By: BILL JONES/Staff Writer
Source: The Greeneville Sun
11-25-2004

Capt. Alan Mingledorff, a public affairs officer who is serving with the 278th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) in Kuwait, described conditions there in an electronic mail message sent to The Greeneville Sun on Wednesday.

The 278th RCT includes many citizen-soldiers from Greene County. "Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and for many of the troops, including me, it will be the first time they have spent the holiday without their families," Capt. Mingledorff wrote.

"The conditions here at Camp Buehring (the base in Kuwait where the 278th RCT soldiers are training before deployment to Iraq) are better than we expected," he reported.

"The food is quite good, and there is lots of it. They also have an Internet cafe, a coffee shop, a Burger King, a Pizza Inn, a Subway, and a shop that has local merchandise. They also have a small Post Exchange (PX)."

Capt. Mingledorff also wrote that the camp where the 278th RCT’s approximately 4,000 soldiers are based has a weight room, an outdoor basketball court, and a game room with TVs, pool tables and Ping Pong tables.

"Unfortunately, time is tight, since we are getting ready to 'cross the berm' into Iraq, and we don’t get to enjoy these amenities as much as we would like," he said.

Cooler Than Expected

The captain also reported that the weather in Kuwait had turned out to be "much cooler" than 278th RCT soldiers had expected it to be.

"Instead of the 70s and 80s that we expected, today (Wednesday), it didn’t get out of the 60s," he wrote. "And since our tents are not insulated, that cold permeates them."

But Capt. Mingledorff noted in his message that he was not complaining.

"Morale is high, and the soldiers are ready for the next challenge,"” he wrote. "We are continuing to build our combat power by training here at Camp Buehring, and preparing for the next year in Iraq."

He added, "Training here has taken on a new level of intensity. ... Some of the training includes rules of engagement, convoy operations and weapons."

Capt. Mingledorff also said, "We know the dangers that we face and the sacrifice we make, and we do it freely and willingly to protect our country and our families by helping the Iraqi people establish freedom and democracy here in their own country."

Iraq Assignment

The 278th RCT is built around the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

The National Guard unit began transferring from Camp Shelby, Miss., to Kuwait late last week, with most troops making the move over the weekend.

Local 278th soldiers, most of whom were then assigned to Greeneville-based Troop G, left their homes for active duty this past Father’s Day.

A deployment ceremony for the unit, meanwhile, was held at Camp Shelby, Miss., on Veterans Day.

Once in Iraq, according to the Web site of the Global Security Organization, the 278th RCT will be attached to the New York National Guard’s 42nd Infantry Division as part of what is to be called Task Force Liberty.

That task force also is expected to include elements of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and the Idaho National Guard’s 116th Armored Cavalry Brigade.

The number of Army National Guard brigades in Iraq will increase during the current troop rotation in Iraq from three to five, according to the www.globalsecurity.org Web site.

"The rotation will mark a first with a National Guard division headquarters (42nd Infantry Division) assuming, for the first time in Iraq, command of active-duty brigades," the Web site stated.

Task Force Liberty, according to globalsecurity.org, will have responsibility for operations in north central Iraq.

Story Copyright to Greeneville Sun