Courtesy Photo | A final sling of a military container gets hooked to the bottom of a Chinook...... read more read more
Sgt. Jason Stadel
2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. PAO
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – In combat, the success of troops fighting on the front line depends heavily on the efforts of the troops supplying them. The 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division ensures continued success as they help build the latest patrol base in the brigade's area of operations.
On Jan. 4, Soldiers from the 26th BSB, with the help of CH-47 Chinook helicopters from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, sling-loaded 12 military containers to Patrol Base Dolby, a new base 2nd BCT Soldiers will use to conduct operations.
The containers, commonly called "milvans", held food, water and wood. They will become barriers filled with sand and dirt to provide protection around the base.
The executive officer from the 26th BSB, Maj. Henry Young, said sling-load missions - when helicopters transport containers from one location to another - are crucial to combat missions.
"We're a force multiplier in combat logistics support," Young said. "Every day counts. These 12 milvans will help our soldiers in the battle. By doing this we're helping each Soldier to create a safer and more secure Iraq."
With sling-loading, there are fewer patrols on the road, meaning less Soldiers are in harms way.
"That means less risk of one of our drivers going out there and getting hit by an IED (improvised explosive device) or small-arms fire," said Spc. Ivan Zayas-Taylor, Company A, 26th BSB.
The Soldiers' experience plays a vital role in the success of the missions.
"Experience is a pretty big part," said Zayas-Taylor, who is sling-load team leader and rigger. "You can't really practice for it until you have a helicopter overhead."
Zayas-Taylor and Staff Sgt. Floyd Lewis, the sling-load team's inspector, gained experience sling-loading while assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
"Air assault ties into it because it's part of the sling-load procedure," Zayas-Taylor, a Jacksonville, Ala., native. "During the second phase of air assault school you learn how to rig, hook and set up a landing zone, pick-up zone and drop zones."
These missions give Soldiers a unique job while in Iraq.
"It's not everyday you work with a Chinook a couple feet above your head," Lewis said. "I think our guys like doing this. It's a different kind of pace."
Whether on the front lines or supplying the front lines, Young said every Soldier has a role in the overall success of the mission in Iraq.
"It's a team effort; we all make up the Marne team. We all have a part to play," he said.
| Date Taken: | 01.08.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2008 12:21 |
| Story ID: | 15275 |
| Location: | ISKANDARIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 715 |
| Downloads: | 381 |
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