A group of Ohio Army National Guard Soldiers and Navy Sailors worked together during their deployment to help protect the service members and civilians deployed to Contingency Operating Base Basra. These Soldiers and Sailors have run a 24-hour operation providing maintenance and preventive maintenance to the Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system here since December.
Volume 3, Issue 30 Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq August 8, 2011 United States Division-South Weekly Newsletter BASRAH, Iraq – A group of Ohio Army National Guard Soldiers and Navy Sailors worked together during their deployment to help protect the service members and civilians deployed to Contingency Operating Base Basra. ese Soldiers and Sailors have run a 24-hour operation providing maintenance and preventive maintenance to the Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system here since December. e C-RAM is a system of many components, which includes intricate pieces that demand constant upkeep for the system to work properly. e Soldiers in Joint Task Force, 1st Battalion, 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment said their mission here as the first National Guard unit to operate the C-RAM system has been a success. “I think it’s been going smooth, as far as this being the first National Guard unit taking this over. So to me it went well,” said Spc. Jameis Napier, a JTF 1-174th C-RAM By Spc. Brittany H. Gardner 362nd MPAD, USD-S Public Affairs certified operator at the Base Defense Operations Center. Navy service members attached to JTF 1-174th provide maintenance to the C-RAM system and also work as operators. Working hand-in-hand with Soldiers has been rewarding for many of these Sailors, said Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Early, C-RAM operator and maintainer. “It has actually been a unique experience for all of us,” said Early, “because the majority of the time the Navy is pretty secluded as far as working with other branches. Because you’ll never see a Soldier on a Navy ship; there would have to be a very extreme circumstance. So, all-in-all, it’s been a really rewarding and interesting experience. e 1-174 out of Ohio has really been instrumental in supporting everything that we’ve done out here and vice versa.” One component of the C-RAM system includes generators. A small group of behind- the-scene Guardsmen performs monthly checks and services to these generators to ensure the power keeps pumping. Sgt. Joshua Starlin, Bravo Battery JTF 1-174th maintenance shop foreman, said his team’s success at preventive maintenance has kept the C-RAM generators working so that the C-RAM gun sights didn’t become inoperable. “I’m proud to say that our maintenance section has done a wonderful job, as far as never having a gun sight go down here,” said Starlin. “So that’s an outstanding accomplishment for our unit, I think.” 1st Sgt. Daniel Hobson said his team of operators, as well as every other C-RAM section, has done an excellent job keeping COB Basra safe. ese service members said they are proud to have been the first National Guard unit to take on the responsibility of providing safety to Soldiers through the use of the C-RAM system. Since they arrived in December, Hobson said his team has worked tirelessly to maintain and operate the C-RAM system. “It’s been successful,” said Hobson. Stand by for a broadcast from the BDOC Spc. Brian J. Haggard, Bravo Battery 1-174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment senior generator maintainer, repairs one of the generators July 30, which is responsible for powering one of the C-RAM systems located on Contingency Operating Base Basra.
Transcript
Volume 3, Issue 30 Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq August 8, 2011
PATCH-United States Division-South Weekly Newsletter
BASRAH, Iraq – A group of Ohio Army National Guard Soldiers and Navy Sailors worked together during their deployment to help protect the service members and civilians deployed to Contingency Operating Base Basra. These Soldiers and Sailors have run a 24-hour operation providing maintenance and preventive maintenance to the Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system here since December.
The C-RAM is a system of many components, which includes intricate pieces that demand constant upkeep for the system to work properly. The Soldiers in Joint Task Force, 1st Battalion, 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment said their mission here as the first National Guard unit to operate the C-RAM system has been a success.
“I think it’s been going smooth, as far as this being the first National Guard unit taking this over. So to me it went well,” said Spc. Jameis Napier, a JTF 1-174th C-RAM
By Spc. Brittany H. Gardner362nd MPAD, USD-S Public Affairs
certified operator at the Base Defense Operations Center.
Navy service members attached to JTF 1-174th provide maintenance to the C-RAM system and also work as operators. Working hand-in-hand with Soldiers has been rewarding for many of these Sailors, said Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Early, C-RAM operator and maintainer.
“It has actually been a unique experience for all of us,” said Early, “because the majority of the time the Navy is pretty secluded as far as working with other branches. Because you’ll never see a Soldier on a Navy ship; there would have to be a very extreme circumstance. So, all-in-all, it’s been a really rewarding and interesting experience. The 1-174 out of Ohio has really been instrumental in supporting everything that we’ve done out here and vice versa.”
One component of the C-RAM system includes generators. A small group of behind-the-scene Guardsmen performs monthly checks and services to these generators
to ensure the power keeps pumping. Sgt. Joshua Starlin, Bravo Battery JTF 1-174th maintenance shop foreman, said his team’s success at preventive maintenance has kept the C-RAM generators working so that the C-RAM gun sights didn’t become inoperable.
“I’m proud to say that our maintenance section has done a wonderful job, as far as never having a gun sight go down here,” said Starlin. “So that’s an outstanding accomplishment for our unit, I think.”
1st Sgt. Daniel Hobson said his team of operators, as well as every other C-RAM section, has done an excellent job keeping COB Basra safe. These service members said they are proud to have been the first National Guard unit to take on the responsibility of providing safety to Soldiers through the use of the C-RAM system. Since they arrived in December, Hobson said his team has worked tirelessly to maintain and operate the C-RAM system.
“It’s been successful,” said Hobson.
Stand by for a broadcast from the BDOC
Spc. Brian J. Haggard, Bravo Battery 1-174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment senior generator maintainer, repairs one of the generators July 30, which is responsible for powering one of the C-RAM systems located on Contingency Operating Base Basra.
Public Affairs Officer Lt. Col. Eric N. Atkisson w Editors 1st Lt. Adam J. Musil , Sgt. 1st Class Merrion LaSonde w Command Information OIC Capt. Donald M. Larsen w Print NCOIC Staff Sgt. Deane Barnhardt w Layout & Design Sgt. David A. Bryant w Writers and Photographers Sgt. Jeremy Spires, Spc. Brittany Gardner, Spc. Anthony Zane, Pvt. Andrew Slovensky
The T-PATCH is a weekly newsletter distributed in electronic and print formats. It is authorized for publication by the 36th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office. The contents of The T-PATCH are unofficial and are not to be considered official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, including the Department of Defense. The T-PATCH is a command information publication in accordance with Army Regulation 360-1. The Public Affairs Office address is: 36th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office, APO AE 09374. Contact Sgt. 1st Class Merrion LaSonde via e-mail at [email protected].
The T-PATCH Staff
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UMM QASR, Iraq — The Al Basrah Oil Terminal is one of two Iraqi platforms that sit in the Arabian Gulf on the edge of Iraqi waters. Visible from eight miles away, at nearly 50 feet tall and a half-mile long, it dwarfs everything else on the horizon.
Until recently, the tight security of the terminal was assured by U.S. Navy and Coast Guard patrols in the waters around the terminal. On July 26, the U.S. and Iraqi Navies held a ceremony aboard ABOT to officially transfer responsibility of the patrol sectors to the Iraqi Navy.
The platform, far from the shores of the Gulf countries that surround it, is used to deliver petroleum to oil tankers that are far too big to sail into the shallower waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Before the ceremony, a colorful display of various naval flags was hoisted above the platform, and the Iraqi Navy band warmed up, filling the air with music.
Distinguished visitors including Rear Adm. Charles M.
Story and photo by Pvt. Andrew C. Slovensky 362nd MPAD, USD-S Public Affairs.
Iraqi Navy to protect the A.B.O.T.
A U.S. sailor salutes Iraqi Maj. Gen. Ali Hussein Al-Rubaye, head of the Iraqi Navy, after handing him a folded U.S. flag during a ceremony held aboard the Al Basrah Oil Terminal July 26.
Gaouette, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command deputy commander, and Iraqi Maj. Gen. Ali Hussein Al-Rubaye, head of the Iraqi Navy, arrived at the platform to the fanfare of the band and shook hands with Iraqi Navy officers who would take charge of the security of the terminal.
Following a prayer and a moment of silence, a U.S. Navy color guard lowered an American flag flying above the platform. Then their Iraqi counterparts raised the Iraqi flag to replace it. Old Glory was handed off with a salute to Al-Rubaye, who gave the folded flag to Gaouette.
“The Iraqis led this transition,” said Gaouette.Gaouette said that the ceremony commemorated the turnover
of the platform and accomplishments of the marines and sailors of the Iraqi Navy. With two of the Iraqi Navy’s patrol boats already securing the waters around the terminal, the Iraqi Navy was ready to meet the challenge, he added.
“Every year their skills and tactics increase,” said Gaouette. “All the Iraqi Navy ships are symbolic of the rebirth of Iraq and the Iraqi Navy.”
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UMM QASR, Iraq – On a warm morning over calm waters, the horizon is lined with small fishing boats. A Kuwaiti Coast Guard cutter discovers an Iraqi fisherman operating illegally in Kuwait’s territorial waters and the crew detains him. The Iraqi Navy arrives to take custody of the apprehended fisherman and return him to friendlier seas.
That was the scenario played out by a joint training exercise of the Iraqi Navy and Kuwaiti Coast Guard in the Persian Gulf, July 25.
This and other exercises conducted since 2008 are the legacy of the Khawr Abd Allah Protocol, an agreement signed between Kuwait and Iraq to ensure the security of territorial waters in the Gulf.
U.S. Navy sailors with Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission-Navy in Umm Qasr have been hard at work training their Iraqi Navy counterparts to be seaworthy.
Until recently, the Iraqi training had been planned and coordinated by ITAM-N. This exercise was the first entirely orchestrated by Iraqi and Kuwaiti forces, while the U.S. Navy were merely observers, said Lt. Cmdr. Aaron Hoff, U.S. liaison to the Kuwaiti Coast Guard, who watched with ITAM-N operations officers from aboard the deck of an Iraqi patrol boat.
“We’re here for moral support or in case they have any questions,” said Hoff.
Hoff said exercises like this are the
Story by Pvt. Andrew C. Slovensky 362nd MPAD, USD-S Public Affairs.
Iraq, Kuwait perform joint exercise in Persian Gulf
fruit of an effort by ITAM-N to prepare Iraqi sailors and promote cooperation across the sea and land with Kuwait. The exercise outlines a common problem with illegal fishing that faces Iraq and Kuwait, he added.
The exercise started with an officer exchange and planning meeting aboard the Iraqi patrol boat, called a swift boat. Defenders, small watercraft that accompany patrols, acted the part of the illegally fishing vessels to be apprehended by the Kuwaiti Coast Guard.
After the first arrest and subsequent
Iraqi Navy sailors prepare their patrol boat in Umm Qasr during the early morning for a joint exercise with the Kuwaiti Coast Guard, July 25.Photos by Pvt. Andrew Slovensky
surrender of the “fisherman” to the Iraqi Navy, the two forces reversed roles. The Defenders surrounded a Kuwaiti vessel acting out the illicit fishing operation and delivered the culprits to the awaiting custody of the Kuwaiti Coast Guard.
Each year, the Iraqi and Kuwaiti forces plan to do more cooperative practice runs, including border meetings of officials from both nations, said Hoff.
“It’s the culmination of years of effort to encourage the Iraqi Navy and Kuwaiti Coast Guard to improve their operability,” said Hoff. “It’s a victory.”
Iraqi Navy sailors deploy a rigid inflatable boat, or RIB, from their patrol boat during a joint exercise with the Kuwaiti Coast Guard in the Persian Gulf, July 25.
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Story and photos by Spc. Sharla Lewis 3rd AAB, 1st Cav. Div. Public AffairsNASARIYAH, Iraq – Evidenced by the shift in operations throughout Iraq, U.S. Forces are preparing to transition out of the country.
Stability Transition Team “Eagle,” Task Force 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division saw the conclusion of their participation in Tadreeb al Shamil, a training center similar to Fort Irwin’s National Training Center in California.
The program began in January with 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. The Iron Brigade worked hand in hand with the Iraqi Security Forces in building the training site, developing the curriculum and facilitating the training.
When the GREYWOLF Brigade arrived in February, halfway through the site’s second iteration, they simply picked up where 4th Inf. Div. left off.
They worked next to their Iraqi counterparts, advising and assisting wherever necessary, providing expertise and supervision to the various training scenarios.
Translated from Arabic, Tadreeb al Shamil, means “training that includes everything,” and is based on the concept of teaching Iraq’s security forces the basics of national defense.
“The training provides the battalions with skills in national defense and not just policing,” said Maj. William McGlothlin, a deputy team chief of the transition team. “This is the first time some units have been able to zero and qualify with an M16.”
When the training center was established in January, the 25-day rotations introduced traditional military maneuver training.
The Iraqi battalions participated in combined weapons ranges, land navigation courses, mortar team training and squad,
Iraqi training center gains independencecompany and battalion level maneuver training.
The training, which included sleeping in tents and daily fitness workouts, was difficult for the battalions. The Soldiers weren’t used to such hard work and being away from home but appreciated their accomplishments once their iteration was complete.
“TaS is a chance for us to organize ourselves,” said Col. Muhsen Abdullah, the commander of 2nd Battalion, 40th Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division, just one of the battalions that rotated through the center. “Some of us have the knowledge and experience, but we have never had the opportunity to put it all together and share with the entire battalion.”
Now on their seventh iteration, each has required less and less involvement by U.S. Forces.
Several visiting dignitaries to the site, both U.S. and Iraqi, commented on the amount of Iraqi versus U.S. involvement in the training. McGlothlin said one visitor mentioned that TaS here was the first training site that didn’t have American instructors.
“TaS went from 100 percent U.S. resourced, planned and taught to 100 percent Iraqi resourced, planned and taught,” McGlothlin said.
The Iraqi Army helped developed the site from a conceptual program to a full-fledged training center that serves an entire division and have worked hard to make it their own.
“They feel that they’ve been properly prepared and advised,” he said.
In the final months of U.S. presence in Iraq, Tadreeb al Shamil and the Iraqi independence there is just more proof of one all important fact: U.S. Forces are finally coming home.
Iraqi Army Soldiers with the 10th Iraqi Army Division participate in marksmanship training at Tadreeb al Shamil recently. Task Force 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, who worked closely with the training conducted at Tadreeb al Shamil, recently withdrew their support there after six months of preparation for the switch.
Photo courtesy of STT, 3rd AAB, 1st Cav. Div.
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“We are the Soldiers of the 36th...”
Name: Cole, MacPrimary Military Specialty: Signal Officer
Secondary Military Specialty: None
Hometown: Austin, TX Grade: O-2
Cole began his 10-year career as an enlisted infantryman on active duty,
but decided after four years to become a National Guard officer. He works
as a military technician systems administrator for the TXARNG and
intends to play guitar and hang out at the swimming hole with his wife
and three kids when he gets home.
OND is Cole’s second deployment. His first, to the Horn of Africa,
had the biggest impact on him, he said. “I remember hiking in the
mountains of Ethiopia with a rucksack full of extra MRE items for the
villagers. They were excited and curious about us at the same time.”
1LT MAC COLEDSTB Movement Officer
Name: Kind, HarlanPrimary Military Specialty: EWO AnalystSecondary Military Specialty: NoneHometown: Austin, TX Grade: E-5
Kind is an eight-year veteran who served half his time on active duty and the rest with the Army National Guard. When he returns to his wife and two boys in Austin, Kind plans to go back to designing fire alarms for Simpley Grinnell and flying remote control helicopters
“Deploying to Iraq will be memorable for me, because it has definitely been a good experience,” said Kind of his second deployment, his first being a stint in Kosovo. “Having the ability to learn a lot of new stuff, such as systems I haven’t used before, has given me a lot more experience.”
SGT HARLAN KINDAnalyst
Name: Pierce, CoreyPrimary Military Specialty: Cable System Installer
Secondary Military Specialty: NoneHometown: San Antonio, TX Grade: E-4
Pierce may have been born in Texas, but was raised a fan of the Miami
Heat and Miami Dolphins. He currently has two years of service in the
National Guard and enthusiastically enjoys both playing and watching
football and basketball. Operation New Dawn is his first deployment.
“Coming out here and getting to work with so many different people,
seeing new things and different places has been awesome,” Pierce
said. “Probably the most memorable part was seeing a whole bunch
of rain out at Fort Lewis. That much rain just isn’t the ‘usual’ for me.”
1900 - New Believers Bible Study2000 - Bible Study Classes
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Sunday Old PX Building
0900 - Sacrament Service
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COB Basra Chapel2000 - Rosary/Vigil Service
SundayCOB Basra Chapel
0800 - Catholic Service
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Time has RUN OUT!!The Mail Room officially closed on 31 July 2011.
All remaining mail may still be picked up, but there will be no new incoming mail. Contact DSTB Administration
for any questions or concerns.Doors close 31 August 2011.
Chapel services postponed until further notice.
* Midnight chow will be served at the Arrowhead DFAC only
from 7-14 August.
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Sudoku
1. First person in Germany2. Early second-century year3. Instrument played standing up4. American desert5. Tarzan, to natives6. Word before and after “will be”7. Warning sound8. Exhausts9. Link10. Hitchhiker’s duty?11. Copycat12. Bill of Rights writer, e.g.13. Fall weather feature18. It ended on Nov. 1122. Swami, e.g.23. With 28-Across, popular retailer24. Alcohol grain25. Treating very gently26. Football meas.28. Intl. standard31. Little ring32. Surgery sites, for short33. Mme. across the Pyrenees34. Suffer from deli ichthyophobia?35. Cable TV inits.36. Travel option for about 30 yrs.37. Start gradually, as a program38. Matter of life and death40. Bit of business wear41. Sports ___42. Time Warner company44. Entomologist’s interest45. Rise47. Rocket’s course48. Archaeological site49. Order to a firing squad51. Swab’s name52. Mail place: Abbr.54. “In excelsis ___”55. Hawaiian strings56. Crossed (out)
1. Silo filler, for short5. Shooter10. Fed14. “See ya!”15. Not so good16. Half: Prefix17. King of the road?19. Lone Star State sch.20. Front line in a game21. Call23. Standard quiz show material25. Buttinsky27. Ballyhoo28. See 23-Down29. Mount30. Unusual shoe spec31. ___ of Napoleon33. Bart and Ringo34. Cereal that’s partly ground?36. Snubs39. OS X user, maybe40. Org. with June finals43. Hit Dreamworks character44. Business magazine45. Sleek, for short46. Accompanier48. Imp50. Passover gatherings51. Pretty smart52. Col.’s superior53. Bashful groom’s wear?57. ___ de gallo sauce58. Keep ashore, due tocold weather59. Swoosh maker60. Black stone61. Features on some ‘Vettes62. Ticked (off)
Across Down
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Photo by Spc. Brittany H. Gardner
Photo of the Week
The Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar system located at Contingency Operating Base Basra test fires July 26. The C-RAM system is run by Ohio Guard Soldiers and Navy Sailors in Joint Task Force 1st Battalion, 174th Air Defense Artillery Regiment. This is the first time National Guard Soldiers have been responsible for maintaining and operating the C-RAM system.
