Courtesy Photo | Lt. Col. Keith Waddell, an Anacoco, La., native, who serves as the commander of the...... read more read more
By Pfc. Samantha Schutz
Multi-National Division - Baghdad Public Affairs Office
COMBAT OUTPOST UR, Iraq – It has been nearly a month since Soldiers with the 821st Horizontal Engineer Company, Multi-National Division – Baghdad began the monumental task of building Combat Outpost Ur in the Hay Ur section of Adhamiyah.
The combat outpost will be a place for MND-B Soldiers and Iraqi security forces to stage patrols and live safely in the midst of an area known for its violence.
The engineer Soldiers are driven to maintain their frantic pace until the work is done.
Lt. Col. Keith Waddell, a native of Anacoco, La., who serves as the commander of the 769th En. Battalion, to which the 821st is currently attached, along with members of his command group and other Soldiers from the company, paid the hardworking Soldiers a visit, Feb. 16, to express his pride and gratitude.
"They're definitely displaying a warrior spirit," said Waddell, of the 38 Soldiers working around-the-clock to bring COP Ur into existence.
In the three weeks they've been at work, the 821st team has made substantial improvements to the grounds, said 2nd Lt. David McMillan, a native of Oak Hill, W.V., who serves as a platoon leader with the 821st HE Co.
The area that is rapidly becoming COP Ur was a disused, decrepit bus depot until recently, when the 821st He Co. Soldiers crushed and removed more than 170 old buses, McMillan said. The Soldiers also cleaned up the area, which had been flooded from heavy rainfall and a severed water line, added gravel to prevent future flooding and installed nearly 2,000 concrete barriers.
When the outpost is complete, it will include a helicopter landing zone and an aerostat radar system as well as living areas for Soldiers, added McMillan.
Construction is right on schedule, said Waddell. COP Ur is expected to be completed before Labor Day this year.
As if the glory and satisfaction of a hard day's work isn't enough to motivate the Soldiers of the 821st, a National Guard unit from West Virginia, their visitors also brought with them a truckload of supplies, including food such as Pop Tarts and muffins.
"When you're out here eating (Meals Ready to Eat) all the time, that gets old. You see Pop Tarts and Gatorade – that's something from home – so it's like a treat every time they get to eat it," said Spc. Darren Ullman, a Parkersburg, W.V., native, who serves as a radio operator with the 821st HE Co.
While the unit makes an effort to deliver fresh supplies and mail to the Soldiers every week, the Soldiers were the recipients of an even bigger treat this time – in the supply truck was a barbeque pit, fresh steaks and a heaping pot of red beans and rice, all provided by the generosity of their fellow Soldiers.
The gift of a home-cooked meal was a simple display of appreciation, but the support of their teammates is what motivates the "Black Diamond" Soldiers from the 821st to drive on until they see the mission through.
| Date Taken: | 02.17.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 02.17.2008 09:19 |
| Story ID: | 16434 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 628 |
| Downloads: | 530 |
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