Iraqi neighborhoods return to normal, American Soldiers sleep a little easier

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers from Company B, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) built these portable showers, for the Co. A, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Soldiers at Joint Security Station Oubaidy in Baghdad. Both units are based in Fort Polk, La.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

09.26.2008

Story by 2nd Lt. Janeene Yarber 

926th Engineer Brigade

By 2nd Lt. Janeene Yarber
46th Engineer Combat Brigade (Heavy) Public Affairs Office, 926th Engineer Brigade Multi-National Division-Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq – It's Friday night, and the sounds of city life drift high into the hot, desert air. Suddenly, a whole city block goes pitch black as the electricity is turned off.

"That's normal. It's just Baghdad power turning off," stated 1st Sgt. Paul Gonzales, first sergeant assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light), who has experienced many months of the erratic power supply. "I'm just glad to hear the people outside at night. That's a huge change from when we first got here."

When Co. A Soldiers arrived, fear of violence from local militia kept Iraqi families indoors, while the Soldiers of Co. A, 2nd Bn., 30th Inf. Regt., based in Fort Polk, La., were kept up at night fending off deadly attacks and battling the heat inside a badly damaged building.

"We slept outside. It was just too hot to stay indoors at night," stated one Co. A Soldier.

Soldiers said it was a struggle just to get a decent night's rest in the five-story building the infantrymen were calling home. The site, sometimes called "Camp Marlboro," was once a cigarette factory in its heyday, and now it houses coalition force Soldiers and Iraqi security force national police officers.

Then on July 18, 2008, a fire broke out in the building destroying many of their belongings.

"Army gear and a lot of personal effects were lost in that fire," stated Spc. Matthew Fisher, a Co. A Soldier from Livonia, Mich. "Thankfully, no one was hurt. Most of the guys on that floor were on a patrol."

Fire damage to the electrical system and lack of working plumbing prompted the commander of the 4th BCT, 10th Mtn. Div., Col. Mark Dewhurst, to call in a crisis response team from the 926th Engineer Brigade. The brigade called upon the 46th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) Soldiers, who rapidly responded to their home-station neighbors. The 2nd Bn., 30th Inf. Regt. and the 46th ECB (H) are both stationed at Fort Polk, La.

At the time of the blaze, a team from the 955th Engineer Company, attached to the 46th ECB (H), were onsite conducting reconnaissance. The Missouri-based Army Reserve Soldiers performed as heroes, helping contain the fire and assisting local Iraqi firefighters.

The quick-reacting engineer Soldiers were awarded Army Achievement Medals on Camp Liberty, Iraq, Sept. 1.

In addition, a medical evacuation team from the 4th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade rescued five Iraqi national policemen trapped on the rooftop of the building.

Hazim Kadir, an NP of Co. 1, 2nd Bde., videotaped the chopper as its crew barely perched it on the edge of the rooftop – the only space available to land.

"The fire was everywhere," stated Kadir; an Amara, Iraq native, speaking of his comrades. "I did not think they would be saved."

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

"Every day a Soldier living here comes up to me and says 'thank you for helping us,'" said Staff Sgt. Cornelius Woods, a carpentry-masonry engineer from Natchez, Miss. Assigned to Co. B, 46th ECB (H).

On August 28, the crisis response team of engineers completed the most dire upgrades needed at "Camp Marlboro." They repaired electrical wiring and outlets, built portable showers, installed lighting fixtures and air conditioners, repaired a power generator and made a dozen more upgrades - significantly improving the quality of life for Soldiers enduring harsh environmental conditions.

"They were sincerely grateful for the improvements we made," said Woods, "It wasn't just Soldier to Soldier - it was more human being to human being. It was a pretty desperate situation when we first got here."

Now these infantry Soldiers and national policemen who make it their mission to rid Baghdad neighborhoods of insurgents can rest easier after hours of patrolling the hot, desert streets. They once again sleep under the cool breeze of air conditioning, a necessity in the desert climate, instead of a perilous night sky.

The neighborhoods where Company A, 2nd Bn., 30th Inf. Regt. patrol are showing signs of returning to normal as they see many shop keepers returning to their stores - conducting business with local citizens. The Soldiers also notice more neighborhood children are allowed to play outside – a sharp contrast from when they first began patrols.

"It was really rough here at first – a constant battle, but, we've made much progress," stated Gonzales during his nightly check of Soldiers who keep a watchful eye over the city – just in case. "Hearing these sounds of people out conducting their daily lives is hopeful. We all can sleep more comfortably at night – and that's saying a lot."

• Date Taken: 09.26.2008
• Date Posted: 09.26.2008 05:21
• Story ID: 24169
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ