Louisiana Soldiers increase safety, security in Iraq/20,000 concrete barriers emplaced by Bossier City unit

Photo By Sgt. Aaron Leblanc | Weston, Colo., native Staff Sgt. Jon Waldron of the 15th Transportation Company, 165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, guides a barrier into place at Joint Security Station Ur, a barrier holding yard in Iraq. Barriers such as this one are being used all over Baghdad to build solid walls of reinforced concrete that serve to deter improvised explosive device attacks and cut off enemy escape routes.  

TAJI, IRAQ

10.21.2008

Story by Sgt. Aaron Leblanc 

Louisiana National Guard

By Sgt. Aaron J. LeBlanc
165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Sometimes the best offense is a good defense, and the Soldiers of the 165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion of Bossier City, La., are proving that point.

The "weapon" of choice of the Louisiana National Guard's 165th isn't the M-2 .50-caliber machine gun, nor is it the M-16 rifle or its little brother, the M-4 carbine. Ask any of the world-class logisticians of the 165th, which is currently deployed to Iraq, to describe which anti-insurgent tool in their inventory sees the heaviest use, and they will agree.

The implement of warfare most often, and most effectively, utilized by the Soldiers of the 165th is not a weapon at all. For the logistics-oriented unit, in a fight characterized by front lines that seem to exist everywhere and nowhere, the "weapon" is millions of pounds of good old-fashioned reinforced concrete.

Since their arrival in Iraq, one of the battalion's major missions has been hauling concrete, in the form of massive rebar-laden barriers, all over the Baghdad area. These barriers are strategically placed in order to form solid walls of concrete, forcing insurgents to engage coalition forces on preconditioned terms, or not at all.

"In an effort to reduce the possibility of improvised explosive device attacks upon coalition forces within Multi-National Division – Baghdad, the 165th continues to conduct barrier transportation missions in support of emplacement operations," said Lt. Col. Randall Bradford, the commanding officer of the 165th and native of Alexandria, La.

Bradford further explained that along with reducing the risk of IED attacks, the barriers serve to cut off exit avenues for criminals trying to stage attacks against coalition or Iraqi forces and thus reduces casualties.

To date the battalion has moved more than 20,000 barriers. At over 10,000 pounds-per-barrier, this means that the 165th has moved more than 200 million pounds of concrete down some of the most dangerous roads in the world.

"We have been able to reach this point through our incredible sense of cooperation and teamwork," said Maj. Randy Green, the executive officer of the 165th and native of Bossier City, La. "Although we are made up of several different companies, we are bound together as one solid team, centrally focused towards mission accomplishment. We are a family, if only for this moment in time," he said.

Responsibility for the coordination of this teamwork falls on the shoulders of the battalion support operations, or SPO shop. The star logistician in the SPO shop is Capt. Michael Stevens of Baton Rouge, La.

Stevens, along with Sgt. 1st Class David Miller of Pineville, La., puts in countless hours to ensure that all the pieces of the mission puzzle are put together. These include route clearance missions, battlespace owners (troops patrolling the areas to be traversed), barrier yards, transportation companies, and convoy security elements. Miller justifies his tireless dedication by noting that "every barrier we deliver provides more force protection for our brothers in arms, as well as provides safer neighborhoods for the people of Iraq."

Both Stevens and Miller agreed that the support and "never give up" attitude of the 165th's transport and gun truck companies has been the decisive factor in the successful delivery of over 20,000 barriers.

Leesville, La., native, Command Sgt. Maj. Jerry Harvey, the 165th's senior enlisted advisor stated, "Our Soldiers have overcome many obstacles, long nights, and long hours helping to build combat outposts, joint security stations, entry control points, and the walls in Iraq."

Harvey, who has personally participated in many of the barrier missions, added, "They made it all happen no matter what it took, even in the face of road blocks aimed at keeping them from their destination. The Soldiers of the 165th are the best of the best."

• Date Taken: 10.21.2008
• Date Posted: 10.21.2008 17:53
• Story ID: 25353
• Location: TAJI, IQ