Border Castles

Photo By Staff Sgt. Miles Elder | U.S. Capt. Jarrett Moffitt (right) inspects supplies at Al Shuhada Border near the Iraq-Iran border. He is a member of the Border Training Team which has been formed to help Iraq tighten its borders with its terrorist state neiighbors.  

NEAR BADRIA, IRAQ

05.09.2006

Story by Staff Sgt. Miles Elder 

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Near BADRIA, Iraq - They're called "castles," but there's no royalty around and its inhabitants hardly live a charmed existence.

These structures are built in remote, desolate areas along the Iran-Iraq border. They serve as both a fortification and living areas for members of the Iraq army's Department of Border Enforcement. These Iraqi army Soldiers are tasked with stopping the flow of insurgents and supplies between Iraq and its terrorist-state neighbor, Iran.

"They're doing the best they can with what they've got," said Capt. Mark Townsend, the intelligence officer for Border Patrol Team 4313. "They just don't have all the resources and skills they need, but it's getting better."

Townsend, a Plano, Texas, native, is a member of the newly formed Border Training Team. These small teams of officers and noncommissioned officers are tasked to serve as advisors to the Iraqi forces who man the castles and other border checkpoints.

"They can't be free and they can't share in what we experience back home until we stop what's coming across the border," Townsend said. "We need to stop these (improvised explosives devices)."

The Al Shuhada Fort is perched strategically atop a hill overlooking the border. From its roof, miles of the vast countryside can be seen. Sometimes, Iraqis can watch their counterparts in a similar structure on top of another nearby hillside when the weather is clear.

While it resembles the canyons and gulches of the southwestern U.S., it's an area that is littered with mines and unexploded ordnance from the Iran-Iraq War fought in the 1980s.

Behind the fort is what remains of an earlier structure that was destroyed in that conflict. It is an ominous landmark of the history of the hotly disputed territory it guards.

Musa Abraham is the commander of Iraqi forces here. He is a genial host ensuring the BTT members have full access to his post and its Soldiers.

Abraham said the area is mostly quiet. He sends out patrols both during the day and evening. A recent patrol had detained a pair of suspected insurgents.

"They seem to be in high sprits," said Sgt. 1st Class Kirk Stanscheit, the team's medic. "They seem to be really happy to see us.

"Whenever we come around, they seem like they are putting on a show for us."

Stanscheit was serving in Heidelberg, Germany, when he joined the team. A Denver native, he inspects medical supplies at the forts and treats those suffering from minor injuries and ailments.

On this day, there are no major complaints. However, the Soldiers here at this remote location are constantly dealing with shortages of food, fuel, ammunition and other key supplies.

"Logistics is the number one issue," Townsend said. "How can you expect a Soldier to feel like a Soldier when he doesn't have a pair of boots?

"Yet, they show up."

Sometimes, the shortages can be severe. Some Iraqis lacked boots or military footwear and had their feet clad in sandals and street shoes. However, they remain undeterred from accomplishing their mission.

"For a lot of them, they are gutting it out," Townsend said. "Some of them haven't eaten for a while and they wind up buying out of their pocket whatever they can afford."

Capt. Jarrett Moffitt and Sgt. 1st Class Calvin Jackson are in charge of handling the logistics portion for the team. Jackson, a Philadelphia native, is working toward improving the fort's logistical support.

"They do pretty good patrols and they are able to maintain themselves," Jackson said. "They're not able to able to sustain themselves in battle since they're not able to re-supply themselves."

Most of the BTT's role has been mentoring and training the group's noncommissioned officers. The greatest task is teaching sergeants the role they need to play in the operation.

"We had to teach the NCOs the role our NCOs play and how to account for equipment," Jackson said. "They weren't really focused on that before."

The team members were quick to praise their Iraqi counterparts. They interacted well together whether they were speaking through an interpreter, or just speaking bits of English and Arabic to communicate.

"A lot of them out there are trying to do without," Townsend said. "My hat's off to them.

"Anything you can do for these guys is gratifying."

Maj. Michael Williams is the BTT team leader. He hails from Edenton, N.C., and is an aviator by trade. He also finds himself pleading the case for improved support for his comrades on the border.
"They really want this," Williams said. "It feels good to try to help these people out."

• Date Taken: 05.09.2006
• Date Posted: 05.09.2006 16:04
• Story ID: 6323
• Location: NEAR BADRIA, IQ