Base's landing zone expanded

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Special Troops Battalion, work through the night in order to get the barriers filled before moving on to the next phase of the landing zone expansion project at Forward Operating Base Loyalty. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Courtney Marulli, 2nd BCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs)  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

04.16.2007

Courtesy Story

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

By Spc. Courtney Marulli
2nd BCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – An expansion of the landing zone here now accommodates four helicopters at a time.

The group in charge of overseeing the expansion was Company A, 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. Company Soldiers initially breeched the outer wall, excavated the land and created new barrier walls with the help of the 20th Engineer Battalion and the 1169th Engineer Group.

Capt. Bob Gordon, Co. A commander, said his Soldiers have provided a majority of the construction effort for the force protection piece of the project, which includes putting up HESGO walls, which are lined wire barriers filled with dirt to provide protection. They also are in charge of the command and control of the overall project.

"The reason we're as far as we are is due to junior leaders, (our) NCOs out there," he said.

The construction aspect of the project went fairly smooth, Gordon said. The Soldiers didn't work alone as they had help from three Soldiers in the 1st Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, as well as an Iraqi civilian contractor.

Gordon said it was this combined group effort that kept the project moving forward.

"Everyone was just working together for the same goal," he said. "You couldn't tell who was Iraqi or American when operating the equipment. They made a footprint on FOB Loyalty."

With the initial construction completed, Gordon said the next phase of the project is to create landing pads.

One of those hard at work each day was Sgt. Richard Araiza, from Co. A.

Araiza, a Milwaukee native, has operated the bulldozer and the grader during the project. His efforts were to help the excavators and to level the ground.

"It's been good," he said. "Everything's been working along really well."

The only problem Araiza ran into was the area's water table was reached after only digging four feet. Dirt from another area was used to fill in low spots. The Iraqi army soldiers and the contractor helped, Araiza said, as their vehicles and knowledge came in handy.

"They knew their job," Araiza said.

Sgt. Chad A. Burrington, of the 642nd Engineers Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, helped operate the heavy equipment needed to complete the project. He oversaw other equipment operators and served as an advisor to the battalion.

"I'm happy to help," he said.

Sgt. Dennis J. Downs, a construction equipment supervisor with Co. A, said he is in charge of everything on the ground. Downs, of Whitehall, N.Y., said his job is to make sure the deadlines are met each day.

• Date Taken: 04.16.2007
• Date Posted: 04.16.2007 08:33
• Story ID: 9921
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ