Moving Ahead with our Guard

Nearly one year into its deployment, the Soldiers serving with Minnesota National Guard in Iraq are beginning to see progress on several fronts. The 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 34th Infantry Division (1/34 BCT) Desert Bulls deployed to Iraq in March of 2006 for a 12-month tour to conduct theater security in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08. Prior to that, the BCT had spent six months of training at Camp Shelby, Miss.

The BCT has over 5,000 Soldiers from units in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, Kentucky, and Kansas, and has recently picked up units from North Carolina, California, West Virginia, and Georgia. The Soldiers are mostly from the Army National Guard, but there are Regular Army and Army Reserve Soldiers in the 7th Transportation Battalion. The 134 Brigade Support Battalion provides support for the BCT. The 134 BSB conducts convoy escort missions, base defense operations, and civil assistance operations.

During a telephone press conference Thursday, Sept. 7, with Command Sgt. Maj. Joel Schilling, 134 BSB, at the Logistical Support Area (LSA), Camp Adder, Iraq, Schilling emphasized the success of these various components in becoming a cohesive unit. That positive interaction and cohesiveness not only applies to groups within the 134 BSB, he said, but with other coalition members and the Iraqi people. Since arriving, the 1/34 has assisted Iraqis with over 90 water projects, and funded or assisted with several road projects. In the most recent newsletter on the Desert Bull Web site (www.redbull.web), it was noted that the 1/34 BCT had worked on several civil projects, including improving 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of the Al Batha City road. Schilling remarked that he was pleased to announce that a $1.2 million project to renovate irrigation systems that would provide jobs and food for the Iraqi people had been approved.

The LSA Adder is located in southern Iraq. Schilling noted that the growing season generally takes place in their winter, which is approaching. On Wednesday, the high was 115-degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity was at 28 percent. Schilling said they really noticed the humidity. When he conducted a recon of the area last January, they experienced thunderstorms, and a low of 35-degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature the plane had to be de-iced, but because they didn’t have any de-icing equipment or chemicals, they used hot coffee. In the area they are located, 31-degrees north of the equator, winter is a lot like the winter experienced in the bottom half of Mississippi.

Schilling said they hope to have the $1.2 million irrigation improvement project completed while they are in Iraq. The project involves work in 26 different canals. It will be completed with equipment and lots of labor. At this time, unemployment in Iraq is around 60 percent, so such projects are important to the economy, too.

In developing and completing civil projects, the 1/34 faces a number of challenges, the first of which is working with a different culture. Schilling said it takes a long time to develop these projects because of the differences.

During his tour, Schilling said he had only seen two combines. The agricultural economy near Nasiriyah, Iraq is still very labor intensive, and there is a co-op approach to doing the work. He explained that there’s a lot of sharing of equipment and resources, but the control is through families and Sheiks. In this part of the country, the Sheiks wield a great deal of power. As the support battalion for the Brigade Combat Team, the 134th Brigade Support Battalion has a diverse mission. One of its many missions is to conduct convoy escort missions. In response to a reporter’s question, Schilling said transitioning of control back to the Iraqis is ongoing. In fact, one province, located southwest of LSA Adder, has been turned over to Iraqi security forces, which includes police and highway patrol. That leaves 18 provinces to go.

Two anniversaries are approaching - the five-year anniversary of 9-11, and the first anniversary of the mobilization of the 1/34. A lot changed in the world after 9-11, and for Schilling, a lot changed in his life because he was appointed a CSM Oct. 2001 for the 134th Forward Support Battalion. Schilling characterized the mood of Soldiers as good. “Iraq remains a very dangerous place,” he said, “where people want to do you harm, and where other people are happy to see you because they want peace and security.” He said under these conditions, the Soldiers are going about their business, doing the best they can.

The first three months are usually the most difficult for Soldiers. Many Soldiers have families and the separation is felt most keenly in these first three months. Pressures mount on families, too, because many see a significant reduction in income. Thanks to modern technology, many Soldiers are able to keep in touch with their families. Schilling said he has the opportunity to call his wife in South St. Paul, three to five times a week.

In closing, Schilling thanked families and employers for continuing to support the 1/34. With their continued support, he said they’d all make it through.

The 1/34 was mobilized last September and they came to Kuwait and then Iraq in March. Traditionally, Soldiers serve 365 days of “boots on the ground” before being rotated out.

David Hill • Thief River Falls Times
September 10, 2006