three soldiers who died Monday in Baghdad when explosive devices detonated their vehicle. The three were based at Fort Richardson, Alaska. Ardron is Georgia's 100th Iraq war fatality.

Belated memorial at Fort Stewart

Today Fort Stewart near Savannah unveiled a granite marker to honor a soldier who died of an illness contracted more than two years ago in Iraq. Private First Class Ryan D. Christensen on New Jersey died in November 2005. He was initially denied a memorial tree at Warriors Walk, where the Army's 3rd Infantry Division has honored its dead from Iraq since 2003. The Army at first denied him entry because the 24-year-old died from an infection rather than in combat. His mother lobbied the Army for nearly a year until Fort Stewart commanders changed their minds. Since the first trees were planted at Warriors Walk in April 2003, the memorial grove has grown to include 381 trees -- one for each soldier from the 3rd Infantry and affiliated units killed in Iraq.

Soldier Funeral

By Mike Savage

WPPR Demorest

The funeral of a Northeast Georgia soldier killed in the line of duty in Iraq will be held this afternoon.

25-year old Jason Harkins was killed along with five other servicemen May sixth after their military vehicle struck a roadside bomb near Baqouba.

While in Iraq, Harkins exchanged a few letters with Pastor Alan Morris of Concord Baptist Church in Clermont. In one letter, Morris says Harkins wrote, "you’ve called me a hero, we don’t see ourselves as heroes...we are just ordinary people called on to do extraordinary things.”

Once, Harkins reportedly entered the line of fire and pulled a soldier to safety. He also had a bullet lodged in his helmet during a shootout with Iraqi insurgents. For his heroism, the Army has told the family Harkins will receive the military’s Bronze star for valor.

The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. at Concord Baptist Church. The White County Chamber of Commerce has asked local businesses to close for an hour at 2:45 p.m. to allow employees to pay public tribute as a the procession makes the 11 mile trip to a Cleveland Cemetery.

Harkins is believed to be the first White County resident to be killed in the Iraq war.

Columbus Marine killed in Iraq

Cpl. John C. Tanner, 21, of Columbus, Ga., died August 29th in combat in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

Tanner was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, at Camp Pendleton, Calif., according to a Department of Defense statement released Thursday.

At least 3,735 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, as of Thursday, August 30th, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians.

At least 3,058 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. The AP count is three higher than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT.

(With the Associated Press)

Georgia soldier from Watkinsville dies in Iraq

Another soldier from Georgia has died in Iraq. The Pentagon says 22-year-old Joshua Reeves of Watkinsville was killed over the weekend when a bomb exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad. It was Reeves’ first deployment to Iraq. He entered the Army in February 2005, and was based at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Two Georgia soldiers fall in Iraq

Two Georgia soldiers have been killed in Iraq. They are 19-year-old Private First Class Ryen King of Bowersville and 22-year-old Sergeant Randell T. Marshall of Fitzgerald. They died Monday when a suicide bomber attacked their outpost in Diyala. Private First Class King is the second member of the 2005 class of Franklin County High School to be killed in Iraq in six months.