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By Capt. Aydin Mohtashamian
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs
CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – The paratroopers of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division deployed last August to the hot desert of Kuwait and moved into Iraq shortly thereafter. No two days have been alike and new challenges arise everyday.
It is difficult to describe a paratrooper's "typical" day. We are scattered across different contingency operating bases, forward operating bases and patrol bases in Salah Ad Din province. From the heart of Samarra to the outskirts of Tikrit, our paratroopers face different challenges everyday and live and work in different circumstances. However, there are certain things that remain constant here in Salah Ad Din province, regardless of one's location.
Although the images on your television screen might be filled with constant fighting and constant gunfire, these images do not capture what life is really like here. At the first light of day, most paratroopers can be seen conducting physical training, running on the roads, lifting weights, or playing sports. Regardless of the location, even the most remote patrol base has some sort of a gym, which allows every paratrooper to stay in shape, which serves as a great distraction from everyday work.
After PT, depending on the mission, we eat in world class Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) dining facilities, which in most cases are much better than the dinning facilities at Fort Bragg. Some of our patrol bases prepare their own food, but regardless of where they are, every paratrooper gets at least two hot meals a day and most get three.
Paratroopers' missions are vast and varied, from working on brigade and battalion staffs, route clearance and conducting combat patrols, everyone plays a critical role in accomplishing our mission. Inherently, some jobs are more dangerous than others, but we have great equipment and procedures that safeguard us against many of the dangers in Iraq.
The most dangerous aspect of being deployed to Iraq is driving down the major roads because of the ever-present danger of roadside bombs, also known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Although we have targeted IED cells in our province, roadside bombs continue to be a problem. It is important to note that most IEDs placed on the roads are either found or are ineffective. Of the remaining IEDs that detonate, only a few actually cause damage to our vehicles or harm to our Paratroopers. Our Humvees, along with our body armor, protect us against most IEDs.
The longer we have been in Iraq, the more tactics and procedures we have learned that help us to protect each other from IEDs. However, we continue to perfect our procedures and continue to target those who produce and emplace these deadly weapons. We try to minimize our travel on the roads of Iraq unless it is absolutely necessary for the mission. In fact, most people will ride in helicopters when they need to travel.
Besides IEDs, there is the sporadic gun fire and grenade attacks against our patrols, which have been proven to be very ineffective. On several occasions the body armor has saved the lives of several paratroopers. Not to underscore the dangers of Iraq, but our paratroopers are for the most part, well-protected, understand their mission, and know how to take the fight to the enemy. Unfortunately, we have still lost some of our paratroopers in this fight, but our training and equipment has saved the lives of many others.
After a long day on the road conducting combat patrols or dealing with local security forces, paratroopers can use the Morale, Welfare and Recreation center, or MWR. Of course, on the bigger bases, the facilities are larger, but most MWR centers have a pool table, large screen televisions and movie libraries and host a variety of events every night – from Latin and Country music dance nights to open mike band nights. MWR centers come with their own call and internet center, where paratroopers can call home and talk to their loved ones.
Most of the larger bases have Post Exchanges (PX) that are stocked as well as the Airborne PX back home at Fort Bragg. They even have a Burger King, Subway and a Green Beans Coffee. Every base, down to the smallest patrol base, has great force protection measures and paratroopers can relax once they are back "inside the wire."
At nights in most bases, Paratroopers go back to their containerized housing units, or CHUs, if they are not out on a mission. The CHUs are fully air-conditioned and some have Internet and televisions that paratroopers have purchased. After a long day in the Iraqi summer heat, paratroopers have many opportunities to relax, call home to loved ones, or watch a movie with friends. Although life can be hard at times, there are many amenities that make life bearable in Iraq.
If a paratrooper has trouble coping with a situation or needs some spiritual guidance, there are mental health specialist and chaplains who can help them.
While no two days are ever alike for a paratrooper in Iraq, they still have constants they can count on every day, both good and bad.
| Date Taken: | 07.02.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 07.03.2007 05:40 |
| Story ID: | 11097 |
| Location: | TIKRIT, IQ |
| Web Views: | 1,629 |
| Downloads: | 491 |
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