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    Mission to Trebil

    Mission to Trebil

    Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Bryant Maude | Members of the Port of Entry Transition Team double check the Bio-Metrics Automated...... read more read more

    By Staff Sgt. Bryant Maude
    1st Sustainment Brigade

    TREBIL, Iraq – Day three in Trebil was spent with the Marines at the Port of Entry – Trebil, along the Iraq border with Jordan in the far west corner of the country. I was in Trebil at the request of Col. Kevin O'Connell, my commander, and the commander of the 1st Sustainment Brigade, to report on the activities of the 266th Movement Control Team out of Fort Riley, Kansas. Capt. Fredrick Kelo, a Gurney, Ill., native, and commander of the 266th MCT, suggested I go out to the port with the Marines to get a better understanding of their mission. I'm glad I did.

    I joined a small group of Marine reservists heading to the port during shift change, June 4. Their leader, Cpl. Kristyn Stewart, a Pittsburg, Pa., native, and military police officer attached to 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, Military Police, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines, introduced me to the others in the group and made sure I had everything prior to our departure. We walked a few hundred yards, loaded our weapons, and made our way down the dusty road out the gate, toward the port.

    I'm always amazed as I travel the country of Iraq, to discover so many remnants of Sadam's regime left untouched; granted the paint is fading, or chipping, and the plaster is starting to crumble and fall off. But still, there are numerous subtle signs of his former government and today was no exception. At one point along our walk, we passed a portrait of the Lion of Babylon painted black on a white background, surrounded by decorative bricks. And at the entrance of the port was an old fountain laid out in the design of the Bath Party emblem - the double squares forming a star.

    More important than that is the numerous signs of progress in Iraq, and this trip was no exception. Just past the Lion of Babylon, I eyed a long tractor trailer loaded with new red Toyota pick up trucks. Someone made the comment as we walked past them; "I wonder where the dealership is."

    After arriving to the port, I was introduced to the Port of Entry Transition Team members who were in the process of registering truck drivers into the Bio Metrics Automated Tool Set and issuing them badges.

    "We've been out here since mid February and have registered about 95 percent of the port workers," said Staff Sgt. Ernesto Panalze, intelligence chief, and member of the POETT. "Now we're moving on to drivers in an effort to register as many people as we can."

    The drivers coming in and out of Iraq will spend a great deal of time waiting around. As a result, they will go by the port and attempt to get a coalition badge.

    "The drivers want these badges because it makes it easier for them to pass through check points," said Panalze.

    The first step in the process is to have a retina scan at the door.

    "I'm scanning individuals coming in," said Lance Cpl. Brendan Conte, a Jeannette, Pa., native, and military police officer with 2nd Plt., as he went about his duty of scanning the retina of an Iraqi truck driver using a Pier 24 device.

    The device can hold thousands of individual profiles that Iraqi and coalition forces have placed on alert for one reason or another.

    "The reasons are many," said Panalze. "It could be something like, do not hire this guy, or not allowed on base for some reason, to this guy is a criminal."

    This registration of employees has proved a good way of vetting individuals to determine who is trustworthy and who isn't. Registering the drivers will take substantially longer but is already yielding results. While I was there the team had two individuals turn up who were on a watch list.

    "This guy right here is on a watch list," said Panalze, as he double checked the system to glean more information on the man standing on the other side of the glass, "It appears that he did some jail time not too long ago." The man's passport was also expired. They sent him next door to the passport office to determine if he could get a new one or not.

    The Marines were very efficient at what they did and I was glad Kelo made the suggestion I make the short trip.

    I left Trebil the next day by convoy and was looking forward to getting back to Camp Taji. At one point I shared a helicopter ride with three Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders and thought; "No one is going to believe this ending," so I took a picture.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.10.2008
    Date Posted: 06.13.2008 15:21
    Story ID: 20449
    Location: IQ

    Web Views: 119
    Downloads: 59

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