20,000 barriers into Baghdad

Photo By Sgt. Aaron Leblanc | Flatbed trailers of the 68th Transportation Company, 165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade are loaded with 16,000-pound concrete barriers and are ready to roll out the wire on a recent combat mission in support of an on-going push to improve the security of Sadr City.  

TAJI, IRAQ

09.15.2008

Story by Sgt. Aaron Leblanc 

1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade

By Sgt. Aaron LeBlanc
1st Sustainment Brigade

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - The weapon of choice of the Louisiana National Guard's 165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion isn't the M2 .50 caliber machine gun. Nor is it the M16 assault rifle, or its little brother, the M4 carbine. Ask any of the world class logisticians of the 165th, currently deployed to Iraq, to describe which anti-insurgent tool in their inventory sees the heaviest use, and they won't say a word about the M240 machine gun, M249 squad automatic weapon, or the M9 pistol.

In fact the implement of warfare most often – and most effectively – utilized by the Soldiers of the 165th doesn't even have moving parts. As it turns out, the weapon of choice for the logistics oriented unit– in a fight characterized by front lines that seem to exist everywhere and nowhere – is millions upon millions of pounds of good old-fashioned reinforced concrete.

Since their arrival in Iraq, and their assignment to the 1st Sustainment Brigade, one of the battalion's main efforts has been hauling concrete, in the form of massive rebar-laden barriers, all over the Baghdad area. These barriers are in turn strategically placed in order to form solid walls of concrete, forcing insurgents to engage coalition forces on preconditioned terms, or not at all.

"In an effort to reduce the possibility of improvised explosive device attacks upon coalition forces within Multi-National Division – Baghdad," said Lt. Col. Randall Bradford, the commanding officer of the 165th, and native of Alexandria, La., "the 165th CSSB continues to conduct barrier transportation ISO emplacement operations."

Bradford further explained that along with reducing risk of IED attack, the barriers serve to cut off exit avenues for criminals trying to stage attacks against coalition or Iraqi forces. "When the enemy runs away from combat, there won't be many escape routes because of the barriers," he said.

The effort put forth by the Soldiers of the 165th has been grand, and is by any standard truly impressive: in the past, the battalion as a whole has moved nearly 20,000 barriers, a milestone they are projected to fly past early this week. This means that, at over 10,000 pounds per barrier, the 165th has moved more than 200 million pounds of American ingenuity down some of the most dangerous roads in the world, and has had a far-reaching and significant impact on the current face of the war.

A typical barrier mission usually aims to move around 100 of the concrete mammoths in a single run. It is not something that can be tackled lightly. On the contrary, the actual movement and emplacement of the barriers themselves represents only the proverbial tip of the iceberg when considering the concerted effort required for the successful execution of a mission.

"We've been able to reach this point through our incredible sense of cooperation and teamwork," said Maj. Randy Green, the executive officer of the 165th, and native of Bossier City, La. "Although we are made up of several different companies, we are bound together as one solid team, centrally focused towards mission accomplishment. We are a family, if only for this moment in time," he said.

Responsibility for the coordination of this outstanding teamwork falls on the shoulders of the battalion support operations, or SPO shop, and the star logistician in the case of the 165th is Capt. Michael Stevens of Baton Rouge, La., dubbed "Captain Concrete" by his peers, for obvious reasons.

Stevens, along with Sgt. 1st Class David Miller of Pineville, La., also of the 165th SPO, put in countless man hours to ensure that all of the moving parts, such as route clearance, battlespace owners (troops patrolling the areas to be traversed), barrier yards, transportation companies, and convoy security elements to name a few, are all on the same sheet of music. Miller justified this tireless dedication by noting that, "Every barrier we deliver provides more force protection for our brothers in arms, as well as, provides safer neighborhoods for the people of Sadr."

Both Stevens and Miller agreed that the support and "never give up" attitude of the 165th's transport and gun truck companies was truly the decisive factor in the successful delivery of nearly 20,000 barriers.

Leesville, La. native, Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry Harvey, the top enlisted Soldier in the battalion, stated that, "Our Soldiers have overcome many obstacles, long nights, and long hours helping to build combat outposts, joint security stations, entry control points, and the walls in Sadr City."

Harvey, who personally participated in many of the barrier missions leading up to the current milestone, added, "They made it all happen no matter what it took, even in the face of road blocks aimed at keeping them from their destination. The Soldiers of the 165th are the best of the best; no one can take from them what they have accomplished."

• Date Taken: 09.15.2008
• Date Posted: 09.15.2008 09:14
• Story ID: 23665
• Location: TAJI, IQ