Improving our foxhole: Red Bulls look back at the build-up of COB Basra

Photo By Sgt. J.P. Lawrence | Col. Ronald Albrecht, 34th Inf. Div. deputy chief of staff, said one part of the build-up of Contingency Operating Base Basra concerned protective structures - roads, guard towers and call boxes containing emergency phones - and the other part of the build-up involved making life more comfortable for troops.  

BASRA, IRAQ

01.12.2010

Story by Pfc. J.P. Lawrence 

34th Red Bull Infantry Division

COB BASRA, Iraq — When the 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division arrived at Contingency Operating Base Basra, they found a sparse and austere base.

The British had just recently moved their headquarters there before leaving, and the 10th Mountain had also just recently moved their headquarters there before leaving.

Thus, to the 34th Inf. Div. fell the majority of base building.

Col. Ronald Albrecht, 34th Inf. Div. deputy chief of staff, said one part of the build-up concerned protective structures - roads, guard towers and call boxes containing emergency phones — and the other part of the build-up involved making life more comfortable for the troops.

These "life sustainment" efforts included areas to watch movies, play video games and work on computers, as well as enough rooms to house more than 2,200 troops. Under Albrecht, who was put in charge of much of the construction, housing units, or Life Sustainment Areas, have been sprouting like kudzu throughout the base.

"We built one, two, three, four," Albrecht paused, "five LSAs."

During their time here, the 34th Inf. Div. and units attached to them completed over 70 projects to build up the base, including the construction of a full-size Post Exchange, a new post office, a new chapel and other improvements.

"It's hard to give numbers," said Albrecht, a native of Cedar Falls, Iowa. "It's just an upgrade to basically everything on the COB."

Albrecht, who has 20 years of experience in construction, said his civilian experience helped him work with the many units from both the Army and the Air Force.

"It was a total team effort to get everything done," he said, adding that much of the construction was contracted to local Iraqi companies.

Because of its pivotal location near the port of Basra, COB Basra is slated to be one of the last Army-occupied bases in Iraq. The turnover process is already beginning, as parts of the airport are being returned to their Iraqi owners, and the rest of the base is slated to be turned over when all combat troops leave Iraq in 2011.

Long before that, however, control of the base will be turned over to the 1st Infantry Division, which will continue the Red Bull's command-and-control mission in the nine southern provinces of Iraq.

Even as they prepare to return home, the 34th Inf. Div. continues to build up the base: a new helicopter holding area and additional guard towers are due for completion soon.

"We're always improving our foxhole so we can leave the place better than we found it," Albrecht said. "We've gotten a lot closer to our goal."

• Date Taken: 01.12.2010
• Date Posted: 01.12.2010 14:00
• Story ID: 43726
• Location: BASRA, IQ