|
LF-based Guard unit builds outposts for new Iraq strategy
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Building outposts in dangerous neighborhoods in Iraq has been a Minnesota National Guard unit's mission for the past eight months.
The job is also part of a new U.S. strategy in Iraq in which soldiers station themselves in those areas rather than retreating to large bases at night.
Members of the Little Falls-based 851st Vertical Engineer Company have built or substantially improved four of the major combat outposts used for operations in Sadr City, a violence-prone Baghdad neighborhood.
Now, troops that are building the "Sadr City Wall" can eat, sleep, shower and use the Internet in a secure area without going back to base.
The work of the Minnesota guard members can be risky, and there has been an injury from a mortar attack, said the unit's commander, Capt. Brian Winter. The soldiers are doing work that private contractors either cannot do or refuse to do, he said.
But the soldiers are well-protected as they work while carrying 80 pounds of combat gear on their backs.
"It really tends to slow your work rate down. Trying to swing a hammer or operate a Skil saw with that really impacts the work speed - as well as the heat," Winter said recently during a teleconference call from Camp Liberty in Iraq.
Other troops are always glad to see the unit show up for work, "just like if you have a leak in your plumbing at 2 o'clock in the morning, you're pretty happy to see the plumber show up," Winter said.
"When we go places, we're very well watched over by the soldiers that are out there patrolling the streets," he added. "They have a vested interest in keeping us safe and healthy so that their stuff keeps working."
More than a quarter of the Minnesota unit's soldiers are on their second deployment in Iraq, including Winter.
Compared to his first deployment, Winter said he sees changes as more soldiers are being placed in the neighborhood bases. In addition, more Iraqis are being asked to monitor checkpoints and other security areas.
"The push of soldiers from the big bases out into the neighborhoods is definitely making a big difference," Winter said.
The unit's construction in neighborhoods is somewhat temporary, with designs that will last no more than five years, Winter said.
The carpenters, electricians, plumbers and mechanics that are part of the Minnesota unit are due home in August.
To Subscribe to the Brainerd Dispatch, Click Here.
Note: Comments are not edited and don't represent the views of The Brainerd Dispatch. Please read our posting rules in the terms of service policy. To report a post that may be inappropriate, click the triangle alert icon.
|
|
