MonticelloLive

The march to Iraq continues for the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, However, these Soldiers find themselves yet one step closer as they’ve
reached their staging area at a military outpost here in the dessert. While the Brigade will continue to move forward into its permanent duty locations in Iraq over the next couple weeks, training is priority here; priority, however, is taking a backseat to the sandstorms that have plagued these Soldiers the past two days.

Strong winds, swirling sand and poor visibility has hampered training the past couple days, yet not the spirit of these Soldiers.

“I’d say there is one thing on the mind of our Soldiers, ‘we’re one step closer to Iraq,’ and we know the road to home goes through Baghdad,” said Maj. Craig Heathscott, public affairs officer. “We’re ready to get to a permanent location and put six months of training to good use. The sandstorm may halt our training, but I can tell you these troops look sharp in everything they do, and I’d dare say they deserve a break.”

And considering the war in Iraq is now five years old, the routine for moving Soldiers in and out of country is well established. Additionally, the facilities here are very accommodating-Starbucks, Taco Bell, Hole-in-One Donuts, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway-and Soldiers don’t have problems finding things to do in their time off from training.

In addition to the ever-popular video games many Soldiers brought with them, the USO has an entertainment tent set up that has even more video games to occupy one’s time. The post theater-a tent-offers the chance to watch some of the newest movies while sitting in theater-style chairs. This evening’s movie is August Rush, starring Robin Williams. The barber shop offers the standard haircut; yet, the salon offers a little more specialized treatment. And, a very large gym allows Soldiers to continue to focus on their physical fitness. Just days earlier, many took advantage of a 5K fun run held on post weekly. The 3.1 mile race offers Soldiers the opportunity to challenge themselves personally as well as compete against others.

In addition to all the amenities this military post has to offer; there is also water. One of the most important things a Soldier can do right now is get acclimated to this climate, and you do that by drinking plenty of water. And since the dessert is not known for its abundance of the product, it’s all transported in on a daily basis. Bottled water can be found everywhere so that a Soldier doesn’t have to go looking for it; it will find you. The same is true for bath water. It is trucked in daily, but it does have the tendency to run dry on occasions. As a result the post has put a 15 gallon limit for shower usage. It has to be strictly adhered to in order for everyone to take advantage.

“The most important thing is for the families of these Soldiers to know their ‘Joe or Josephine,’ as we like to say, is doing just fine in a very barren part of the world. They are getting excellent training, good food and entertainment, sleep and, more important, they’ve got water in the dessert. Really, what more could you ask for?” said Heathscott.

The time at the staging area will vary depending upon several factors, and Soldiers have to have patience. And patience can be found at some of the previous mentioned facilities when training is not being conducted. All in all, Soldiers are treated well here.

“Compared to what we did four years ago here, this is very different,” said Col. Kirk VanPelt, the 39th Brigade’s deputy commander. “We did two things last time. One, we zeroed our weapons, and two; we spent the rest of our time trying to ‘uparmor’ our vehicles. We had to harden the vehicles here before we could move into Iraq.

“This time the vehicles are already waiting on us in Iraq, and we’re flying there over the next few weeks which is a great thing. And, we’re once again, working with some outstanding trainers that are teaching us the most current techniques, tactics and procedures that are just days old. Bottom line, we’re able to focus on training and not on getting vehicles ready for battle,” he said.

When they eventually move north, the 39th Brigade will conduct a relief in place with the outgoing brigade in order to assure a smooth transition. This period will be used to understand each unit’s area of operation, key military and civilian contacts as well as key leaders and religious leaders in the communities in which they will be working. Once the outgoing brigade is comfortable with the 39th taking over the mission, they will redeploy.

In regards to troop numbers, much has been made of the 39th’s inability to provide the amount of Soldiers needed to conduct the mission. And while the numbers have varied up and down over the last six months, the Brigade will have more than enough Soldiers needed. In fact, over 300 re-deploying Soldiers in Kuwait have signed on to join the Brigade for this tour of duty. They come from various locations around the United States. When you take that into account that the state of Arkansas is continuing to flow Soldiers into Kuwait once they’ve completed training, the 39th Brigade’s personnel strength looks very strong.