Photo By 2nd Lt. Thomas Morin | Soldiers from Serial 1 of 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st...... read more read more
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BABIL, Iraq – Warm breath rises from the mouths of the soldiers in puffs of white steam. The chill night air is broken with the rumble of dozens of engines. The darkness is cut by the bright headlights of over sixty Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles as they lay in wait; staged for the final push of the battalion out of Iraq.
“The closing of Contingency Operating Station Kalsu is an historic event not only for the Army, but for the United States as well. In an action very seldom seen in the history of warfare, the U.S. forces are leaving a theater of operations peacefully, under an agreement that was made years ago,” said Lt Col. Jason Hayes, the commander of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. “It is very humbling to be a part of something this significant. This is something that, years later you will read about and be able to say ‘I was there.”
The convoy, or Tactical Road March, traveled south from COS Kalsu all the way to Khabari Crossing at the Iraq-Kuwait border. It carried the remaining Ironhorse soldiers a distance over 300 miles in the space of less than forty-eight hours. The soldiers, primarily consisting of troopers of Lancer Battalion, traveled in three serials with over one hundred vehicles. The TRM was conducted primarily at night, with most soldiers riding in the back of MRAPs, bundled up as best they could against the chill.
The journey was long and uneventful. Proceeded by teams clearing the route of roadside bombs, and supported by constant air-cover, the convoys were well-protected and not an easy target for any terrorists wishing to take a final parting shot at the Americans.
The convoy took with it over 140,000 pounds of equipment, not including bags the soldiers carried with them. This was in addition to over 880,000 pounds of equipment, loaded in forty-three containers that had been previously shipped from COS Kalsu during the drawdown.
Lancer’s convoy took a short six-hour stop at Contigency Operating Base Adder allowing the soldiers to rest during the day before resuming the final push to the Khabari Crossing the next night.
“Space inside our vehicle was pretty tight with all the bags in there. It was great to be able to take a break for a while,” said Sgt. David Webb, Electronic Warfare Officer for the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment.
Once at the border, the soldiers turned in their ammunition and vehicles. The soldiers then bedded down for one more night of rest before preparing the next day to assume their follow-on mission.
“As we depart Iraq, our military, as well as our relationship with the Middle East, is starting a new chapter,” Hayes said, in reference to the new mission.
Although Lancer soldiers are glad to be leaving Iraq, some veterans feel the transition from Iraq is a poignant event.
“To have spent that much time, blood, sweat and tears developing a place, and now to know that we will not be going back in the same capacity ever again…leaving Iraq is a bittersweet experience for all of us,” Hayes concluded.
| Date Taken: | 01.05.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 01.05.2012 13:05 |
| Story ID: | 82047 |
| Location: | CAMP BUEHRING, KW |
| Web Views: | 328 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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