Special Troops Battalion moves headquarters to new location

Photo By Staff Sgt. Miles Elder | KIRKUSH, Iraq (July 8, 2006) -- Dallas native, Capt. Simeon Harvey serves as assistant operations officer, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 4th HBCT, Task Force Band of Brothers. His unit recently took charge of U.S. forces at Kirkush Military Training Base, which was once Camp Caldwell. He also serves as daytime battle captain. (Photo by Spc. Lee Elder, 133d Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)  

KIRKUSH, IRAQ

07.17.2006

Courtesy Story

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KIRKUSH, Iraq (July 5, 2006) " There's a new unit managing the U.S. presence here supporting both Coalition and Iraqi forces in northern Iraq in a critical area near the Iran-Iraq border.

The 3rd Special Troops Battalion has moved its headquarters from Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqubah to the site formerly known as FOB Caldwell, which is now Kirkush Military Training Base. It replaces the Tactical Command Post of the 4th Infantry Division which has moved to FOB Warhorse.

The transition to "Phoenix Main" was effective July 7. It's the latest step in the evolution of 3rd STB, which was formerly the 4th Engineer Battalion based at Fort Carson, Colo.

For Lt. Col. Leonard Wells, who commands 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, it's a new role both for him and his unit. Not only will his unit assume its usual support role, but it also has a tactical mission patrolling areas and villages that lie along Iraq's border with Iran.

In the past, special troop battalions have largely provided a home for Soldiers working on higher-level headquarters. They gave them administrative support and ensured they met the Army's training requirements. However, that is not their only role now, Wells said.

"I am a tactical headquarters that has the ability to assume attachments " infantry, armor or engineer attachments, both combat and combat support," Wells said. "I have senior NCOs and officers, and I've got the entire combined arms makeup.

"If I do get an infantry platoon or an infantry company, the expertise is there to help integrate those elements and make sure the requirements and needs are met."

This is Wells" second tour of Iraq. He was the former engineer battalion's operations officer and later executive officer when it was here in 2004.

Wells is a Shreveport, La., native who serves in the Engineer Branch. He is a 1988 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and is the son of Louis Wells Sr. and Bettie Wells of Shreveport.

Wells is quick to downplay the move as a drastic change in his role. He has been on the road a lot during this tour visiting his Soldiers and overseeing Coalition-funded engineering projects in the area.

"It's just expanding on what I did when I was in Baqubah," Wells said. "I have elements on 10 different FOBs spread out about the entire brigade area of operations.

"My command sergeant major and I both travel all the time. We have both have logged a lot of mileage."

The change in KMTB comes on the heels of the July 3 turnover of responsibility for military operations in Diyala Province from Coalition forces to the Iraqi Army's 5th Division. The division's 1st Brigade, which was validated in April, is also headquartered at the same base.

With the new assignment comes a new role in light of the 5th Division's new status. Wells said his unit is ready to play a backup role.

"Their infantry for the Iraqi Army is very well trained," Wells said. "It's the smaller enablers " their EOD teams, their indirect teams, and their mortars " those small specialty elements they are still developing right now.

"Until they can completely get to a level where they can operate independently, we're there to assist them."

The Iraqi Army is just one training level below being completely independent, Wells said. He said he is pleased with their progress.

"We are there just to refine them," Wells said. "The fundamentals, they have down.

"They are getting better every day. We just try to fine tune by advising where they can best benefit the Iraqi Army."

Much of that refinement is being done by teams training both the Iraqi Army and the nation's fledgling border patrol. Policing the border is particularly important since much of the financial and logistical support for the insurgents flows through Iran.

As it inherits U.S. operations at KMTB, the 3rd STB now takes on support of these teams. Many of the support team personnel who make up the communication, maintenance and fueling sections will remain here despite the changeover.

"It went really transparent," Wells said of the transition. "(Headquarters and Headquarters Troop) actually falls under my battalion so a lot of the folks stayed here because they are a part of my organization already.

"Over 50 percent of the Soldiers who had to be here to support this operation stayed."

Among those whom Wells led here was Capt. Simeon Harvey, the battalion's assistant operations officer. A Dallas native, Harvey said he was pleased with the transition's progress, but the unit was going to be busy here.

"Everybody is doing something," Harvey said. "Everybody is trying to do so many tasks.

"Thus, we have no real back-ups right now."

In addition to their normal duties, there is the ongoing task of force protection. The unit is bolstered by a platoon from the Republic of Georgia, a former breakaway Soviet republic that is part of the U.S-led Coalition here.

Just 10 miles from the Iranian border, KMTB is located in a remote area. It lacks many of the amenities many of the Soldiers had at Warhorse. However, Harvey said morale is high among the incoming Soldiers.

"The food is good," Harvey said. "We're on our own, far from the flagpole and being a Soldier here is a lot of fun."

• Date Taken: 07.17.2006
• Date Posted: 07.17.2006 15:02
• Story ID: 7200
• Location: KIRKUSH, IQ