Courtesy Photo | Staff Sgt. Steven Waddell, an operations non-commissioned officer and the load master...... read more read more
by 1st Lt. Jamaal D. Smart
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Few people would have guessed eight years later, that soldiers part of the initial arrival of U.S. forces in 2003, would still be serving in Iraq today.
Several soldiers from the 89th Transportation Company, 275th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, have experiences in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.
“Sandbagged floors, non-existent vehicle armor, and flak vests were all we had,” said 1st Sgt. Denise S. Fisher, 1st Sergeant for the 89th Trans. Co. and a native of San Antonio.
She said that in the first days of the war, convoying through open desert without the aid of GPS units was common. Eight years later, technology is an immense variable in operations throughout Iraq.
“The days of .50 caliber weapons mounted in the back of 5-tons are over,” said Staff Sgt. Darrell Craw, a squad leader and Heavy Equipment Transporter driver for the 275th CSSB and a native of Atlanta.
The few soldiers that are still around from the initial arrival seem to all share similar feelings and are grateful the military has adopted innovative counter-terrorism measures.
“Most of us come from the days of eating out of mobile kitchen terminals, sleeping inside our trucks for days and not having an abundance of anything essential,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kevin Turner, a maintenance officer for the 275th CSSB and a native of Bronx, N.Y.
Most of the experienced non-commissioned officers and officers agree that soldiers supporting Operation New Dawn have better living conditions than those who served in the initial invasion, in spite of the reposturing.
The experiences shared through Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn has varied immensely in the past decade. With advancements in vehicles, weaponry and tactics, soldiers today are far better prepared for the missions to come. The combat veterans still serving today had the distinct duty of seeing both offensive and reposturing operations. No matter what the name of the campaign, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn have transformed the lives of soldiers and their families.
| Date Taken: | 07.10.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.17.2011 03:28 |
| Story ID: | 73856 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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