Photo By Spc. Kiyoshi Freeman | A Texas guardsman with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment refuels a...... read more read more
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AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — Texas guardsmen escort fuel convoys around Anbar province every week and build relationships with their Iraqi partners to support coalition operations.
"Fuel is your lifeline. Your trucks, your generators — pretty much without fuel, the base doesn't operate," said 1st Lt. Darnell Reese, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment. "And sharing the road's a big part of that."
The mission, though, isn't just about moving trucks from point A to point B, said Capt. David Alderman, commanding officer, Co. Bravo, 2nd Bn., 142nd Inf. Regt. As security improves across Iraq, where violence is at its lowest levels since 2003, the way escort missions are conducted has changed.
"During previous deployments, pretty much we owned the road," Alderman said, referring to how coalition forces would take control of intersections and not allow unknown vehicles to stray too close to their convoys. An unfortunate but necessary precaution at the time, he said.
For the past few months now, coalition forces share the road with Iraqis, not unlike how military convoys work in any other host nation.
"As we're traveling, we'll move over, allow them to bypass our convoys when it's safe," Alderman said. "In that way, we're not hindering their movement and they're not hindering our movement."
Sgt. 1st Class Jose Orozco, 2nd Platoon leader, Co. Bravo, admitted some of his Soldiers, especially those who deployed before, were uncomfortable with the change at first. However, they quickly readjusted to the new realities on the ground.
"We have to show the local population that we trust them and give them the opportunity to trust us," said Orozco, a native of Hillsborough, Texas.
Most Iraqis are unaware of this policy and remain wary of arbitrarily passing coalition convoys, said Alderman, a native of El Paso, Texas. Even when Soldiers use green flags or green chemical lights to wave vehicles on, Iraqis are still hesitant.
Nevertheless, the effort's important to make the civilian populace comfortable; to see the coalition forces more as partners," said Reese, a native of Fort Worth, Texas.
Another facet of sharing the road includes developing a good working relationship with the Iraqi police, Alderman said. The Soldiers of 2nd Bn., 142nd Inf. Regt. have made contact with most of the Iraqi highway patrol stations along their routes, building a rapport with their Iraqi counterparts.
It's this kind of partnership that National Guard units such as Co. Bravo are suited to develop, said Orozco. Orozco is one of many Soldiers in the unit who works as a police officer home in Texas.
"I know how to talk to them," he said. "I [have] a pretty good relationship with the [Iraqi police] checkpoints assigned to me." Orozco said he goes out of his way to support the IP as best he can, whether it's by donating a flashlight or simply engaging in a dialogue with a colleague in law enforcement.
While the threat of roadside bombs is never far from their minds, even with the improving security situation in Iraq, Reese said his biggest safety concern is vehicle accidents. Long hours on the road, top-heavy military vehicles and civilian trucks of varying age and mechanical reliability present their own challenges to executing missions safely.
It's a challenge the unit has chosen to address through rehearsals, like rollover drills, safety briefings and sufficient rest time in between legs of a mission, which extend over several days.
"Every time we move something safely, I feel like we've done a very good job," Reese said.
The Soldiers of 2nd Bn., 142nd Inf. Regt. were mobilized with the 56th (Infantry) Brigade Combat Team in August 2008. Falling under the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard, the unit's insignia is a distinctive olive drab "T" on a blue arrowhead.
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 04.13.2009 03:55 |
| Story ID: | 32315 |
| Location: | AL ASAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 468 |
| Downloads: | 420 |
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