MND-B, Ugandan soldiers team up to man Taji's Lobo Gate

Courtesy Photo | The improvements to Camp Taji's Lobo Gate include the installation of the inspection area (far right) and traffic lanes. The improvements help the Multi-National Division – Baghdad and Ugandan soldiers who operate the gate search vehicles and personnel to standard without worrying about being struck by vehicular traffic.  

TAJI, IRAQ

09.01.2008

Courtesy Story

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

By Staff Sgt. Amour Grace
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Seven months ago, the Soldiers of 64th Brigade Support Battalion, Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, assumed responsibility of Lobo Gate force protection from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, at Camp Taji.

The gate separates the Multi-National Division – Baghdad portion of Camp Taji from the Iraqi side of the base; when the Mountaineers inherited the gate, it had little to no force protection, no traffic plan and was in desperate need of necessary improvements.

The 64th BSB assistant Base Defense Operating Center and the Striker Village mayor cell developed a plan to design and improve the flow of traffic, vehicle and personnel search operations and to provide added overwatch capability. The plan was presented to the Camp Taji Base Defense Operating Center for approval.

"The Lobo Gate was in need of major redesigning," said Sgt. 1st Class James Martin, a native of Cincinnati, who serves as the operations non-commissioned officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 64th BSB. "We tore down the search area that was also the civilian outgoing lane to the coalition forces side and turned it into the incoming lane for all traffic."

He said the team added a third tier to the tower, which provided the space needed for inspection area overwatch and additional spotlights.

"We had plenty of space at the gate not being used," he added, "so we turned that into the vehicle and personnel search area. It took a lot of planning, funding and hard work – but it was worth it."

The redesign for Lobo Gate was planned by Martin, Capt. David Mitchell, Staff Sgt. Ray Foster, Staff Sgt. Amour Grace and 1st Sgt. Corey Givhan.

The construction of Lobo Gate took 13 days and was a success for the whole camp. Brig. Gen. Mike Milano, a former deputy commanding general for the 4th Inf. Div., and leaders from the Camp Taji BDOC, praised the project as a success and called for the immediate upgrade of other critical entry control points on Camp Taji.

"Staff Sgt. Grace and her team did an outstanding job on improving the operations at the gate. It not only improves our safety but also the guards' ability to stay focused and get the job done," said Lt. Col. Robert Hatcher, a Montgomery, Ala., native, who is the commander of the 64th BSB.

The changes, both aesthetic and needed, have not gone unnoticed by those who man Lobo Gate.

"The reconstruction of Lobo Gate has made inspecting vehicles very easy and looks very good because it was ugly," said a Ugandan soldier, who has worked at Lobo Gate under both 64th BSB and 2nd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div.

Lobo Gate is manned by two MND-B and four Ugandan soldiers. There is a great partnership between the U.S. and Ugandan soldiers, with little to no language or cultural gaps.

"The Ugandan soldiers are well trained in there profession, very disciplined and take their job very serious," said Sgt. Corey Dale, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., who serves as the force protection sergeant of the guard with Company B, 64th BSB. "The Ugandan soldiers are very friendly and always eager to learn about our culture and teach us about theirs."

The six Soldier teams at Lobo Gate search nearly 1,100 people and more than 700 vehicles weekly with no reportable incidents to date.

• Date Taken: 09.01.2008
• Date Posted: 09.01.2008 20:50
• Story ID: 23096
• Location: TAJI, IQ