Photo By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky | Sgt. Douglas Nicoson, a native of Greenville, Ill., measures wood planks March 18 at...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – The words of one commander at Combat Outpost Meade are more than just a motto; they've motivated Soldiers to improve their surroundings.
"One improvement a day by everyone makes a big difference," says Capt. Jason Bartlett, commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
Every day since the Rakkasans began their transfer from Forward Operating Base Stryker to Combat Outpost Meade in early March, the Soldiers have been doing all they can to make their new home a little more comfortable.
"The guys are really motivated," said Bartlett, of Clarksville, Tenn.
Camp Stryker is a base that has many creature comforts such as fast food restaurants, Iraqi markets and a PX. COP Meade has a field kitchen that is run by the battalion's cooks. However, Bartlett said his Soldiers have welcomed the move and have found motivation from their new "fixer-upper" home.
In the past two weeks at COP Meade, they've already made quite a few improvements.
The Soldiers have developed the inside of the battalion's tactical operation center, built a medical aid station, and improved sanitation by replacing burn-out latrines with latrines that use a chemical disposal system.
Individual groups of Soldiers are also making big improvements to their living areas.
Soldiers from Scout Platoon, HHC, have replaced their tent with a wood structure. Bunk beds, which the scouts built, are partitioned off by walls, allowing for some privacy. They even constructed a common area for gear and weapons maintenance.
"Everyone helps in some way," said Sgt. Eric Sanders, of Waynesboro, Pa., who built the structure's interior walls.
Prior to joining the Army, Sanders worked in construction. He said everyone does what they can and are eager to learn new skills to help out.
"When everyone comes together to build something like this it makes it feel like home instead of just a tent we moved into," he said.
More improvements are planned for the future.
Bartlett said he hopes to build a new Morale, Welfare and Recreation/chapel building, expand the dining facility, and make a hard-structure gym. Plans for either a volleyball or basketball court are also being developed.
The additions, while mainly for protection and morale, also have secondary effects on the communities around them. "A Soldier's morale affects how he goes outside the wire to do his mission," Bartlett said. "When guys go out happy, it translates to the community."
Improvements to COP Meade are also needed so 150 Iraqi Army Soldiers can eventually live at the base.
Bartlett said he hopes to build a Civil Military Occupation Center outside the walls. The CMOC will allow locals to talk with Soldiers without having to enter the base.
Despite the hard work, it hasn't dampened the gung-ho spirit of the Soldiers. "The main thing is initiative, which we have," said Bartlett, who is currently on his fifth deployment to Iraq and sixth combat tour overall.
With all that experience, he said he has seen a lot of ideas, ideas he is helping his Soldiers bring to fruition. Besides offering ideas and a sense of satisfaction in building something, the work benefits Soldiers by helping time fly.
"When the guys keep busy, time goes faster," Bartlett said. "They'll continue to make improvements until the day they leave."
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2008 15:21 |
| Story ID: | 17684 |
| Location: | ISKANDARIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 1,234 |
| Downloads: | 1,207 |
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