FROM THETHE 278TH: One month closer to going home

Ryan Seals - Tennessee National Guard

EDITORS’ NOTE: Ryan Seals is with the 278th Regimental Combat Team’s 190th Engineer Company. The Times Free Press runs an occasional column from Spc. Seals.

We are one month down.

The first set of slash marks has been made on our calendars, and the 278th Regimental Combat Team is one month closer to coming home. At least that is the way we try to look at things.

Morristown and Monteagle’s 190th Engineer Company spent its first month at Camp Bernstein, just south of Kirkuk, Iraq, adjusting to numerous changes — the biggest was not being an actual company any longer.

Our first platoon was assigned to Task Force Eliminator (Troop 278th ), and my platoon, second platoon, was assigned to Task Force Henchmen ( HTroop 278th). Meanwhile, our Assault and Obstacle and headquarters sections were left as the 190th Engineers.

Other members of our unit, including our commander and first sergeant, were assigned to train the new Iraqi army, formally known as the Iraqi National Guard, at an Iraqi annex to the base.

The decision to split our unit was made because combat engineers have not been used that much in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Our unit in particular had been training more for infantry-type tactics than engineering, so the move made sense.

Taking our platoon and moving it into a new company was upsetting for many of the soldiers at first, but it has turned out to be one of the better things to happen to us.

It was hard because we were separated from some of our closest friends with whom we had spent nearly every minute over the last four months. The move turned out to be good for our soldiers because we went into a unit that could meet our combat supply needs more adequately.

We spent a couple of weeks making our new house, an old concrete Iraqi air force hangar, into a home. Inside the hangar, there are 14 trailers, most of which have been made into bedrooms. One is used as a company headquarters. We scavenged wood, nails and power tools to build shelves, desks and ladders.

Then it became time for us to learn our area of occupation around the city of Tuz, Iraq. Our unit spent time with members of the North Carolina Guard’s 120th Infantry Regiment doing right- and left-seat rides with those soldiers before they left. That meant we rode along with them on their final missions to learn about the area. In turn, they rode with us to see how we would handle things on our first missions.

Sheiks and police officers throughout our area flocked to Camp Bernstein on Dec. 24 as guests of honor for the transfer-of-authority ceremony that relinquished control of the area from the 120th Infantry to the 278th. The soldiers already were becoming engulfed in their work. We were learning the basics of our area, including the names of the various towns, locations of checkpoints, and perceptions of the locals. We had to learn what’s "normal" in our area and what looks "out of the ordinary" — questions that could produce valuable information that a possible attack could be pending against our soldiers, the Iraqi army or police.

Another part of the learning process was to get used to working with the Iraqi army. We incorporate them into almost every mission so that eventually they may take control of their country’s military operations.

We soon learned the Iraqi soldiers are much like our own. Many joined the service to make money to support their families. They are patriots fighting for what they believe is right. Most of the Iraqi soldiers in our area are Kurdish, which means they like the Americans more than their counterparts in other regions of the country.

They are a valuable asset not only because they provide more boots on the ground, but also because they know the region far better than we ever will. They already know the types of things and people we are trying to control, and they are a stable force that will remain constant in this area.

Thus far, things have been peaceful for the peacemaker of the 278th’s 2nd Squadron. We are making significant steps forward to assist the Iraqi people reclaim their country from insurgents, with few injuries of our own.

But the Jan. 30 elections and what follows will be a huge determinant of how much longer our forces will be needed. To us, each day is just one day closer to when we’re headed home.

E-mail Ryan Seals at news@timesfreepress.com

From: Chattanooga Times Free Press Link

1. Unexpected Deployment to Iraq was 'Like a Punch in the Gut'

2. Training Life Brings Change, Challenge Link

3. Training Simulates Iraq Combat Link

4. Return to "Ryan's Experience" Page Link