NAJAF, Iraq — Soldiers of the 172nd Infantry Brigade, 172nd Support Battalion braved triple digit temperatures as they loaded equipment and supplies of the U.S. Army Special Forces at Camp Tarlovsky, June 27, to ensure the quick and safe relocation of the unit to a nearby base in accordance with the U.S. - Iraq security agreement.
The 172nd Support Bn. completed the relocation operation within 24 hours using forklifts, cranes and trucks moving from one secure location to another located a few miles outside the city.
Moving an Army camp is no easy task and requires planning, multiple types of equipment and personnel.
"Our truck is loaded down with equipment and load pallets and we're ready to move," said Spc. Gregory Stohel, Company A, 172 Support Bn., a Sandy Utah resident, as he climbed inside the cab of a loaded truck headed for the new base at Forward Operating Base Endeavor.
It was important for Soldiers to breakdown, pack and move necessary equipment quickly, so it could be redeployed and operational as soon as possible.
"We've got to move and shut down this base, while getting them out of the city before the security agreement date of June 30," said 1st Lt. Katie J. Parke, Company A, 172 Support Bn., transportation platoon leader. "We don't leave until it's closed."
Temperatures soared to 117 F as one truck after another pulled in for loading and a quick exit down a road lined with Iraqi vehicles providing security. This helped make the mission more efficient, according to Parke, a Cambridge, Md., resident.
Camp Tarlovsky, once known as Camp David, was a small-arms range to train the Iraqi security forces, said Capt. Tom Visel, commander of a detachment of Soldiers once located at Camp Tarlovsky.
The buildings at the camp looked like parts of a ghost town with only a few old posters or pieces of paper tacked to the walls.
The camp's namesake, Capt. Michael Y. Tarlovsky, former U.S. Army Special Forces detachment commander, was killed in action in Najaf. His painting hung proudly as his comrades accomplished their mission.