Photo By Cpl. David Dyer | Soldiers from the 250th Engineer Company, assemble a section of Salman Pak's new...... read more read more
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CONTINGENCY OPERATING LOCATION ZULU, Iraq – Soldiers currently deployed with Troop B, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, find themselves performing missions that might not be typical to a cavalryman. Their current deployment, they find themselves working to improve the quality of life in their operational environment.
The ancient city of Salmon Pak is approximately 15 miles south of Baghdad near a peninsula formed by a broad eastward bend of the Tigris River. It is named after Salman the Persian, a companion of Muhammad who is buried there. Salman Pak houses the remains of the, once majestic, Persian Sassanid capitol, Ctesiphon, and the Arch of Ctesiphon which is one of the oldest freestanding arches in the world.
An old U.S. Army ribbon bridge, built in 2004, had joined the farming community on one side of the Tigris River with the urban center of Salman Pak on the opposite bank.
Before that time, locals had to travel for several hours in order to cross the river. The ribbon bridge at Salmon Pak was never intended to be a permanent fixture.
In June, a new Mabey-Johnson floating bridge was constructed by Soldiers from the 250th Engineer Company, while the Soldiers from Troop B, 3-1 Cav. Regt. provided security on the southern bank of the Tigris River.
A Mabey-Johnson bridge is a portable pre-fabricated truss bridge, designed for use by military engineers to upgrade routes for heavier traffic. According to the manufactures, the bridge can be used as a rescue bridge for relief in natural disasters or as a semi-permanent bridge to open up roads in some of the most remote regions of the world.
The new bridge was installed in three phases beginning, May 19, when the old bridge was removed. The new bridge was then positioned using engineers standing on shore coordinating with others on boats to assemble the multiple pieces. Finally ramps and access roads were constructed making the mission complete, June 16.
The cavalry scouts from Bonecrusher Troop secured the southern bridgehead. Under the merciless blaze of the summer sun, in temperatures upwards of 120 degrees, troopers maintained a close watch on their surroundings. They engaged in friendly banter amongst themselves in order to remain alert, leaving the engineers to focus on their project at hand.
“Our mission is to provide security in order to allow for engineer assets to construct a new bridge in the Salman Pak region,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Spanjers, a Nebraskan from Troop B. “This [bridge] will increase commerce and education in the area.”
Spc. Brandon Smith, a member of Troop B from Ligonier, Ind., was protectively standing watch over the sleeping engineers on the moonlit southern bank of the Tigris River.
“This bridge is really important because you have to travel several miles in either direction to seek another crossing,” he said. “The farmers who live on the southern bank are hard working people with very little income. This bridge will make their lives a lot easier and help them to get crops to the market.”
Smith said the bridge provides locals with an easier way to do the everyday tasks that many Americans might take for granted. Children can go to school on the opposite side of the river. People can go to the stores in the city and get the things they would have otherwise had to do without.
“I know this may not seem like much,” Smith said, “but being a first time deployer, I feel like I am getting the chance to do my part in making this a better place.”
| Date Taken: | 06.23.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.23.2010 07:15 |
| Story ID: | 51817 |
| Location: | COL ZULU, IQ |
| Web Views: | 283 |
| Downloads: | 209 |
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