Alpha Company, 181st Brigade Support Battalion provides security in Balad

Photo By Staff Sgt. Emily Suhr | First Lt. Sean Taborne from Port Orchard, Wash., the Personal Security Detail platoon commander with Alpha Company, 181st Brigade Support battalion, 81st Brigade Combat Team, Washington Army National Guard, awards combat patches to his platoon Dec. 30, 2008 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. In a tradition dating back to WWII, combat patches depicting the unit they serve with during wartime are placed on each Soldier's right sleeve. The 106 members of A Co.,181st BSB provide security for Iraqi businesses on base and the hospital, escort local nationals working on base and provide Personal Security Detail services.  

BALAD, IRAQ

01.06.2009

Story by Staff Sgt. Emily Suhr 

81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team

By Sgt. Emily Suhr
81st Brigade Combat Team

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Though Joint Base Balad, Iraq boasts amenities such as two swimming pools, American fast food restaurants and a movie theater, it is clearly still in a warzone. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and Humvees rumble down the busy streets, which are lined with T-barriers. Sandbags are stacked outside the Soldiers rooms. F-16 fighter planes take off regularly, blocking out all other sound. Most notably, of course, are the thousands of service members walking around carrying weapons.

For the 106 Soldiers of Alpha Company, 181st Brigade Support Battalion, 81st Brigade Combat Team, Washington Army National Guard., based out of Seattle, Wash., Joint Base Balad is home for the next eight months.

The 81st Brigade Combat Team began arriving at bases across Iraq in late October after spending two months in Fort McCoy, Wis., and Camp Buehring, Kuwait for training. While the brigade conducts various types of missions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Soldiers of 181st BSB are "troops for task," providing security for Iraqi businesses on base and the hospital, escorting local nationals working on base and providing Personal Security Detail services.

Pvt. Becky Vasquez from Pasco, Wash., who has been in the National Guard for two years, wasn't originally supposed to be on this deployment. She was assigned to a chemical company from the 96th Troop Command, based out of Yakima, Wash., but when the 81st BCT needed more troops, she was called to duty.

"They got everyone together in one room and said, 'You're all going to deploy next month with the 81st Brigade,'" Vasquez recalled. "Everyone was just dead silent. Some were crying. I was with my friend, she was right by me. I just told her, 'We're going to get through this.'"

The 19-year-old supply clerk, who works for a collection agency back in Pasco, said being in Iraq isn't as bad as she expected.

"My mom is really worried about me being over here, but I tell her it's not as bad as the news portrays it to be," she said.

Like many of her fellow Soldiers, Vasquez pulls security duty in a variety of places on JBB, including the hospital.

The Balad hospital cares for wounded coalition service members, as well as local civilians. It can be a surreal experience for anyone, but especially young Soldiers unaccustomed to the medical field.

"The first time I was called into the trauma room is an experience I will never forget. It was [an Iraqi] who had a head injury. His face was all swollen. There was blood everywhere. He was unconscious. At first it was like I wasn't even there. It felt unreal. But then I realized, this is a war environment," said Vasquez

Spc. Lillian Savea from Tacoma, Wash., works security duty in the hospital with Vasquez.

Also on her first deployment, Savea said seeing people in the hospital, "was difficult for me in the beginning. I appreciate people in the medical field a lot more. What these folks here go through who are working in the emergency room, up to the intensive care unit. What they deal with mentally. It is a very rewarding experience working in the hospital."

When not serving as an administrative clerk in the National Guard, Savea is a postal worker in Federal Way. She said her office has been very supportive since she's been away and seems to be surviving her absence.

"I'm sure they're still going well. I get my mail, so...," she joked.

Besides getting letters and packages from home, Savea said organizations such as Support our Troops program, the South King County Fire Department Rescue Mission and the Boy and Girl Scouts have sent care packages to the troops, reminding them that they are missed back home.

While the Soldiers of Alpha Co. have an important task to do, it can become tedious for them. Soldiers generally stay busy by taking classes at the education center or catching a movie at the base theater. JBB also has multiple internet cafes and phone centers so Soldiers can stay connected. Savea enjoys going to the gym and salsa night at the morale, welfare and recreation center. Alpha Co. hosted a casino night Christmas party for the Soldiers, complete with the game Rock Band.

"I think I have some of the best leadership," said Capt. Selina Riedel, the Alpha Co. commander. "I have a great first sergeant, great [executive officer]. They're always looking out for the Soldiers, finding things for them to do. We have softball, a ping-pong tournament, flag football."

The company leaders also ensure their troops don't get complacent in an often quiet warzone by continuing to train between missions. The PSD platoon provides security escorts on and off base for the commanding general and his guests, as well as the Iraqi Business Individual Zone team who regularly meets with local business owners in town.

"We go out [to the improvised explosive device training range] at least once a month," said 1st Lt. Sean Taborne from Port Orchard, Wash., the PSD commander. The Soldiers drive around and attempt to find training improvised explosive device "Then we react to them the same way we would outside the wire. We practice our [tactics, techniques and procedures]. We also get weekly briefs on all the recent significant activities, so the Soldiers know what to look for," he said.

In the end, most of the Soldiers from Alpha Co. expressed that the entire Iraq experience has been better than expected. Many appreciate the opportunity to travel and learn a bit about Iraqi culture from the Iraqi civilians. Vasquez, like many of the Soldiers of Alpha Co., said she'd come back to Iraq for another deployment.

"I really like the experience," she said.

• Date Taken: 01.06.2009
• Date Posted: 01.06.2009 04:38
• Story ID: 28494
• Location: BALAD, IQ