Fires Bde. Soldiers build IA supply, support capacity

Courtesy Photo | These five warehouses are currently refurbished and set to be restocked to support members of the 9th Iraqi Army Division on Camp Taji.  

TAJI, IRAQ

05.10.2006

Courtesy Story

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CAMP TAJI, Iraq " In a quiet corner of Camp Taji stand five large, refurbished warehouses designed to become the hub of repair parts for the 9th Iraqi Army Division.

The empty warehouses will soon be filled with a wide variety of goods, from simple tools and gauges to a myriad of other materials designed to keep a standing Army up and running; the buildings will be placed under the operational control of the Iraqi army.

A small team of Soldiers from the 589th Brigade Support Battalion, Fires Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, are working diligently to train their Iraqi counterparts on the mechanics of operating a fully functional Supply and Support Area .

At first glance, the mission seems very simple " provide full assistance with the initial set-up of the first SSA, then have the Iraqi army personnel take over and fix up the rest of them, following the philosophy of 'teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime," said Warrant Officer Clifford Merrill, supply systems technician, 589th BSB.

"Once we know they have a firm grasp on the first warehouse, we'll move to the second one and we'll be with them," said Merrill, a Londonderry, Vt., native, who joined the Army in September 1990, and is currently on his second tour in Iraq.

"And once that one is going, they'll have the process down, and we'll get all of them handed over."

Also on his second tour in Iraq is Sgt. Charles Keels, supply specialist, 589th BSB and a member of the seven-man team that calls itself 'the Magnificent Seven."

"I went to Desert Storm, so in a way, this is kind of the same situation because we had to build up a warehouse there," said Keels, who joined the Army back home in Deqeen, Ark., in 1988. "Now we're helping out the Iraqis rebuild theirs, so it's the same job."

As with any mission worth doing, there are always a few challenges, noted Keels.

"Back in the states, we are working with parts that have stock numbers, but here, these parts have no stock numbers whatsoever so we are going by visibility," said Keels.

He learned how to count in Arabic, which makes his job easier," said Keels who grinned as he posed for a photo with his new Iraqi friends.

"We're learning more Arabic (and) we're learning the counting system so we can better understand how they store stuff around here," said Merrill. "They want to follow a system they have in place now, so they can understand it, take it, and run with it when we pack up and leave."

Both Keels and Merrill said the experience provided them a chance to foster new and strong friendships with those they are helping out.

"They feel like a family to us here," said Merrill.

Most of these guys, he added, can speak limited English to the Soldiers, who in turn try to speak a little Arabic for them as well.

Keels said his Iraqi counterparts have invited the Soldiers for tea and have developed a friendship.

"Today they fed us lunch," he said. "It was the first time I ate Iraqi food, and it was great " it doesn't get any better than this."

Aeo Salah, who commutes to Camp Taji every day from Baghdad, has worked with the U.S. military for 2.5 years now, said the project of setting up the warehouses gave him hope.

"I feel much better about the future of Iraq," he added. "Things are much different now since 2003 â?¦ things are definitely getting better all the time."

"I would like to help my country," said Husscin, another worker, "and I would like to help my army because when my army is strong, my country is strong."

"I would not have missed this for the world now," said Merrill. "I have my family back home. I love my family, but this is an experience that I will probably never go through again."

• Date Taken: 05.10.2006
• Date Posted: 05.10.2006 09:30
• Story ID: 6333
• Location: TAJI, IQ