Under cover of the night: Rhino wreckers wreak reconstruction

Photo By Cpl. Tyler Barstow | Sgt. Kardell D. Anderson, mission commander for Heavy Equipment Platoon, Engineer Company, Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, helps a tractor, rubber-tired, articulated steering, multi-purpose vehicle operator guide a concrete barrier to its new location underneath a bridge outside Habbaniyah. The concrete barriers are lining the bridge to help strengthen security in the area and replace the old barricades. (U.S. Marine Corps photo/Tyler B. Barstow)  

IRAQ

05.18.2008

Story by Cpl. Tyler Barstow 

1st Marine Logistics Group

By Cpl. Tyler B. Barstow
1st Marine Logistics Group

HABBANIYAH, Iraq - The roaring of engines and the snarling of Rhinos disrupted the still of the Iraqi night as Marines worked on reconstructing an area outside of Habbaniyah during the early morning, May 17.

Working under cover of the night, the raucous Rhinos of Heavy Equipment Platoon, Engineer Company, Marine Wing Support Squadron 374, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, worked from dusk until dawn to reinforce an area outside of the city.

"We're reconstructing the security positions and helping clean up the area," said Staff Sgt. Robert L. Leatherman, the operations chief for H.E. Platoon. The rhinos charged through the project, uprooting the old barriers and beefing up protection by placing concrete barriers around the base of the bridge.

Iraqi police now monitor the area with security checkpoints set up close to the bridge. The main objective was to improve the security and help the Iraqi police by keeping everyone safe, explained Leatherman, from Phoenix.
The lights from their vehicles and flashlights danced across the roadways before dissolving into the night.

Working in the darkness increased their safety by cutting down on traffic but brought with it the obstacle of limited visibility. The Marines worked through it, relying on teamwork and their knowledge of the machines.

"You pay more attention to your surroundings because you can't see as far," explained Cpl. Jeremy D. Fuka, a Logistics Vehicle System operator with the platoon. "It doesn't pose a big problem," explained the 22-year-old from Hampshire, Ill. "Everyone's a skilled operator out here."

Their proficiency with the machines cannot be achieved if the communication between the drivers and the ground guides doesn't work.

"We're totally dependent on (the ground guide)," explained Cpl. Joseph W. Meccico, one of the heavy equipment operators who was moving barriers for more than eight hours, working inside the tractor, rubber-tired, articulated steering, multi-purpose vehicle.

Meccico has been doing his job for five years and has worked with a plethora of different hand and arm signals to communicate from the ground to the cab. While working with the Rhinos, he has been impressed with their teamwork.

"We've got a good group here," explained the 24-year-old from Soda Springs, Idaho. "We all perform pretty good."

With the new barriers in place, the Rhinos left the area a safer place in the ever changing landscape of Iraq.

"It's quiet out here now," Fuka said as the night faded away and a new day arose, brightening the area and revealing the work the Rhinos had finished to a growing crowd of Iraqis. "Our area has calmed down a lot and we have good security here which makes us feel a lot better."

For now, it will remain quiet while the Rhinos sleep.

• Date Taken: 05.18.2008
• Date Posted: 05.20.2008 09:50
• Story ID: 19611
• Location: IQ