Courtesy Photo | Two soldiers from Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd...... read more read more
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By Capt. Bob Stone
CONTINGENCY OPERATING STATION GARRY OWEN, Iraq – Unlike many U.S. bases in Iraq, COS Garry Owen, the major U.S. installation in Maysan province that shares its eastern border with Iran, is secured solely by U.S. soldiers from 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
It is not a large installation by any means, measuring only a quarter of a mile on each side, but it houses over 1,200 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and civilians engaged in advising and assisting the Iraqi security forces.
It takes over 100 Soldiers each day conducting eight to 12-hour shifts on one of the 11 different security locations in and around the station. Many of these soldiers are not infantrymen or tankers as many would expect. Cooks, mechanics, chemical specialists and soldiers from every other military occupational specialty assist in the security tasks that allow 1st Bn., 8th Inf. Reg., to conduct business on any given day.
The primary task to secure Garry Owen has been assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Bn., 8th Inf. Reg. Each day soldiers are assembled from four other companies in the battalion to help complete this task.
Throughout the day, soldiers search Iraqi citizens coming onto Garry Owen to conduct business, while others stand behind machine guns in 30-foot towers while the sun beats down on the tower and the hot summer wind blows over them. The majority of the guards do not have an air conditioned space to work in.
This is not an easy job for any of the soldiers, but they all understand that the job is an important one that cannot be taken lightly.
“They understand that guarding the COS is necessary, however, and they haven’t complained about it,” said 1st Lt. Nolan Johnson, platoon leader, Company B, whose Soldiers spend one week working at the entry control point and the next advising the Iraqi police.
Many soldiers have had to conduct additional training to prepare themselves for this duty. Soldiers from the battalion’s Forward Support Company have been to the range several times to qualify with the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and the M240B medium machine gun, weapons they normally do not carry.
This is not what these soldiers joined the army to do, but many of them enjoy the change of pace, working two weeks in their normal military occupational specialty, and then a week on a guard mission.
Even the infantrymen have had to attend training on specialized equipment such as the vehicle x-ray machine that searches all civilian vehicles that enter Garry Owen.
“Our mission is tough in a sense that we must provide men and women daily to secure the compound we live in, rather than have those personnel conduct their normal duties,” Cpl. Kevin Maine, team leader, Company A, from Macon, Ga.
Despite the challenges in sharing the base security mission, it remains a critical effort. The soldiers of TF Eagle stand ready during pitch-black nights, temperatures of over 130 degrees, and 30 MPH winds to ensure the safety and security of their fellow soldiers.
| Date Taken: | 08.21.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.21.2010 11:31 |
| Story ID: | 54959 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING STATION GARRY OWEN, IQ |
| Web Views: | 877 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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