Multi-National Division - Baghdad engineers upgrade, expand site for fellow Soldiers

Courtesy Photo | Pvt. Troy Emerson, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion, a native of Bangor, Maine, uses a Bobcat to cut a trench for buried electrical cable while Staff Sgt. Ryan Peltier, a squad leader, and a native of Baton Rouge, La., ensures the job is done safely.  

JOINT SECURITY STATION ISTIQLAAL, IRAQ

11.30.2008

Courtesy Story

926th Engineer Brigade

By 2nd Lt. Virginia Brickner
Company B, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion, 926th Engineering Brigade

JOINT SECURITY STATION ISTIQLAAL, Iraq – The relative comfort of main base camps in Iraq can make Soldiers forget that their fellow warriors are often stationed at remote combat outposts and joint security stations that have only the most basic of necessities.

In early August, Soldiers from 2nd Plt., Company B, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion, based in Fort Rucker, Ala., serving with Multi-National Division – Baghdad, set out from Camp Liberty and spent several months to make upgrades at JSS Istiqlaal, north of Baghdad, would make the remote site a better place for Soldiers to live.

"The main focus of our mission was to provide much-needed quality of life upgrades for the Infantry Soldiers on the ground, as well as improving the operational capability of the unit as a whole," said Sgt. Peter Erikson, 46th ECB, squad leader and native of Des Moines, Iowa.

Soldiers constructed formwork in preparation of the placement of five concrete pads for future buildings, while a team of plumbers, led by Staff Sgt. Ian Jones, a native of Newport, N.Y., built a gravity fed shower.

Elsewhere on the JSS, an electrical team led by Sgt. Michael Worman, who hails from Boise, Idaho, worked to safely ground electrical wires and cables on numerous generators and existing buildings.

Back at the main camp, Soldiers from Company B busied themselves pre-fabricating all of the walls and trusses that would be used in the living quarters and the Combined Operations Center. Once all of the prefabricated materials and remaining Soldiers arrived at JSS Istiqlaal, construction began in earnest.

"The living quarters were completed first and were the most direly needed. They were utilized less than 24 hours after the final nail was pounded," commented Jones.

Before the team was complete, fourteen additional buildings were built. A small group of engineers completed all ground excavation and concrete placement, while the rest of the platoon built all necessary walls and trusses at Camp Liberty.

The Combined Operations Center was the final building to be completed. This building allows both U.S. and Iraqi Security Forces to coordinate and plan security and stability missions as a team.

Due to the MND-B engineer's efforts, JSS Istiqlaal has expanded to accommodate a much larger force.

Sgt. 1st Class Vernon Alcorn, 2nd Plt. platoon ergeant, a native of Weiser, Idaho, was immensely proud of his highly-skilled and professional team of engineers.

"The Soldiers have surpassed my expectations," stated Alcorn. "Putting maximum effort into bettering the quality of life for their fellow Soldiers speaks volumes about their character. The message our Soldiers project is that, 'we will get the job done, no matter what you throw at us.' I am looking forward to our future missions, positive that our Soldiers will be successful."

Alcorn also states the superior carpentry skills and craftsmanship of the Company B engineers was the reason the project was finished over a month ahead of schedule.

• Date Taken: 11.30.2008
• Date Posted: 11.30.2008 22:15
• Story ID: 26986
• Location: JOINT SECURITY STATION ISTIQLAAL, IQ