Multitasking sustainers finalize logistics mission at Habur Gate

HABUR GATE, IRAQ

10.15.2011

Story by Sgt. Allyson Parla 

77th Sustainment Brigade

HABUR GATE, Iraq — With tears streaming down their cheeks, a group of Kurdish men waved goodbye to their friends, a small contingency of U.S. soldiers who have finally completed their mission at Habur Gate, Iraq.

Fourteen soldiers from the 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command finalized a logistics mission Sept. 30 at Habur Gate, turning over the Ibrahim Khalil Border Complex to the government of Iraq. The bulk of the Soldiers’ success rested on their ability to multitask, both teaching and performing their professional and personal skills to one another and to the local Kurdish workers.

Supplies, equipment and food are transported through Turkey and into Iraq daily to sustain both civilian and military personnel in Iraq. Local nationals help facilitate this daily, million-dollar operation. LTF-77th soldiers ensured that Kurdish workers were properly trained and able to perform their tasks, sometimes spending as much as 10 hours a day to ensure their efficiency.

2nd Lt. Gerard Sullivan, the officer-in-charge of Logistical Task Force 77th, Special Troops Battalion, 77th Sust. Bde., said many of the local nationals had only gone as far as the third grade and that many were illiterate.

“Those were the guys we worked with every day,” said Sullivan, who previously worked as a teacher in Honduras for two years.
He said that perhaps the most memorable training was the unforeseen training the soldiers taught their Kurdish counterparts.

“They have a heart as big as gold, but a lot of them are just not experienced,” said Sullivan about the more than 120 Kurdish contractors working with them at the complex.

Hiring family members, regardless of their training or experience, is a common practice for people in this area, Sullivan said.

“It’s like, ‘This guy is my sister’s brother, so he’s the new air-conditioning guy,’ or ‘This guy is my cousin, and he’s the new reception desk guy,’” he said.

“They were working for us, but didn’t know how to do their job,” said Master Sgt. Ricky Pittman, the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of LTF-77th and a native of New Orleans Parish, La.
Despite the lack of training the Kurdish workers had, they made the job easier and were eager to learn, said Spc. Ray Hughes, the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of communications for LTF-77th and a native of Harleysville, N.J.

Although nearly all of the 77th Sust. Bde. soldiers here were Combat Lifesaver certified, the Kurdish had little medical training.
“I ran a small, three-day class with the Kurdish army, teaching them basic medical skills to stop bleeding and open up airways,” said Spc. Jonathan Frick, the non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the aid station at Habur Gate for the 77th Sust. Bde. and a native of Dorothy, N.J.

Frick added that there was even a Kurdish army medic in attendance. He said he was motivated to train the locals, because he knew that these medical skills might one day save a life.

With the U.S. mission coming to a close, the Ibrahim Khalil Border Complex will be used by the Kurdish customs administration and will also be a symbol of the cooperation between the U.S. Army and Kurdish people, said Khorshid Yousif, a liaison officer between the complex and the U.S. forces here.

• Date Taken: 10.15.2011
• Date Posted: 10.15.2011 10:34
• Story ID: 78544
• Location: HABUR GATE, IQ