TAJI, Iraq - Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldiers and their Iraqi counterparts have been hitting the streets to maintain security in Taji market, one of the busiest sectors of the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team's area of operations, north of Baghdad.
The market is a lynchpin in the security effort there because it's where the lives of locals intertwine.
"Being the main market area, that's the economy," said 1st Lt. Joshua Fox, a platoon leader with Company C, 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, after a May 4 patrol through the market.
"Everybody in the area is linked to the market," Fox added. "They work there or they buy there."
The market is in the area of operations of Guard Soldiers stationed at Joint Security Station Hor Al Bosh. Patrolling Soldiers regularly talk to shopkeepers and with Iraqi security forces manning checkpoints. Fox said his Soldiers incorporate as many Iraqi police as are available on a given day into their patrols.
Staff Sgt. Corey Bukousky said his Soldiers have gotten to know the market "like the back of their hand." He and Fox said Soldiers on patrol are always on the lookout for signs of security threats.
"It's one of those places that could turn into a bad place," Bukousky said. "That is one particular place where something could happen very easily."
Bukousky said the company conducts an "above average" amount of missions but said leaders also consider wear and tear on Soldiers in their planning.
"We do a lot of localized patrols," said Fox, whose Soldiers put in many hours each day patrolling the area. "We're still infantry; that's how we operate. To defeat the enemy, you have to beat the streets."
During missions like the one in Taji market, the infantry Soldiers use their Stryker vehicles for overwatch, screening of dismounted patrols and resupply as well as for the possibility of casualty evacuation.
"Strykers are an extremely useful platform," Fox said. "It's definitely a great asset."
Prior to the movement through the market May 4, Soldiers participating in the patrol pulled security at the Iraqi police station in Taji as company leaders met briefly with a local leader. Bukousky said his Soldiers see that assignment as a necessary albeit sometimes boring task.
"We know and everybody knows the meetings [with local leaders] are a good thing," Bukousky said. "We're there for security. That mission's not a big favorite but we understand its importance."