64th BSB, Protecting Brigade Bloodlines

Photo By Spc. Paul Harris | Soldiers of Company B, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, provide security for a logistical patrol as it makes its way to Forward Operating Base Warhorse.  

BAQUBAH, IRAQ

03.10.2006

Story by Spc. Paul Harris 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office


BAQUBAH, Iraq (Feb. 10, 2006) -- With horns blazing, the patrol makes its way through a traffic jam in Diyala Province on its way to Logistical Support Area Anaconda. It is imperative they do not slow down for any reason.

It is the job of Companies A and B, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, to get needed supplies to and from LSA Anaconda or Forward Operating Base Normandy.

Without daily supply runs the brigade would shut down like a bad heart attack. Logistical patrols are vital missions to protect the bloodline of the brigade.

To insure 3rd HBCT functions properly, Capt. Adam Morgan, field ordering officer, 3rd HBCT, 4th ID, and his S-4 staff meticulously plan and forecast how much supplies are needed for the brigade to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After the supply totals are calculated, the "right hand" of the S-4, support operations for 64th BSB takes over to execute those plans, Morgan said.

Getting supplies from point A to point B usually means putting a vehicle patrol together because air transportation is too unreliable due to weather and other factors, said Staff Sgt. Joshua Marron, transportation NCOIC, 64th BSB. Marron puts together the logistical patrols that funnel the supplies and passengers to the different FOBs throughout the brigade's area of responsibility.

Once a log patrol is scheduled, the responsibility of safe guarding those supplies to their intended destination falls upon the Soldiers of Companies A and B of the 64th BSB. Supply runs are dangerous and are often fertile ground for insurgent attacks. The threat of improvised explosive devices planted in the roads is one of the many obstacles the security teams must face. In December, Co. B under the direction of 1st Lt. Amanda Slack, Second Platoon leader, 64th BSB encountered its first IED on its first logistical patrol leaving FOB Warhorse.

"We were all a little edgy because we knew this route was bad to begin with. The crew that I was with had only done one (patrol) from Kuwait to here, we were all pretty inexperienced," Slack said.

About three hours into the patrol an IED exploded near the truck traveling behind Slack. It blew up the tire underneath the driver and some shrapnel had penetrated the radiator, disabling the vehicle.

"I had never heard an IED before, my initial reaction was "what was that loud noise?,"" Slack said.

After the initial shock of the blast Slack and her crew made sure everyone was OK, exited the blast area and began to pull security around the vehicles. By the time Slack had radioed command, her crew had expeditiously hooked up the disabled vehicle and was ready to move. She was pleased with the way her team had reacted and attributed it to the long hours of patrol training 64th BSB underwent at Fort Carson, Colo., before deploying to Iraq.

"That was one of the biggest things we trained on was how to react to IED, how to recover a vehicle that has been hit by an IED, what do you do when you get hit by an IED. We did not even think about it, we just did it," Slack said.

The IED explosion had a sobering effect on Slack and her team.

"It was good that nobody got hurt, but it was also like "no (expletive) we are in Iraq, we could get hit by IEDs," it was definitely a reality check. But it was also a confidence booster because the guys were like "OK, we know how to react to this, we are trained for this and we proved ourselves today". All the training paid off," she said.

Another obstacle the security teams tackle is trying to keep the convoy moving smoothly. The Iraqis and foreign nationals who drive the refrigerator trucks have their own style of driving which can be a cause of concern from time to time, said Sgt. David Riddle, patrol team leader, Co. B, 64th BSB, 3rd HBCT.

"When the weather is bad, there is a high chance for those trucks rolling over. If they do roll over we have to stop, pull security, get a tow truck to come out and bring it in for maintenance," Riddle said.

Just getting the patrol through the congestion of traffic can be a mission unto itself. It can be quite difficult to communicate with the local commuters that a patrol needs to get through, otherwise the patrol runs the risk of becoming a sitting duck for insurgent attacks.

"When we come up to an area where there is a big traffic jam, we start beeping our horn and our turret gunner beeps his air horn real loud to let them know they need to move out of the way," Riddle said. "We will give them a moment to get out of the way, but we cannot stop for any reason. For the safety of the convoy we have to push through."

After dropping supplies off, the combat logistical patrol only has a few moments to grab something to eat before loading up with more supplies and heading out on the road for the return home. Riddle does not seem to mind the time crunch, he is aware of the importance he and his team play in the mission.

"If we were not protecting the vehicles, the (refrigerated) trucks would be fish in a barrel. Insurgents could steal our supplies and get a hold of our personal mail which could present a security risk to our families back home," Riddle said. "You could say we are protecting the bloodline of the brigade."

• Date Taken: 03.10.2006
• Date Posted: 03.10.2006 17:45
• Story ID: 5671
• Location: BAQUBAH, IQ