Spc. Jimmy D. Lane Jr., 1st Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE UVANNI, Iraq -- Soldiers stationed in the city of Samarra, Iraq see action almost daily. Within the city limits, Company A and Company B of 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, here set up observation posts (OPs) where they watch for insurgent activity and try to make the streets of Samarra safer for its citizens.
"There are two companies, or about 300 men in a city of about 100,000 people," said Pvt. Jeramiah Johnston, a Co. B, 3-69 Armor squad automatic weapon gunner from Carrolltown, Pa. "A normal day around here is really not so normal. You never really know what you are doing until ten minutes before you do it."
There is one Soldier to about every 300 people in Samarra and Samarra is a city where chaos is a daily thing and Soldiers have to be ready for anything.
"We wake up every morning expecting to get shot at," said Pfc. David Campbell, a Co. B, 3-69 Armor grenadier from Tampa, Fla. "It was scary when we first got here, but as time goes by it gets easier to deal with."
"When I first got here, my biggest fear was that I wouldn't measure up to what I was called to do," said Pfc. Terry Hees, a Co. B, 3-69 Armor assistant gunner from Eldon, Mo. "A perfect example of handling this was when I did first aid on a buddy who got shot. I also had a fear of dying. Now, I only see it as the highest honor to give that sacrifice."
The Soldiers who man the OPs knew they wanted to do this kind of work, even before they joined the Army
"Honestly, this is something I always wanted to do since I was a little kid," said Spc. Shim Welch, a Co. B, 3-69 Armor team leader from Asheville, N.C. "My dad was infantry in the Army and I wanted to be like him."
"I signed up knowing what I was going to do," Campbell said. "It's my job and I love every minute of it."
Hees said he wanted to be in the military his whole life. He said there are many rewards for facing the dangers he does every day.
"There are very few jobs where you get to save somebody from tyranny, or even save their lives. That is the ultimate reward from God for doing what he called me to do."
The Soldiers who work fighting the insurgency in Samarra say one of the most important things about the job is the Soldiers they work with.
"There's a special bond between me and the guys I work with," Campbell said. "Once that bond is there, you can't break it."
"I'm just doing for my buddies what any of them would do for me," Johnston said. "Doing the job together with them makes it not so bad. I wouldn't want to be out here with anybody else."
While danger and chaos is a daily part of the Soldiers" jobs, they do have the bigger picture in mind; keeping the streets of Samarra and its citizens safe.
"Basically our job here is to locate and root out the enemy and protect the citizens of Samarra, so they can have a little taste of freedom," Johnston said.
The Soldiers feel differently about the citizens of Samarra who are just trying to live in peace.
"The people here in Samarra, they're not bad people," Welch said. "They're just trying to get by. They want to see us get the terrorists as bad as we do. Their lives are miserable because of the insurgent activity here."
"We're trying to give them a better place to live," Campbell said. "We want them to see that Saddam is gone and they don't have to be afraid anymore."
"We are trying to show the people that they can enjoy their lives and live them to the fullest," Hees said. "They don't have to live in fear if they have a sound government."
Those stationed at FOB Uvanni and working in Samarra face challenges other than just the insurgency.
"The biggest challenge to being out here everyday is battling complacency," Welch said. "Everyday you're out in the heat, just working all the time and after so many hours, it makes it hard not to want to cut corners."
"The heat is amazing," Johnston said. "I checked the wet bulb the other day it was 151 degrees outside."
Becoming complacent can be dangerous for the Soldiers.
"The smallest breakdown in security, like not scanning your sector thoroughly is really all it takes to get someone hurt," Welch said.
Living at FOB Uvanni can also be trying on the Soldiers" patience.
"We've definitely forfeited a lot of comforts of life to be out here," Welch said. "It really makes you appreciate the smallest things, like constant running water, hot meals everyday, or even just being able to look out of the window."