FOB SPEICHER, IRAQ - It’s
a run they make day in
and day out, pushing much needed supplies up to
other Forward Operating Bases (FOB’s), but it’s never
a “routine” mission for members of Alpha Company,
50th Main Support Battalion, 42nd Division Support Command,
New Jersey Army National Guard. Vigilance is the word of the
day for all the members of the
team, including 1st Lt. Scott Nemeth, and active duty
Soldier attached to Alpha Company.
“They’re
just waiting for us to go to sleep at the wheel,” notes
Nemeth, referring to the insurgency
that permeates his area of
operation. Nemeth is the
convoy commander for this
particular run from one FOB
to another, a trip of approximately
70 miles that snakes
its way through the heart of
former dictator Saddam
Hussein’s home district.
Rolling Thunder
This convoy, or combat
logistical patrol, was comprised
of seven vehicles: two
gun trucks and three uparmored humvees, which carried 50
caliber machine
guns and MK 19 grenade launchers, and two tractortrailer
cabs, one hauling a refrigerated container full of
ice. The goal was to get the ice up to the troops at the
FOB. The problem was getting past the numerous
improvised explosive devices (IED’s) that might possibly
be buried along the way. Earlier, Nemeth sat in on
a briefing where a map overlay showed that there were
approximately eight to 10 IED’s that had been discovered
or detonated along the route Alpha Company
would be traveling, which was no surprise to him. This
stretch of road is no friend to U.S. Soldiers.
“Any place that they want us to stop is a place that
we don’t want to stop. We want to keep going,” says
Nemeth. "Stopping on this road is the last thing we
want to do.”
Combat Logistical Patrol start
times are varied, so that they don’t fall into a routine.
Alpha Company’s
vehicles left the FOB at six that morning, making good
time at speeds of up to 50 miles an hour.
Running the Gauntlet
After a quick run through downtown Tikrit, the
convoy moved tactically, clearing the road before
them of civilian vehicles in order to drive unimpeded to
its final destination. The radio squawked as members
of Alpha Company spotted the numerous craters left
by previous IED’s. Some had been patched up but
others were just holes in the
ground.
The desolate countryside
moved by at a fast clip
as the convoy passed numerous
sheep herders tending
their flocks. At one point
they passed a herder standing
next to one of his sheep lying dead in the road, a
normal occurrence in another
time and place, but
something to be wary of for
this convoy as they pass by.
IED’s can come in all shapes
and forms, either buried in
the ground, carried in a vehicle, or strapped to a suicide
bomber. In one instance,
a donkey was
strapped with explosives.
To members of Alpha Company,
a dead sheep lying
in the road could be another
IED.
“This is usually a two
and a half to three hour
trip and we made it in a
little under two hours,” noted turret
gunner Spc.
Patrick Calandrillo as they
arrived at the FOB. “We
were hauling ass today.”
The trailer
was exchanged
for an empty one and the tactical vehicles
refueled for the trip home while the team members
grabbed a quick meal out of MRE pouches. The
Soldiers know that there is always a risk associated
with traveling outside the relative security of the FOB
and into the Iraqi countryside, but they understand
that they are highly trained troops utilizing the latest “
Level II” up-armored vehicles and they understand
their mission.
“We’re trying to do this hearts and minds thing
where we’re trying not to make everybody mad, but at
the same time we’ve got to watch them and in some
cases you’ve got to point your weapons at them,” explains
Spc. Bill Desain. “We don’t want to piss
anybody off but we don’t want to leave anything open
either.”
Nemeth agrees, with one caveat. “It
is their country and we’re trying to help them but
it is my convoy and
I have a responsibility to protect my convoy and I will do
that,” he says with determination.
Wake-up Call
Twenty minutes into the trip back the lead truck
reported a fresh crater and mounds of rubble covering
the roadway ahead. Evidently some sort of explosive
device had detonated since the convoy passed by
about an hour earlier. This meant that the convoy
would have to move off the road to go around the obstacle. The
area to the
side of the road could also
have been mined, but the
alternative of stopping the
convoy and setting up a
perimeter was just as dangerous.
As it was, the vehicles
had to slow down as
they approached the obstacle.
“All convoy elements,
keep moving as quick as
you can,” Nemeth warned
over the radio. Each vehicle
circumvented the obstacle.
About 500 meters
ahead the convoy encountered
another new crater. Again the seven vehicles
were able to quickly move around the debris without
incident.
After getting back up to speed, Nemeth reported
the grid coordinates of the new craters to higher
headquarters, where they would be recorded and
would appear in the next brief.
An hour and a half later, the convoy arrived back
at their home base without incident. Nemeth gathered
his team around him for a quick After Action Review.
The new craters were discussed.
“We tracked the ones
that we passed coming in,
but this was different,” says Nemeth, referring to
the two new holes in the highway. “There wasn’t
any
visible evidence of another bomb for us to stick around
or take accountability of. We went through, we called
it in. Obviously, some stuff just blew up there. I’m
not
going to sit there and see if the bad guys are still
around. We’re not the gunners . . . we’re just
the
delivery guys. That’s exactly how we roll and let the
hunters go hunting.”
Mission accomplished, the Soldiers prepare for
another convoy tomorrow. Although it’s never “routine,” it’s
still just another day in Iraq for members of
Alpha Company, 50th Main Support Battalion, New
Jersey National Guard.
Editors Note: All references to specific bases
were removed for security reasons. |