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Interview with MAJ William Jacobs

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From March 2003 through April 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Major William "Jake" Jacobs initially commanded Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry - part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade - and then changed command in country and took over the long range surveillance (LRS) company for V Corps, namely Echo Company, 51st Infantry Regiment (Airborne). In this interview, he begins by telling of his high adventures jumping into northern Iraq. "You're going into northern Iraq, you're going to be in the mountains, and we assumed that it would be somewhat dry. But the mud was anywhere from ankle to knee deep, and in some places waist-to-chest deep. As a matter of fact," recalled Jacobs, "I landed in a cesspool and almost drowned there. It was armpit deep. It took me about 45 minutes to swim out of it." Jacobs then goes on to discuss the seizure of three airfields, the mounted armed reconnaissances his company conducted along the Green Line, as well as a variety of smaller missions - such as policing up weapons caches - and acting in a sense as a mayor or police chief in southeastern Kirkuk, an area he describes as akin to the Wild West. In July, Jacobs moved down to Balad and took over the LRS company, and in this capacity conducted long range reconnaissance missions and counterinsurgency operations: everything from ambushes to counter IED, counter mortar and counter ambush missions. Speaking of counter mortar ops in particular, Jacobs observes that, "You can send a regular infantry squad out to do it, but they're not going to be as successful as a group of guys who have trained to hide and sneak around and know how to hunt other human beings." Indeed, he added, "We killed more people than smallpox." Jacobs also discusses infiltration techniques in general terms and describes the vast area in which his LRS company operated. In closing, he offers the following advice and assessment of his OIF tour: "I never had a guy die from his wounds, didn't have anybody go TU on me when the going got tough, and never had a bad guy that popped up in front of us who didn't go down fast. That's the best way to do it. Be safe, know your first aid and be able to shoot. Life's good."

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From March 2003 through April 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Major William "Jake" Jacobs initially commanded Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Infantry - part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade - and then changed command in country and took over the long range surveillance (LRS) company for V Corps, namely Echo Company, 51st Infantry Regiment (Airborne). In this interview, he begins by telling of his high adventures jumping into northern Iraq. "You're going into northern Iraq, you're going to be in the mountains, and we assumed that it would be somewhat dry. But the mud was anywhere from ankle to knee deep, and in some places waist-to-chest deep. As a matter of fact," recalled Jacobs, "I landed in a cesspool and almost drowned there. It was armpit deep. It took me about 45 minutes to swim out of it." Jacobs then goes on to discuss the seizure of three airfields, the mounted armed reconnaissances his company conducted along the Green Line, as well as a variety of smaller missions - such as policing up weapons caches - and acting in a sense as a mayor or police chief in southeastern Kirkuk, an area he describes as akin to the Wild West. In July, Jacobs moved down to Balad and took over the LRS company, and in this capacity conducted long range reconnaissance missions and counterinsurgency operations: everything from ambushes to counter IED, counter mortar and counter ambush missions. Speaking of counter mortar ops in particular, Jacobs observes that, "You can send a regular infantry squad out to do it, but they're not going to be as successful as a group of guys who have trained to hide and sneak around and know how to hunt other human beings." Indeed, he added, "We killed more people than smallpox." Jacobs also discusses infiltration techniques in general terms and describes the vast area in which his LRS company operated. In closing, he offers the following advice and assessment of his OIF tour: "I never had a guy die from his wounds, didn't have anybody go TU on me when the going got tough, and never had a bad guy that popped up in front of us who didn't go down fast. That's the best way to do it. Be safe, know your first aid and be able to shoot. Life's good."

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