Per Incendia: Another Journey

Finally, after many weeks and months of yes and no, maybe, maybe not, going here, no go there, or there or maybe somewhere else. We finally rolled out of FOB Wilson, leaving the FOB to the Iraqi Army, Police and a new Iraqi Company.

We rolled out with about 50 trucks including M1114 Humvees, Lowboy Cargo trucks and HETT (Heavy Equipment Transport Trucks) with our heavy Bradley Fighting Vehicles on top. Needless to say the trip was sloooooow. I had the lead truck and we averaged about 15 miles an hour over the entire 140 mile trip. Some of the slowness was caused by the inability for the big trucks to get up to speed before they had to slow down to turn or take a bridge (not exactly the US Interstate system here). Then, going through towns and cities also slowed us down. Another cause of decreased speed was having to look for pressure switch wires or plates in the road which is a common technique of the insurgents.

*A note on pressure switches: Pressure switches are anything that detonates an explosive by means of a vehicle of person causing the completion of an electrical circuit. They come in many flavors and are often referred to as VIED (Victim-initiated IEDs). Some are like plastic or rubber tubing with interwoven copper wires that connect when driven over; others are Christmas tree lights that complete the circuit when one of them is broken (by a humvee running them over). The lights are strung across the road and painted black at night they are virtually impossible to see and ARE impossible to see when they are covered over on a dirt road. Some recent insurgents have taken to rigging old Soviet Era anti-tank mines to pressure switches which ensures that the mine detonates underneath the personnel compartment of a tracked vehicle rather than a track. Pressure switches cannot be countered by electronic means and there is no trigger man to identify so they are a great insurgent device. * End of Note

We drove slow, very slow. The danger of an insurgent ambush is much lower than any of the IEDs that are out there. And besides that, the insurgents wouldnt be able to hold up in a sustained firefight for any real length of time on a moving force with .50 cal machine guns, MK19 Automatic Grenade launchers, M240B 7.62mm machine guns and very quick access to AH-64 Apache Gunship Helicopters and Close Air Support from nearby F-16 Falcons and F-15 Eagles. So, IEDs are the best bet. Hit and run. Or rather, hit and be no where around.

Enroute to the first stop, one of the HETTs blew three tires and a small contingent of our security stayed behind while the rest of the patrol continued up the road to the next FOB. At LSA Anaconda we waited for about an hour with no contact with the left-behind group before we got concerned. When we couldnt reach them after that, we whipped out the Queams antenna and stood it up. No more than 10 minutes later the left-behind group rolled up into the holding area. We had been on the road for about 4 hours to go about 65 miles.

One of the humvees blew its A/C line and dumped Freon into the atmosphere. The bad news is that in 120 degree heat, with no AC, a humvee is just a convection oven and is unsafe to travel in. Very unsafe. We loaded that truck up with gear from the other trucks and put the people into other trucks.

We left Anaconda at 1300 that day after grabbing some food, gas and some sleep on or in the trucks. Back on the road we drove slowly again, even though it was daytime, so that the trucks could keep up. At some point we crossed the Tigris River on a floating bridge. The humvees have no trouble on the floating bridge, but the big trucks have to go over one at a time so that it doesnt put too much strain on it.

After the last truck crossed we began to move again but were halted by the patrol leader because of a heat casualty. Someone got dehydrated and got sick actually two people were not doing well. A medevac helicopter was called in and took them away one returned to Normandy that night, the other stayed over night with heat exhaustion.

The rest of the painfully slow trip through Iraq, past FOB Warhorse, through Baqubah was pleasantly uneventful, even if damned hot. Even with AC in a humvee the ambient air temp is about 90 degrees. Add to that your IBAS body armor and Kevlar and your body temperature skyrockets. Water and Gatorade in the cooler are necessities even after the water is hot you still have to drink it.

Driving through Muqdadiah was also quiet, and slow. The people seemed leery of us and didnt wave. During the whole trip I was trying to pay attention to who waved and who didnt and I noticed that fewer people waved during this trip than on any of the other excursions Ive taken. Maybe thats just my perception, maybe its nothing. Some kids did wave, but fewer maybe it was just too hot to expend the energy. Some adults waved too as we drove past their cars, so I take THAT as a good sign.

Once on the FOB, the flaw in the grand movement plan showed itself. No one met us at the gate to direct us where to go and no plan had been briefed about it, so we pulled into a big parking lot and called for guidance. We were in the wrong parking lot and let me tell you, turning around 50 vehicles with heavy equipment on them in a confined space is not easy.
So begins the next chapter of this Iraqi Deployment.

- My Truck