Joint Base Balad's dedicated facilities help tell the story of troops fighting for freedom

Photo By Sgt. Anthony Hooker | Spc. Michael Bowers, a member of the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, views a plaque at the Sgt. Ivory L. Phipps Troop Medical Clinic, Sept. 22, 2008. Sgt. Phipps, a member of the 1544th Transportation Company, died from shrapnel wounds following a mortar attack, March 17, 2004 at a logistics base near Baghdad.  

BALAD, IRAQ

10.08.2008

Story by Spc. Anthony Hooker 

3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command

By Anthony Hooker
215th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – Since 2004, Joint Base Balad has constructed or renamed facilities on base in memory of fallen American service members.

The Sgt. Ivory L. Phipps Troop Medical Clinic, the Sgt. Germaine L. Debro Improvised Explosive Device Training Lane, and the Petty Officer 1st Class Antoine J. Holt Memorial Stadium are clear reminders to JBB residents that service in the fight against terrorism is highly regarded and not forgotten. For service members who carry out their tasks daily, the names are reminders that even the simplest tasks are significant.

Phipps was a 44-year-old Illinois National Guardsman with the 1544th Transportation Company when he was killed by shrapnel from incoming mortar rounds on March 17, 2004. In 2006, Phipps' home unit initiated the effort to rename the building, formerly known as the Cobra TMC, during their tour of duty at JBB.

1st Lt. Nolan Ellis, the officer in charge at Phipps TMC, said a majority of patients assume Sgt. Phipps was a medic and are surprised to know that he served as a transportation specialist.

"We gladly explain to our patients that our clinic proudly support those who provide support on Joint Base Balad," said Ellis, a St Roberts, Mo. native. "Like many [forward operating bases], [contingency operating bases], and buildings that hae been named for fallen Soldiers and service members, our staff understands the significance of our clinic's name and why it is an important honor."

When a person has their image dedicated, people who come in contact with the image often make the relationship relevant to their lives. The 546th Area Support Medical Company, a unit deployed from Fort Hood, Texas, has managed the Phipps Clinic for the last 13 months. Spc. Matias Lara, a medical assistant with the 546th ASMC, said many Soldiers are driven to work a litter harder because the clinic is dedicated to a fallen service member.

"This is his house," Lara, a native of Kingsville, Texas said. "A lot of us here feel we are paying [Phipps] respect by working here. It's like he's watching over us when we are doing our best."

Spc. Micheal Bowers, a member of the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team who was on appointment at the clinic, took a moment to view a picture and plaque memorializing Phipps in the lobby. Bowers, a native of Indianapolis, said it is nice to see a person recognized for their efforts.

"I think it's appreciation for the Army and [the] Soldier that people care to do this for a fallen Soldier . . . anybody, really . . . in the line of duty for their character and valor," said Bowers.

Ellis said the 546th ASMC hopes to dedicate an additional memorial plaque on behalf of Sgt. Phipps by the end of the month.

Sgt. 1st Class Jack Wilson, the non-commissioned officer in charge of combat aerial delivery for a detachment of the 824th Quartermaster Company, recently helped organize the renaming of a JBB facility after Spc. Eric Burri. Burri, a rigger with Ft. Bragg's 623rd QC and Wyoming, Mich. native, died when an IED detonated near his Humvee in 2005. Wilson didn't know the Soldier personally, yet felt the connection between Burri and his troops was real.

"The rigging field is a small family," said Wilson, a native of Helena, Okla. "For me, he represents the people in our field."

Sgt. Debro's story is the most common and the most compelling. A National Guardsman from Omaha, Nebraska, Debro lost his life Sep. 4, 2006 after an IED explosion hit the humvee he was driving. Debro, 33, left no wife or children, but motivated his fellow troops to dedicate a training site in his name and inspired Jim Betts, a forensics officer from Nebraska, to join Task Force Troy, a military operation in Baghdad dedicated to eliminating the threat of explosives in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operating Enduring Freedom.

Maj. Scott Romero, the officer in charge of counter-IED operations for the 3d Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), said Soldiers training on a range that is dedicated to a fallen service member should drive home the importance of continuous training.

"Improvised explosive devices are the greatest threat to Soldiers on the road," said Romero. "Debro Range is a life-saving asset. Because it is named for a fellow Soldier who died from an IED attack, it cements the fact that Soldiers must routinely train to sharpen their IED recognition and reaction skills."

Each person interviewed said that when you work or train at a site named after someone, it's a little more personal. Lara said he gets the reminder every time he shows up for duty.

"When we come to work and see this picture or answer the phone –'Phipps TMC,'" said Lara while looking at Phipps' photo on the wall, "you know you're representing someone or something important, so you try to live up to that."

• Date Taken: 10.08.2008
• Date Posted: 10.15.2008 19:37
• Story ID: 25046
• Location: BALAD, IQ