Strykehorse Soldiers help upgrade living conditions for IA soldiers

Courtesy Photo | Capt. Travis Shain, native of Victoria, Texas, and commander of Troop C "Comanche," 2nd Squadron 14th Cavalry Regiment, "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Warrior," 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, talks with soldiers of the Iraqi army's 53rd Brigade in front of one of their new living trailers near Falahat, a village northwest of Baghdad, Oct. 12, 2008. The Comanche Soldiers helped upgrade the facilities by providing trailers to the IA soldiers.  

TAJI, IRAQ

10.20.2008

Courtesy Story

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

By Cpl. Cerone Waddy
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Iraqi army soldiers in the Taji Qada sleep a little easier now.

The IA soldiers from 53rd Brigade train and work alongside 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, "Strykehorse," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Warrior," Multi-National Division – Baghdad at Combat Outpost Falahat, northwest of Baghdad, securing Iraqi checkpoints and the people in the area.

Up until now, their living and sleeping conditions were certainly not up to par with what the U.S. Army considers standard, said Capt. Travis Shain, a native of Victoria, Texas, and commander of Troop C, 2nd Sqdn. 14th Cav. Regt.

Due to the brutal summer heat and aggressive mosquitoes, rest was hard to come by and something had to be done. The soldiers were trying to live without a roof over their heads, no air to keep them cool and no power.

When the issue was brought to Shain, he and his platoon leaders and platoon sergeants decided to make something happen.

After days of coordinating flatbed trailers, cranes and locations, new living trailers arrived Oct. 12, 2008. The nights of sleeping on mats in hopes to escape the heat were over.

"One of the first things that I recall was the excitement they had over the prospect of having power within the trailer," Sgt. Thomas LaRose, a native of Akron, Ohio, and intelligence security sergeant assigned to Troop C, 2nd Sqdn. 14th Cav. Regt.

It only took the IA soldiers a day to properly hook power up in their living trailers, said LaRose.

"The end state of all this was to get these guys a more suitable place to live," said Shain. "You couldn't have imagined the immediate impact it had on their morale. It was immeasurable."

• Date Taken: 10.20.2008
• Date Posted: 10.20.2008 07:42
• Story ID: 25247
• Location: TAJI, IQ